Fall Into Reading

September 22-December 21
Hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days
For the next thirteen weeks, I am going to "fall into reading"! It has been extremely difficult for me, however, to create a list of what I'm going to read. There are simply too many books on my to-read list! In the best possible world, I would read one book every single autumn day - but, alas, work and family and sleep and other necessary activities preclude that possibility.

My first list-making attempt resulted in a reading list of about 60 books. Then I started gathering those of the 60 that I have here at home, either because I own it (either in traditional format or on my Kindle) or because I've already checked it out of the library:

That pile was still too big for me to reasonably tackle during a thirteen-week span - and I'd rather end up with a feeling of accomplishment than a feeling of defeat. (By the way, I've been averaging a book-and-a-half per week this year, so I figure that I ought to be able to read 20 books in thirteen weeks without too much "challenge" - and a few more, especially if they're not too long, if I make it a priority.)

After adding a few titles of upcoming "required" reading (for my book clubs and for a literature class I start next month) plus a couple of new releases I'd like to get my hands on, I used the "random" sort function on goodreads (with just a little cheating) to narrow my list to the 26 books I plan to read for this challenge.

Here is the eclectic selection (in alphabetical order by author):

• Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
  (I plan to listen to this one on CD during my commute.)
• The Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith by Joanna Brooks
  (This is a memoir by the author of the blog Ask Mormon Girl.)
• The Sand Bar by Rebecca Bryan
  (I gratefully received a copy of this debut novel by a local author for review.)
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  (I checked out this recent release from the Kindle Lending Library, which is my favorite new "toy.")
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  (I have heard many good things about this young adult novel.)
• Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh
  (This is another one I plan to "read" via audiobook.)
• Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale
  (My daughter and I attended the book launch for this sequel to Princess Academy.)
• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
  (This is one of the children's books I will be reading in my literature class this year.)
• Christ and the New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland
  (I would like to read this one as I wrap up this year's Sunday School course of study.)
• The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
  (I think this children's historical fiction novel is getting some Newbery buzz.)
• Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
  (The Giver is one of my all-time favorites, and I am planning to read the three books that complete the series, including the recently released Son.)
• Messenger by Lois Lowry
• Son by Lois Lowry
• Sister by Rosamund Lupton
  (This is one of the current Salt Lake County Reader's Choice nominees.)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  (My book club read this several years ago, but I skipped it because I was going to be out of town during the meeting. Since only two of the current members of the group - which has undergone a lot of change over the years - have read it, we've picked it again.)
• Heaven is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy by Stephanie Nielson
  (This is the recently-released memoir by the blogger at NieNie Dialogues.)
• The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
  (I have had my eye on this short historical fiction novel for a while.)
• Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
  (This is a collaboration between one of my favorite authors and her teenage daughter.)
• Simplify: A Guide to Caring for the Soul by Carolyn J. Rasmus
  (Something about the title of this one just appeals to me deep inside.)
• Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
  (I adore Gretchen Rubin, and I am eager to read this second look at the concept of a "happiness project"!)
• The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery by Kathryn Lynard Soper
  (I have been wanting to read this memoir for some time.)
• Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto
  (This is another novel I was happy to receive for review.)
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
  (This is the latest book by the 2010 Newbery award winner.)
• Malice by Robert K. Tanenbaum
  (It has been more than five years since I read a book in the Butch Karp/Marlene Ciampi series, which currently stands at 24 books. This is the nineteenth.)
• Variant by Robison Wells
  (This is one of the young adult books I will be reading in my literature class this year.)
• Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
  (I am re-reading this all-time favorite for one of my book clubs.)

How I wish I could read all of my original picks during this challenge! (For the curious, here is a link to the complete "second-attempt" list.) But - as my sixteen-year-old daughter pointed out - it's not like I'm going to stop reading once winter arrives!

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Published in 2011.
Audiobook read by Julia Whelan.

The six-disc audio version of Cat Patrick's young adult novel Forgotten caught my eye while I was perusing the library shelves for something new to "read" during my commute.

Every night, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated a new boy at school enters the picture.

The premise of the book is compelling and unique - even if I was reminded of the film 50 First Dates at times - and I truly appreciated the underlying message about the value of remembering. The storyline didn't flow terribly well, though, and although I liked the various plots, they were somewhat disjointed, somewhat as if they each - if fleshed out a bit - could be a separate book in a series of books.

I do want to check out what the author has done (and is now doing) since the publication of this debut novel. Her website is here.

2012.49

And the Winner Is ...

As promised, I have randomly selected (using random.org) one lucky person from those who left a comment on my review of The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. and will be passing along my copy to her.

And the winner is ...
Inside a Book!
(If you'll email me your snail mail address,
I'll get the book out to you shortly!)

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.by Nichole Bernier

Published in 2012 by Crown Publishers. 309 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crown Publishers marketing assistant Danielle Crabtree, who had contacted me about reading and reviewing it.
Thanks, Danielle!
From the book jacket: Before there were blogs, there were journals. And in them we'd write as we really were, not as we wanted to appear. But there comes a day when journals outlive us. And with them, our secrets.

Epigraph: An excerpt from "Letter Much Too Late" - an essay by Wallace Stegner about his mother, written sixty years after she’d died, when Stegner was eighty:

Somehow I should have been able to say how strong and resilient you were, what a patient and abiding and bonding force, the softness that proved in the long run stronger than what it seemed to yield to. ... You are at once a lasting presence and an unhealed wound.

First paragraph: The George Washington Bridge had never been anything but strong and beautiful, its arches monumental, cables thin and high. Kate watched them spindling like ribs past the car window as her husband drove eastbound across the span. It was a testimony to optimism, a suspension bridge, each far-fetched plate, truss, and girder an act of faith against gravity and good sense.

From just these three bits of the book, I could tell that this novel was going to be a great read!


What I thought about the writing: An experienced magazine writer and editor, Nichole Bernier has readily applied her skills to her debut novel. With beautiful prose, she tells of Kate, who receives, following the sudden death of her friend Elizabeth, a trunk filled with Elizabeth's journals. Kate's story alternates between her actions in the present, as she reads Elizabeth's journals during her summer vacation, and her memories of Elizabeth and of her earlier life. It comes together in a stream-of-consciousness that reminded me of how my own mind works. Periodically interspersed in the third person narrative are excerpts from Elizabeth's journals themselves, and this epistolary form allows the reader insights into Elizabeth's life at the same time that Kate struggles to reconcile the woman she knew with the woman in the journal pages.

What I thought about the setting: Set in the summer following the September 11 attacks on the United States, the novel uses the general anxiousness of that time to add to the complexity of Kate's emotions after Elizabeth's death. Before I started reading, I had expected that Elizabeth's death occurred on 9-11. Initially I wondered why Bernier had complicated the story by having that event in the background, but I think it adds an emotional layer to the plot. The location of present-day action is also used effectively. Having Kate read the journals in a vacation house on beautiful Great Rock Island provides a nice juxtaposition to the anxiety and turmoil of coming to terms with her questions about Elizabeth - and the issues the journals raise in Kate's own life. By the way, I read a good chunk of this novel while on my own vacation, sitting in a beautiful garden; it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

What I thought about the themes: The best novels, in my opinion, are those that keep me thinking long after I finish the last page. The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. is such a book simply because of its many thought-provoking themes. Family. Friendship. Motherhood. Marriage. Stories. Secrets. Loss. And - most poignant for me - choice. An early passage provided a preview of what was to come:

"What are you guys talking about?" [Kate's young son] James asked.
"Just debating what we should do tomorrow," Kate said.
"I want to go to the beach. And play miniature golf," said James. "One in the morning, one in the afternoon. Then swim."
"Well, you can't do it all. Sometimes" - [Kate's husband] Chris wiped his mouth and glanced at Kate - "you have to make a choice."

Later, we read Elizabeth's words:

Every day consists of these tiny choices with 57,000 trickle-down effects. You catch a different subway and brush against a stranger with meningitis, or make eye contact with someone you fall in love with, or buy a lotto ticket in this bodega instead of that one and totally cash in, or miss the train that ends up derailing. Everything is so [freaking] arbitrary. Every move you make and a million ones you don't all have ramifications that mean life or death or love or bankruptcy or whatever. It could paralyze you if you let it. But you have to live your life. What's the alternative?

A brief note on content: If this novel were a movie, it would probably have a PG-13 rating - so although the passage I just quoted includes the f-word, profanity isn't pervasively used in the novel. Neither are there any explicit sexual situations or violence. I know that others are sometimes uncomfortable with content that I find acceptable - but I don't think most readers will be offended by the content of this book.

What some others have said about this book: Cindi aka Utah Mom said, "This contemporary piece of literature is honest, passionate and timely from a debut author." (Her full review is here.) Alison of Alison's Book Marks wrote, "A beautiful novel. At once an ode to friendship and a page-turning mystery." (Her full review is here.) Devourer of Books said that the book will "spark questions relevant to the reader’s own life." (Her full review is here.) Nancy Robertson reviewed the book for The Washington Post here.

For more information: Nichole Bernier's website is here. Her Facebook page is here.

To share in the love of a good book: Somewhat reluctantly - because I think I might want to re-read this one - I'm going to pass along my gently used copy of The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. to a randomly-selected reader of my blog. For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, August 15. (U.S. residents only, please.)

A final thought: The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. would be an awesome book club pick - and there is a Book Club Discussion Guide here.

A Conspiracy of Kingsby Megan Whalen Turner

Published in 2010 by Greenwillow Books.
Audiobook performed by Jeff Woodman.

The young adult novels I enjoy most are the ones that are excellent books that just happen to be written for young people. Some young adult novels - even if enjoyable - scream "YA" to me. But the best ones appear equally at home in my hands as in the hands of one of my teenagers. The four installments of Megan Whalen Turner's fantasy series that began with The Thief are such books. With complex characters, elaborate plots, and meaningful themes, these are just fabulous reads.

A Conspiracy of Kings is the fourth - and to-date the last - book about the thief Eugenides and his associates. This one is focused on and partially told from the viewpoint of Sophos, friend of Eugenides and heir to the throne of Sounis.

I absolutely loved it! This one may be my favorite of the four (although it's certainly difficult to pick just one). Sophos is a terrific character, and there are lots of twists and turns on his path. I also found the political intrigue fascinating. Megan Whalen Turner is a wonderful storyteller - and Jeff Woodman, who narrates the audiobooks, is one of the best narrators I've heard.

If you haven't read this series, be sure to start with The Thief (which I reviewed here) - and be sure to do it soon! (My thoughts about the second and third books, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia, are here and here.)

The publisher has posted the author's discussion guide for the series here.

Bliss, Remembered by Frank DeFord

Published in 2010. 351 pages.

I really enjoyed this historical novel, which I read with my long-time book club a few months ago. I first became aware of the book when it was a Salt Lake County Reader's Choice nominee last year, and although I didn't find the time to read it then, I heard good things about it and was happy that the book club decided to read it together this year.

The novel starts as follows:

The summer after my mother [Sydney Stringfellow] found out that she was dying of cancer, she asked me to come visit and watch the Olympic swimming on television with her. It was 2004, when the Games were in Athens. Mom had been on the United States swimming team in the Berlin Olympics in 1936, when she was eighteen. While she never talked about the experience - she was, in fact, mysteriously silent on the subject - she would say, "That's the only thing of any real consequence I ever did in my life."

The story of Sydney's adventures in Berlin in 1936 and the aftermath of her love affair with the son of a Nazi diplomat is revealed to the reader primarily in her own voice as she shares the story with her son. I know that the narrator constantly calling her son by name ("Teddy ... Teddy ... Teddy") made my friend Chelsea crazy - but I think this story is well worth the read. The older Sydney is a delightful character, and the experiences of her younger self made for a compelling read.

NPR posted a fun story about the book and author Frank Deford here.

This year my book club has also read Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I think the three tie together nicely for a look at Hitler's Germany, the 1936 Olympics, and World War II.

As a group, my book club seems to gravitate toward stories set during World War II. Among the other novels we've read are Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Sarah's Key, Skeletons at the Feast, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel. What are some other WWII books that you'd recommend to the group?

2012.32

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

Published in 2009 by William Morrow & Company.

I started reading this culinary mystery series many years ago - and I found this fifteenth episode still a fun diversion. As my friend Linda says, Davidson weaves a good story - and I love all the talk of yummy food!

I've recently started borrowing some Kindle books from my local library. The system is not entirely user-friendly - but it is convenient having a book automatically downloaded to my Kindle and then removed on the due date. Fatally Flaky is one of those I borrowed.

2012.33

By the NumbersOne-Half of 2012

Total books read year-to-date: 36.
(At this point last year, I had read 44 books. In each year beginning with 2007 - the year I created this blog - I read more books than I did the previous year. If I'm going to repeat that result in 2012, I think I'm just going to have to read faster!)

Fiction: 26.
Non-fiction: 10.

Audiobooks: 13.
(That more than one-third of my "reading" happened during my commuting time is somewhat disconcerting to me.)

On the Kindle: 5.
(I own three of these. I borrowed the other two from the Kindle Lending Library.)

Published in 2012: 0.
(Of all these numbers, this one surprises me most!)
Published prior to 1990: 1.

Books by male authors: 6.
Books by female authors: 30.

Books by new-to-me authors: 22.
(Some of those are debuts but most are just my first experience with the author. In most cases, I will be looking for more of the author's work!)

Books that are the first of a series: 4.
Books that are part of a series I started prior to 2012: 5.

Historical fiction: 5.

Biography, autobiography, or memoir: 6.

Young adult: 15.
Juvenile: 2.

Review copies: 2.

Read for my Teaching Through Literature class: 4.
Read with the "book lunch girls" (aka Natalie's Book Club): 6.
Read with my long-time book club: 5 (counting one that I also read with the "book lunch girls").

5-star rating: 4.
4-star rating: 22.
3-star rating: 9.
2-star rating: 1.

How is your 2012 reading adding up?