Quarterly Challenge (Spring 2011)

[Lori]

I finished City of Fallen Angels on Friday and LOVED it. I really like how whe keeps you guessing about at least one story line while another is finishing up.

Only 2 more to go. It is going to be VERY close on whether I get these done in time for the end of the month,lol

I am now moving on to Defiance

[N.L.]

16/16 Read Done!

Printz – Stolen – 4/24 – 4 Stars – At first, I didn't like how the book was written/narrated but as the story progressed, the style became more tolerable. By the end, the style made sense. It was the perfect choice for the nature of the story line & plot. Still not sure what I think of the story overall but, by the end, I was crying. Always a good sign of being 'invested' in a story.
New – Afterlife – 4/14 – 2 Stars – An extremely disappointing end to a series.
Series – Bite Club – 5/11 – 3 Stars – Sadly, the plot ended up exactly how I thought it would, long before I even picked up the book. The main character, Claire, was on high angst mode and her two friends were mentally absent from themselves. Not Ms. Caine's best work for sure.
Debut – Angelfire – 3/10 – 3 Stars – Wasn't fond of the main character as I found her spoiled & rather vapid persona to be a hard sell due to what she was/is suppose to be. The pacing of the story dragged and the ending seemed to be lacking. Uncertain if I will continue with this trilogy.
ALA – Stealing Heaven – 3/29 – 3 satrs – A solid entry from Elizabeth Scott but it isn't one of her best. The characters and the concept were decent but I felt that the story ended on a strange note. I wanted more from it.
On Foreign Soil – Demonglass – 3/22 – 4 Stars – A very nice continuation to Hex Hall. It ended with a major cliffhanger and a lot of unanswered questions which I found annoying and kept me from rating it a 5 star read.
Verse – You Are Not Here – 3/2 – 3 stars – While I like verse novels a lot, I am not a fan of this author's verse style. Found the MC to be too angst-ridden and self-absorbed for the main plot to have merit. It is hard to mourn the loss of someone when one is much too wrapped up in their own head.
Male POV – Invincible – 4/10 – 4 Stars – A wonderful installment of the Chronicles of Nick series (a spin-off from the non-YA Dark-Hunters series). It is clear that Kenyon has spent a lot of time figuring out her characters and the world they live in plus she threw in some new twists that don't exist in the Dark-Hunters world yet. I like that the world (and her writing) is evolving.
Always the Bridesmaid – North of Beautiful – 5/15 – 2 Stars – The concept had some merit but the agenda was a bit too preachy for my liking and the execution of it fell a little short. None of the characters were worth knowing. I can barely even remember them now even though I finished reading the book 10 minutes ago. Not a good sign. I do not understand why this book was so raved about as I've read much better YA realistic fiction over the years.
Historical – Father of Lies – 3/9 – 3 stars – A retelling of the Salem Witch Trials, interesting but I didn't care for the author's writing style – for some reason unknown, I found it awkward to read.
Paranormal – Once in a Full Moon – 3/10 – 3 stars – For some reason, the author's books are lackluster yet one cannot stop reading them. However, I found this book to be somewhat inferior to her vampire YA series. Not sure if I will be reading future installments of this series.
Urban Fantasy – Darkness Becomes Her – 3/9 – 4 stars – An interesting take on Greek Mythology, vampires, witches, warlocks & shapeshifters with a dystopian element. One of the best dystopian-oriented books I've read this year.
Dystopian – Wither – 4/11 – 4 Stars – One of the better dystopian books I've read. Not as good as The Hunger Games but still decent. In this, the dystopian element is crucial to the storyline and adds a lot to the overall plot. Not overly sure what I think of this book overall as it is hard to describe. A mixture of emotions come from reading this book and it challenging to sort them out. So many of the subplots are battles being fought today and the dystopian nature of the piece makes those battles seem more tragic.
Realistic – The Agony of Alice – 4/1 – 3 Stars – I picked up this book and started reading it then it dawned on me – I've read this before. It has been years and yet I remembered it quite well. This book is thought of rather highly for younger young adult readers but reading it when I was in the suggested age range and now, I am not a fan of Alice. I remember very clearly finding her quite whiny, immature and I lacked a connection with her the first time around and now, much of the same.
Journal – Go Ask Alice – 4/7 – 2 Stars – I originally read this book 18 years ago or so while in middle school. I remember that I found the writing style odd as if it was forced. I find it even more contrived nowadays. There is just something about it that makes me feel as if the writer was detached from the situations and it was written long after the fact. While I did give it two stars, it is worth reading as some of the messages relayed are still pertinent today.
Religion – Hush – 4/29 – 3 Stars – While this book has an extremely important message - and one that I would give 5 stars too because I'm glad it was addressed - but the writing style was lacking. The pacing of the piece is very disjointed and a little obnoxious to read. It jumped around in time a lot and would constantly suffer from information dump. Later on in the book, it felt like it was missing quite a few semi-important scenes. Mainly, the ones in Gittel's marriage. Her husband did a quick and extremely unrealistic turn-around in his approach to his wife's emotional well-being. Considering the main topic of this book, his turn-around is extremely far-fetched (as where some events in the last few chapters) and made me doubt the intent of this story just a little. Those things would not be done in that fashion considering the nature of the community being addressed. If such things were possible, there wouldn't be this 'epidemic' that is the root of Hush.

[Debra]

Here's where I'm at so far:

1. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart FINISHED
2. WITHER by Lauren DeStefano FINISHED
3. WHITE CAT by Holly Black FINISHED
4. POSSESS by Gretchen McNeil FINISHED
5.
6. BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys FINISHED
7.
8.
9. TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler FINISHED
10. DELERIUM by Lauren Oliver (dystopian) FINISHED
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis (sci fi) FINISHED

[Tatiana]

Congratulations to all who have finished!

If you are behind, we still have a couple of weeks to catch up.

[Jenny]

Here's what I've gotten done so far:


1. Printz winner/honoree
2. March/April/May release Stay
3. Part of a series Alanna: The First Adventure
4. debut Moonglass
5. ALA's Best Books for Young Adults The Body Finder (2011)
6. Set in a foreign country Between Shades of Gray
7. Verse/Graphic/Epistolary novel
8. Male POV The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
9. Nominated for a month's pick in our group, but never won
10. 3 books, 3 genres The Emerald Atlas (fantasy), Along for the Ride (chick lit), Wither (sci-fi/dystopia)

[Kae]

Just joined the group with half a month to go... will start next month's challenge :D

[Stacie]

When will we find out what the summer challenge will be? I'd love to start picking out my books. Especially if there's a waitlist at the library...

[Tatiana]

I will have it ready within the next couple of days.

[Stacie]

Thanks a bunch! :D I just discovered this group about a month ago and it's a lot of fun. This challenge has opened my mind to books I probably would not have otherwise picked up. I look forward to the next one!

[Julia]

8/12 completed
Poop! I don't see how I can finish, besides books I never was able to access, I thought I had June, to finish reading. Still, I'll read as many as I can...

1. Printz honor- I read and loved A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors ***** 4/29/11
2. March- A Hundred Words for Hate4/13/11 ***
3. part of series- Unfallen Dead **** 5/2/11 #3 in the Connor Grey UF series.
4. debut novel- The Scorpion's Gate
5. ALA Alex award- The RadleysOne of two library books on the list & I'm still waiting for this one... Can anyone recommend an ALA winner or nominee that might have several copies in my library sytem and is short, in verse, or a graphic novel? Thank you in advance.
6. foreign- Krik? Krak!
7. verse- Make Lemonade ** 3/19/11
8. male-Sunrise Over Fallujah**** 3/24/11
9. also ran- To Kill a Mockingbird***** 4/12/11
10 a) historical fiction- Sovay - currently reading & enjoying
b) LGBTQ-Torn * 5/10/11 Boy, this book isn't for me!
c) science fiction- FeedFeed ****1/2 5/18/11 I loved this one-- until the end!

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[Jessica-Robyn]

Here's my current list:
3 STARS 1) American Born Chinese - Printz Winner, 07.
2) Steel - March
4 STARS 3) The Ruby in the Smoke - (Sally Lockhart Trilogy #1)
4) The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) - Julia Kagawa Debut
5) Along for the Ride - 2010 Best YA List
3 STARS 6) Anna and the French Kiss - France
4 STARS 7) American Vampire, Vol. 1
5 STARS 8) Will Grayson, Will Grayson
5 STARS 9) Thirteen Reasons Why- November Poll
1 STAR 10a) Quiver - Fantasy
4 STARS 10b) 1st to Die - Mystery
3 STARS 10c) The Ghost and the Goth - Paranormal

Finished in March:
American Born Chinese, Anna and the French Kiss, American Vampire, Vol. 1
Finished in April:
Thirteen Reasons Why, The Ruby in the Smoke, The Ghost and the Goth, 1st to Die.
Finished in May (so far):
Quiver, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

I still have three books to go in the challenge so chances are I won't finish but I'm still hoping to get a little more done. I didn't consider when I started the challenge that May would be the final month of my school year. Instead of reading my focus has been on taking exams and finishing my courses. Still this has been fun, I think I'll be able to keep going till the end of the month and then maybe do this again with summer challenge. :D

[Julia]

9/12 completed
I'll try to finish reading as many as I can...

1. Printz honor- I read and loved A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors***** 4/29/11
2. March- A Hundred Words for Hate 4/13/11 ***
3. part of series- Unfallen Dead **** 5/2/11 #3 in the Connor Grey UF series.
4. debut novel- The Scorpion's Gate.
5. ALA Alex award- The RadleysOne of two library books on the list & I'm still waiting for this one... Can anyone recommend an ALA winner or nominee that might have several copies in my library sytem and is short, in verse, or a graphic novel? Thank you in advance.
6. foreign- Krik? Krak!
7. verse- Make Lemonade** 3/19/11
8. male- Sunrise Over Fallujah**** 3/24/11
9. also ran- To Kill a Mockingbird***** 4/12/11
10 a) historical fiction- Sovay **** 5/21/11 Sovay is a British aristocrat in 1794 who goes highwayman to humiliate her unworthy fiancée and then has many further adventures. Fun!
b) LGBTQ- Torn * 5/10/11
c) science fiction- Feed****1/2 5/18/11 I loved this one-- until the end!

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[Stacie]

Still not quite done, but I started late so I'm giving myself 3 months from when I started :-) Here's what I've got so far:

1) The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

2) The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

3) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

4) Vixen by Jillian Larkin

5) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

6) Think I'll read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

7) Castle Waiting: Vol. 1 by Linda Medley

8) Going to read Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

9) Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

10) So far: Virals by Kathy Reichs

[Julia]

10/12 completed

1. Printz honor- I read and loved A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors***** 4/29/11
2. March-A Hundred Words for Hate 4/13/11 ***
3. part of series- ]Unfallen Dead **** 5/2/11 #3 in the Connor Grey UF series.
4. debut novel- The Scorpion's Gate
5. ALA Alex award- An 11th Hour substitution: Saving Francesca.
6. foreign- Krik? Krak! 5/23/11 **** Ten interrelated short stories about Haitian and Haitian- American women. Well worth reading!
7. verse- Make Lemonade ** 3/19/11
8. male- Sunrise Over Fallujah**** 3/24/11
9. also ran- To Kill a Mockingbird***** 4/12/11
10 a) historical fiction- Sovay **** 5/21/11 Sovay is a British aristocrat in 1794 who goes highwayman to humiliate her unworthy fiancée and then has many further adventures. Fun!
b) LGBTQ- Torn * 5/10/11
c) science fiction- Feed****1/2 5/18/11 I loved this one-- until the end!

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[Christie]

I am so excited I might be able to finish this challenge. One more book to go. I am posting the books I read and starting Alligator Bayou tonight to fill in the last spot. Hopefully nothing will get in the way and I will be posting a fully finished list in a few days.

1. Punkzilla ~ Adam Rapp
2.Red Glove ~ Holly Black
3. White Cat ~ Holly Black
4. Iron King ~ Julie Kagawa
5.
6. Oh.My.Gods ~ Tera Lynn Childs
7. Because I am Furniture ~ Thalia Chaltas
8. I am Number Four ~ Pittacus Lore
9.Godless ~ Pete Hautman
10 A: Desires of the Dead ~ Kimberly Derting (fantasy)
B: Midnight ~ LJ Smith (paranormal)
C:I am the Messenger ~ Markus Zusak (mystery)

[Bdalton]

Here's my list. I'm almost finished with Stolen. A good challenge! I've finished all of the rest. I picked some different genre's for the three books under 10, though, to further round out what I read.

1. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
2. The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald 4 Stars
3. Vixen by Jillian Larkin 2 Stars
4. Guardians of the Dead by Karen Healey 5 Stars
5. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta 3 Stars
6. Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers 5 Stars
7. The Alchemist: A graphic novel by Paulo Coelho, Adapted by Derek Ruiz 4 Stars
8. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride 5 Stars
9. Reckless by Cornelia Funk 3 Stars
10. A. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 4 Stars
B. The Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers 5 Stars C. Deadly by Julie Chibbaro 4 Stars

[Christie]

Finished Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli.... challenge complete...

[Julia]

11/12 completed -- I think I'll be able to finish!

1. Printz honor- I read and loved A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors***** 4/29/11
2. March- A Hundred Words for Hate4/13/11 ***
3. part of series- Unfallen Dead **** 5/2/11 #3 in the Connor Grey UF series.
4. debut novel- The Scorpion's Gate
5. ALA Alex award- An 11th Hour substitution: Saving Francesca ** 5/26/11 Kind of meh and not my thing.
6. foreign-Krik? Krak! 5/23/11 **** Ten interrelated short stories about Haitian and Haitian- American women and girls. Well worth reading!
7. verse- Make Lemonade ** 3/19/11
8. male POV-Sunrise Over Fallujah**** 3/24/11
9. also ran- To Kill a Mockingbird ***** 4/12/11
10 a) historical fiction- Sovay **** 5/21/11 Sovay is a British aristocrat in 1794 who goes highwayman to humiliate her unworthy fiancée and then has many further adventures. Fun!
10b) LGBTQ- Torn * 5/10/11
10c) science fiction- Feed Feed****1/2 5/18/11 I loved this one-- until the end!

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[Julia]

12/12 completed -- I finished the challenge!

1. Printz honor- I read and loved A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors***** 4/29/11
2. March- A Hundred Words for Hate 4/13/11 ***
3. part of series- Unfallen Dead **** 5/2/11 #3 in Connor Grey series
4. debut novel- The Scorpion's Gate* 5/27/11 In my opinion, 57 + pages (I skipped around later to see if it got better, changed-- it didn't) is more than enough to read in a deeply, deeply flawed spy novel, with one- dimensional characters, too much quick cutting of jumbled settings, and a slippery confusing mess of a plot by an actual former spy and advisor to several Presidents. OTOH, I really liked his Against All Enemies, non-fiction about what happened before and after 9/11. But I recommend that if you see this one on the remainder table as I did, leave it there!
5. ALA Alex award- An 11th Hour substitution: Saving Francesca ** 5/26/11 Kind of meh and not my thing.
6. foreign- Krik? Krak! 5/23/11 **** Ten interrelated short stories about Haitian and Haitian- American women and girls. Well worth reading!
7. verse- Make Lemonade ** 3/19/11
8. male POV- Sunrise Over Fallujah **** 3/24/11
9. also ran- To Kill a Mockingbird***** 4/12/11
10 a) historical fiction- Sovay **** 5/21/11 Sovay is a British aristocrat in 1794 who goes highwayman to humiliate her unworthy fiancée and then has many further adventures. Fun!
10b) LGBTQ- Torn * 5/10/11
10c) science fiction- Feed ****1/2 5/18/11 I loved this one-- until the end!

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[Jessica-Robyn]

Here's my final list:
3 STARS 1) American Born Chinese - Printz Winner, 07.
2) Steel - March
4 STARS 3) The Ruby in the Smoke - (Sally Lockhart Trilogy #1)
4) The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) - Julia Kagawa Debut
4 STARS 5) Along for the Ride - 2010 Best YA List
3 STARS 6) Anna and the French Kiss - France
4 STARS 7) American Vampire, Vol. 1
5 STARS 8) Will Grayson, Will Grayson
5 STARS 9) Thirteen Reasons Why- November Poll
1 STAR 10a) Quiver - Fantasy
4 STARS 10b) 1st to Die - Mystery
3 STARS 10c) The Ghost and the Goth - Paranormal

Finished in March:
American Born Chinese, Anna and the French Kiss, American Vampire, Vol. 1
Finished in April:
Thirteen Reasons Why, The Ruby in the Smoke, The Ghost and the Goth, 1st to Die.
Finished in May (so far):
Quiver, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Along for the Ride

Although a strike through normally indicates completion in my case they indicate my failure. Only two books off though! Even though I didn't complete the challenge I'm glad I've actually managed to commit to what I'm reading without changing my mind every other day. Now I'll know what I need to do to finish better for the next challenge and am definitely participating in the groups A-Z challenge!

[Grace]

I'm late recording these but I completed the challenge before the end of May. The numbers in parentheses are my ratings for the books:
1) Please Ignore Vera Dietz - A. S. King (4)
2) The Piper's Son - Melina Marchetta (3)
3) The Runner - Cynthia Voigt (4)
4) The Valley of Secrets - Charmian Hussey (3)
5) Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson (3)
6) One False Note - Gordon Korman (2)
7) Crank - Ellen Hopkins (4)
8) Marcelo In The Real World - Francis X. Stork (5)
9) I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You - Ally Carter (4)
10) The Iron King - Julie Kagawa [paranormal] (3)
11) We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson [atmospheric, psychological mystery] (4)
12) Matched - Ally Condie [dystopia] (3)

[Lori]

OH, I was ONE short!! I finished Defiance this morning. It was another good one. I SO thought I would actually be ablt to get through them all. Especially the way I started out in the first month. Oh well, With spring comes a lot of outdoor clean up and that unfortunately needs to be done before the pleasure of reading.

I am now off to check out the summer challenge.

[Lisa]

I was not in this group when this challenge was happening, but I looked through what I read from March to May and I completed this challenge without even knowing about it! So even though this is old news, I thought I'd post it. (I read 41 books between March and the end of May so this list is correct for this time period!)
1) Read a book which is a Printz winner or honoree.
The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
Looking for Alaska- John Green

2) Read a book that is a new release published in March, April or May of this year.
March release: Sweet Valley Confidential-Francine Pascal
April release: The last little blue envelope-Maureen Johnson
May release: Divergent-Veronica Roth

3) Read a book that is a part of a series.
Perfect Chemistry and Rules of attraction-Simone Elkeles
Second Helpings and Charmed Thirds-Megan Mccafferty
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-JK Rowling
The Airhead Series-Meg Cabot
Diary of a crush #2 and #3-Sarra Manning

4) Read an author's debut novel.
Anna and the French Kiss-Stephanie Perkins
Forgotten-Cat Patrick
Divergent-Veronica Roth

5) Read a book that is on one of the ALA's Best Books for Young Adults lists.
The Summer I turned Pretty- Jenny Han(2010 list)
Paper Towns-John Green(2009 list)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-JK Rowling(2008 list)
The Book Thief-Marcus Zusak(2007 list)
Looking for Alaska-John Green(2006 list)

6) Read a book set in a foreign country.
No & Me- Delphine de Vigan(Paris)
The Book Thief-Marcus Zusak(Nazi Germany)
Anna and the French Kiss-Stephanie Perkins(Paris)
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini(Afghanistan)

7) Read a book which is a book-in-verse, a graphic novel or epistolary (written in a form of a diary, letters, notes, etc.).
Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares-Rachel Cohn and David Levithan(letters/notes)
Diary of a crush #2(Kiss and Make Up) and #3(Sealed With A Kiss)-Sarra Manning(Diary)

8) Read a book written from a male POV.
Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns-John Green
Mysterious Skin-Scott Heim
Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen

9) Read a book which was nominated for a month's pick in our group, but never won.
Forget You-Jennifer Echols

10) Read 3 books that belong to 3 different genres of your choosing. You can pick from: science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, dystopia, mystery, urban fantasy, chick lit or horror.
Chick Lit: Along for the Ride-Sarah Desson
Dystopia: Delirium-Lauren Oliver, Matched-Ally Condie, Divergent-Veronica Roth
Mystery: Forgotten-Cat Patrick

Now I'm going to make a list for the new challenge! (I have the flu so I'm bored!)

[Tatiana]

Lisa wrote: "I was not in this group when this challenge was happening, but I looked through what I read from March to May and I completed this challenge without even knowing about it! So even though this is ol..."

Wow, Lisa. That's a lot of books you've read!:)