Rhianna's challenge

[Harvey]

My challenge is to read 75 books this year.

1. John Marsden - Tomorrow When the War Began
2. John Marsden - The Dead of the Night
3. John Marsden - A Killing Frost
4. John Marsden - Darkness be my Friend
5. John Marsden - Burning For Revenge
6. John Marsden - The Night is for Hunting
7. John Marsden - The Other Side of Dawn
8. J. D. Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye
9. Joanne Harris - A Cat, a Hat and a Piece of String
10. Libba Bray - Beauty Queens
11. Danny Wallace - Charlotte Street
12. Tina Fey - Bossypants
13. Jonathan Coe - A Touch Of Love
14. Christopher Brookmyre - Bedlam
15. Colin Bateman -Mystery Man
16. Kathryn Stockett - The Help
17. A. S. Byatt - The Children's Book
18. Emma Donoghue - Room
19. Colin Bateman - The Day of the Jack Russell
20. Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting
21. Chuck Palahniuk - Phoenix
22. Alice Walker - The Color Purple (audiobook)
23. Jennifer Egan - Invisible circus
24. Sam Mills - The Quiddity of Will Self
25. Colin Bateman - Dr Yes
26. J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (5)
27. Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice (audiobook)
28. August Strindberg - Countess Julie
29. Brian K Vaughan - Saga, volume 2
30. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
31. Sebastian Faulks - A Possible Life
32. Henrik Ibsen - A Doll's House (audiobook)
33. Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory
34. Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides
35. Pat Barker -Regeneration
36. Pat Barker - The Eye in the Door
37. Pat Barker - The Ghost Road
38. Jonathan Coe - The Rain Before it Falls
39. Nick Hornby - Everyone's Reading Bastard
40. Jonathan Coe - Pentatonic
41. Christopher Brookmyre - Quite Ugly One Morning
42. Danny Wallace - What Not to do and How to do it
43. Homer - The Iliad
44. Scarlett Thomas - Going Out
45. Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
46. Christopher Brookmyre - Not the End of the World
47. H. G. Wells - The Time Machine
48. Tony Hawks - The Fridge-hiker's Guide to Life
49. Iain Banks - Stonemouth
50. Jonathan Coe - The Accidental Woman
51. John Marsden - While I Live
52. John Marsden - Incurable
53. John Marsden - Circle of Flight
54. Jonathan Coe - Expo 58
55. Timeri N Murari - The Taliban Cricket Club
56. Alex Garland - The Coma
57. Margaret Atwood - Alias Grace
58. Robert Harris - Enigma
59. Robert Harris - Archangel

[Harvey]

John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began Review

I first read this book approximately 10(ish) years ago when I was a little younger than the main characters. Rereading this book is just as powerful as the first time. It's YA fiction month in my monthly theme challenges and I'd always wanted to finish the series but I wasn't able to at the time (a rural library, no Internet and a small local bookshop back then hindered me but today I have an iPad and more ebooks than I can afford) and I thought I couldn't read the rest without starting from the beginning again. I'm so glad I did. This book would work well as a stand alone novel but I'm so glad there's a whole series to go because I've become very attached to these characters all over again. Most YA fiction deals with growing up and forcing a stumbling teen into the world of adults to see if they're ready. This book pushes its teens into the life changing world of war that no adult is ever fully prepared for. It deals with the philosophical problems of finding yourself in a conflict and not understanding why as well as the harsh realities of seeing what atrocities you might be capable of when your life and the lives of those you care about are at risk. I won't include any spoilers so have a read.

[Harvey]

John Marsden's The Dead of the Night Review


Great second novel in this series. This book deals with the central characters forcing themselves to keep fighting against a powerful enemy that's considerably more well resourced than they are. This novel also tackles some of the more traditional themes of a YA novel, growing up, sex, old and new friendships and leaving home/a former life.

[Harvey]

John Marsden's A Killing Frost Review

** spoiler alert ** This book deals far more with the dehumanising aspects of war - the main protagonist's reluctance to see the enemy as human and herself as a soldier is continually challenged by their experiences. This book also focuses more on some of the religious undertones in the other books.

SPOILER ALERT

Oh Robyn! The pacifist that is reluctant to injure the enemy and takes tasks that don't directly kill anyone sacrifices her life and kills a man by blowing herself up to save her friends. It is so unexpected and heart wrenching. Yet it frees the other characters and you just don't know if you can be happy for their freedom because sweet kind peace loving Robyn is dead. Oh Robyn. Ahem sorry about that.(less)

[Harvey]

John Marsden's Darkness be my Friend Review

** spoiler alert ** This novel removes the teenagers from their pedestal as young war heroes winning all their battles. None of the books glorify violence or war but the protagonists do pull off some very impressive feats in their battles against the invading enemy in the earlier books so it's realistic to have them fail because of their own mistakes. These mistakes are made because they are coming to terms with the emotional impact the war has had on them. Briefly removed from the front line they draw themselves by a stay in New Zealand they can address their psychological needs and reflect on the people they have become. It also allows them time to grieve for their fallen friends. This tends to be a less popular book in the series but I think this focus on the psychological impact of the war and their own failings is necessary for the development of the characters and the story.

[Harvey]

John Marsden's Burning for Revenge review

** spoiler alert ** This novel is considerably more action packed than the last one making it much more tense. The last book's failed attack on the airbase is a success really by accident or luck depending on how you view their situation. They also hide out in less familiar land than hell and face the problem of feral orphan children neaerby. These children answer the question of how the teens lives might have turned out if the protagonists were a lot younger.

For the first time in these novels I wanted to hear a character's perspecive than wasn't Ellie's. Kevin has a breakdown in the midst of everything and has to be cared for by the others and Lee has a brief affair with an enemy teen we hear very little about. I'd love to know more about what was happening in the minds of those characters in this novel.

The teens don't return to Hell in this novel despite discussing in constantly which was a bit Chekhov's Three Sisters for me and leaves them vulnerable to attacks or capture - their luck may soon run out. Also I don't know if anyone else thought this but I thought Colonel Finley left them their intentionally in book 4. Thoughts?

[Harvey]

John Marsden's The Night is for Hunting review

Everyone loves a Christmas episode. OK I love a Christmas episode. Anyway, this book addresses the adult/child binary the book plays with throughout the series in more detail. With a group of feral children to take care of, help, develop and be annoyed by the teens have to develop new responsibilities as adults but still these terms 'adult' and 'child' are continually challenged by the experiences and activities of the teens and the 'ferals'. Also yay Christmas!

[Harvey]

John Marsden's The Night is for Hunting review

Everyone loves a Christmas episode. OK I love a Christmas episode. Anyway, this book addresses the adult/child binary the book plays with throughout the series in more detail. With a group of feral children to take care of, help, develop and be annoyed by the teens have to develop new responsibilities as adults but still these terms 'adult' and 'child' are continually challenged by the experiences and activities of the teens and the 'ferals'. Also yay Christmas!

[Harvey]

John Marsden's The Other Side of Dawn review

** spoiler alert ** What an emotional book. I couldn't believe Ellie's friends were all dead without an opportunity for her to say goodbye or hear what happened to them but the book threw me around emotionally as I wondered if they had been killed or not. I also thought that the ending was great - there was no normal or a happy ever after of before the war began. The return to semi normality was perhaps a bit too soon but like with much of this series you don't know how much time has passed at the end of the novel.