A, B, C... Alphabet Book Challenge

Easy peasy? Read books starting with all the letters of the alphabet. Considering the length of my 2014 reading list, I can easily fulfill this challenge. Forseeable bumps in the road: finding books that start with letters such as Q or X*. I am not counting small words as the letters (the, a, if, etc). 

Challenge Accepted!

A - Angelfall ~ Susan Ee
B - Black Cauldron, The ~ Lloyd Alexander
C - Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The ~ Holly Black
D - Daughter of Smoke and Bone ~ Laini Taylor
E - Elske ~ Cynthia Voigt
F - Fangirl ~ Rainbow Rowell
G - Graceling ~ Kristin Cashore
H - High King's Tomb, The ~ Kristen Britain
I - Vampire, Interrupted ~ Lyndsay Sands
J - Joust ~ Mercedes Lackey
K - Keturah & Lord Death ~ Martine Leavitt
L - Love Knot, The ~ Sue Deobold
M - Monuments Men, The ~Robert M. Edsel
N - Name of the Wind, The ~ Patrick Rothfuss
O - Of Poseidon ~ Anna Banks
P - Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen
Q - ////////
R - Landline ~ Rainbow Rowell
S - Shatter Me ~ Tahereh Mafi
T - This is All I Ask ~ Lynn Kurland
U - Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The ~ Michelle Hodkin
V - Vicious ~ V.E. Schwab
W - Wrinkle in Time, A ~ Madeleine L'Engle 
X - ////////
Y - Young Adult Literature: Romance to Realism ~ Michael Cart
Z - Shadow of the Wind, The ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon

* By the end of the year, I was wanting to read any book rather than trying desperately to find books with a Q or an X that I wanted to read. I gave up on those two and pushed the boundary on some of the other letters. 

Am I Slowly Going Crazy...

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

By Michelle Hodkin

Genre: Supernatural, Contemporary

Hmmmm. This is a confusing book. Though not as confusing as I thought it would be. The narrator suffers from amnesia, so we remember and “hallucinate” along with her.

Mara Dyer was in an accident. Three of her friends were killed. She remembers nothing. Moving to Florida to start anew, she begins to unravel as the events of that tragic night flash back to her.

How I feel is mixed. The plot premise intrigued me. As I was reading this I was constantly suspicious of everything. Was that real? No, that was? What is happening?!

I liked: The main character, Mara, is hilarious, cautious, and just wants to get on with her life. She makes for an unreliable narrator, and that's half the fun. Noah is a fun love interest. The dynamics between her brothers and her. Hodkin creates her characters well.

On the fence: The explanation of everything. No spoilers here. That's all I'm going to say.

Disliked: The pacing of this book was dreadfully slow. I powered through in two days, but the story dragged at the beginning and hit some slumps halfway through.

Overall, it's not quite my kind of book, but if you love being confused, suspicious, finding yourself exclaiming “What!?”, and chuckling at Mara's interactions with Noah, then read it.

3.5/5 STARS

Classroom: Nope.

Celestial Shades

Shadows Cast by Stars

by Catherine Knutsson

Genre: Sci-Fi

Drawn to the beautiful title and cover, and then to its setting, this was find of the year. I read the back, then the author's bio and was sold. From my Christmas gifts, I was most excited to read this one.

Set in the future, on the West Coast of Canada, on an island very much like Vancouver Island, we are introduced to a world where a plague ravages the people who have survived land-destroying earthquakes. Cassandra, a Métis, lives in the Old Way with her twin brother, Paul, and her father. There is something in the blood of aboriginal people that protect them from the plague and the government actively searches them out to harvest (for lack of a better word). They escape to the island where they must integrate with a Band that is also in hiding. Here they are met with challenges of social order, personal struggles, and the ever present fear that something is wrong with the Spirit World.

Knutsson drew me in with her poetic descriptions of the landscape and everyday life on the island. She wove intricate myths and tales into the fabric of this story in a delicate and relateable manner. As Cass learns to be a medicine women, she travels further and further into the Spirit World. Here is where reality blurs and I loved it. Honestly, I wish there were more books out there like this. Finally, a Canadian author that I want to recommend to friend after friend. Beautiful.

The beginning is a little slow, but soon after Cass and her family arrive on the island it picks up and runs. Believable and complex characters, you get the sense that something else is going on with everyone that you meet. Nothing is as it seems. Some secrets never get revealed completely and that's like real life isn't it? We never truly know a person to their core.

Because I know Vancouver Island well, I felt a personal connection with this novel. My nagging fear of an earthquake surfaced. And Cass can see people's totems, or Spirit animals. I wonder what mine would be?

5/5 STARS

In the Classroom: Individual or Literacy Circles. There are many serious topics and cultural issues to discuss. Perfect jumping board to discuss West Coast aboriginal myths. Recommended for age 14 and up.

2013 Top 5 Reads

Looking back on the last year, reviewing all of my ratings, I have compiled a list of the five books that I enjoyed the most in 2013.

1. The Book Thief ~ Marcus Zusak

Mainly, I read this book so that I could see the movie. 

When I finished the book I found that the book was enough.
I didn't need the movie. 

There was no way that the movie would fulfill all of my emotional wants.

This book left me emotionally raw and it's the most moving and beautifully written.

2. The Night Circus ~ Erin Morgenstern

The first page gave me shivers.

I expected the narrative to be jarring. It was perfect.

Each chapter managed to be just as magical as the next.

I found some favourite quotes from the end.

I lived in a world of magic for a week.

3. Throne of Glass ~ Sarah J Maas

I became immersed into a beautiful world.

This book hooked me with the intrigue and pure fantasy. 

Action, mystery, fantasy, magic, and a little dash of romance.

4. The Bone Season ~ Samantha Shannon

Took a chance with this one. I was confused for the first third.

The world is incredibly complex and does not reveal itself easily. 

Once it clicked, I love LOVED this book. 

I cannot wait for more. 

5. Divergent ~ Veronica Roth

Hooked. Fast paced. 

Easy and enjoyable read.

Honorable Mentions:

The Art of Character ~ David Corbett

Non-fiction, otherwise it would have made the top 5. 

It was full of clear advice and great exercises. 

Now that I write more and more, I found it incredibly helpful. 

If you have no believeable or complex characters, your story is bland.

Dealing With Dragons ~ Patricia C. Wrede

A re-read for me. 

This story turns the tropes of fantasy into charming quirks.
As a fan of fantasy books, I loved the main character and laughed many times.

New Year, New Goals

Welcome to 2014! 

We've made it... so far.

Resolutions for the new year deal with two things: MORE reading and MORE writing. Oh, and hey, back in 2011 I had a blog all about those two.

This year, something completely different. Reviews? Yes. Commentary on classroom use? If the book requires it. Stars? Absolutely.

Since 2011, much has changed with the formatting of this site, so I will be experimenting with pages. Keeping myself on track for my massive reading list. Ugh, I found BookTube. Bad idea. BAD IDEA! And yet, so good because I was recommended book after book after book. Fantastic.

What to expect:

- Updates once a week for a whole year
- Challenges
- Reviews and additional commentary

Here's to keeping those resolutions.
Cheers!