Books read: 1. Angle of Repose – Stegner – Rating: 4 2. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Smith – Rating: 4.5 3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – See – Rating: 5 4. Atonement – McEwan – Rating: 3.5 5. Peace Like a River – Enger Rating: 4.5 6. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo – Rating: 4.5 7. The Birds by Aristophanes Rating: 2.5 8. The Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell Rating: 4.5 9. Silas Marner by George Eliot – Rating: 4.5 10. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert L. Stevenson – Rating: 5 11. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Rating: 5 12. Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton (bookclub pick) Rating: 4 13. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Rating: 4.5 14. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Rating: 5 15. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Rating: 5 16. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers Rating: 4 17. The Road by Cormac McCarthy Rating: 4.5 18. The Myth of Me and You by Leah Stewart Rating: 3.5 19. Everyman by Philip Roth Rating: 1 20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Rating: 4.5 21. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Rating: 4 22. The Giver by Lois Lowry Rating: 4.5
Pages read: 6033 New authors: 20 Male authors: 15 Female authors: 7 Rating of 4 and up: 18 Rating 3.5 and below: 4 From the Stacks Reading Challenge: 5 of 5 completed Winter Classics Challenge: 5 of 5 completed TBR Challenge: 10 of 12 completed Chunkster Challenge:5 of 10 completed By the Decade Challenge: 8 of 15 completed Spring Reading Thing Challenge: 0 of 5 completed Banned Book Challenge: 3 of 7 completed Reading Across Borders Challenge: 2 of 10 completed A-Z Title and Author Challenge: 18 of 52 completed Once Upon a Time Fantasy Challenge: 1 of 5 completed Pulitzer Challenge: 2 of 12 completed NYT Notable Book Challenge: 3 of 10 completed
15. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Rating: 5 16. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers Rating: 4 17. The Road by Cormac McCarthy Rating: 4.5 18. The Myth of Me and You by Leah Stewart Rating: 3.5 19. Everyman by Philip Roth Rating: 1 20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Rating: 4.5 21. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Rating: 4 22. The Giver by Lois Lowry Rating: 4.5
Pages read in March: 2613 Pages read in 2007: 6033
Have you reviewed any of the above titles at your own blog? If you wish, enter them into Mr. Linky below.
I really, really liked this book. It is another “Big Brother” story similar to Fahrenheit 451 or 1984. Scary, scary.
Jonas is eleven years old. When he is twelve, he will receive his “assignment” or job from the Elders of his community. Everything is decided by the Elders. Who marries whom. Which occupation you will have. Which children you will raise. And even who has to be “released” from the community. When Jonas is selected for a special position that only one other person in the community has, it is considered a very high honor. What Jonas discovers about this “honor” changes his life completely.
I read this for the Banned Book Challenge. I’m not sure why it would be contested. Perhaps because there is some talk about the “stirrings” of beginning s* x u ality in Jonas. I didn’t have a problem with this, but I’m really glad I read it before I gave it to my 13 and 12 year old sons to read. This book will make for a great discussion.
I’ve never read this either but have always been interested. I just finished Fahrenheit 451 last night, and wow.
Amanda – March 31, 2007
I love this book! It is a fantastic read and people always have different ideas of what actually happened at the end.
booklogged – March 31, 2007
This is one of my favorite books. Like you I wondered why it had been banned. I found the following site that lists some reasons: http://www.northern.edu/hastingw/Giver.htmlLowry didn’t write a sequel, but she did write 2 companion novels: Gathering Blue and Messenger. Of these, Messenger is the best, but I think you need to read all 3 for full appreciation.
Les – April 3, 2007
I read this 5 or 6 years ago and absolutely loved it. Gave it a perfect 10, as I recall. Definitely time for a re-read!
A masterful novel about low crime and high spirituality, guilt and innocence, identity, nationality and race, this tale is a profound and witty meditation on the fateful differences between what is believed, what is known, and what can be proven. Two men’s lives become interwoven and each becomes the other’s salvation.
I will be reading this for the NYT Notable Book Challenge (and the Chunkster Challenge if read before June 30).
All Star Fridays presents a book which has received starred reviews from at least three publications.
Meggie is a 12 year old girl whose father never reads aloud to her. He gives her books, he tells her stories, but he never actually reads from a book to her. One night a mysterious man comes to visit them–his name is Dustfinger. Dustfinger warns Mo (Meggie’s father) that a man named Capricorn is after a book in Mo’s possession called Inkheart.
It is then that Meggie find out why her father never reads to her. He has the ability to bring characters “alive” out of the book he is reading. The catch is, though, that someone else from the real world disappears into the book at the same time.
The adventure that follows includes Meggie’s missing mother, her great-aunt Elinor, Inkheart’s author Fenoglio, and several characters that have come out of their books.
I enjoyed this story very much and listened to it on CD with my entire family on a road trip this past week. The movie is being filmed now and will star Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, among others. I can’t wait to see it!
Amanda – March 29, 2007
I just started this book and though only on chapter 3, I love it already. I was so glad to see your review! Much more to look forward to as I continue reading!
Suey – March 30, 2007
This is one of my favorite books of all time, the sequel too, Inkspell. Do you plan on going on to read that one? Wow, it ended in quite a cliffhanger and so I’m anxiously awaiting the third book, which I think will be next year sometime. Long wait!
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19, ESV)
