Mount TBR
Pike’s Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s
(I’m signing up for Pike’s Peak, but hoping to climb higher)
Well, I’ve accomplished my first reading challenge of the year which was to climb Pike’s Peak. I did it by February 10th, so I’m thinking I can climb a couple more peaks this year, don’t you? Here’s the books I read for Pike’s Peak, and now I’m starting up Mt. Vancouver. (Scott is so happy to see me reading books from our shelves!)
#1-A Red Herring Without Mustard (A Flavia de Luce Mystery #3) by Alan Bradley
Flavia is such a fun character and she gets herself into, and out of, the oddest situations. This time she’s up against an obscure religious sect, Gypsies, antiques dealers, and the unflappable Inspector Hewitt. These are such fun stories!
#2-The Traitor (Golden Mountain Chronicles #4) by Laurence Yep
This details the friendship between an outcast American boy and an outcast Chinese boy in the coal mining town of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Their friendship is tender as they learn the things they have in common and yet the things that divide them. Then the town erupts in bloodshed as the author tells of the factual Chinese massacre that occurred there and how the townspeople react. Very interesting story.
#3-I Am Half-Sick Of Shadows (A Flavia De Luce Mystery #4) by Alan Bradley
Suffering cyanide! Another dose of Flavia awesomeness! Yay!
#4-Dear Mr. Henshaw (Leigh Botts, #1) by Beverly Cleary
A rather sad, pathetic story of a boy trying to deal with his parents’ divorce and a move to a new town. I thought it would end with some hope and the only glimmer is that he might write some more. I was disappointed.
#5-The Fighting Ground by Avi
Powerful anti-war novel set in Revolutionary War times. A 13-year-old dreams of the glory of being a soldier and 24 hours of it gives him a completely different idea. He is introduced to several new ideas, among them, how prisoners feel toward their captors, whether the ends justify the means, shame, fear, and disgust for killing. It’s a great novel for showing the reality of war. (mild language in the heat of battle)war. (mild language in the heat of battle)
#6-Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
This highly readable book tells a different story in each chapter that helps to shed light on some of the biggest names in American history. It centers on Adams and Jefferson but includes Washington, Madison, Hamilton, and Burr. I really enjoyed the style and the stories.
#7-The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Creepy story that deftly teeters between fantasy and reality as a lonely teen with a neglectful mother tries to decide if her new cat is just a cat or an evil demon sent to posses her. Well-written.
#8-A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street, #8) by Debbie Macomber
Another installment in the Blossom Street series. Pure escapist chick-lit fun. This one is about second chances and who deserves one, and features Bethanne, one of the more engaging characters from the first book.
#9-Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
CeeCee is a young teen with a terrible home life who is rescued by her great-aunt and taken to Georgia. There she discovers a host of wonderfully eccentric women who help her to heal and come to grips with her past. I enjoyed the plucky heroine and the supporting cast, and there were flashes of real wisdom throughout. Nice story of forgiveness and redemption. Few cases of mild language.
#10-The Cater Street Hangman (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt, #1) by Anne Perry
This series came highly recommended and I enjoyed the first installment in the Pitt series. The mystery was good, but the social commentary about class structure and women’s roles in Victorian England was so interesting. The three sisters were very different in how they reacted to social restrictions: Sarah tried to obey them all, Charlotte quietly chafed against them, and Emily worked around them and used them to her advantage. Quite interesting.
#11-Callander Square (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt, #2) by Anne Perry
Good mystery, but it’s really more about society and how crime affects the people in the square. This book is a commentary on how these society people all have secrets and try hard to cover them up. As Inspector Pitt and Charlotte try to uncover the truth behind some bodies found buried in the square, they dig up all kinds of other truth that becomes quite uncomfortable for the residents. How the different people react is fascinating.
#12- Under The Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
This book about a Nisei Japanese boy living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor is attacked does a great job of evoking the boy’s innocence of world affairs and then his confusion after the attack. He thinks of himself as American and is shocked to discover that others think of him as Japanese and blame his family for helping with the attack. There are several poignant moments, such as when the Army orders the family’s pigeons destroyed because they might be carrying messages, and when the Grandfather is arrested by the FBI with no explanation. It’s a coming-of-age story in an era when boys playing baseball must grow up in a hurry and face a changed world. Well-written. (There is some mild language)
Filed under: Books, Scott and Sue Family, Sue on February 10th, 2012 | 2 Comments »
This is a re-telling of the Norwegian tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The characters were engaging, the writing was good, the form was interesting where it was told from different viewpoints, and it had a satisfying ending.
Beautiful novel. This book about a young woman searching for redemption, forgiveness, and love is quiet and eloquent. The visual imagery is sometimes stunning in its beauty as Livvie learns to trust and is betrayed, but finds there are people who really mean what they say. The message in the story is lovely.
Wonderful story full of heart and love and even some forgiveness.
One of the best books I’ve read in a while. It drew me in from the first couple pages and the story never let up. It’s part science fiction, part historical fiction, part medical thriller, and part religious exploration that’s gripping and fascinating. The characters were of all ages and very interesting. Wonderful book!
This was a searing portrait of slavery in America during the Revolutionary War period. Isabel is a wonderful voice to tell describe the degradation of slavery, the daily struggle to hold on to an identity, and the choices that have to be made for survival. Her struggles were deeply touching and it was very moving to read. Excellent book.
I loved Flavia, loved the story, loved the setting, loved the book!
This interesting read set forth a story told in many layers that slowly peeled back to reveal a grand sweep of information surrounding the historical and fictional person known as Dracula.
Loved this Gothic tale of mystery and secrets. I figured out some of the secrets before the end, but the core secret that underpins the entire story was unexpected and a delightful revelation. The whole Charlie/Isabelle plot was a little disturbing, but the book was a wonderful tale. Especially fun were the book references and the way the author so lovingly describes books and reading.
This book is based on her renovation of a Victorian home & her imaginings of the generations of women who lived there. She visits her familiar themes of redemption & forgiveness in a new & fresh way as she shows the impact our mothers & grandmothers can have on our lives, and how some men can be very selfless.
This sweet and touching story was driven by wonderful, fully-developed characters who were not perfect but very engaging. The very human touches that each showed in their relationships is what made them so real and wonderful. I loved the story of prejudice, manners, and love.
Absolutely loved this story of the plucky mom who forges through adversity to provide her family by entering and winning contests. It was a fascinating history of the corporate contests in the 1950′s and 60′s where ordinary Americans wrote the advertising copy. This mom was amazing in how she holds the family together despite an alcoholic and abusive husband. Wonderful!
Loved this book! Loved characters, story, atmosphere, writing style, and how the house was a character as well. Super fun!
I really liked the voices of this book, the mother and the daughter. It has echoes of an Amy Tan novel, although this is Japanese, in that it explores the relationship between a mother and daughter.
Really enjoyed this story of three generations of women coming to terms with life and love.
Amazing! Ben and Rose’s stories weave seamlessly, and the transitions between writing and drawing leave the reader a little off-balance because it seems like it’s still Ben’s story when the drawings begin. Masterfully done, and the story is touching and instructive.
Think and Grow Rich
The Wailing Wind (Navajo Mysteries, #15)
Queste (Septimus Heap, #4)