Sue

I toyed with the idea of doing this challenge last year, but then opted not to sign up for any at all, so it stayed in the back of my mind.  I already did a post on my 2012 challenges and decided not to sign up for this one because it seemed too challenging, but it’s been niggling at me all month, so I’ve decided to give in and add it to my list of challenges.  I don’t know if I’ll make all 50 states, but it’ll be fun to see where I read and I’ve already got some states done in 2012.

Today is the opening day of the Utah State Legislature and for the first time in 10 years, I’m not going to be there for the session.  I thought I might be a tiny bit morose, but actually I’d completely forgotten about it until a friend asked me last night at a choir rehearsal if I was in my busy time of the year now.  I looked blankly at her for a minute and realized she was talking about session and then told her, “No, I’m retired”.  That’s when I remembered it’s opening day today.  Ha!  With my health deteriorated as much as it has over the last year, there’s no way I could make it through a legislative session, anyway, so timing is everything.

The other big news of the day is that the American Library Association named the 2012 Youth Media Award winners today.  The link will get to the full list, but I’m happy to say that the wonderful “Inside Out & Back Again,” by Thanhha Lai and read this month by my book club was named a Newbery Honor book, along with “Breaking Stalin’s Nose,” written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin.  The Newbery Medal winner is “Dead End in Norvelt,” by Jack Gantos, which also won the 2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction last week.

We read “Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures,” by Brian Selznick in December and it received the Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.  It was a great book and I liked it so much that I convinced Scott and Mark to read it, too.

So there you go, two completely different but noteworthy events today.  Happy reading!

I read a lot of books last year and it was hard to narrow down to just a few favorites, so this is going to be long.  That’s a fair warning so brace yourselves and find something good to read!

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 tells the stories of several parents whose children are caught in a deadly avalanche and as we come to know each character we hope their child survives.  We are told at the beginning that nine children are caught and only four survive so as we learn each parent’s story we know that some of them will face the death of their child and it’s heart-wrenching.  The way the story ends as the town faces the deaths is also instructive and a lesson in the redemption of human souls.

I read this delightful little book in one sitting and it was a heartwarming story. It started out as a really sad story about an intelligent, competent wife and mother who consistently holds herself in and makes herself subservient. But the story changes as she empowers herself and grows into a fully developed, caring, wonderful woman. I loved Penny and her motto, “it’s what you do with it that counts”.

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.

This was a very touching story about race relations during the early part of the 20th century in a small town in Alabama.

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.