Books I Read in 2009 and the Months In Which I Finished Them:

January
1. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
3. Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper
4. Forged by Fire, Sharon M. Draper
5. Nothing But the Truth, Avi
6. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
7. Redwall the Graphic Novel, Brian Jacques
8. Buried Onions, Gary Soto
9. A Heart Divided, Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

February
10. Upstate, Kalisha Buckhanan
11. Burned, Ellen Hopkins
12. The Beast, Walter Dean Myers
13. Fire from the Rock, Sharon M. Draper
14. Introducing Linguistics, R.L. Trask & Bill Mayblin
15. America: a Novel, E.R. Frank
16. The God of War, Marisa Silver

March
17. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
18. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares
19. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares
20. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares
21. Street Pharm, Allison van Diepen
22. Push, Sapphire
23. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
24. Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix
25. The Watsons Go to Birmingham (1963), Christopher Paul Curtis
26. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
27. Rebel Angels, Libba Bray
28. The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray
29. A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, Dana Reinhardt
30. Persepolis: A Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi

April
31. What They Found: Love on 145th Street, Walter Dean Myers
32. American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
33. Worlds Afire, Paul B. Janeczko
34. Among the Impostors, Margaret Peterson Haddix
35. Persepolis 2: A Story of a Return, Marjane Satrapi
36. The Gift of Fear, Gavin deBecker
37. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
38. Among the Betrayed, Margaret Peterson Haddix
39. Among the Barons, Margaret Peterson Haddix
40. Among the Brave, Margaret Peterson Haddix

May
41. Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli
42. Confessions of a Teen Sleuth, Chelsea Cain
43. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
44. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney
45. Popular Vote, Nicol Ostov
46. Bluford High: Blood is Thicker, Paul Langan & D.M. Blackwell
47. Extras, Scott Westerfeld
48. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
49. Do You Speak American, Robert MacNeil & William Cran & Robert McCrum
50. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
51. Among the Enemy, Margaret Peterson Haddix
52. Among the Free, Margaret Peterson Haddix
53. No More Dead Dogs, Gordon Korman
54. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
55. Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12, Janet Allen
56. The Time-Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
57. Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
58. Chew on This: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About Fast Food, Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson

June
59. Notes from the Midnight Driver, Jordan Sonnenblick
60. The Twentieth Wife, Indu Sundaresan
61. Wanted, Caroline B. Cooney
62. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew, Daniel Pool
63. Bad Mother, Ayelet Waldman
64. The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 America, Susan Faludi

July
65. American Creation, Joseph Ellis
66. Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Ayelet Waldman
67. We Beat the Street, Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt
68. Just Ella, Margaret Peterson Haddix

August
69. Much Ado About Grubstake, Jean Terris
70. Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert
71. Peeps, Scott Westerfeld

September
72. How to Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and In School, Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
73. Maus: A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History, Art Spiegelman
74. Maus: A Survivor's Tale - And Here My Troubles Began, Art Spiegelman
75. Bluford High: The Bully, Paul Langan
76. Bluford High: Lost and Found, Anne Schraff
77. Bluford High: Until We Meet Again, Anne Schraff
78. Bluford High: A Matter of Trust, Anne Schraff
79. Snitch, Allison van Diepen
80. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney
81. The Case Against Homework: How Homework is Hurting Children and What We Can Do About It, Sara Bennett & Nancy Kalish
82. Intensely Alice, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
83. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney
84. Lucky, Alice Sebold

October
85. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (reread)
86. Skin, Adrienne Maria Vrettos
87. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs On to Facebook, Sarah Schmelling
88. Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Gennifer Choldenko
89. Black Students, Middle-Class Teachers, Jawanza Kunjufu
90. Monster, Walter Dean Myers
91. The Trouble With Black Boys...and Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education, Pedro Noguera
92. The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta
93. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney

November
94. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
95. Darkness Before Dawn, Sharon M. Draper
96. The Journey: Solo, Kateline Gresseau
97. Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry - Sunday, 14 February 2009, New York - Strachan & Quinn Auctioneers, Leanne Shapton
98. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
99. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites, Heather Brewer
100. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

December
101. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (reread)
102. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (reread)
103. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (reread)
104. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (reread)

So Sean Bean has been cast as Ned Stark in the HBO Song of Ice and Fire series.

I am pretty pleased. Peter Dinklage is playing Tyrion, and so far the actors playing Robert and Jon Snow look close to the descriptions of them - although now that I saw someone mention Skandar Keynes (Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia) as an ideal casting for Jon, I can't get that idea out of my head!

I just need people to PLEASE stop suggesting Josh Holloway for Jaime because OMG that would be AWFUL. Jaime Lannister is supposed to be smart and charming, not greasy and smirky. I mean, I have about zero fear about this actually happening since they seem to be going for a British cast, but the very idea just makes me shudder.

Oh, and I've heard people mention the idea of Tricia Helfer as Cersei...that works for me, but now I'm wondering how the series can possibly employ James Callis. The first idea that comes to mind is Petyr Baelish, y/n?

This post is brought to you by the Association of People Who Are Forcing Themselves to Get Psyched Up for the HBO Series Because We've Given Up On GRRM Finishing the Damn Books.

I NEED TITLES!

I need suggestions for books and movies about goal-setting; the main character should have a goal, should achieve his/her goal, but not without a lot of hard work and smart thinking. They can be non-fiction or fiction, though I would prefer fiction, and the characters should be teenagers, as I'm looking for texts to use for a unit at work.

I have to read 25 books for my young adult literature class. This excites me. I also have to write a paper about EACH ONE.

Yeah. Grad school is harder than undergrad. I knew this. Yet I'm still bowled over.

Anyway, half of the books are assigned:

Perks of Being a Wallflower or Speak
Miracle Boys or Forged by Fire
Upstate
America or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Buried Onions
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Stargirl
Party Girl or Street Pharm
Twilight or Among the Hidden or Uglies
Born in Sin or The Circuit or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Book Thief or Night
American-Born Chinese or Maus or Persepolis
Angus Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging or Harris and Me

The other half, I get to choose books on different topics.

A choice book on teen issues - community, peer pressure, family, friendship, school
A choice book on sex/sexuality
choice book on disabilities/mental illnesses
choice book on poverty/class issues
choice book on gender
choice book on at-risk behaviors
choice book on science fiction, fantasy, or horror
choice book on race, culture, ethnicity
choice book on religion/spirituality
choice poetry collection
choice short story collection
choice graphic novel or "alternative text"
choice humor book

I list all of this because I'm looking for recommendations. Give me titles! fox1013, I'm looking your way.

In which I read ( Emma )

Now that Twilight is the BIGGEST THING EVER, to the point where the movie opening November 21st has been advertised all over the place SINCE MAY, I am caught between two worlds.

A part of me is completely disgusted and sick of sparkly vampires and resenting that writers think their stupid vampire stories can ever compete with Buffy. I'm also annoyed because, from what I hear even from the books' FANS, the writing is not actually good at all. I mean, there are a lot of diehard Harry Potter fans, myself included, who don't try to pretend that she's the best children's author ever, but she's still good! Despite her abuse of adverbs, she's quite clever and engaging. Twilight fans - the ones I hear from, anyway - say that Stephanie Meyer's writing is worse than Anne Rice's.

On the other hand, I like being in the know. A lot of my students like these books and I feel like I should stay on top of that stuff. And when something is popular, I like knowing what it's about. I don't like feeling left out! The only exception to the rule is reality TV; I have no problem being completely in the dark about sleazy reality TV people, the only exception to THAT exception being Top Chef because I like seeing the recipes people create. ANYway, I like knowing what is up.

To read Twilight or not to read Twilight? I can't decide.

ALSO, I am super mad at Stephanie Meyer for naming her main character Bella. Bella was GOING to be the name of my main character of my NaNoWriMo book. I changed her name to Annabelle because I didn't want to look like I was copying. Stupid Stephanie Meyer.

In other news, I have not abandoned my newest bracketology poll. I'm getting so many nominations that I think I'm going to do a DOUBLE bracketology contest and start with 128...unless that's somehow mathematically impossible. Anyway, name some more people.

Also, I am drinking beer while writing this post. This makes me happy. I never used to like beer. Now, I suddenly do. This is a good thing. Now when I go out for a drink with friends after work at some pub, no one will look at me strangely when I try to order a White Russian. I still love those, but not at every bar.

Anyway, onto more pleasant thoughts. I am more than halfway through my Jane Austen reread (of her complete novels, anyway - I don't own any copies of her juvenilia or Sanditon/Lady Susan/The Watsons).

( Mansfield Park, or in defense of Fanny Price )

I continue my Jane Austen reread with ( Pride and Prejudice )

I completed the first part of my Jane Austen reread with ( Northanger Abbey. )

While I kill time before leaving for a birthday party for a college friend I haven't seen in years, here's what I read in July and August:

( 50 Book Challenge Continues )

I have been neglecting my duty to update about my 50 Book Challenge. My computer crashed and on that was my saved document of the books I've read so far this year. Fortunately, I remembered what I read and wrote it by hand in a notebook. I can't remember the order, though, so I've divided the list into categories.

( Author Study: Walter Dean Myers )

( Rereads of Old Favorites )

( Young Adult Fiction )

( Adult Fiction )

( Non-Fiction and Other )

Now I'll see if I can get back to updating monthly.

Well, it looks like A Dance with Dragons won't be coming out until April 2009, now. Big surprise, right?

If anyone is interested in rereading (or reading for the first time) A Song of Ice and Fire, there's a really good livejournal community called remoot. The moderator puts up a post for every chapter, complete with discussion questions and observations. We're up to the second Sansa chapter in A Game of Thrones. It's fun! Join!

Here's a list of books that people are supposed to read. The average adult has only read 6 of these 100 books. Let's see how I do! Stolen from scarlettfish and just about everyone else ever. Also, it's really 99 books, because if you notice, it goes from book 7 to book 9. WHAT IS BOOK 8?!

( Read more... )

45 on the list. Only 45? That's less than half! I have to shame myself.

A RELEASE DATE FOR A DANCE WITH DRAGONS WTF?!!

IS THIS REALLY TRUE?!!

SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR YAAAAAAY!

Poll #1115283 Little Women
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

Jo should've ended up...

Laurie and Amy?

What do you think of Amy March?

Favorite Bronte sister

That last one wasn't a Little Women question!

I read 12 books in November and December.

64. Imperial Ambitions, Noam Chomsky. I've been meaning to read Chomsky for a long time and I'm glad I did. This book is actually dictated conversations rather than essays. He creates a rather depressing, yet still hopeful, outlook for the future in politics. He reminds his readers that political activism doesn't mean going to a few protest rallies and then complaining that things aren't changing. It's years of hard work and facing disappointments. I think we need another 1960s.

65. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli. A recommendation from one of my students. A charming YA novel about an eccentric, eternally optimistic young woman named Stargirl, and the boy who falls in love with her. Stargirl finds beauty in the simplest things. Some might find it a little preachy, but I like the message that it sends.

66. Piano Man, Joyce Sweeney. A fourteen-year-old girl falls hard for her twenty-seven-year old neighbor. It's honest and frank about teenage girls and their developing sexuality. The book takes some dark turns when Deidre's cousin gets involved with a violent boy who's a victim of abuse himself. I was really impressed with the realism in this story.

67. Alice in the Know, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Alice McKinley is a staple of my childhood and I will read every book until the series is over, but man, she pissed me off in this book. This is the story when Alice Discovers Racism and thinks she knows all about prejudice because her brother has a black girlfriend. ( Read more... )

68. Obasan, Joy Kogawa. Historical fiction about a Japanese Canadian family and the trials they face during World War II. Ignorant me was not aware of just how bad the Japanese Canadians had it (although I was aware of the struggles Japanese Americans faced) so this was a real eye-opener. Beautifully written and historically relevant, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it. I'm definitely glad I read it and I think it's a very good book; I just wouldn't call it one of my favorites of the year.

69. Living Up the Street, Gary Soto. YA short stories (really memoirs). I get why Gary Soto is considered an important YA writer but I just cannot get involved in his memoirs. I've tried. I'm glad I teach eighth grade so I can cover Walter Dean Myers instead.

70. Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper. YA fantasy. An intriguing beginning to a new-to-me fantasy series. I haven't leaped headfirst into The Dark is Rising yet, but I will soon.

71. The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman. EEE! So much fun! I want a daemon! I think this book was *perfect* and I adore Lyra and Pantalaimon and Iorek Byrnison.

72. The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman. I think I might love Will even more than Lyra, but the book itself was disappointing. I like the Specters and witches and Lee Scoresby, but the subplot with Dr. Malone left me cold.

73. The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman. An enjoyable, yet not entirely satisfying ending to the trilogy. I still don't understand Dust and thought a few plot points were anticlimactic. Some of my favorite aspects of the novel were also my least favorite. For example, ( Spoilers ahead ) There are a lot of things I loved about this series. Pullman is a captivating writer and I loved a fresh twist on children's fantasy - the villains are not trying to rob children of their innocence; instead, they're trying to rob children of the right to ever grow up and think for themselves. When it comes to the few disappointing aspects? Well, I'll quote queenofthorns on this: "Less metaphysics and more panserbjorne!"

74. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster (reread). SO MUCH LOVE. This book is pure heaven for English nerds - and for math nerds too!

75. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte. Why, exactly, is the youngest Bronte sister so often ignored in favor of Charlotte and Emily? Why are Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights always mentioned as great classics while Anne's works are of lesser brilliance? She deserves the fame that her elder sisters share. I loved this book, I loved the structure, and I thought it was daring and bold for its time.

Poll #940604 Jane Austen poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

Favorite Austen novel?

Okay, so I didn't think anyone would pick Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey. Which one do you prefer?

Favorite Austen heroine?

Favorite Austen male?

BESIDES Mr. Darcy?

Why did I leave out Edmund Bertram?

You know, I don't read nearly enough nonfiction. The idea of reading pages and pages of facts makes my brain bleed. But I know there are a lot of creative, interesting nonfiction writers out there. Could y'all do me a favor and recommend me some? Thanks.

Poll #577662 Creative Nonfiction
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11

Recommend me some authors & titles of good nonfiction