Fall Into Reading 2011

September 23 - December 21
Hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days

Fall is a marvelous time for curling up with a good book! My reading goal for 2011 (as it has been for several years running) is 104 books (an average of two books a week). This year (for the first time) I'm thinking that my goal is attainable. As of today I have read 71 books, so I've got only 33 left to go! With that goal in mind, I've chosen the following books for my Fall Into Reading list:


Salt Lake County Library Reader's Choice Nominees

• Bliss Remembered by Frank Deford


• Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok


• Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret


• The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum


• The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart

(Check out the "Reader's Choice" blog here.)


In Honor of Banned Books Week (September 24-October 1)

• Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green


• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Also on the "List Swap" Selections list.)

(Update: Check out the "Banned Books Challenge" blog here.)


Recent or Upcoming Releases (A mix of genres.)

• Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry


• Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys


• The Death Cure by James Dashner


• Faith: A Novel by Jennifer Haigh* (Also on the IRL Book Clubs list.)


• The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler


• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson


• The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian


• The Place of Knowing: A Spiritual Autobiography by Emma Lou Warner Thayne

List Swap Selections

• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson


• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale


• The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages


• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Also on the Banned Books Week list.)

(For an explanation of the "list swap" project and my complete list, click here.)


Picks for My IRL Book Clubs

• Faith by Jennifer Haigh* (Also on the Recent Releases list.)


• Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan*


• The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman


• The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy


• An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life by Mary Johnson


• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

(Updated on September 30, following September's book club meetings, and again on November 21.)


Required Reading (For my "Teaching Through Literature Discussions" class.)

• The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah Eden


• Possession by Elana Johnson


• A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

Books Received for Review

• Lost on Treasure Island: A Memoir of Longing, Love, and Lousy Choices in New York City by Steve Friedman


• Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression by Ida Lichter*

Other Nonfiction Titles

• His Final Hours by Jeffrey Marsh*


• Lighten Up by Chieko Okazaki


• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand


• The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery by Kathryn Lynard Soper

Other Fiction Titles (Mostly YA.)

• Acceleration by Graham McNamee


• Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins


• Extras by Scott Westerfeld*


• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa


• This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

*Started reading prior to September 23.

What are you reading this fall?

The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum

Published in 2011. 368 pages.

The world is full of impossibilities - some beautiful, some terrible - but sometimes, when you least expect it, they can become possible.

~ Abby

The Forgotten Locket is a satisfying ending to The Hourglass Door trilogy. I was bothered by some of the same things as in the previous books, but overall - as before - my inner teenage geek had a good time with it! (My initial response to The Hourglass Door is here, with my thoughts on The Golden Spiral here.)

I re-read The Hourglass Door last fall for my Teaching Through Literature Discussions workshop. I found that I enjoyed the book more on the second read - perhaps partly because I wasn't trying so much to figure things out. I also found that I appreciated the book more having heard the author talk about it and the writing process. Among the interesting things she said are these:

• The idea for the river in the novels came from the metaphor "time is a river" and the saying "you can never step in the same river twice."


• The stage kiss scene in The Hourglass Door actually happened to her! (If you don't know what I'm taking about, it's probably worth reading The Hourglass Door just to contemplate the yuckiness of that experience!)


• "Believe in your voice. Everyone has a story to tell."

One thing that bugged me while I was reading was looking at the beautiful gold locket on the cover and seeing in my mind's eye the beautiful silver locket described in the narrative. In the end, I understand the point of the cover picture - but for most of the book I was thinking that the cover designer hadn't even read it!

Here is a favorite passage from The Forgotten Locket, one that I think deserves some contemplation:

"What kinds of things did you wish for?

Orlando turned his attention to the fire, avoiding my gaze. "Oh, I never made a wish myself."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was because I didn't want to look at my life and see what was missing. Once you identify what you lack, then it's all you see anymore. Wanting something I couldn't have would only lead to unhappiness, so I tried to be content with what I had."

"That's terrible," I said. "It misses the whole point of wishing. It's not to focus on what you don't have; it's to show you what could be. Once you know what you want, then you know what to reach for, what to dream about. It's how you change things."

2011.62

Five Reviews of Six Words (or Less)

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Published in 2011. 359 pages.


Sequel even better than the first.
2011.31


Wrong Number by Rachelle Christensen
Published in 2010. 200 pages.


Clean suspenseful romance by Utah author.
(For my Teaching Through Literature Discussions workshop.)
2011.26


Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published in 2002.
Audiobook read by Samantha Mathis.


Without the power of Speak.
2011.28


Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Published in 2010.
Audiobook read by Rebecca Lowman.


Chilling abusive relationship. "Second chance" love.
2011.39


Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Published in 2007.
Audiobook read by Kate Reinders.


Growth at summer drama camp. Delightful!
2011.42

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books
I haven't done as much reading in the past few weeks as I expected I would, so right now I still have many of the same books as my nightstand as I did at the end of October, including North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, which is the pick for my "book lunch girls" meeting in December.

I'll be wrapping up my reading for the Fall into Reading challenge by December 20. As of today, I've read only seven of the 26 books on my list - with two more in process - so lots of those books are on my nightstand.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa is the Book Buddies choice for December, so I need to get it on my nightstand soon.

Matched by Ally Condie will be released on November 30, and I'm looking forward to having it on my nightstand shortly thereafter! (Matched is the book for my January "Teaching Through Literature Discussions" class, and I'm eager to hear Condie speak.)

Check out what other people have
on their nightstands here.

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books
I'm hoping to quickly finish two books that I've been working on for a couple of weeks:

• The Postmistress is September's pick for the Book Buddies and also a current Salt Lake County Library Reader's Choice nominee.


• I've been reading Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird to go along with my book club's discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird tonight.

Once I'm done with those, I want to get started on my Fall into Reading list. Among the titles I'm most excited to read:

• The Compound by S. A. Bodeen


• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins


• I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Buster Midnight's Cafe by Sandra Dallas is the October pick for the "book lunch girls," so it's on my nightstand too, as is The Hourglass Door, which will be a re-read for me, since it's the next book for my "Teaching through Literature Discussions" class.

Check out what's on other people's nightstands here.