My Reading Challenges: Updates & Future Challenges

So I think something has become abundantly clear to me: I start out strong & struggle to continue my efforts. I took on the 2010 Debut Author's Challenge & J.Kaye's 2010 YA Reading Challenge. I even posted my own reading challenge about the Teens' Top Ten. I am sad to report that I didn't finish as much of these challenges as I would have liked.

For the 2010 DAC I managed to read 19 titles. Technically I completed the minimum of 12, but there are so many more I just didn't manage to get my hands on. Here are the ones I did get read:

1. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (Read review here)
   
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Read review here)
3. Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (Read review here)
4. Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey (Read review here)
   
5. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Read review here)
   
6. In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (Read review here)
7. Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers (Read review here)
   
8. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (Read review here)
9. Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz (Read review here)
10. Party by Tom Leveen (Read review here)
    
11. Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony (Read review here)
12. The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (Read review here)
    
13. The Line by Teri Hall (Read review here)
    
14. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (Read review here)
15. The Mark by Jen Nadol (Read review here)
    
16. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard (Read review here)
17. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Read review here)
18. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (Read)
    
19. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis (Read review here)

For J.Kaye's 2010 YA Reading Challenge I was going for reading 50 YA books this year. I'm coming in at 43 of the 50 I have read being YA. I'm quite pleased considering I thought I would have read more this year. I really wanted to read 150 books this year, but I didn't factor in how much reading I was doing at my 8-hour data entry job. :) Whoops.

For 2011 I am trying harder. I think that I bit off more than I chew based on my reality & the fact that my life kind of got flipped upside down in 2010. I am determined to make 2011 more productive in the reading realm! So I am going after the 2011 Debut Author Challenge & the 111 in 2011 challenge! So far there are only 12 books on my DAC challenge reading list, but I'm sure as more information is released on the later titles that I'll add several more. Here's hoping 2011 will be full of great books, great friends (online & off) & lots of love.

My Reading Challenges: Updates & Future Challenges

Party by Tom Leveen

This was a complicated, interwoven storyline. So that I don't giveaway too much, I'm using the book jacket summary.

It's Saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed. The beer is flowing. Simple, right? But for 11 different people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the eleven individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming.

From Goodreads

Whew, that was so much safer than what I originally had written. Party was a fascinating novel. It is told in first person, based on the chapter narrator. There are eleven narrators all giving partial glimpses at this one night. When you piece all their stories together you obtain one cohesive time line of events. Each of these kids represents almost the whole gamut of the teenage years. The parental arguments, the sense of loss, the shyness, the awkwardness, the break-ups, the make-ups, the hook-ups, and everything in between. These eleven kids experience it all in hyperdrive at this one party.

While each character only gets one chapter, I felt like they didn't waste any time getting to the heart of their personalities and issues. You knew from the beginning what was going on in their lives and what their personal focus would be. Even better, are the vignettes we glean from earlier chapters. By the final chapter we have come full circle and see the complete night as a whole.

I think most people can find at least one character they can relate to in this book, whether it's the loner girl with a secret, the uber-responsible friend, the devoutly spiritual, or the conflicted jock. There are attributes in each of them that appeal to the reader in some manner. I personally identified with the responsible friend, although I never attended a party in high school (lame, I know). While not a light, happy read, if you're a fan of no-holds-barred, realistic fiction (along the lines of Going Too Far) then this book is perfectly suited for your tastes.

This book was graciously provided by Around the World Tours.

Party by Tom Leveen

The Line by Terri Hall

The Property, where sixteen-year-old Rachel and her mother live, and Away are just barely separated by The Line and everyone knows to stay out of Away. Sounds simple enough right? Rachel does as she's supposed to and follows all the rules to stay in Ms. Moore's good graces, as she is the owner of The Property.

Everything is as hunky-dory as it can be, until Rachel uncovers a mysterious recorded message. They're all alone on The Property, but given their proximity to Away, that's the only logical conclusion for the recording's origin. The message is dire though and asking for help. Rachel decides to heed that call and do the unthinkable. She's going to Away and her life will forever be altered.

Terri Hall's debut novel The Line is equal parts suspenseful mystery and dystopian fight for survival. Terri does a fabulous job outlining the changes the United States had to undergo in order to devolve into their current existence. Her detailing allowed the reader to glean a fuller understanding of the trials these people faced. Unfortunately it also made the book dull to start off. Although it became increasingly more interesting and fast-paced, the beginning really took some working to get through.

Rachel was a fun, spunky kind of girl. I really enjoyed reading about her growth under Ms. Moore's tutelage in the hot house. Her attitude could chafe sometimes, but it was certainly understandable. I really admired that fact that her character felt it imperative to help those in Away, despite everything she knew about those who inhabit Away.

While not the quickest read I've ever had, this was definitely an attention-grabber. It reminded me of Restoring Harmony in a way because it was slow to start-off, but really good once it gets going. Be on the lookout for Away, the second book in the series, in 2011!!

This book was graciously provided by Around the World Tours.

The Line by Terri Hall

Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

Polly Martin has no problem attracting guys. Her problem lies in keeping them. In the last year alone she has won and lost Jack, Gareth, Sawyer, Hayden, and Kurt. Some of them were very brief relationships (does hooking up on a trip constitute dating?) and some were a little longer. The main thing they all had in common was that Polly chose to emulate whatever her current guy was interested in. Thus landing her a summer job working under Sawyer at a lowly cowboy-themed water park, unsure of what she really wants, unsure of who she really is, and swearing off guys.

On top of all her dating drama, Polly worries about the fact that her mother has to take a part time job as a food angel to help pay the bills, her grandmother (the love advice columnist Miss Swoon) is moving in with them, and her decimated relationship with her father and little sister. Even with all this going on, Polly still manages to catch the eye of geek turned hottie Xander Cooper. Will she be able to wrestle her own issues into submission so she can enjoy Xander or will Polly simply retreat and hide?

Swoon at Your Own Risk is an odd little story that jumps around a lot. Not only do you jump from stories about ex-boyfriend #1 to ex-boyfriend #5, but there is also some seriously extra nonsense. There was so much drama going on between family members, friends, and co-workers that I was having trouble keeping up. Many of the characters I thought were minor, turned out to be pretty important to understand the plotline and then others that were given some serious spotlight fizzled.

The writing was fine and I really did enjoy a) the column entries from Miss Swoon, b) the blog articles from a co-worker (I've only seen a blog used effectively in one other book, Stalker Girl), and c) the poetry-like snippits from Xander's journal. All of these pieces added depth to an otherwise shallow story. I have to admit that many of the events seem improbable at best. I honestly can't believe that someone can get so many "extra chances" to improve performance at a job. Sorry.

In general, this was a fluffy read that was only mildly enjoyable. If you like drama and gossip, this book is good for that, but not really much else.

This book was graciously provided by Around the World Tours.

Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

Waiting on Wednesday: The Deathday Letter

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I am looking forward to the June 15th release of The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson, published by Simon Pulse. This sounds like a cooler (and shorter) twist of Before I Fall. Summary:

All fifteen year-old Oliver Travers wanted to do when he woke up Thursday morning was squeeze in a little underwear gymnastics before school, until his mom called him downstairs to tell him he had received a Deathday Letter, which sort of ruined the mood.

Content to spend his last day of life at school (where the girls are), Oliver's best friends Shane Grimsley and Veronica (Ronnie) Dittrich convince him to burn his books and ditch school to, you know, have a little actual fun before he kicks the bucket.

In a world where only taxes, Deathday Letters, and teenage boy's hormones are certainties, Oliver, Shane and Ronnie embark upon a bus ride that takes them from the post office, to a house filled with college-aged anti-Deathday Letter activists (and Dave Matthews fans), and nearly to prison. And as the end draws near Oliver learns that living is way tougher than dying…and that kissing is wetter than he'd expected.

From Goodreads

How much fun does that sound like? It kind of reminds me of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". (Make sure to click that link for the trailer if you haven't seen it) Oliver obviously just wants to enjoy himself and there's nothing wrong with that. He's a teen, in the prime of his life, he shouldn't be getting his Deathday Letter yet. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I hope it's as fun as it sounds!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Deathday Letter

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards

Sixteen-year-old Celestia is the youngest daughter of two very prominent people of Pennsylvania society in 1889. She and her sister spend their summer vacation doing what all proper ladies of their position do, lazing in the shade and taking up needlecrafts at their resort, the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. Celestia is not content to just laze about, so she often spends her time in the shade of a old tree next to the lake. That is where she was the day she met and fell in love with Peter. While he was just a hired hand, working at the club before going to work in the coal mines like his father, he was well-read and well-versed in all manner of subjects.

The couple grow fond of one another very quickly and pledge their fidelity to each other. Their bond is quickly tested when it is discovered that Celestia's sister is with child, and that child has not been sired by her fiancé. Immediately the sister is cast out of the family and Celestia is whisked away to Europe for finishing school before her societal debut. The couple keeps in touch and hopes to rekindle their triste the following summer.

While Celestia does make it back to the Club, she finds that Peter is no longer employed there. She's had all she can take from her family and runs to the neighboring town to find him, leaving all she has ever known behind. Unfortunately for her, her timing could not have been more tragic. The Club lake was artificially made by a dam. Every year the townsfolk joke that it will give way during the stormy season. Sadly this does come to pass and the novel tells the tale of love, loss, survival, and destiny through verse.

Three Rivers Rising was in a phrase: an enchanting and harrowing tale. This book was historically factual in that the timeline and the most of the events actually took place on that fateful day in 1889. It's hard to believe the devastation that something as simple as water can cause, but in mass quantities anything can be deadly.

The characters were very representative of their time and station and I really found myself drawn to the lower class characters. The book is told by revolving narrators with the focus on Celestia and Peter, yet I found myself drawn to Maura and Kate much more. They were simple, ordinary people going on about their lives as best they could, when this tragedy struck and changed their lives irrevocably. A fascinating change to behold!

The writing was incredible! The verse and poetry of the words were both heart-wrenching and affable. Richards really captured the desire, desperation, and magnitude of this event in her narrative. I would say if you enjoyed The Sky is Everywhere, then you will enjoy this novel. Simply amazing.

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards

My Challenges Update!

I only joined two challenges that cross over one another, but so far, here's where I stand.

Debut Author Challenge: I have read 14 books that count. You can see the full list of what I want to read here.

1. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (Read review here)
   
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Read review here)
   
3. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Read review here)
   
4. In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (Read review here)
   
5. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (Read review here)
6. Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz (Read review here)
   
7. Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony (Read review here)
   
8. The Line by Teri Hall (read)
   
9. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (Read review here)
10. The Mark by Jen Nadol (Read review here)
    
11. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard (Read review here)
12. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Read review here)
13. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (Read)
    
14. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis (Read review here)

On the 2010 YA Reading Challenge front, I have read 22 of the 50 YA books that I want to read this year. Considering that I have 38 more books to read for the Debut Author Challenge, I think I'll be fine for this one as well.

Also, come on back on Thursday to check out the reading challenge that I will be hosting. There are only 26 books to choose from, there are 3 levels, you don't HAVE to review them at all, and the best part is the prize! Check back on Thursday for more information.

My Challenges Update!

Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers

Words can fail you. They seem to be in a permanent state of failure for Sophie. She finds herself having severe panic attacks, distancing herself from her friends, turning her back on the only family she has left, and just generally withdrawing in on herself. What could possibly have caused this transformation? An awful, horror that Sophie can't bring herself to talk about with anyone.

So instead of talking Sophie takes refuge in the written word. At the suggestion of her therapist, who is making absolutely no progress with Sophie or her condition, the London teen picks up her notebook and writes whatever comes to her. There are some entries like a diary, there are some reflecting on her recent past, and there are some poems.

As her relationships with those who were once close to her are deteriorating, Sophie manages to make a new friend with a recently-arrived Canadian. Rosa-Leigh helps Sophie work through her issues and deal with the complicated mess that is the remains of Sophie's life. The future can't be much more bleak than the past, can it?

What a novel! It truly did read like a diary, with some entries being much more interesting than others and still more that you can find yourself having thought about before. This book had a very interesting part to it being that you start off the novel in the dark about "the tragedy." It is such an integral part of the storyline and the reason behind Sophie's actions that it absolutely ate me up not knowing what it was. Yet the way that the clues are dropped, the attempt to piece them together, and then the revelation were SO worth the wait!!

While I did not fancy Sophie that much as a person, even taking in to consideration her troubles, she was miles above her friends and pseudo-boyfriend. Her friends (other than Rosa-Leigh) were so self-absorbed and despicable that I really wanted to smack them! The pseudo-boyfriend was such a skeez (not to mention an uncompleted plotline) that I just skimmed the parts that contained his pathetic existence. Sophie's mother was quite likable and understanding, definitely more so than my mother would have been in the same situation.

While I did like this book, I felt that it could have been better executed. The diary-ness of it really got old after a while and I kind of wish there had been a little more poetry sprinkled throughout it. As a whole, the story was very compelling and breath-taking; filled with unimaginable heartache and toil, but the writing felt wonky most of the time. Now some of what I don't prefer may be intentional to give it the "written by a teen" feel; it just lacked for me. If you like a good thinking/puzzle book, then this will work well for you.

This book was provided by Around the World Tours.

Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers