2015 Banned Books Challenge Wrap-Up

This is my wrap-up post for the Banned Books Challenge 2015 hosted by Christine at Buckling Bookshelves. I started out with the "Trouble-Maker" level (3-5 books) and re-set my goal to the "Rabble-Rouser" level (6-9 books), which I've met now as well. Some of these were really great books, and I love supporting Banned Book Awareness! 

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

 

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

 

   The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

 

Audiobook: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is the first book in Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series. I just happened to stumble across this book at my library and can't believe I've never heard of the series before, but what an epic fantasy world! Kudos for Valente's funky title, because that is what first grabbed my attention.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

First Impression: Enchanting. If I had one word to describe this book so far, that would be it. I love how lyrical the writing is, and Valente practically mesmerizes me reading her words. I keep finding myself drawn so far into September's Fairyland that I'm confused for a second each time I turn it off. The experience is very similar to the first time I read Harry Potter, but the world is very different. It's hard to describe without giving anything away, but my favorite things are the unique little details from Valente throughout the book: the love of the green smoking jacket; the heaviness of Saturday's hand; the dutiful, always-belated trail of the little key brooch; the textile fairy city, Pandemonium; wild velocipedes; and so on. Just amazing. And very unique. I'm curious to see where it goes.

Conclusion: The whole ending to this thing was an emotional whirlwind! Valente's re-imagining of the overbearing monarch backstory with the Marquess was brilliant. Her pain is so vivid, so strong and unexpected, and you want to help her but also everyone else. September also gives up quite a lot in this story and has to make hard decisions every step of the way. The separation from her shadow is particularly memorable, rendering her in two painfully, and yet the shadow seemed happier that way (darker itself perhaps than I expected). The one thing that's a little inconsistent is the explanation of the Ravished and how they visit Fairyland versus other people visiting. It's impossible to explain without giving something away, but it's also not significant enough to dwell on, so I'll let it go. Anyway, I loved this story. Simple as that.

Recommendation: You will probably enjoy this book if you love magical worlds and words and don't mind a narrator with an outside view and a main character who's a child. And you might have an extra bit of love for this one if you loved the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

This is my thirteenth listen for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge. Crushed that challenge!

Audiobook: The Rosie Effect

The Rosie Effect is the second book in the Don Tillman series by Graeme Simsion. Don has moved and started a new portion of his life, but no matter of openness or planning can prepare him for what comes next!

(picture taken from Goodreads)

Conclusion:  Simsion ended his story well. Although I was angry for a good portion of the book, he stayed true to the characters. What I really like about Simsion's writing is that it's honest. I feel as though these characters could be real people dealing with their own issues and their friend's problems, as well. You have one unusual, caring guy who's kind of holding together this random assortment of people who have little in common. And all of them are well-developed, flawed characters. But I kind of hope he writes something different next, not another book in this series. As much as I love Don and can think of lots of crazy adventures for his family and friends to have next, I'm afraid the series has already run its course. I was mad enough Rosie for most of this book, not sure I could handle her in the next step of her life. But if he does write another in the series, I'll read it, hopelessly curious as I am. Oh, and shout-out to Dan O-Grady for being a fun audiobook narrator! He does a great job with this series, and I'd love to find what else he's narrated.

Recommendation: If you've read The Rosie Project and want to see what happens next for Don Tillman, this is the book for you! I wouldn't really recommend this one separate from the first book.

This is my twelfth listen for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge.

Book Club / Diverse Books: The Remedy

The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis by Thomas Goetz--well, the title pretty much says it. This book is about tuberculosis and how Robert Koch specifically contributed to the search for a cure and the medical field in general.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

First Impression: This is really interesting! Maybe it's because I spent two-thirds of my life mocking science with my disregard, but books and articles with a scientific basis have fascinated me a lot in the last few years. There's a lot of information to absorb in this book so far. Goetz knows how to pick a historical topic of interest, and I'm intrigued. At the same time, there are a lot of pages of background information that lose me a bit. It puts everything into context, but it also makes the book move pretty slowly. Heavy on historical facts.

Conclusion: I liked The Remedy, but it wasn't what I expected from the title. After I read most of this book but before I read the Acknowledgements, I just kept thinking about how it reminded me more of an article in a scholastic journal than a book. Then I read the Acknowledgements, and it made more sense. Goetz's inspiration for the book was, in fact, a scholarly article. And while the information was all interesting, I think this was the reason for my issues with his format. He approached the story on a smaller scale and kept circling back to cover different details. Arthur Conan Doyle's part of the book is really very small in the sense of how much he contributes to the search for a tuberculosis cure. I did learn some more about his life as a doctor before he started to focus more on writing, so that was interesting. Overall, I liked elements of the storyline, and I learned quite a bit, so this book was alright but not fantastic. Good information, okay composition.

The Remedy was my July read for the "Time" portion of the 2015 We Read Diverse Books Challenge.

Audiobook / TBR Pile: Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Kid Lawyer is the first book in the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham. The son of two lawyers in a small city, Theodore Boone is well-known by the kids and adults in the area. He's always curious about what's going on around him, especially the exciting new murder trial coming up. But murder is a new depth for Theo, and he may be biting off more than he can chew by getting involved.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

Conclusion:  This was a solid read by Grisham. I haven't read any of his before, but judging by what I've heard, this is what I expected. It's for kids, but the focus is lawyers and intrigue--pretty unique for the age group. The characters were pretty interesting. The tone is adventurous without actually involving Theo or the other children in direct violence. And it ended with kind of a cliffhanger. I find some people's criticisms of the book funny. I saw one that said there's not enough action to keep kids interested. This is a really popular series with kids in my area. Also, it's more of an intrigue story rather than an adventure. One person claimed that Theo isn't relatable or realistic, which is only somewhat true. All main characters are special in some way, but the facts that he plays golf or doesn't use a cell phone every five seconds aren't what sets him apart. I did find it a little strange that classes would be separated by gender, which isn't something I've seen in public schools. Overall, this was a fun read.

Recommendation: This is a good book for kids or adults who want an intriguing boy lawyer character and a little suspense.

This is my eleventh read for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge and my eighteenth read for the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday weekend! I'll be spending Christmas with my extended family and no computer, but I'll try to update all of my blog challenges for you next week and wrap-up the year!

Diverse Books / TBR Pile: Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper is the story of Melody, a fifth-grade girl with cerebral palsy, and how her life changed (and didn't) when she found a better way to communicate her thoughts to the outside world.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

Conclusion: This book is very profound in its simplicity, and I think this would be a good book for kids as an introduction to cerebral palsy. It's true that Melody's situation is not typical. In my own limited interaction with kids and adults with cerebral palsy, they had a much lower ability to communicate their thoughts than she does. That being said, I think it's important that her situation be somewhat special in order to get the point across of what she is capable of with the right help and technology, and to give this story its chance to sink in with the reader. I hope this can shed some light on the intelligence and mental capacity of people with cerebral palsy. Draper's treatment of Melody's peer interaction is what I really appreciate about this book. There are moments of connection and humor, but the kids never fully accept Melody as one of them, and I think that's accurate. I also like the way she builds the characters through the story. When the climax hits, each character's role makes perfect sense.

Recommendation:  I would probably recommend this primarily to kids and teachers, but I thought it was well done and worth the read.

This book is my June "Visible Disabilities or Deformities" choice for the 2015 We Read Diverse Books Challenge and my seventeenth read for the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge.

Mailbox Monday: Kickstarter Goodies

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. It's a fun focus on what books and book-related items you're getting in the mail each week. I always love to get mail (especially when it's literature), but since I'm stuck at home with a virus right now (yuck!), getting packages in the mail has been a highlight for me. So, what did I get, you ask? Well, I don't know how many of you have heard of Kickstarter, but it's an awesome site where you can back all sorts of projects people are working on around the world.  And I mean all sorts of projects. Anyway, I've supported a few book projects in the last few months, and my books from those campaigns are arriving! Here are the goods, in the order they arrived (unless mentioned otherwise, pictures taken from links given below):

Ladies of Literature: Volume 2

Curated and edited by Arielle Jovellanos and Janet Sung

ladiesofliterature.tumblr.com

Over a hundred artists joined together to make art based on their favorite female characters from books, and the result is breathtaking! Page after page of amazing female characters rendered in various, original art styles--and in the back, there's a description of the character and why they were chosen by the author. I just want to hang these pictures up all over the place (I might have to buy another copy just for that) and read every book in which these characters show up!

The Last Fairy Tale

Written by E.S. Lowell

Goodreads page

inkanddustpublishing.com

"Olivia Wickworth lives in Orphanage Nine, a refuge for the genetically-modified children living in the final days of a dying Earth. In what could be our near future, mankind has completed the widespread implementation of cellular computing - but with devastating unforeseen consequences. Just when all hope seems lost, Olivia enters Aeldyn, a land created thousands of years ago when man exiled magical creatures from Earth. Although Aeldyn seems like the world of Olivia’s dreams, it is not without its own darkness. There is evil in the land that threatens to corrupt Aeldyn just as Earth has been corrupted, and Olivia is the only one who can stop it. On her quest to defeat this evil, Olivia forges friendships, meets fantastic creatures, and rediscovers the lost art of magic. But can she save both Aeldyn and what is left of mankind?" That description is from the inside cover. I haven't read this one yet, but the characters and little pictures intrigue me. Also, look at how they sent it to me, all wrapped-up and wax-sealed with a little notebook, bookmark, and bracelet!:

Ellen and the Winter Wolves

Written by Jamin Still

jaminstill.com

May is here, and Winter is still in full swing where Ellen lives. Her father is a trader who travels by boat and hasn't been able to come home in the cold and ice. Ellen knows something is wrong. Following directions from a mysterious voice in her dreams and the howling of some distant wolves, she sets off on a quest to make things right. The artwork in this book is beautiful, and the Winter Wolves are chilling! Gabe loves Ellen's story and can't stop talking about those Wolves and Ellen's trek through the snow. This is a picture book, but the story is a bit long for the number of pictures, so I'd probably recommend it for a slightly older child. Gabe is three, and I had to bring him back a few times making the same sounds as the wolves and things like that. But it was well worth it! A beautiful, unexpected treasure. I hope to see more from this author.

I hope you all enjoyed this glimpse into my mailbox! There's only a week and a half before Christmas, so hopefully I'll get more fun things this week!