TBR Pile Challenge: I'll Give You the Sun Read Along: 1st Discussion

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Published: September 11, 2014 by Dial

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, LGBT

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world. 

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

First Discussion Questions

1) How do you feel about the narration style? Was Noah's artistic voice hard to get used to? What about Jude's?

It took me a couple of Noah's references to seeing people's auras or some such to get that this was his artistic voice. And then Jude with her ghosts. I like it though now that I'm into the book more.

2) Between the two siblings/story lines, which one is you favorite?

Noah's actually. But at this point in the book it may because I'm still a bit bitter toward Jude about art school (not yet knowing the story there, of course, but still).

3) What are you feeling regarding the family dynamics: We have twins, a mom and dad, and a deceased grandmother. Noah believes his dad favors his sister and his mother favors him. Noah seems to favor his mom.

I suspect that this dynamic is a bit true in all families - merely magnified in this family due to the artistic minds, deaths in the family, etc.

4) All siblings have a bit of sibling rivalry between them? What sort of things did you and your siblings compete about? What is as serious and Jude and Noah or more playful competition?

My one sibling is ten years older than me and we are SO different. I don't recall a rivalry, but as the overachiever younger child, I can't speak for my sister. She may have felt it more than me. I was the straight A student, she was the one who was good with her hands (mechanical stuff, etc.). I could see where she might resent my grades or something. But I never sensed it in our relationship. I think the big age gap makes our relationship different than most siblings though.

5) Thus far, what has been one of your favorite scenes from the novel?

When Jude is spying on Guillermo sculpting. The author does a remarkable job of telling the intimacy of both Guillermo lost in his work and Jude lost in watching him.

TBR Pile Challenge: Throne of Glass Read Along - Second Discussion

Throne of Glass Read Along: 2nd Discussion

I actually finished this book in time (by January 31st) but I got busy and didn't get this post written. Oops. I've finished several books in the meantime so hopefully I haven't forgotten too much. I will endeavor to get my thoughts "on paper" more quickly in the future.

1) Celaena receives help from many sources throughout the novel. Of all these character, who do you think helped her the most? What does he/she do or teach Celaena that further develops her as a character?

Nehemia. She helps Calaena learn how to trust and how to be a friend.

2) Who do you think is Celaena was before Arobynn found her?

An incredibly scared little girl. I don't think she was anything more than that. (I have NOT read the novellas.)

3) Are there any aspects of Throne of Glass that you wished Sarah had gone into more detail about?

The "other" world and the magic... maybe more about how Cain came to have so much power and knowledge. It's obvious the king has something to do with it but it felt like she left out a  LOT in order to keep the way clear for the next book(s).

4) What are your thoughts about the kinda love-triangle? Are you favoring Dorian, Chaol, or is it too soon to tell where you loyalty lies?

Ugh... the love triangle thing again. I don't know. They both have their strong points and their weak points. I honestly have no idea. It's already breaking my heart that one of them is going to have his heart broken.

5) What do you think of Nox now? Do you think he'll come back into play later? And are you hoping for it? (Andrea's Note: I AM!)

I didn't think much of him before and I don't think I think of him much more now. I certainly hope she brings him back as she spent just enough time developing him that it seems a waste not to have him come back into play again.

6) Who's your favorite character so far? Do you imagine this could change throughout the series?

Chaol. He's such a quintessential good guy. I suppose that could change if his character is revealed to be vastly different.

7) How surprised were you by who was behind the Champion murders? Did you guess before it was revealed?

I had guessed it had something to do with Dorian's dogs... so I guess I was onto something with the whole animal thing. Maas gave it away some in the scene where Cain ran past Celaena acting a bit deranged and she made a mental note that he seemed to be getting bigger and faster each week.

8) What do you think of Nehemia NOW? And her friendship with Celaena?

Nehemia is a wonderful character. I never doubted her though I could see where Celaena's suspicions came from.

9) How satisfied were you with the story as a whole? Do you plan to continue the series?

I enjoyed it and I would certainly like some answers to the plethora of unanswered questions... and some closure to the many plot threads laid out before the reader. I have The Assassin's Blade right now so I'm currently planning to read the "before". Not sure if I'll make it to the after given the GIANT pile of books I have to read. If there's going to be more magic, I would be more inclined to read more since magic/fantasy is my favorite genre.

10) Do you have any predictions as to what may happen next? (If you've already read the next book/s, you should probably sit this question out.)

Good wins and Celaena marries Chaol, Dorian or Nox. :-) In other words, I don't have any definite predictions.

Review: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” Ordinary Grace follows the lives of two young boys in small town Minnesota the summer of 1961. Death comes often that summer and Frank and Jake find themselves more and more thrust into a grown-up world as they navigate the dynamics of their family and their town.

My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. In the sense that this book also focused on the kids' perspective in a small town in a "simpler" time, Ordinary Grace reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm sure my enjoyment of Ordinary Grace benefited from my love of the Harper Lee classic. This book was, though, at it's core, a who-dun-it - an enjoyable one at that. Some "conclusions" were pretty obvious from the start but many twists and turns took you by surprise.

The father, Nathan, was an almost unbelievably gracious and forgiving man, while the mother, Ruth, played foil with great emotional instability. Probably my favorite character was Gus, a friend of Nathan's from the war, who was constantly a rock upon which the boys could lean and a lighthouse in the dark to help Frank and Jake navigate tough issues. Yet, he was flawed in very real, authentic ways.

The one distraction for me was the layout of the town. I don't think the author used a real town or a map of his imaginary town or he was bad at describing directions of things. Many times I found myself "lost" in town (no, the trestle is the OTHER WAY!). Or a description that something was past of the edge of town, with a real sense that it was far away - tucked away on purpose - but then it was only a 5 minute car ride later on. Or a bike ride in the middle of the night from the poor part of town to WAY up in the high rent area - again, earlier depicted as far away - that takes very little time. Given how I mentally "Google map" the books I read, these discrepancies were jarringly noteworthy as I read.

All and all, an engaging read. This was a book club selection for me and not something I would have likely picked up on my own.

TBR Pile Challenge: Throne of Glass Read-Along - First Discussion

Throne of Glass Read Along: 1st Discussion

The TBR Pile Challenge I joined this year has a Real-Along every other month. This month, the selected book was Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

1) Did you read The Assassin's Blade? If so, do you think it enhanced your reading of Throne of Glass? If you haven't, do you plan to go back and do so before continuing with the series?

I have not. I haven't read any of Maas's works before now. I am enjoying Throne of Glass though so I will at least add them to my "TBR" pile... because it wasn't already too big. 

2) Who do you think is behind the Champions murders?

Possessed dogs. I know... kind of silly and far fetched but the way the Champions have been mutilated and the fact that Dorian's "kennels" have been mentioned in an offhand way more than once up to this point. Whether Dorian is behind it or not, I'm not sure, but I think his dogs have something to do with it. 

3) Thus far, what are some of your favorite scenes from Throne of Glass?

All of them? Maas writes some beautiful imagery and great dialogue. 

4) Have you tried sticking to Sarah's pronunciations or did you make up your own way to say all these names

I glanced at them before I started and I'm close on some. The one key difference is the pronunciation of "wyrd". I believe Maas was referencing the Anglo-Saxon concept of fate or personal destiny. That "wyrd" is pronounced "weird". And I have friends whose last name is Wyrd and that's how they pronounce it as well.

5) Is this the first time you've read Throne of Glass? Were you like Andrea and Jessica and completely unsure as to why you waited so long to read it? Or, if you reread it for the Read Along, did your reading experience change from the first time?

First time I've read Sarah J. Maas at all. I'm really enjoying it though. 

6) Okay, let's just get into this: As of this moment, who are you more fond of--Chaol or Dorian?

Chaol, though I also think Calaena would make a fantastic queen. 

7) What do you think about Princess Nehemia and her friendship with Celaena? Are you a fan, or are you giving the princess a side-eye?

I'm a fan. I think that friendship will ultimately lead to the defeat of the king and a new era of peace for the world. 

8) How are we liking Nox? Do you think he'll end up as someone to count on in the future, or should we not trust him?

He seems okay, but Calaena's behavior toward him doesn't seem in keeping with her assassin nature. Actually, there is a lot of her behavior that seems contradictory at times. In the beginning, we're lead to believe she is nothing but a cold-blooded killing machine, but her "soft underbelly", as it were, showed more quickly than I think makes sense for someone trained to be so ruthless. Maybe something there relates back to the books before this that I haven't read. 

9) The writing! Are you loving Sarah's writing as much as I am? Because seriously--it is so gorgeous.

I am definitely enjoying the writing. 

10) Do you have any predictions for the rest of the book? Anyone finding out Lady Lillian's real identity? Betrayals? More friendships? (If you've already read the other half, skipping this one would probably be best. Ha.)  

I think Lady Kaltain will find out Calaena's identity and it will probably cost her her life. And I'm certain the other three Champions in the final four (because, let's be clear, Calaena will be in the final four) will find out who she is at some point leading up to the final battle. 

Reading Challenges... well, that didn't go so well

I had great hopes for reading more in 2014. I think I did read MORE... just not what I'd planned to read. Certainly, I read more children's chapter books since my daughter is graduating from being read picture books to being read chapter books. She can read many of them herself, but we still enjoy time with me reading to her nightly. My husband still reads to our 11yo son nightly as well, though their fare has gone more toward thought provoking works like The Orphan Train and Walden. Risa and I are more into the Animalmagic series by Holly Webb, Rainbow Fairies and the like.

I entered two reading challenges for 2014 and I pretty much failed miserably at both of them. The first was the What's in a Name Challenge. I had also done this one in 2012 (and finished it then). The 2014 categories were:

1. A reference to time
2. A position of royalty
3. A number written in letters
4. A forename or names
5. A type or element of weather

A bonus 6th category was added later: A book with a school subject in the title.

I started, but didn't finish, three books that would have fit. Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins for #1, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais for #3 and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell for #4. I could make an argument for #2 with American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Gods are royalty, right?). I will say that I got the bonus category simply because I'm a homeschooling mom. I've read MANY books with a "school subject" in the title... actual school books!  LOL

We won't even talk about the Color Coded Reading Challenge.  I know I finished one that fit with black or white: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Looking back at my Goodreads year in review, it's pretty sad. I am officially stating now that I WILL READ more books in 2015. And not just kids' books to Risa. Books for me. Books to escape into. Books to learn from. Books to laugh out loud with. And to that end, with the potential of a new year laid before me, I am signing up for a couple reading challenges for 2015.

I have always enjoyed the What's in a Name Challenge so it's a given. The categories this year are:

1. A word including ‘ing’ in it 
2. A colour 
3. A familial relation 
4. A body of water 
5. A city 
6. An animal 

What suggestions do you have for any of these categories?

My second challenge will be the 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge by Bookish.  

I get so excited about all the new books I hear about (and get from the library usually), that I forget about the books already sitting on my bookshelves that go dusty and unread. I'm going to be modest and just go for the Firm Handshake category of 1 - 10 books. This challenge also features Read-a-Longs which I have never done before that hopefully that will keep me somewhat on task. 

What reading challenges, if any, are you planning to join this year?

2014 Reading Challenges

Fortunately, I didn't enter any reading challenges in 2013. Given how hectic this year has been (finishing up our first full year of homeschooling and buying a house/moving), I doubt I would have finished them. Looking back through my Goodreads list, I still managed to read 17 books, not including all the books I read with the kids for homeschooling and such. Not too shabby!

1) Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half by Steve & Annette Economides
2) America's Cheapest Family by Steve & Annette Economides
3) The MoneySmart Family System by Steve & Annette Economides (I met my budgeting resolution last year with the help of the Economides family!)
4) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (finally finished that series... still haven't seen the movies)
5) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
6) Bebe Day by Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
7) French Twist: An American Mom's Experiment in Parisian Parenting by Catherine Crawford (another theme... not sure I agree with the French parenting style but I did glean a few things from these two)
8) The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler
9) Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
10) I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
11) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
12) The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
13) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
14) The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
15) The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
16) The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
17) The Tree Shepherd's Daughter by Gillian Summers
18) More Rainbow Fairy Magic books then you can shake a stick at... but that starts getting into books read with the kids.

For 2014, I am in two book clubs so that should keep me busy. I have The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway teed up to meet those obligations in January. I have decided to tackle two reading challenges this year. I enjoyed the What's in a Name challenge in 2012 so will join it again this year, now hosted by The Worm Hole. The 2014 categories are:

1. A reference to time (Eleven Minutes, Before Ever After)
2. A position of royalty (The People’s Queen, The Last Empress, The Curse Of The Pharaoh)
3. A number written in letters (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, A Tale Of Two Cities)
4. A forename or names (Rebecca, Eleanor & Park, The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D.)
5. A type or element of weather (Gone With The Wind, Red Earth Pouring Rain) 

I was tempted by The Cheap Reader's Reading Outside the Box Challenge but was a bit intimidated by 25 books since my book club books may or may not fit all the categories of the challenge. That could result in a challenge that just isn't feasible for someone with my limited reading time. I know! I know! I should find more time to read but I want to set achievable goals. So instead I selected the Color Coded Reading Challenge from My Reader's Block as my second challenge for 2014. The 2014 categories are:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title. 
2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgundy, etc) in the title.
3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title.
4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.
5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title.
6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title.
7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc) in the title.
8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magenta, etc.).
9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).

Of course, neither of the books for my January book club meetings meet either of the challenges. (sigh) Not an auspicious start but I have faith that I can meet both of these challenges this year. Are you planning to sign up for any reading challenges this year? Which ones?

Hawaii and Reading

I never did figure out how to post in a more efficient manner while I was in Hawaii.  I will need to investigate more fully from home before any future trips.... which are rare for me.  I'll post a more thorough Hawaii wrap up later.  Right now I want to update my reading list.

I made exceptionally good head way on my reading challenges while I was gone... completing FIVE books.  I usually don't have much free time to read and, while I can read fast, for pleasure reading I prefer to read a bit more slowly and run wild in my minds eye with the colors and stories running through my head.  So... not much time and slower reading equals not many books read for me during my typical day to day existence.  But a week of really not much to do but whatever I wanted to do meant lots of reading time.  My room at the condo was on the second floor overlooking the Pacific Ocean with a balcony.  The comfy wicker chair right inside the giant sliding screen door was a favorite spot.

I nearly completed the 6 in 12 Reading Challenge at the library. Three of the books fit What's in a Name categories so I'm halfway through that challenge as well.

The Books:



1) Soulless by Gail Carriger - I read this on a recommendation from my favorite book reviewer (and good friend) Rachel at Chaos is a Friend of Mine.  It's of the steampunk genre.  Vampires and werewolves live as (nearly) normal citizens in Victorian London.  Our heroine, Alexia, is a preternatural... soulless... and can make these supernatural creatures temporarily human with the merest touch.  It's a mystery with a sizable romance thread. I enjoyed the Victorian era images conjured and the detailed descriptions of the fashion of the time.  I'm now reading Changeless, the second in the series.



2) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - This is an old favorite.  I have only been truly sad, with a personal sense of loss, with one celebrity death... Douglas Adams.  I love his writing and grieve that his faithful readers won't have any new genius from him.  You can read this for light silly fun or you can read it for the more seething underlying critiques of government and the human condition.  If you haven't read any of his works, start here and read it for fun.

I am counting this one toward #2 on the What's in a Name reading challenge - A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Galaxy.



3) Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr - This is the third book in the Wicked Lovely series.  I read Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange late last year.  I've seen the series referred to as the Tattooed Faeries series, which is accurate, though this book in the series was not really about tattoos.  The main heroine of the series is Aislinn, the Summer Queen of the faeries.  Here we find her human boyfriend, Seth, trying to "solve" the problem of his mortality so that he can be with Aislinn forever.  I went away from it feeling like I'd missed something... that the book didn't end quite where it should have.  I guess that means I'll need to read the fourth book as soon as possible.



4) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigg - This is definitely not what I expected it to be.  I have no idea where I even came upon this title to add to my reading list. Where ever it was I'd found it, it had me expecting a kids' book.  NOT a kids' book.  A teenager would enjoy it but I was previewing it for my eight year old son.  Nope.  I did enjoy the book and was compelled to return to it quickly every time I put it down. However, I doubt I'll read the expected sequel.  It was well written and I have no faults with the author or story... just not something I want to pursue.  A bit too dark overall for my tastes.  And too much tension.  I am both drawn to and repelled from tension-filled books... I tend to carry that sense of tension with me outside the covers of the book. I try to avoid reading too many tension-filled books, no matter how drawn in I am when I'm actively reading them.

I'm counting this toward #4 on the What's in a Name reading challenge - A book with a type of house in the title: Home.



5) Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey - This is a free Kindle title I found on Books on the Knob.  It was fun.  Jessica is your typical small town American girl... who just found out she's actually a Romanian vampire princess. Antics, both light and very serious, ensue.  An easy read with some clever twists.

I'm counting this toward #5 on the What's in a Name reading challenge - A book with something you'd carry in pocket, purse or backpack in the title: Guide.

Reading more...

I want to read more. I also want to play fewer Facebook games. That's been much easier since I've given up on Pioneer Trail when they started getting a little overzealous with the missions. I think I had over 30 at one point and I just gave up. Reading has also been much easier since my hubby gave me my snazzy new Kindle Fire for my birthday in November. I LOVE being able to check out books from the library on it. It enables my reading AND fits my cheap nature.  I've read more books in a month and a half then I had the whole year before.  I can fit a huge selection right into my purse and read during any little break or waiting period.  LOVE IT!

I have a friend who is a book review blogger... check her out at Chaos Is a Friend of Mine.  Sometime in the next week, Rachel will share all the challenges she is going to participate in for 2012.  Last year, I think she signed up for about 6 challenges, totalling... I don't know... a LOT of books.  To encourage myself to read more in 2012, I thought I'd sign up for a challenge or two as well, only I'm going to be a bit more conservative.

I am a big fan of the public library so for sure I plan to sign up for their 6 in 12 Adult Reading Challenge.  I'm pretty sure I can manage at least 6 books in 12 months.  AND each book read (no limit) counts as an entry to win one of 5 eReaders and other assorted prizes.

That seems TOO easy though and not much of a challenge.  I mean really... even when I wasn't reading much I could manage 6 books in 12 months.  So I thought I'd take a page out of Rachel's challenge book and pick one of the challenges on her list (from last year since she hasn't published her 2012 list of challenges yet).  Because it sounds like fun, I am picking the What's in a Name 5 Reading Challenge.  The categories for 2012 are:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

It will encourage me to try some new things while also giving me a fun scavenger hunt to find books that fit each category.  While both challenges allow overlap (letting the same book count on more than one challenge), my goal is 12 books for the year.  That should be imminently doable.  Then maybe next year I'll double it.