2009 Audiobook Challenge

I am going to step out of my comfort zone and try a different kind of challenge from those that I have participated in the past. J. Kaye's 2009 Audiobook Challenge will help me learn to enjoy my reading in a new format: through audiobooks. I have attempted this method of reading a couple of times this past year, but I found it challenging to listen to a story as opposed to reading it. However, with the availability of three different kinds of audiobooks at my public library and a wish to Santa for a new mp3 player, I feel I need to give it another shot. The Audiobook Challenge runs 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2009 and the goal is to "read" 12 audiobooks during that period of time. I will update this post with titles and the links to their reviews as I finish each audiobook.

1. Change Of Heart by Jodi Picoult (review)
2. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriquez (review)
3. Harvest by Tess Gerritsen (review)
4. 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper (review)
5. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (review)
6. Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich (review)
7. Lifeguard by James Patterson & Andrew Gross (review)
8. Sunset In St. Tropez by Danielle Steel (review)
9. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb (review)
10. Led Astray by Sandra Brown (review)
11. Not Even For Love by Sandra Brown (review)
12. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (review)

Thanks, J. Kaye, for giving me a chance to experience the enjoyment of audiobooks. I am actually looking forward to this challenge!

Visions Of Sugar Plums

Okay. I'm sitting in a car with a guy who thinks he's part of a supersociety. And the weird thing is . . . I'm half believing him. Truth is, I kind of like the idea that there are some superheroes out there, trying to save us from ourselves. I'm not sure how I feel about Diesel being one of them. (p. 99)

Have you ever read a book or seen a show that was just so ridiculous that you kept at it to reach the end and then had to admit that it was actually somewhat enjoyable? Such is the case with the Stephanie Plum Holiday Novel Visions Of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich. Silly characters, silly passages of conversation, and a plot that just doesn't quite make sense give the reader a short read that feels like a guilty pleasure. One morning Stephanie finds a sexy, mysterious man who calls himself Diesel standing in her kitchen. Coincidence has it that they both want to find a man by the name of Sandy Claws, but they each want to find him for different reasons. Keep in mind that it's just days before Christmas and Stephanie has done nothing to prepare for the holiday, which is something Diesel continuously reminders her. Then add to the adventure a workshop full of fake elves, an "electric" man named Ring, and a grandma who has lost her teeth. Yes, a totally ridiculous story that makes you shake your head in disbelief.

Not one of Evanovich's better books, Visions Of Sugar Plums was just plain stupid. But then again I couldn't put it down and, instead, finished it to see if it could get any worse. Yes... lots of eye rolls and groans, but I have to admit: it was kinda cute.

Celebrate The Author Challenge - Completed

I have finished the Celebrate The Author Challenge for 2008. This challenge celebrated an author's birthday each month by reading one of their works. I enjoyed a large variety of books this year by reading:

January: Zane Grey --- Woman of the Frontier
February: Judy Blume --- Smart Women
March: Lois Lowry --- The Giver
April: Richard Peck --- A Year Down Yonder
May: Maeve Binchy --- Circle of Friends
June: Cynthia Rylant --- Missing May
July: Sharon Creech --- Walk Two Moons
August: Danielle Steel --- Sisters
September: Mildred D Taylor --- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
October: Katherine Patterson --- Jacob Have I Loved
November: Amy Grant --- Mosaic (substitution for Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift)
December: Mary Higgins Clark --- Two Little Girls In Blue

My favorites were The Giver, Walk Two Moons, Sisters, and Two Little Girls In Blue.

My least favorites were Woman of the Frontier and Gulliver's Travels.

I am excited about participating in this challenge again next year! I have my list ready and can't wait for January!

Two Little Girls in Blue

They watched as Kelly picked up a doll's washcloth and went into the kitchen. They heard her pull a chair over to the sink. When she came back, the washcloth was wet. She knelt down and put it on the forehead of Kathy's baby doll. Then she began to speak, and they all got up and moved closer to hear what she was saying.
She was whispering, "Don't cry, Kathy. Don't cry. Mommy and Daddy will find you."
Kelly looked up at them. "She's really, really coughing. Mona made her take medicine, but she spit it up."
Tony Realto and Jed Gunther exchanged glances, disbelief in their eyes.
Walter Carlson was studying Sylvia Harris. She's a doctor, he thought. Her specialty is twin telepathy, and from her expression, he could tell that she believed the twins were communicating.
Margaret and Steve were clinging to each other, both of them now weeping.
"Dr. Harris," Carlson said quietly. "Will you talk to Kelly?"
Sylvia nodded and sat on the floor next to Kelly. "You're taking good care of Kathy," she said. "Does Kathy still feel sick?"
Kelly nodded. "She can't talk to me anymore. She told her real name to some lady, and Mona got mad and scared. She has to tell everyone her name is Stevie. Her head is sooo hot." (p. 256)

Mary Higgins Clark is labeled as The Queen of Suspense. In celebration of an author's birthday in December, I read Two Little Girls in Blue and found it to be another example of why she deserves such a title. Margaret and Steve Frawley are living a parent's nightmare: their twin three year old daughters Kelly and Kathy have been kidnapped. A large ransom has been requested. Steve's company offers to pay it. A well-known neighbor and former mayor of their community offers to be the middle-man. And there are very few clues to lead them in the direction of a suspect. After the ransom is paid, things don't go as planned for either the parents or the kidnapper. Kelly is returned and Kathy is not. However, her family is adamant that Kathy is still alive. Their belief in a special bond between the twins that allows the sisters to communicate with one another keeps their hopes alive. Kelly can feel that Kathy is sick, is experiencing pain, and is scared. Kelly is trying her best to communicate to everyone the little she is able to tell them about Kathy's unfortunate situation. And, very slowly, the authorities begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together that lead them in the direction of Kathy's whereabouts and ultimately to the Pied Piper, the mastermind behind the Frawley's nightmare.

Two Little Girls in Blue is a real page turner. Every character is important to the story, no matter how small their part. Every detail is a clue. And the suspense continues to build until the kidnapping plot is exposed at the very end. I had my suspicions, but I was not able put all the pieces together until the final confession was made. I very much enjoyed this suspenseful novel. I highly recommend it to others.

Celebrate The Author Challenge 2

Who can resist cake and ice cream? Celebrate The Author Challenge will give me a reason to celebrate a birthday every month! How much fun can that be?!?!? Becky is again hosting this challenge which runs for the entire year of 2009.

My reading list for celebrating a year of authors includes:

January: Saul Raisin --- Tour de Life: From Coma to Competition
February: John Grisham --- Playing For Pizza
March: James Patterson --- Beach Road
April: Beverly Cleary --- Dear Mr Henshaw (1984 Newbery)
May: Maeve Binchy --- Light A Penny Candle
June: Dan Brown --- Digital Fortress
July: Karen Kingsbury --- book TBA
August: Barbara Delinsky --- book TBA
September: Luanne Rice --- Firefly Beach
October: Robert Lawson --- Rabbit Hill (1945 Newbery)
November: Elizabeth George Speare --- The Witch Of Blackbird Pond (1959 Newbery)
December: Nicholas Sparks--- Three Weeks With My Brother

For the 2009 challenge, I wanted to continue reading from the Newbery Medal Winners list, include a few of my favorite authors, and dust off a few books from my bookshelf. I am looking forward to getting started in January!

December Update: Winter Holiday Reading Challenge

What is everyone reading this month for the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge?

Lynne read An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor

Lynne read A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Diane (bookinhand) read The Gift by Pete Hamill

Lynne read A Christmas List by Pete Nelson

Christina read Holiday With A Vampire II by Merline Lovelace and Lori Devoti

Jenny met her challenge by reading Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark and The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

Lynne read Christmas Promise by Donna VanLiere

Kylee read A Homespun Regency Christmas by Carla Kelly, Emma Jensen, Sandra Heath, and Amanda McCabe

Kylee read A Different Kind Of Christmas by Alex Haley

Lynne read The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

lupingirl read Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Diane (bookinhand) read Visions Of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich

Kylee has met her challenge and her wrap up is here.

Carol's Notebook read several children's books including The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Carol's Notebook read Hercule Poirots Christmas and I'm Your Santa.

Lynne read On Strike For Christmas by Sheila Roberts.

Lynne has met her challenge and her wrap up is here.

Stacy has met her challenge by reading Till Morning Is Nigh by Leisha Kelly, A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber, and The Spirit of the Season by Dana Corbit.

Violette read O Holy Night and Christmas Poems.

Violette read The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren.

Violette read A Family Christmas by Caroline Kennedy.

Violette read Dashing Through The Snow by Mary & Carol Higgins Clark.

raidergirl3 read The Penguin Book Of Christmas Stories.

Violette read The Paperbag Christmas by Kevin Milne.

Violette has met her challenge and her wrap up is here.

The Holistic Knitter has met her challenge and her wrap up is here.

Christina read The Mistletoe Wager by Christine Merrill.

Christina read Christmas Getaway by Anne Stuart, Tina Leonard, and Marion Lennox

Callista read Stanley The Christmas Tree: A Wish Come True by R. E. Hughes

Callista read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens


Leave your comment with the title and author that you read this month, as well as a link to your review if you have one.

Happy Holiday Reading!

November's update can be found here.

The original post for the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge can be found here.

The Gift

I finished the tea, and she lifted the cup. I wanted to talk to her, but didn't know how to start.
"I'm sorry, Peter, all I've got for you is the couch."
"Ah, don't worry, Mom," I said, rising from the table, but not looking at her. "It's home."
I walked through the rooms, past the sleeping children: Tommy, fifteen and small, Brian, who was six, Johnny, four, Denis, two. My sister Kathleen was twelve now, and had taken possession of the only room with a door. I passed my father's bed. He was there asleep, the breathing thick, and the room sour with the smell of beer. I undressed in the dark, and stood for a while in my underclothes, moving aside the shade. The window was fogged, and I drew a face with my finger in the steam. Through one of the eyes, I could see the red light of Rattigan's sign, a half-hour from closing. (pp. 48-49)

The Gift by Pete Hamill is a small book with a big message. Pete is home on holiday leave from the Navy and he returns to what he left behind: a home that is poor, a mother trying her best to keep things together, and a father who is distant and struggles with personal demons. Pete is also dealing with a broken heart when he tries to locate and speak with his girlfriend who recently wrote him a Dear John letter. Although the story is a bit of a downer, it does bring a ray of hope when Pete finally captures two separate moments that will make this Christmas memorable for himself and each of his parents.

Rattigan's was like some dark glowing oasis, the muted lights promising warmth. I was still underage and I had not been invited, but it was too late for rules; I was going away in a few days and I wanted to see my father. I wanted to see him in that place where he truly lived, in the place where his personal history beat around him, where everybody had a record of his small wins and his unmentioned losses, the place where he boasted and lied and laughed, and was forgiven everything. I knew now what saloons were for, and why men went there late at night. (pp. 138-139)

Pete receives a gift that is priceless and will live in his heart forever. The final sentence of the book says it all.

I very much enjoyed The Gift. Not the most uplifting holiday read, it is one that did touch me in a very special way.

What's In A Name? 2 Challenge

Annie is again hosting the What's In A Name? Challenge. I am going to join in on the fun for the second year by reading the following books:

1. A book with a profession in its title: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

2. A book with a time of day in its title: Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand

3. A book with a relative in its title: Sister Salty, Sister Sweet by Shannon Kring Biro and Natalie Kring

4. A book with a body part in its title: My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay

5. A book with a building in its title: Bungalow 2 by Danielle Steel

6. A book with a medical condition in its title: Fever by Sean Rowe

Two selections are chick-lit books, two are general fiction, one is a Newbery medal winner, and one is a memoir. It's an assortment of books that I can't wait to begin reading!

In Their Shoes Reading Challenge - Completed

Another challenge completed! The In Their Shoes Reading Challenge gave me an opportunity to read six books that were either biographies or memoirs. I enjoy reading these types of books but they are not always the ones that I pull off the shelf first. This challenge was a real pleasure to complete. I read the following books:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul translated by John Beevers

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

It's Not About The Bike by Lance Armstrong

Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson (DNF)

My favorite books were The Glass Castle and It's Not About The Bike. My least favorite was Notes From A Small Island. I hope to find another challenge for the new year that will keep me reading from this genre! Thank you Vasilly for hosting a great challenge.

The Story Of A Soul

... I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay. It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be. (p.20)

I believe that if a little flower could speak, it would tell very simply and fully all that God had done for it. It would not say that it was ungraceful and had no scent, that the sun had spoilt its freshness, or that a storm had snapped its stem - not when it knew the exact opposite was true. The flower who is now going to tell her story rejoices at having to relate all the kindnesses freely done her by Jesus. She is well aware that there was nothing about her to attract His attention, and that it is His mercy alone which has created whatever there is good in her. It was He who ensured that she began to grow in a most pure and holy soil, and it was He who saw to it that eight fair lilies came before her. His love made Him want to keep His little flower safe from the tainted breezes of the world, and so she had scarcely begun to unfold her petals before He transplanted her on to the mountain of Carmel. (p.21)

The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story Of A Soul translated by John Beevers is a very inspiration book that tells of the short life of St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower. Marie Francoise Therese Martin was born in 1873 in Alencon, France. At the young age of fifteen she became a Carmelite nun. In 1897 she died at the age of twenty four. On May 17, 1925 she was canonised by Pius XI and became known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

However, The Story Of A Soul tells more about her devotion and insight to Jesus than it does about her life. The first half of the book describes her childhood and family, the calling to her vocation, and the beginning years of her life at Carmel. Then the book takes a turn and becomes more of a spiritual writing. St. Therese shares her faith and devotion to Jesus through the life lessons that she learned during her short life. I found this part of the book extremely inspirational. She uses scripture, life examples, and her thoughts and feelings when expressing these insights. And her humbleness and honesty are very refreshing.

I was watered by His tears and Precious Blood and His adorable Face was my radiant sun. (p.93)

John Beevers' introduction is informative and helps fill in the gaps of information. St. Therese's easy style of writing is enjoyable and moving. I highly recommend The Autobiography Of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story Of A Soul to others who like to read spiritual books or books of faith.