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.

With my completion of "Till Morning is Nigh" I have completed the Christmas Themed Book Challenge. Here's what I read:

• Holidays are Hell - Harrison, Sands, Liu, Pettersson
• Till Morning is Nigh - Leisha Kelly

I still have one more book that I plan on reading with a Christmas theme but it was not a title that I had originally named for the challenge. This was a fun one. Thanks to Susan at My Reading Adventures for hosting.

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.

This is one of those challenges that I wanted to join but I wasn't sure if I would be in the mood for Christmas reading. While out shopping with my family this weekend I ran across a couple of titles that got me interested so I am going indulge my inner whim-reader and join this one after all.

Here are my titles:

Holidays are Hell - Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie Lui, and Vicki Pettersson. I picked up this one for a little Urban Fantasy escapism.

Stars: *****

This is the first audio book I’ve ever heard/read. I listened to it on my ipod mini as I walked to and from playgroups and the library with my kids. I’ve always been wary of audio books for two reasons. 1. I didn’t think they were really reading, that they didn’t count. 2. I didn’t think I could follow 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: **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 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: ****1/2

This book was read for the Jewish Literature Challenge and the Christmas Theme Challenge because I couldn't get a hold of the books I originally chose.

Stars: ****1/2I read this book for the Celebrate the Author challenge and the Reading My Name 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 a Children’s Non-Fiction book about he early life of Dr. Seuss, before he was known as that. It explains who he was as a boy and how he came to be an author and artist. The story itself is written like a picture book and ends when he is 22 and his writing life is taking off. After that is an explanation of how he came up with the idea for some of his books as well as information on his life after 22 such as when he was married and how The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham were the result of bets by his publisher.

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: ****1/2

I watch the cartoon every year and thought it was about time I read the book. I counted this as a R.I.P. II Challenge book. I actually read it a few days before Halloween just forgot to review it till now. Oops.

I enjoyed the book although I enjoyed the cartoon more. There were a few parts that were a little wordy for me, (apparently Bradbury's style.)

It's a great Halloween book for those 12 and up to learn about the history and customs of Halloween. Where trick-or-treating and costumes come from. Very educational.

Booking Through Thursday

• When somebody mentions “literature,” what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)
• Do you read “literature” (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Lit-Ra-Chur. I can just imagine a gray haired man writing 'literature' on a chalkboard when I read that. It's funny the first thing I think of isn't Tolstoy or Dickens but the CBC. I think of on-air interviews with Margaret Atwood or someone of that type. Books written by Tolstoy or Dickens don't make me think 'literature'. They make me think 'classic'. Dickens wrote most of his stuff as a serial for the newspaper. He needed the money. At the same time, he brought to the public an awareness of important societal problems, like poverty. I don't know if he was aware he was creating literature.

Stars: *****

This was read for the R.I.P. II Challenge and was partially read during the Read-a-thon.

This book is the first John Saul I've ever read. I picked it up because of the witch burning connotation. It was very good. I was daunted by the size at first but it wasn’t a problem. At the beginning I had a little trouble keeping people straight, so many characters but it wasn’t too much further in that I figured it out. I could indentify with Angel on the teasing aspect.

Warning: talk about abuse and even teasing can be disturbing.

I will be reading more John Saul, that's for sure.

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.

Stars ***

This book was read for the Reading the Author challenge and the Fall Into Reading 2007 Challenge.

Strays Like Us is the story of Molly who is temporarily living with her great-aunt until her mother gets out of the hospital. She’s moved all over; all her life. Molly meets Will who’s staying next door with his grandparents. The town seems to be fully of strays.

It was a cute book with an interesting storyline but there was one part in it that played to a stereotype that doesn’t need any fueling. If it weren’t for that this book would have gotten 4 stars.

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.

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.

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: *****

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 Unread Authors Challenge and because I won it in a contest.

I actually read this a few months ago but didn't get a chance to review it.

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was very well thoughtout and very interesting. My only problem with this book was it was a little long. I like books that cut to the chase and don't have a lot of insignifcant detail (like Ray Bradbury.) I think a few chapters could have been cut from this book and it would still have been fine.

*Note: I read this in December for the Searfaring challenge but as it was the only book I got around to reading for it, I didn't bother posting a review. Boy was I shocked and delighted to see they've made a movie about it, and it's in theatres now!

So in light of this, I thought I should review the book.

Stars: ****1/2

Summary: Nim lives on the most beautiful island in the world (its location is a closely guarded secret) with a marine iguana, a sea lion, and her scientist dad, Jack. When he goes off to explore the world of plankton, the child occupies herself with typical Swiss Family Robinson-like chores and keeping her dad's batteries charged so she can check his e-mail on the laptop computer. When his boat becomes disabled, Nim's link to humanity becomes Alex Rover, the author of the novel she's reading, who has e-mailed Jack with some scientific questions.

The Christmas Season is upon us and we have one burning question: Have you been naughty or nice this year? Regardless of your answer, we are inviting our lovely readers a chance to win an eBookwise eReader! All you have to do is answer a few simple (okay, 10) questions on your blog/journal and leave the link to your Meme in this post. If you don't have a blog or journal, you can email us your answers. The winner will be chosen on January 5th, so you can enter up until 11:59pm on January 4th. Merry Christmas!

1. What is your favorite Christmas romance to re-read each year? I'm not really a romance reader. I haven't even read that many Christmas novels.

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.

Stars: *****

I read this book for the bibliography challenge.

This one was even better than the first! Great follow up to Booked to Die.

I love the way the books are written and the information about book dealing is awesome. It makes me want to take it up but don’t have the money to start. Loved trying to figure things out as the mystery unfolded and was wrong the whole time. I love not being able to guess what’s going on. I look forward to reading The Bookman's Promise.

Stars: *****

I recieved this book from Annick Press for review. I also read it for the Baby Steps challenge.

Red Rage is a translation of a German book. It is about a teen girl with a violent temper and an unstable home. It is a very good book but very hard to read. It made me angry when she was angry and feel depressed when she was depressed. Don’t read if you are already depressed, definitely not if you are severly depressed. What is says on back of book is totally true: “Filled with raw emotion and unflinching honesty, Red Rage is a vivid portrait of one teen lost in the vortex of her own aggression.”

Trish, who's hosting the Classics Challenge, concocted this Classics Meme:

1. My favorite classic is Jane Eyre. I've re-read it many times. Jane is such a strong woman especially for the times she was living.

2. The classic I had the toughest time finishing is The Wings of the Dove by Henry James. It's one of the only books I can say I hated. The story was fine but James's style was hard to take. His run on sentences went on for pages.

3. I would recommend...........to someone who doesn't read a lot of classics or who doesn't generally like classics because tough one... if they don't mind size The Count of Monte Cristo, an adventure story with a purpose. If the size is too intimidating, I'd recommend To Kill a Mockingbird because I don't know anyone who didn't like it.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the 2nds Challenge.

Summary:

Mitch Albom began visiting his old college professor Morrie Schwartz after seeing him on ABC’s “Nightline” talking about his fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. One Tuesday visit turned into another, resulting in a “final class” between professor and student in what you learn about life once you truly prepare to die.