I haven't participated in BTT lately, not because of my lack of internet access but because I didn't have anything to say for the topics. But this week I'm back.

"What fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new book
published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

What non-fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new
book published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

And, do “best of” lists influence your reading?"

Here's a blogging meme I stole from Dewey. I should have another review posted tomorrow on The Grass is Singing, another Doris Lessing novel.

1. Do you remember learning to read? How old were you?
According to my grandmother, I learned to read at two. I can’t help but think she’s exaggerating, though. Perhaps she just means that I would read back the stories that she read to me. If she is correct, I’m a genius and I should be elected next ruler of the world. That is all.

2. What do you find most challenging to read?
I don't so much find anything in particular challenging to read; I do, however, find it challenging to read after a long day or when I'm tired. It's right to sleep if I do.

3. What are your library habits?

Stars: ****

I re-read this for the Christmas Theme Challenge only because I wasn't able to get to the library to get a new-to-me book. It was also for the Read It Again challenge.

I read this book every year in the week of Christmas (although it only takes me a day to read it.)

Stars: ****1/2

This book was read for the Newbery Project and the Decades 08 Challenge.

NOTE: The picture isn't of the version I read but I can't find it right now. When I go home I'll write down the ISBN and next time come and find the right graphic.

I had never heard of Doctor Dolittle until the Eddie Murphy movie came out and although the movie was silly, the idea of being able to talk to animals was an interesting one. So when I found out it was a book first I knew I wanted to read it. One day I found it at a library sale and I took it home.

Stars: **** This book was read for the Celebrate the Author challenge.

Celebrate the Author Note:
Dr. Seuss is one of my favourite children’s authors so I didn’t want to cheat and just re-read some of his books that I’ve read a million times. So I decided I’d read a few of this books I haven’t read yet as well as a book about his life.

This book is the second book Dr. Seuss ever wrote. It was published in 1938. It’s one of the longer ones, for ages 6 and up. It’s the story of Bartholomew Cubbins, a poor country boy, who removes his hat for the King only to find another hat in it’s place. Each time he takes a hat off, an identical one magically appears on his head. He is arrested and brought to the King’s Throne Room where many people try to get his hat off, to no avail. Will they ever stop coming?

Stars: ***1/2 These books were read for the Decades 08 Challenge and as part of the A Novel Challenge Mini-Challenge 2008.

Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865 and Through the Looking Glass was first published in 1871. However I read a 2006 edition by Parragon Publishing in the UK. It’s a part of the Children’s Classic Collection. (not the cover pictured)

This was the first time I’d ever read these books, which I thought were one book, but I did know the storyline from the movie. Although I liked the movie, I wasn’t as fond of the book. Since the majority of what happens in the story is nonsense, it can be hard to follow so the movie made it a little easier. I’m not real fond of either though. They are well written and very creative, but just a little too strange for me.

Stars: ****

I was interested in reading this book ever since I first read a review of it. I’ve seen so many reviews for it since that I can’t remember where I first saw it! I finally was able to fit time in to read it for the Bibliography challenge and Book Around the World challenge and I’m glad I did.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Book to Movie Challenge.

I always loved the movie and I'm glad I read the book. There were some differences like the shoes were silver and not red (ruby) and there were lots of new things like more creatures than the munchkins. It was very creative and interesting. There are more than 20 books in the series, 14 of which were written by Frank Baum and I'd love to read them all. Unfortunately my library has 1, 2, 4, 6 and 11. *rolling eyes*

Highly Recommended.

Stars: *****

I read this book for the Bibliography challenge.

I'm glad I found and read this book. Dunning is a great author and I thoroughly enjoyed his writing. Reading about buying and reselling books was very interesting and makes me want to learn more about it so I can make some money finding good deals. There is some really good information on the hobby too, not just a passing mention. The way the book is written, it could almost pass as a memoir. It all sounds so real, I kept having to remind myself it wasn't.

The story was very intriguing. The plot was well thought out. I had trouble stopping reading for the night

Stars: *****

This was read for the Book Awards Challenge, Read it Again Challenge and Newbery Project.

I first read this in grade school and loved it. When I saw I needed to read it for the Newbery Project I decided to reread it and I'm glad I did. I remembered it almost exactly and I enjoyed it very much again. I love his writing and would like to try some more of his books to see if they are as well written.

Stars: *****

I chose this book because I picked it up at a library sale but I’m 95% sure I’ve actually read this once before. This is also the first 5 Star book of 2008. (Even thought it's not the first 5-star review posted.) I also read this for the Casual Reading Challenge.

It’s the story of Lauren and her friend Andrea who both feel too fat and want to lose weight. Only Andrea takes it too far. It’s the story of Anorexia and a teen girl’s pressure to be thin. It’s told very well and I think it would be the perfect book to read along with your teen and discuss. I think if more parents discussed this book with their teens, we might make teens more aware of anorexia and the warning signs.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all teen girls ages 12 and up.

You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?

As with most reading bloggers, I think, we all feel so elated after finishing it. Then a bit sad, if it was a really good book. I close the book and savour the book in my mind. Nowadays, I get into writing a review right away as instant recall works best for me. Next is, looking for another book to read. I read two-three books per week. So I do not keep much gaps between the books I read. I try to keep the genres different between reading. However, as most readers do, I too am reading at least three different books at any given point of time. So the end of a book does not affect me that much. And we must not forget all those reading challenges! So where is the time to give a gap?

And being single with no kids and neither pets helps me read as much as I want at any time!!

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you're sure you won't like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

In general I'd say that reviews have some affect on my choice of reading, but not terribly much because what you like and what you don't like is really a matter of taste. A reviewer could say absolutely wonderful things about a book, but I might not enjoy reading it. Similarly, I might love a book that a reviewer thought was horrible.

I like audio books. I find them particularly useful for long car trips, knitting, and EAD encoding. They are, however, quite expensive... so when I happened across the Harper Children's Audio Chronicles of Narnia Unabridged Box set ($193 value for $75) at the discount book store for an additional 70% off, I just couldn't resist.

Of course I read all the books when I was a child (long enough ago that I couldn't remember a lot of the details), but I knew this would be a set to keep and that we'd listen to the discs again and again. So far, I haven't been disappointed. In the past few months I've made my way through the first six books (mostly knitting) and have enjoyed every minute.

Thirty-one hours of Narnia performed by a variety of big-name actors.The Magician's Nephew, read by Kenneth Branagh
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, read by Michael York
The Horse and His Boy, read by Alex Jennings
Prince Caspian, read by Lynn Redgrave
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, read by Derek Jacobi
The Silver Chair, read by Jeremy Northam

This challenge was created by Wendy and is done by members of the A Novel Challenge group. I will be making notes here on progress and for the books that need to be reviewed, they will have the tag: A Novel Challenge

In the year 2008 I need to:

1. Read a short story and review it
2. Read a children's book and review it
3. Read a poem and review it
4. Read a banned book and review it
5. Give a book away - gave my copy of The Fab Girl's Guide to Friendship Hardships by Discovery Girls to a teen I know.
6. read 2 articles from any one magazine and tell about them.
7. Read a classic and review it Read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, review here.
8. Got to a book event and tell about your experience
9. Read an essay and tell about it
10. Read something inspirational and tell why it inspired you

Stars: **1/2

I read this book the last few days of October (I thought I'd already reviewed it) for an online group however I was counting it towards an extra R.I.P. II Challenge book as well.

Lots of people read this book for the RIP challenge but I seem to be the only one who didn't like it. I didn't like it for the same reason others liked it. It's too wordy for me. I don't like long, detailed descriptions. I like short and concise. For me, the plot got lost in the descriptions. Half the time I had no idea what was going on.

Stars: ***

I picked this book up from the library because we’ve recently acquired fish and I wanted to read up on it. Unfortunately I should have read the book BEFORE I got fish, which is what I had planned to do, however hubby is spontaneous and can’t resist spending money for something he wants. Anyways, this is one of the books I picked up.

It’s a book on Freshwater Aquariums only and includes such information as picking a tank and other equipment, the variety of available fish, maintaining a healthy aquatic environment, solving problems and more. It’s an okay book, there are just much better ones out there. The main thing is that this book was published in 1985 so much of it is outdated. Better equipment is available. There are different chemicals and different fish.

Stars: ****1/2
I received a copy of this book for review. I also read it for the Pub in '08 challenge.

Summary: In “My Soul to Keep,” Dylan Foster is once again caught in a bizarre and twisted chain of events. A parent’s worst nightmare comes true and a birthday party that should be filled with joy is turned awry when a little boy close to Dylan’s heart is snatched from a local park. With little evidence to point the way, local law enforcement is led through a chain of mystifying events that seem to go no where. With the help of an intuitive six-year-old girl who is eerily connected to the missing boy, Dylan follows a path of tantalizing clues to the truth. With the sinister presence of Peter Terry never far behind, Dylan is led to a place she never expected – or wanted – to go.

Stars: ****

Read for book group and for Children's Book Week

Good story, very literary, full of literary devices. It was a little too wordy for me. I prefer short and concise to long and detailed. It wasn’t too bad though and I just skipped a paragraph or two if it was too much for me.

Stars: ****

I received this book to review from Tundra Books.

Summary: When 14 year old Neil’s uncle Chester dies, Neil is lonely. At his uncle’s cremation, he hears thumping in the coffin just as it’s put into the flames. Could Uncle Chester be alive? So Neil starts an investigation. A disembodied voice in an old stable tells him that Chester’s passing is not the only mysterious death in town, Neil along with his friend Graham work to get to the bottom of what’s happening.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Reading the Author challenge.

I had major Deja Vu when reading this book. I think I may have read it before but I couldn't remember what happened before it happened so if I did, it was many years ago. This is the first Richard Peck I've ever read and I loved it.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Celebrate the Author challenge and the Heart of a Child challenge.

So I read this when I was a child although I didn’t really remember much about it. What a cute little book! Just like how she captured the thoughts of Socks the cat in her book Socks, Beverly Cleary has captured the thoughts of a five year old rambunctious girl. I don’t remember much about being five but I’ve worked with five year olds and I do think that most of how Ramona behaves and what she thinks is consistent with a five year old. Ramona is what we are now calling a Spirited Child.

Stars: ****

This book was read for the Celebrate the Author challenge.

I remember reading one of two books by Beverly Cleary as a child but I didn’t read them as much as other kids. I had never read this one.

It is a really cute story of Socks the cat from a few weeks after he’s born when he’s being sold on throughout the first few years of his life. The story is told by Socks himself, so we get a picture of what cats may think, or at least would think if their brains worked like ours.

Socks is happy with his life until his new family brings home a wriggling bundle wrapped in blankets and soon his life is turned upside down. Socks isn’t the favourite anymore, what’s he to do?

I really enjoyed hearing the story from Socks point of view, very creative. Everything he said seemed believable. It was what I would expect my cat to say. I can see why this is a favourite of children.

Stars: ****

This book was read for the Reading the Author challenge.

This one was better although I still think I liked A Brief Darkness better. It’s hard to say, they are so different. This one is actually a Newbery Honor book, National Book Award finalist and an ALA Notable Book.

I have taken this negative meme from Dewey's blog. I thought I would give it a shot. My answers are not as good as hers! Feel free to do this meme and credit it to Dewey!

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

I do say so. As I spend a lot of time reading and analysing it, I do think I should mention the negative aspects too. However, I mention it why I did not like that particular book. There might be cultural reasons too. Some books simply do not work for me.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

Stars: **** This book was read for the Jewish Literature Challenge.
Basic storyline is a child who has a well-loved blue blankie. It gets so worn out that the mom says it has to go but Grandpa makes it into a coat. Then it wears out and mom says it has to go and Grandpa saves it once again by making it into a vest. This continues all the way to a button. Although I’ve seen this idea before (can't find the name of the book. This one was read and I think a bathrobe first,) this one is nicely written with beautiful illustrations. Also if you look closely, at the bottom of the page mice are shown in the space below the house and they are using the scraps cut off the blankie/coat/vest etc… to make their own clothes. By the end of the book. All the mice are clothed in blue.

In answer to a couple of questions as to why I've been so obsessed with polar-themed reading, it's because I've been working away at a list of Polar themed books since March, the beginning of International Polar Year. I was inspired by all the scientific studies that would be occurring, along with my everpresent fascination with Edwardian explorers and the Arctic/Antarctic.
I haven't read as many as I'd planned, but it's a rather amorphous list, always changing as I go. I'm reading ya and adult fiction, as well as a few non-fiction choices. So far I've found some really amazing work, some by chance, books I've picked up solely because they had some connection to the Poles or arctic regions. But for the next year and a bit (until the end of IPY in March '09) here are some of the books that are on my radar:

FICTION

Stars: ****

This book was read for the 2nds Challenge.

I chose this book because I had read Gone Forever and liked it so much, I wanted to try more Diane Fanning.