A New Year; A New Challenge

I found this challenge via Juliann's book blog and it sounds like just what I need! I have soooooo many books acquired for the various challenges I've undertaken (Pulitzer Project/Book Awards II). So, my goal for the year is to read from the stash.

Check out the blog for Miz B's 2009 Read-Your-Own-Books Challenge and join the fun!


Who hasn't been reading, but watching Christmas movies lately.

The Brass Verdict

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great book from Michael Connelly featuring Micky Haller, The Lincoln Lawyer. Harry Bosch, the lead man in most of Connelly's other books, is a player, but plays a relatively minor role here.



As always, I just could not put this book down and ripped through it in just a few days. The end had a few twists that seemed a bit out of left field, but all in all, well worth the time.


View all my reviews.

Thanks to my Sistah Kathy for the loan of this great book!

I just finished Jasper Fforde's second Thursday Next book, Lost in a Good Book.


Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you like reading, you will love Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. Set in an alternative history of England (and the world in general), where 27 levels of Special-Ops monitor everything and the mega-corporation Goliath is waiting to take over the world, it follows Thursday's adventures as a Litra-Tech apprentice of Miss Havisham of Great Expectations fame.



If you like books, spies and England and fantasy, this is a must read. Be sure to read The Eyre Affair first.


View all my reviews.

Since I've finished seven of the ten books for the Book Awards Challenge II, I'm on vacation until 1 January, 2009. Next up: Michael Connelly's newest, The Brass Verdict. Oh, and I'll dip back into my annotated edition of A Christmas Carol in the next few weeks.

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

I just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and while at first I thought I wouldn't like it, I did. The story of a nerdy, overweight teen of Dominican descent, this book is not for those who are offended by colorful language. The story is told by the ex-boyfriend of Oscar's sister, but I didn't really "get" this until 2/3 of the way through the book.

Considering that I wasn't sure I'd even finish it, I managed to rip through it in a few days, so I guess I liked it well enough. Poor Oscar, nothing goes right for him and when it finally does, he goes balls-out for it and dies. Sheesh. What a life!

Knowing latino street slang would be a tremendous asset when reading this book.

The last two winners of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction have been a little bit dark. Perhaps something a bit lighter for 2009? Thanks.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

I finished Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher last night and I have to say that getting to the ending made wading through the middle worthwhile.

This non-fiction book is a recounting of a famous murder in England in 1860 and the detective who came undone trying to solve the case. According to Summerscale, the sensationalism that surrounded this case was brought about the beginning of the detective novel. Michael Connelly fans say thank you if that's the case.

Though the book plodded a bit in the middle, as I said before, the end made it worthwhile. The story of how the fractured family put the pieces back together again was very interesting. And the redemption of Constance, the alleged murderess was hopeful too. If you ever want a reminder of how destructive lying and deception is to small children, you need only to read this book.

The Book Thief

I rushed to finish The Book Thief by Markus Zusak last night not because I wanted to rush, but because the book was due today and had other people waiting for it. I love my library and try to be a good customer and get things back on time.

I can't even begin to express how much I loved this book. Originally released in Australia (the author's home) as an adult book, it was later released in the U.S. and Europe as Young Adult fiction. I'd recommend it for anyone over 12 and will certainly be seeking out a used copy for my library at home.

I've briefly outlined the plot in my previous post, so I won't repeat myself, but I urge anyone interested in this time period to get this book. It is well worth the read.

Last weekend was also our Friends of the Sonoma County Library semi-annual book sale, so I stopped by on Sunday for half-price day. I was able to pick up quite a few Pulitzer winners for my project and a few books for my hubby. At fifty cents each, who can resist?

Sidetracked

I finished Song of Solomon and liked it very much except for the ending which I found a bit, well, I don't know, just weird.

I was supposed to go back to Mayflower, but I have a little something from the library that must be read and returned (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). That book would be The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I am hooked, hooked hooked.

Set in Germany before and during World War II, it is the story--narrated by Death--of Liesel Meminger, an orphan foster child, her foster parents Rosa and Hans and the hiding of a certain young Jewish man in the basement. This time period both fascinates and repels me for reasons that should be obvious, not the least of which is some ancestry that would have been considered "undesirable" had those ancestors not fled some 100 years prior.

Thanks to Juliann for the recommendation, it is a true winner and I'm trying really hard not to rush through it.