Stolen from E. Lockhart

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Tamora Pierce. Eventually I'd like to own all her books, but for now I'm just picking them up from used bookstores one at a time. My favorite, by the way, is Bloodhound.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I keep lending it to people and buying a new one, then getting my lent copy back years later.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
No. English is changing all the time, and it's not so much of a no-no any more.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
None at the moment. Okay, maybe Dr. Ladislaus Nim from The Eight and The Fire by Katherine Neville. But that's probably because I'm halfway through The Fire right now.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Either Sunshine or the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The Enchanted Forest series by Patricia Wrede.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
You know, one man's trash is another man's treasure. It's not for me to decide what a bad book is.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
The one I've enjoyed the most: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
It would probably be a different book for each person. I think everyone should read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and City of Thieves by David Benioff, but not everyone would like them.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
Abraham Verghese, even though he's only written one novel. : )

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
I'm excited for the Paper Towns movie, since John Green is writing the screenplay and it won't follow the book as closely as many screenplays do.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

The Hunger Games, because then kids will probably stop reading the book.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
The closest thing I can think of is a dream I had, many years ago, about Rufio from Hook. Which is a movie, not a book.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I am a closet Jude Devereaux fan, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Thomas Pynchon. The Crying of Lot 49. I think this is the main reason I changed my major to Linguistics after my freshman year. (Not the book so much as the fact that my instructor gave me a C on an assignment for saying that I didn't like the book. No freedom of expression in THAT English class.)

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I've been in Kiss Me Kate?

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
The Russians, hands down. : )

18) Roth or Updike?
I've never read Roth and I haven't read enough Updike to make a judgment.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Dave Eggers.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen, although I've somehow never read Eliot.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Most of it. I haven't read many classics, although I'm slowly trying to catch up. Very slowly.

23) What is your favorite novel?

At the moment it's probably a tie between The Hunger Games and City of Thieves. But The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner is never far behind.

24) Play?
It's a musical. The Phantom of the Opera.

25) Poem?
I'm kind of 'meh' about poetry. I love Tennyson though.

26) Essay?
Hmm, I have no idea!

27) Short Story?
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe.

28) Work of nonfiction?
The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallis.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

Geraldine Brooks is up there, because she's so versatile. I also love Lauren Groff, Jane Austen, and many others.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Um I don't want to name names but she's a woman and her initials are SM.

31) What is your desert island book?
The Ultimate Survival Guide.

32) And... what are you reading right now?
The Fire by Katherine Neville and American Rifle by Alexander Rose.

An Update on the Summer Reading Challenge

Theme: Pirates, Ninjas, Princesses

New system: You will only have to read for 10 hours per level. The challenge will last 2 MONTHS.

Prizes:
Levels 1 & 2 - Pick from the Pirate Ninja Princess Grab Bag which will contain, among other things, sticky throwing stars and make-your-own-scepter/wand kits
Level 3 - a classy and colorful book light

Secret (well, somewhat secret) Bonus Task #3: Attend an Author Night at the bookstore with tons of YA authors, including (but not limited to):

Sarah Quigley, author of TMI
C. Lee McKenzie, author of Sliding on the Edge
Cheryl Herbsman, author of Breathing

Stay tuned for more developments. Official rules will be posted closer to June.

--jake the girl

Pirates and ninjas and princesses, oh my!

I just chose the theme (and bought the Level 1 prizes) for the Summer Reading Program. The theme is:

Pirates, ninjas, and princesses.

I'm so excited.

SF Chronicle Reviews

I wrote up some reviews for the Chronicle--I'm not sure if they're going to include the review or just the recommendations, but here they are:

Blindspot: A Novel
By Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore

Blindspot is a masterpiece of teamwork. Kamensky and Lepore, both history professors, have brought alive pre-Revolutionary Boston in the most charming way imaginable: the tale of Stewart Jameson, exiled Scottish portraitist, and Fannie Easton, fallen-socialite-turned-apprentice. As Fannie Easton—or, as she comes to be known, Francis Weston—struggles to make sense of her new situation, Jameson finds himself caught up in the politics of colonial Boston. What begins as a comedy of errors, with Jameson experiencing torment over his feelings for the young male apprentice and Fannie confiding similar feelings to her only remaining friend, becomes something darker when a murder is committed in the very house where they are painting a portrait. Not quite a mystery, not quite a comedy, and not quite a romance, Blindspot will keep you guessing (and laughing) from beginning to end. Kamensky and Lepore have “pinned” the vernacular of the time, providing a wealth of wit and dirty jokes. Their research is unrivaled, and it is the small details that make the setting come alive. This is the most entertaining historical novel I’ve ever read.

Cutting for Stone: A Novel
By Abraham Verghese

Cutting for Stone is a gripping, gritty, heartbreakingly beautiful tale of twin brothers raised in an Ethiopian mission hospital. Marion and Shiva find themselves orphaned when their mother dies in childbirth and their father flees the scene. They are raised by the doctors and nurses of Missing Hospital, who watch the boys grow and become doctors amidst the political turmoil of Ethiopia in the 1960’s and 70’s. Finally Marion flees to New York, where he finishes his residency in an underfunded and understaffed hospital. Spanning decades and continents, Cutting for Stone is a powerful drama of love, passion, and personal demons.

City of Thieves: A Novel
By David Benioff

From the moment you begin City of Thieves to the moment you turn the last page, the modern world ceases to exist. You will find yourself in Leningrad, desperate and under siege. There you will witness young Lev Beniov’s arrest for looting a German paratrooper’s corpse and his subsequent mission: to find a dozen eggs or be sentenced to death. As Lev and his comrade Kolya struggle through the starving city and the surrounding countryside, they are forced to grow up and face harsh realities. City of Thieves is filled with the keen observations and naïveté of a teenage boy who sees too much. It is also a funny, poignant account of the way we all face adulthood: with a mixture of apprehension and abandon that, in Lev, is both endearing and a little bit sad.

The Monsters of Templeton
By Lauren Groff

Wilhelmina “Willie” Upton runs home to her mother in Templeton, New York on the same day that a strange creature goes belly-up in Templeton’s lake. Willie hasn’t lived at home in years, but a grave judgment error has forced her to leave her PhD program temporarily. Once home, Willie attempts to put the pieces of her life back together while readjusting to life with her mother. When she discovers that her father—who had remained a mystery for her whole life—lives right here in town, Willie embarks on a quest to discover his identity by tracing the lineages of the great men of Templeton. The Monsters of Templeton is an exquisitely written first novel whose characters come alive on the page. Complete with historical vignettes, hijacked charter planes, and an American Loch Ness Monster, this is a must-read for fans of literary fiction.

Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body
By Jennifer Ackerman

In Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, Jennifer Ackerman looks at the many processes that are regulated by the body’s internal clock. In language that is accessible and entertaining, she takes a typical day in the life of your body, from the moment you wake up until bedtime. She answers questions that we all ask: how many calories can I burn by fidgeting in my chair? Under what circumstances am I more likely to get drunk off a single cocktail? Why doesn’t my alarm clock wake me up some mornings? Ackerman’s research is impeccable and her writing is engaging. This book will give you a lot to think about, and a lot to talk about.

The Monster of Florence
By Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi

This is the story of a real-life Jessica Fletcher: Douglas Preston, a popular thriller author, moves to Florence to write his latest bestseller. Within a few days of his arrival, however, he discovers that his country property was the site of a brutal murder in the 1980’s. Naturally, Preston decides to investigate the string of unsolved murders that plagued Florence for years, and that are attributed to a Jack the Ripper-type character called the Monster of Florence. Preston teams up with Mario Spezi, a Florentine investigative journalist, and the two men begin to reopen the investigation. The Monster of Florence is more than just the account of a string of murders. It is an outsider’s view of Italian police politics, the aristocracy and the mafia, the Italian judicial system, and a historic city with old roots. Though it is non-fiction, this book reads like fast-paced fiction.

The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
By Benjamin Wallace

The world’s most expensive bottle of wine was a 1787 Chateau Lafite, supposedly owned at one time by Thomas Jefferson. It was auctioned off by Christie’s and sold for $156,000. But the mystery surrounding the bottle of wine lasted far longer than the wine itself; after its authenticity was called into question, an odd investigation began. Had Jefferson ever owned the bottle at all? Was it truly a 1787 Lafite? Where did it even come from? Wallace expertly weaves the tale of this strange set of circumstances, and the various players involved. The Billionaire’s Vinegar will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last, even if you aren’t a wine lover.

A review by Syd

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
by Erin Dionne
Review by Sydney McGillis

This book is about a 12 year old girl named Celeste Harris. She is a heavy set girl and is always being teased at school because she's 'fat'. One day Celeste's aunt Doreen sees a flier advertising a plus-size modeling competition. Before she knows it Celeste is enrolled. Celeste doesn't want to be a part of the competition because she knows that if the kids at her school find out she's a 'fat' model she will be teased. Because Celeste doesn't want to disappoint her parents she figures she will lose weight so she's not big enough to be a plus-size model. In the Celeste learns it's not other peoples' opinions that matter most.

Reviews

The Devlin Diary

by Christi Phillips

Adult Mystery/Historical Fiction

Due May 2009

Finally, the sequel to The Rossetti Letter! As much as I loved the first book, this one was easily my favorite of the two. Claire Donovan is back--now a visiting lecturer at Cambridge University, she stumbles across a coded diary while attempting to find a subject for her next paper. As before, she gets caught up in some academic intrigue while she tries to decode the book. Meanwhile, we are learning the story of Hannah Devlin, a female physician in Restoration-era London. Phillips's writing has improved tremendously between books, making this one of the best historical novels I've read in a long time.

Blade: Playing Dead

by Tim Bowler

Young Adult Fiction

Due May 2009

This book is full of non-stop action. Blade is not your ordinary fourteen-year-old street urchin. He does just enough pickpocketing to stay fed, and sleeps wherever there's an empty home. Everyone thinks he's just another homeless kid--until some thugs come after him and an old woman is caught in the crossfire. Suddenly Blade is on the run. A member of a hostile girl gang becomes an unexpected ally, and the reader is left wondering who Blade used to be. The lingo is very street and very British. The action never slows down. Watch for this in May.

Books I Finally Read

The Tapestry series by Henry Neff--compare to Harry Potter
The Roar by Emma Clayton--compare to The Hunger Games or Ender's Game
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart--compare to A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Luxe series by Anna Godberson--compare to Gossip Girl

more to come!

a review--and my book of the month

The Roar

by Emma Clayton

Young Adult Science Fiction

Available now

Did you read The Hunger Games? Have you been disappointed by pretty much every book since? Then read this one. It's set in another dystopian version of Earth, where The Animal Plague has wiped out all but a fraction of the population. The remaining humans live on top of each other in cramped concrete cities walled off from the Plague and the wasteland. Twelve-year-old Ellie Smith is living in captivity in an orbiting space station while her twin brother Mika struggles through school, convinced that Ellie is still alive. There are high-speed space battles a la Ender's Game and two awesome, awesome main characters.

Love it!

Out today:



39 Clues book 3

The Sword Thief, by Peter Lerangis


Come 'n' get it!