Get Yer Bonus Points Here!!!

Hey all!  I just posted January & February's Reading Challenges for those of you that want to rack up some extra points.  And if you have an idea for a reading challenge, just send me an email.  I mean I have to come up with 12 of them...HELP!!!  To see the Challenges just click on the link in the above menu that says "Bonus Points!"  Then keep reading those books and let me know somewhere in your blog posts if your book qualifies for some of those extra points.  -ENJOY! 

Son of the Mob/ Gordon Korman/ 262 pages

Vince Luca is the son of mafia boss Anthony Luca. He wants nothing to do with the family business, but just seems to keep getting involved. Then he finds himself dating the daughter of the FBI agent that is looking to bring down his father. Will Vince ever get out? And will he be able to continue dating the "FBI princess"?
It was an okay book. Kind of funny, but not great...

Ramona and Beezus/Beverly Cleary/159 pages

Ramona is the pesky, stubborn and imaginative sister of Beatrice Quimby. This book tells of Beezus(the nickname given by her sister) and her troubles and trials with Ramona as she tags along to her art class, plans her own birthday party without permission and generally drives her sister nuts.

These Ramona books were some of my favorite when I was young and I enjoyed reading it again; it brought back good memories.

Fat Chance/Julie Hadden/249 pages

Julie Hadden, of the biggest loser, recounts her time on the ranch and the personal sturggles she went through before, during and after her time on the hit show. She shed about 100 pounds, actually became friends with the tough trainer, Jillian Michaels, but more than than she found strength she didn't know she had and a deeper faith in God. A few months after coming home she received an even bigger blessing in answer to a dream that she had been praying and hoping would come true for years.

I was very inspired and motivated by her personal struggle and encouraging words.

Unchartered Territori/Tori Spelling/214 pages

Tori Spelling writes her third book on her life, this one focuses on her health problems, marriage struggles and her infamous problems with her mom, Candy Spelling. She seeks out any and all sources to help with these issues including psychics and her friend who tries to heal her body with weird animal pastes and removing items from her house that have bad energy.

It is a fluff book though very interesting to look inside the lives of those in Hollywood. I feel for Tori as she seeks for so many answers to her problems and I also admire her honesty and openness about her life.

Decision Points/George W. Bush/481 pages

Former President George W. Bush writes about his time in office and the specifics on major decisions he has to make regarding 9/11, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, nuclear weapons in Iran and fighting AIDS in Africa.

President Bush writes in an easy to read format while making the reader feel the weight of the decisions any U.S. president must wrestle with on a daily basis. I was impressed and proud to live in this country and have the leadership we have regardless of who is in office.

Fahrenheit 451/Ray Bradbury/190 Pages/National Book Award

Imagine a world where books are banned.  If you get caught reading or with books in your house, the firefighters come and burn your books and house to the ground and you go to jail.  It's censorship gone overboard as the Government tries to control the knowledge of the people for their benefit.  Gone are the historians, professors, and thinking men and women.  Just do as your told, be entertained with what you are provided with, and don't ask questions.  This is the future world you are drawn into in Ray Bradbury's novel.  Can one man change it? No, but when he meet another with similar views, together they work to stop the burning and lay a foundation for a future where people can think their own thoughts.  Ray Bradbury's book was published in the 1950's, before big-screen TVs, internet, cell phones, tiny portable radios, etc., yet he invented similar devices for his story; he was very ahead of his time.

Chase / Jesse Haas / 250 pages

Phin Chase is a well-read orphan in coal-mining Pennsylvania in the 1800 's.  He witnesses a murder, is almost murdered himself, and is accused of the murder.  On the run from Plume - a Sleeper, and Fraser - a mysterious man with a magnificent black stallion,  Phin remains true to himself and his mother's teachings as he sacrifices self, and possibly freedom, for integrity, loyalty, and self-respect.

The Salmon of Doubt/Douglas Adams/299 Pages

After the untimely death of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in 2001, someone discovered his unfinished book, The Salmon of Doubt, in one of his desk drawers.  This compilation of his newspaper and magazine articles, short stories, essays, interviews, and, finally, the unfinished book gives a glimpse into the mind of Douglas Adams.  For me, it explained why he wrote about what he did, and will make re-reading the Hitchhiker books a real treat for me the next time around.

An Uplifting Murder/Elaine Viets/293 pages

Mystery shopper Josie Marcus stumbles into yet another murder,this time in a lingerie shop. The shop is run by one of her high school teachers, and the victim is a bully from high school as well. Set in St. Louis (home of the famous "where did you go to school" question), Josie must solve the murder as well as relive some unpleasant memories from her high school past. Viets, a born and raised St. Louisan, knows the neighborhoods and surrounding cities well. It's always fun to figure out which mall, store or restaurant she is describing when she is using aliases. Always a fun, fluffy read.

Half Price Homicide/ Elaine Viets/263 pages

In the latest Dead End Job Mystery series, Helen Hawthorne decides to finally come back to St. Louis to clear her name and stop living "under the radar" in Florida. First, she must help solve a murder in a second-hand shop where she works. Elaine Viets is a St. Louis native who currently lives in Florida. She has other series that are set in St. Louis, but it is gratifying that she finally let this one spend a little time here as well. Helen accomplishes everything she sets out to do and ultimately ends up back in Florida, but some new unfinished business in St. Louis will no doubt bring her back in the future.

Every Last One/Anna Quindlen/299 pages

Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mom, putting her children ahead of everything. With three children, she always has her hands full, but she is also always conflicted about giving too much time and effort to one child when another may need her as well. She lives with the guilt all mothers have when they feel they can't fulfill everyone's needs. Her marriage is satisfactory, comfortable and predictable. Everything changes in one night of horrific violence. Mary Beth must make a new life and find a way to forgive herself.

The Outside Boy / Jeanine Cummins / 360 pages

Christy Hurley is a traveller - an Irish gypsy circa 1959.  He bears the guilt that he killed his mother in childbirth.  When a picture wafts his way from his grandfather's funeral pyre, Christy embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the lady wearing his same St. Christopher medal.  Filled with Irish language, customs, and the spirit of the Irish people, The Outside Boy embodies themes of family, love, honesty, and freedom.

If I Stay/Gayle Forman/199 pages

This was a tear jerker as you might have guessed from the title or synopsis. It takes quite a bit to get me to laugh or cry when reading, but this one brought on the tears at the end. And while I didn't laugh out loud, I did smirk many times. I would've "really liked it" if not for some of the contrived situations, like everyone getting to visit the ICU. Then again, to enjoy this book, you have to suspend belief.

Franklin and Eleanor/Hazel Rowley/345 pages

I ventured out of my usual YA fiction preference due our SCCCLD 2011 Adult Reading Program. The program encourages us to expand our reading horizons with a bingo card to complete. Bingo squares titled "Biography or Memoir" and "Non-Fiction" lead me to Franklin and Eleanor. I'd also heard an interesting discussion of the book on NPR. I had no idea they had an "open marriage." The amazing thing is, they made it work. It really gives some perspective to the whole "Clinton scandal."

The Cow in the Parking Lot: A Zen approach to Overcoming Anger/ Leonard Scheff and Susan Edmiston/ 195p

This book is a "Zen-lite" approach to handling everyday frustrations and anger. Understanding how destructive anger can be and ultimately useless in creating happiness in your life, most people will find that they don't need anger and in fact feel much better without it. Quick read and not overly philosophical.

The Help/Kathryn Stockett/451

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a highly entertaining work of fiction but do not look further. The story begins in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi when the civil rights movement was taking hold. Two African American maids, Minny and Aibileen, along with a white socialite, Skeeter, decide to compile stories about what it is like to be an African American maid to financially comfortable, white families. The maids describe the love/hate relationship that is created when you are given full responsibility for the children of the house, yet unable to use the same bathroom. If you read this novel understanding that it is a statement about how all women, black or white, have the same dreams and fears then you will not be disappointed. However, if you want something with substance and a little more consistency, this may not be for you.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo/Stieg Larsson/465

Multiple award winning novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is worthy of the accolades it has received. Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist who has partial ownership of the magazine "The Millennium", has his professional life implode when unfairly convicted of libel. At loose ends until his jail term begins, he is approached by Henrik Vanger, a long ago business magnate who presents a proposal. Find out what happened to Harriet Vanger, his missing niece, and Henrik will provide the ammunition to take down the mob associated villain that prosecuted Blomkvist. Blomkvist accepts the deal and becomes entangled in a dangerous family secret. During the investigation, Blomkvist enlists the help of Lisbeth Salander, a hacking genius who happens to have more tattoos and issues than Blomkvist can handle.

Little Bee/Chris Cleave/266

ALA Notable Book Little Bee by Chris Cleave introduces us to a young Nigerian refugee, and a uppercrust British publisher, Sarah. Little Bee and Sarah meet during a brutal assault in Nigeria, in which Sarah is asked to make a sacrafice in order to save the life of Little Bee. After the event, Sarah returns to her priviledged life and Sarah is forced to become a stowaway on a cargo ship bound for England. They meet once again on the Sarah's doorstep, where they realize they have to face their past and the present together.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption/Laura Hillenbrand/473

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

by Laura Hilldenbrand tells the amazing story of Louis Lamperini, who participated in the Berlin Olympics and was later shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War II. While Hillenbrand gives us a great deal of historical information, her writing never once makes it seem dull. Lamperini and Hillenbrand give us a story that will make you reevaluate what seems to be important in life.