The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nobody Owens (Bod for short) has lived in the graveyard for as long as he can remember. His adoptive parents are ghosts, his teachers are ghosts and his friends are ghosts. He also has a mysterious guardian who is neither ghost nor alive. If he leaves the graveyard, his life is in danger from the man Jack, a killer on the loose who is also responsible for the murders of Bod's original family and wants to finish the job.

I read this book for my in-person book club and didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The book reminded me of the saying that "it takes a village to raise a child," as Bod has everything he needs from all different kinds of people who are now ghosts. He has grown up with old-fashioned manners and a strong sense of right and wrong. The characters are fun to read about as they are varied in age and time period, the oldest ghost in the graveyard is an ancient Roman and there are young ghost children who died from consumption.

Neil Gaiman definitely has a unique style that I enjoyed. I also liked the illustrations included in the book at the beginning of each chapter. All in all, an interesting read perfect for this time of year.

View all my reviews >>

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abby's senior year is going along just fine; college applications are in, there are good friends and dances and even a cute best-friend turned boyfriend. She is helping direct the school play and hoping to have the chance to "live without limits" at Emery College. Her perfect year is turned upside down when Dante, a mysterious Italian exchange student, walks into her life. Unexplainable things start happening to Abby the more time she spends with Dante, and she becomes entangled in a centuries-old struggle with time.

Romance, tension, mystery, and handsome boys with an accent make this book difficult to put down. The plot isn't real deep; it's the basic romance with a dangerous boy. Is it worth it or deadly? As much as I enjoyed reading this book, I struggled with the obvious parallels to Twilight. A girl who has special abilities in the face of danger, some supernatural elements, an irresistible boy who is different from anyone she has ever known but could lead her into moral danger, all of a sudden the girl is the boy's whole world and he has been waiting for her forever and on and on. But maybe that is why I liked it so much, because I like these kinds of stories even though they are slightly predictable. I've heard that there are only seven different plots that are constantly rewritten with slight changes, and this plot is always fun to read.

A great piece of light and enjoyable fiction with a major cliffhanger at the end to lead to the next book.

View all my reviews >>

End of Event Meme

Finally finished! I had so much fun doing this readathon, especially enjoying it with my friend Tricia. I finally gave in to sleep at around 3am and finished 823 pages. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't read more than that, I feel like kind of a wimp. But something more to try for next time!

Thank you so much to all my cheerleaders and to the event event orgaznizers! You put in a great deal of hard work and it was appreciated!

Here are my answers to the end of event meme.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 14 and Hour 19

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

It's a little hard to list since there are so many different people and interests, but I think anything by Suzanne Collins or Carlos Ruiz Zafon would work. Also, light, quick reads would help also so you could finish more books and feel like you accomplished more.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

No, it was really great. This was my first time and I was impressed by all the hard work from the cheerleaders and organizers.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

The cheerleaders are awesome and the hourly updates and mini-challenges were a fun distraction.

5. How many books did you read?

3 and almost a third of another one.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Ella Enchanted, The Giver, Dairy Queen, part of The Hourglass Door

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Dairy Queen

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I really liked them all quite a bit, but probably the least was the Hourglass Door because I didn't finish and was tired during it.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Very likely, it was fun to read and to connect with so many readers around the world. I would be a reader again.

Update #4 Hour 18

2:31 am here and I'm struggling to stay awake but the hour 18 mini-challenge was a fun one and provide some much-needed laughter. On page 100 of my fourth book, The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum.

Stats-

Books: 3.2

Hours: 14

Pages: 796

Hour #17 Mini-Challenge

Lynn's Give Me 5 Mini-challenge

Here we go, my top 5 favorite children's books:

1. The Giving Tree

2. Where the Wild Things Are

3. Sneeches

4. Falling for Rapunzel

5. Meet Wild Boars

Update #3

It's 11 pm here in North Carolina - hour 16. I have only about 25 pages left of The Giver, which I am enjoying. I'm not a night person at ALL so I am getting pretty tired and the rest of the night is going to be a challenge to stay awake.

Stats:

Books Read: Almost 3!

Hours: 12

Pages: 680

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Book 1 for the YA Dystopian Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jonas lives in a community that is completely structured and regulated, marriages are matched, perfect family units consist of two children, mom and dad; zero percent unemployment; bragging is not allowed and the climate is carefully controlled - no sunshine, rain or snow. The Old or sometimes the infants who are not up to snuff are "released" from the community.

"The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain or past."

At year 12, all children are given an "assignment" or job that they will have their entire lives until they enter the Home of the Old. Jonas is selected to become a Receiver, a person who will safeguard all the memories of the community. The memories, of pleasure, pain, color, music, misery, choices, etc. All the memories that are no longer remembered by the community because they would interfere with the new standard of "sameness."

This book made me think about life and how sometimes I just want it to be easy with no tantrums, screaming, whining or difficulties. That is how Jonas' life is - no challenges, but no choices either. I really liked reading about the community Lowry created. It is weird at the beginning when Jonas is eating dinner with his "family unit" and they are all pleasantly talking, almost like they are doing a comedy sketch of the perfect family. It is creepy and would be annoying to live like that. I could spend a great deal of time analyzing and thinking about this book, but since it is the readathon, on to the next!

View all my reviews >>