Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe

Published in 2008. 256 pages.


As an introvert, I was excited to see a book celebrating this not-always-so-acceptable aspect of myself. The author certainly understands introversion, but I found the book to be only so-so. I also really disliked the cover and had to keep the book facedown all the while I was reading it.

2009.75

Front and Centerby Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Published in 2009. 256 pages.

First sentence: Here are ten words I never thought I'd be saying ...

Last sentence: Thank you.

What I thought: I fell in love with D.J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen, and in The Off-Season I watched her mature as she dealt with some serious situations. Front and Center provides another chapter to her life - as she returns to school for the basketball season and makes some decisions about her future.

I read the entire book on New Year's Day and enjoyed every minute of it. I can't resist a good girls' basketball story - and to have one with D.J. in the starring role (literally and literary-ly) was just perfect!

Two favorite passages:

It had been a ton of fun, I decided as I lay in bed that night. But if it was so fun, why all of a sudden did I feel so sad? Because, I realized, figuring it out at last, as great as the singing and goofing off and popcorn and snowballs had been, and the kissing, I would have traded it all, without a single speck of regret, for five more minutes of mucking out the barn with Brian.
[p. 136]

Still, I couldn't get over Dad calling those farmers. People might think helping is hard, but really that's the easy part; just look how good it makes people feel. Look how happy all those Red Bend ladies were about chipping in. It's the asking that's so painful. It takes real courage, real strength, to say you're not strong enough to do it alone. [p. 196]

What I wish: This is the third book of the Dairy Queen trilogy. I wish it weren't over. I wish that I could hear more from D.J. After all, she's still got senior year ... and then college.

2010.1

It's Tuesday ... Where Are You?

Hosted by raidergirl3 at
An Adventure in Reading.
Today I'm in northern Idaho in the small town of Kootenai Bay. (Although I lived in Idaho for about 15 years, I've never been this far up in the panhandle before.) It's a wet April day, and despite the murderous intent of some of those around me, I'm thinking that this is quite a lovely location. (I'm reading Blue Heaven by C.J. Box.)

Life As We Knew Itby Susan Beth Pfeffer

Published in 2006. 337 pages.


I read the apocalyptic young adult novel Life As We Knew It back in April. I'd wanted to read it for a while, and I decided to choose it for my church women's group book club. I thought it was a great read - but, unfortunately, the book club meeting was postponed and then never rescheduled, so I didn't get a chance to discuss it with anyone. I think it would have precipitated some good conversation.

I am looking forward to reading the other books in the "Moon Crash Trilogy" - The Dead and the Gone (published in 2008), which presents the same events from another viewpoint, and This World We Live In (to be released in April), which brings both story lines together.

Other book bloggers' reviews of Life As We Knew It:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• 1morechapter.com - February 3, 2009
• Becky's Book Reviews - September 13, 2007 and November 5, 2006
• Bonnie's Books - March 28, 2008
• Library Queue - October 25, 2009

2009.20

Library Loot - January 23

Library Loot is a weekly event
co-hosted by Eva and Marg
to encourage bloggers to share the books
they’ve checked out from the library.



I picked up thirteen holds at the library yesterday,
in addition to paying off a total of over $30 in fines
on the family's five cards.

Here are the books in somewhat random order:

2010 Newbery Honor Book.
I had put it on hold because of the Newbery buzz
it was getting prior to the announcement.

This one was also getting some Newbery buzz.

As was this one.

Another 2010 Newbery Honor Book.

This one was getting some Newbery buzz too.
It's a Cybils finalist as well.

This book was getting some Newbery and Printz buzz
prior to the announcement. It's also a Cybils finalist.

Same situation with this one.

There was Printz buzz here too.

This is Sarah Dessen's latest book.

This is the latest episode in the Alex Delaware series.

I happened upon this on my goodreads to-read shelf
and thought it'd be a interesting, quick read.

SuziQOregon raved about this one,
so I wanted to read it right away.

This one got some Printz buzz too - and I just love the cover!

Reader's Choice Challenge

January 1 to April 30.
Hosted by Britt.

Details and Sign-Up at Confessions of a Book Habitue.
Because I already challenged myself to read 20 of the Salt Lake County Library's Reader's Choice selections this year, I'm breaking my vow to not add any more challenges to my plate. I'm eager to read along with Britt and other challenge participants to make our own "reader's choices"!

A Book List

My husband - who is a self-described non-reader - recently wrote a post about USA Today's 100 best-selling books of 2009. He said he'd be interested in knowing how many of those I have read. So, WhiteRabbit, this is for you:

(Books I've read are bolded and, where applicable, linked to my reviews. Books on my to-read list are italicized.)

1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer


2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer


3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown


6. The Shack by William P. Young


7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney


8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney


9. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey


10. Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin


11. Glenn Beck’s Common Sense by Glenn Beck


12. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult


13. The Associate by John Grisham


14. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger


15. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin


16. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin


17. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell


18. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney


19. The Host by Stephenie Meyer


20. The Help by Kathryn Stockett


21. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows


22. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom


23. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak


24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney


25. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan


26. The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick


27. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown


28. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson


29. Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding


30. Arguing With Idiots by Glenn Beck


31. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks


32. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


33. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson


34. Under the Dome by Stephen King


35. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast


36. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


37. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow


38. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling


39. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris


40. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold


41. Push (Precious) by Sapphire


42. True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy


43. Hunted by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast


44. Vision in White by Nora Roberts


45. What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel (Actually it's an earlier edition that I read; it's been a while since I've been "expecting.")


46. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons


47. Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding


48. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith


49. Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast


50. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris


51. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris


52. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink


53. Tempted by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast


54. Chosen by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast


55. Untamed by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast


56. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout


57. Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet


58. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich


59. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult


60. The Road by Cormac McCarthy


61. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath


62. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts


63. Cross Country by James Patterson


64. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris


65. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah


66. South of Broad by Pat Conroy


67. Ford County: Stories by John Grisham


68. The Appeal by John Grisham


69. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max


70. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (Although I didn't read the four books as a set.)


71. Night World: Volume One by L.J. Smith


72. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay


73. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris


74. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell


75. Evermore by Alyson Noel


76. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan


77. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


78. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell


79. Guinness World Records 2010


80. 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey


81. The Calorie King Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter, 2009 Edition by Allan Borushek


82. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith


83. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho


84. Dead As a Doornail by Charlaine Harris


85. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama


86. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan


87. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne


88. The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis


89. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris


90. New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz


91. Run for Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge


92. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks


93. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


94. Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman


95. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert


96. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell


97. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates


98. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O’Reilly


99. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris


100. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

That's 26 that I've read (if I count The Twilight Saga), and another 25 on my to-read list. What about you? How many of you read? Are there any you think I ought to add to my to-read list? Can you identify the four or five that will never be on my to-read list?

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Published in 1995. 323 pages.


First sentence (which is also the first of many "top five" lists): My desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable split-ups, in chronological order:

1. Alison Ashworth
2. Penny Hardwick
3. Jackie Allen
4. Charlie Nicholson
5. Sarah Kendrew

Why I read this book: I admit that I'd probably not have picked up High Fidelity on my own. But it was a book club pick - and one of the things I love most about being a book club is "having" to read things that I might not have read otherwise.

What I thought: It took a few chapters for thirty-something record store owner and compulsive "top five" list maker Rob Fleming to grow on me. But once he did, I found his story to be amusing and even touching - even if we don't share tastes in music. I'd read John Green's An Abundance of Katherines shortly before I read High Fidelity, and I've got to assume that High Fidelity was an influence on Green, as I can see a younger, more geeky Rob Fleming in Colin Singleton.

What I need to do: High Fidelity was made into a movie in 2000. It stars one of my favorite actors, John Cusack. I've got to check it out!

2009.9