Spring Thing Final Update

Here is my final update for the Spring Thing Challenge - although I didn't read all the books I thought I would I read a lot more books than my goal of 11!! I did finish the Themed Reading Challenge which was my other goal. So all in all I am very pleased!! Thanks to Katrina for hosting the challenge it was a lot of fun!!

Goal 1: Finish Themed Reading Challenge
Goal 2: Read 11 books:
1. Blue Moon – Luanne Rice - COMPLETED
2. Blue Water – A Manette Ansay - COMPLETED
3. The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini - COMPLETED
*Dakota Born – Debbie Macomber (Dakota Series)
4. A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray - COMPLETED
* Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon
5. The Sister – Poppy Adams - COMPLETED
6. Family Tree – Barbara Delinsky Complete - COMPLETED
* Looking for Peyton Place - Barbara Delinsky
* Lake News - Barbara Delinsky
7. The Book Thief – - COMPLETED

Swaps
8.Change of Heart – Jodi Picoult - COMPLETED
9. Monsters of Templeton Lauren Groff- COMPLETED
10. Once Upon a Marigold – Jean Ferris - COMPLETED
11. Summer I Dared -Barbara Delinsky - COMPLETED
12. The Opposite of love – Julie Buxbaum - COMPLETED
13. Senator’s Wife – Sue Miller - COMPLETED
14. Drums of Change – Janette Oke - COMPLETED
15. Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder - COMPLETED
16. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - COMPLETED
17. The Other Bolyen Girl – Pilippa Gregory - COMPLETED
18. Something Rotten – Jasper Fforde - COMPLETED
19. Virgin of Small Plains – Nancy Pickard - COMPLETED
20. Songs for the Missing – Stewart O’Nan- COMPLETED
21 Life as We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
22 Golden Compass - Philip Pulman

My favorite book is Life as We Knew it - with The Other Bolyen Girl a 2nd place

Total Completed 22! My goal was 11 - so I am pleased :)

Quilters Apprentice - Jennifer Chiaverini

Rating: 4
Pages: 272
Challenges: 1st in a Series, Spring Thing, A-Z Challenge: Q title

Synopsis (from BN.com)
Tangled, anxious thoughts relaxed when she felt the fabric beneath her fingers and remembered that she was creating something beautiful enough to delight the eyes as well as the heart, something strong enough to defeat the cold of a Pennsylvania winter night. She could do these things. She, Sarah, had the power to do these things.

From debut novelist Jennifer Chiaverini comes The Quilter's Apprentice, a delightful, timeless story of loyalty and friendship.
When Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to the small town of Waterford, Pennsylvania, to get a fresh start, Sarah struggles to find a fulfilling job. Disheartened by failed interviews, she reluctantly accepts a temporary position at Elm Creek Manor helping seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate for sale after the recent death of Sylvia's estranged sister. As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this reclusive, cantankerous master quilter.

During their lessons, Mrs. Compson slowly opens up to Sarah, sharing powerful, devastating stories of her life as a young woman on the World War II home front. Hearing tales of how Mrs. Compson's family was torn apart by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal, Sarah is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about her own family -- truths that she has denied for far too long. As the friendship between the two women deepens, Mrs. Compson confides that although she would love to remain at her beloved family estate, Elm Creek Manor exists as a constant, unbearable reminder of her role in her family's misfortune. For Sarah, there can be no greater reward than teaching Mrs. Compson to forgive herself for her past mistakes, restoringlife and joy to her cherished home.

Heartfelt and inspiring, The Quilter's Apprentice teaches deep lessons about family, friendship, and sisterhood -- and about creating a life as you would a quilt: with time, love, and patience, piecing the miscellaneous and mismatched scraps into a harmonious, beautiful whole.

Review
I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the series. My Mother and Grandmother are quilters and I have gone to the Paducah, Kentucky quilt show that is mentioned in the book with my Mother. Mom has taught me how to quilt but I rarely have time to try! I am lucky to have many handmade quilts from my Mom, Grandmother, and Aunt Teresa. I would love to go to Elm Creek to a Quilt retreat - and I think my Mom would too! I really enjoyed the history of the quilts and am looking forward to more of the series.

This was my initial concern joining the 1st in a Series Challenge...I would have to read ALL the books in the series!! Ha! I have started a Series List here. It's a good way for me to track what books are left.

Blue Water - A Manette Ansay

Rating: 3 Don’t bet on this one…wait for the movie (···)
Challenges: Spring Thing, Themed Reading

Synopsis:
Meg and Rex tried hard for their son Evan (6) he is the only child they can have. One day Meg was driving Evan to school and was hit by a drunk driver, Cindy Ann. Cindy Ann and Meg were friends in High School and Meg has a hard time forgiving Cindy Ann for killing her son in the accident. Cindy Ann and her 3 children were unhurt. Meg and Rex leave their life and set out on a sail boat to try to live normal again. On their journey they question if they can forgive. When Meg and Cindy Ann's paths cross again Meg realizes that Cindy Ann is not who she thought she was.

Review:
This is a journey to forgiveness and asks the question - Would you be able to forgive someone who killed your child? It was a good story and I probably would have rated it higher but the "blue water" parts where they are in the ocean on their sail boat was a little monotonous. I liked the way the book approached Megs conflicts and her constant questioning of forgiveness. One of my favorite concepts is that forgiveness is done everyday - it's a conscious effort. Isn't that true!

Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult

Rating: 3 Don’t bet on this one…wait for the movie (···)

Pages: 447

Challenges: Spring Thing Swap, Chunkster, Full Circle Challenge, Pub Challenge

Synopsis

Shay Borne is on death row and wants to give his heart to the girl whose sister and father he is accused of killing, but death by lethal injection does not produce a viable heart. Enter Maggie from the ALCU and Michael a Catholic priest whose decision on Shay's jury for the death penalty led him into the priesthood. Also, odd things are happening in the jail ward where Shay is housed leading people to wonder if he is Jesus or some type of miracle worker.

Review

I struggled a lot with this book. I have read a lot of Picoult’s books and typically enjoy them, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of the others. I like that she takes on prevalent issues in society, but I think this book could have taken on the death penalty without injecting all the questions of God. I didn't like some of the misconceptions she portrayed about Christianity and I am not sure that Shay is creditable, which makes me question some of the book in general. Books with narrators with issues make me question if the book is truly in the right perspective. Are things happening as they appear to the "unstable" narrator. Although Shay wasn't the narrator the other characters certainly question his actions. And it leaves the reader questioning also.

I think this would be a really good book club book, because if anyone is like me they will want to discuss this book after reading it! Plus it leaves a lot of questions open for interpretation and questions of myself if I would want Shay to lie to me to appease me or if I would want him to be himself. I think I would want him to be himself.

Here are some quotes I liked from the book:

“But things like jealousy, rage, and infidelity – they don’t
disappear. They lie in wait, like a cobra, to strike you again when you
least expect it.” (361)

“How could I not have known that you see
God every time you look at the face of the person you love.” (384)

Other Picoult books I liked better: My Sister's Keeper, Second Glance, and Vanishing Acts.

BookReporter.com has an interview with Jodi Picoult.

In this interview Picoult said, "Who says that just because you're right, that means someone else has to be wrong? Why do we believe the things that we do --- because they're right, or because it's too scary to admit we don't know the answers?" I think it is an interesting question. Although I have a lot of tolerances with religion I am wondering if I practice this with my husband!

The Sister - Poppy Adams

Ratings:

Personal Reading: 3 Don’t bet on this one…wait for the movie (···)

Book Club Reading: 4 Tell a Friend over a Derby pie (ääää)

Challenge: Spring Thing, A-Z Challenge: A Author

This book is about 2 sisters who haven't seen each other in 20 some years. Vivian is coming home to her childhood home where Ginny has lived all of her life. This story goes back in time to tell us why it has been so long since Vivian has been home and the reasons she left. It also tells us the story of Ginny and her life with her parents.

The one aspect of this book that I found difficult involves all the technical details of moths. I am not that interested in bugs...so I found myself skimming these sections. I am sure that I missed some analogies in skipping these sections, but I was having a really hard time with them.

This is another book that is hard to describe without giving too much away. Here's the deal though...if you want a book that tells you all the answers you are not going to like this book. If you like a book that leaves a lot up to your interpretation you will love this book. Because this book doesn't lay all the answers out I think it would be a great for a book discussion.

This is a first discussion book on Barnes & Noble. This is my first on-line book discussion and my first Advanced Read! It has been an interesting experience. I would do a few things differently next time. I think I would drop everything I was reading at the time to concentrate on the advanced reading book, because I would rather discuss each chapter with everyone else while they were reading. I think this would be more enjoyable in the process. Instead I was worried about spoilers so I waited until the end, but I think it would have been more fun to participate in the discussions.

I would read more by Poppy Adams.

Another day...another challenge

I am still on my challenge crazy quest.... I am joining the Once Upon A Time II hosted by Carl. I am not normally a big fantasy reader, but I LOVED Harry Potter. I saw Stephanie's list at The Written Word and looked that the synopsis at B&N and decided that this sounds like a fun challenge. I think I loved her list because the books were pictured...I have an obsession with buying books. I picked several that were on Stephanie's list. They are mostly Young Adult so hopefully I will get through them fast and they won't affect my other challenges. :) I also want to finish the Thursday Next Series, which I started last year, so this is a great opportunity for that! This challenge lasts until June 20.



I am going to do Quest One: Read five books from any category or combination of category.

1. Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
2. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
3. Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
5. Something Rotten: A Thursday Next Novel
6. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels
7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (I have this on request at the library, but I am #9 so I am not sure it will come in before the challenge is over)

This one might interfere with the Spring Thing Challenge, but I am trying to increase the number of books I am reading so we'll see in June how I did!! :) Several of these are YA so I think I might be OK. Also my real goal with Spring Thing was to read one book a week...I will be happy if I complete this regardless of what the books are!

Spring Thing Reading Challenge 2008

Callapidder Days is hosting a Spring Thing Reading Challenge. This is one of the easiest challenges - Set your own goals and it could be anything or any amount of books. It runs from March 20 - June 19. I am tossing around a few goals. Here they are:

• Finish 2 challenges
• Read 1 book a week, which is 13 books...but maybe I should put in a little fudge factor...no I will stick with 13!
• I would say that I don't want to purchase anymore books...but who am I kidding...I could never do that!

This will be a fun challenge!!