Unfinished Challenges for 2009

As 2009 draws to a close I know that there are a few of my challenges that I'm not going to finish...and so I'm officially giving up on them.

The Read Your Own Books Challenge was probably the hardest one for me, and also the one I did the worst on. I think that is pretty funny considering these are all books that I picked out from my TBR, and yet I never got around to reading them.

I finished 4/10 books on this list. I also should, but probably won't, be trying this particular challenge next year.

1. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
2. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, (review)
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (review)
4. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
5. The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (review)
6. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross (review)
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory
9. Amagansett by Mark Mills
10. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Another challenge I struggled on was the Classics Challenge. There are so many classics I want to read, but I never seem to make time for them with new books always showing up on my shelves. I read 3/4 books for this challenge and am pretty happy with this result. I also did a classics challenge last year and didn't read a single book for it. This may be one I try again in 2010.

1. My Antonia by Willa Cather (review), audio
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (review coming soon)
3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (review coming soon)

The last challenge I was unable to complete was the Book Awards III Challenge. I only completed 3/5 for this challenge. I know I had more award winning books on my shelves, but I never felt compelled to read any of them. I'll probably be skipping this one if it's held again.

1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (review) - Pulitzer Prize Winner
2. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review) - D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, Listen Up Award
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (review) - Romantic Novel of the Year Award

As of right now I am still one book away from completing the War Through the Generations Challenge, and am 100 pages into my last book for it. Since I'm so close, I'm going to work hard on completing it in the next couple of weeks. So far, I've read 4/5 for this challenge.

1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (review)
2. Resistance by Anita Shreve (review)
3. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review), audio
4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (review)

Review: Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Book Info:
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (June 9, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780307452368
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

For a thousand years men have denied her existence--Pope Joan, the woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to rule Christianity for two years. Now this compelling novel animates the legend with a portrait of an unforgettable woman who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

When her older brother dies in a Viking attack, the brilliant young Joan assumes his identity and enters a Benedictine monastery where, as Brother John Anglicus, she distinguishes herself as a scholar and healer. Eventually drawn to Rome, she soon becomes enmeshed in a dangerous mix of powerful passion and explosive politics that threatens her life even as it elevates her to the highest throne in the Western world.

I first heard about Pope Joan from the historical fiction board at Paperback Swap. It got rave reviews so I grabbed a copy as soon as I could...and then it sat on my shelf for over two and a half years! I wish I had made the time to read it sooner.

I loved Joan. In a time period when women had basically no status or rights she was an independent and intelligent woman. While she was forced to conceal her gender this never swayed her from her love of learning and doing what was right. She was a champion for women and an advocate for the poor.

Cross does a wonderful job with the story of Pope Joan. She includes plenty of information so you get a sense of the time period, but doesn't bog the story down with unnecessary details. The story flows wonderfully and I was sucked in right from the start. I also love reading the author notes on historical fiction books. I'm always interested in what details an author changed or omitted to make the story work better.

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially with strong female characters, but want something set in a time period you may not have tried before, definitely give Pope Joan a try. I can also see this one working well for a book club as there are plenty of issues to discuss. The version of the book I read also included discussion questions. 4.5 stars

Review: The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis

Book Info:
The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books (February 1, 2007)
ISBN-13: 9780316014243
Genre: Contempory Fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 2.5/5

In Varennes, a town near the Canadian border, three girls come across the body of a dead man on the local lake's beach. Two of them run to get help, but twelve-year-old Mees Kipp stays with the body and somehow, inexplicably, brings it back to life. Her mysterious gift is at the center of this haunting and transcendent novel.

The Thin Place is the story of these girls, their town, and the worldly and otherworldly forces that come into play there over one summer. From the ladies in the old-folks' home to trappers, lawyers, teachers, ministers, drug addicts-even the dogs and cats, beavers and bears Davis peoples this novel with astonishingly vivid beings. The extraordinary comes to visit an ordinary town.

One of the back of the book blurbs describes this book as "odd and engaging", and I would agree with the odd portion. Engaging...kind of.

I usually like different books and that was what drew me to this one in the first place. I was looking for something other than your typical plot. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was much plot in this book. It was kind of an odd collection of tales about the different people in town, mostly centered around a group of three friends. My other big complaint is that there seemed to be very little character development. I didn't really ever feel like I knew any of the people very well.

I never had any doubt that I would finish this book, but what kept me going was the feeling that something was going to happen soon. I was sure the book would all come together and the characters and odd asides in the book would all make sense. Instead, I was left with the feeling that I was missing something, that I just didn't get this book. 2.5 stars

Review: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Book Info:
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Paperback: 672 pages
Publisher: Touchstone; (January 22, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9781416560609

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: My Shelves

Rating: 4/5

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family?s ambitious plots as the king?s interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.

For some reason, I seem to collect a lot of historical fiction, mostly based on other people's recommendations, but I rarely get around to reading these books. This year I used a couple of my challenges to help get some of these HF books off my shelves. While I may be one of the last people to actually read The Other Boleyn Girl, I am happy to be able to finally mark it off my list.

Anne comes across as devious and self-centered, but as you see her through her sister's eyes it softens her a little. I also found the relationship between the Boleyn siblings very interesting. Their closeness seemed to be a great comfort to them, but that didn't seem to be with out consequence either.

I haven't read any HF from this time period, but can see why so many people get sucked in and read everything they can about these people. Seeing the same events from another perspective can change everything. I can't speak to the historical accuracy of The Other Boleyn Girl, but I was drawn into the story and will be seeking out more books set during this time period. 4 stars

Review: Dry by Augusten Burroughs

Book Info:
Dry by Augusten Burroughs

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Picador (April 1, 2004)
ISBN-13: 9780312423797

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir

Rating: 4.5/5

From the bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Dry—the hilarious, moving, and no less bizarre account of what happened next.

You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls, and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. At the request (well, it wasn't really a request) of his employers, Augusten landed in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey, Jr., are immediately dashed by the grim reality of fluorescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click, and that's when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan life—and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that's as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is real. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a higher power.

I've read all of Augusten Burroughs books, except for his newest A Wolf at the Table, and while I enjoyed them all, I think Dry is my favorite. Dry is also quite a bit different than his other books, especially Running With Scissors.

I know some people found Running with Scissors to be out there, with too much craziness to possibly be true. I took Running with Scissors with a grain of salt and enjoyed it, but I did think things may have been exaggerated to help play up the shock value. That isn't the case at all with Dry.

I found Dry to be much more introspective and very honest. While Burroughs humor and crazy personality still came through the story, it wasn't as jaw dropping as Running with Scissors. Burroughs talked about his drinking honestly, why he did it, why he couldn't stop and all of the emotional issues that go along with alcoholism. If you've ever been close to someone with a substance abuse problem, Dry gives some insight into an addict's thought process. It's a sad story, but Burroughs did have me laughing too. 4.5 stars

Read Your Own Books Challenge

I hardly need another challenge, but the modifications that S. Krishna made inspired me. I am going to read the first 10 books that I requested when I joined Paperbackswap over 2 years ago. These books have been sitting on my shelves long enough!

These books are:

1. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

2. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, (review)

3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (review)

4. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

5. The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (review)

6. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross (review)

7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

8. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory

9. Amagansett by Mark Mills

10. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson