At the finish line...

As we have finished with the month of May, so have we finished with the Book Binge. I did not read many books this month, but was okay with the amount anyway.

My books and ratings were:

1. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 4/5
2. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5
3. The Virgin in the Ice - Ellis Peters (reread)
4. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (reread)
And working on 5. The Sanctuary Sparrow - Ellis Peters

Also finished is the Spring Reading Challenge!

My plan for this challenge was to read 15 books during the months of March, April, and May and while I didn't reach my goal, I got pretty close. I'm in the middle of book 14 and will finish it hopefully tomorrow.

My books and ratings were:

1. The Saffron Kitchen - Yasmin Crowther 3/5
2. St. Peter's Fair - Ellis Peters (reread)
3. Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede (reread)
4. Cast Two Shadows - Ann Rinaldi (reread)
5. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 4/5
6. The Leper of St. Giles - Ellis Peters (reread)
7. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard - Kiran Desai 2/5
8. The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi (reread)
9. The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera 5/5
10. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 4/5
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5
12. The Virgin in the Ice - Ellis Peters (reread)
13. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (reread)

And last of all, finished with the Heart of a Child Challenge!

For this challenge we had to reread some of our favorite books from our childhood.

My books were:

1. Dealing With Dragons - Patricia. C. Wrede
2. The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi
3. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Wow. A lot of wrap ups!

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

treasure island
robert louis stevenson
259 pages
c. 1883
completed 5/28/2008

*may contain sploilers*

This is my favorite book in the whole world. I probably read it for the first time before the age of 10. I think I probably haven't read it in a few years, but I read it just now for the Heart of a Child Challenge (see sidebar). And I loved it just the same as when I read it the first time about 13 years ago.

The story is intriguing the whole time. You always wonder what's coming next. Who is the Captain really? What is it that Black Dog and Blind Pew are after? Is Long John Silver, the pleasant and helpful ship's cook the same one legged man that Billy Bones was so afraid of? Is Dick in the beginning and Dick in the end the same person? Why would the doctor give up the stockade?

This is just one of those simple, great adventure stories. The adventure never ends. Sure, most of the characters are not very well rounded (except maybe Long John Silver), but you still care for them. Even one or two of the pirates (for some reason I have a special place in my heart for Dick, the young pirate who was so in awe of Long John. And I try to believe he didn't die of his fever when left on the island).

I don't know. I could talk about this book forever, but I'll just leave it at this. It gets the job done.

5/5

The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi

the last silk dress

ann rinaldi
c. 1988
325 pages


*may contain spoilers*

This was my second book for the Heart of a Child Challenge (see sidebar). I read this book for the first time when I was probably in fourth or fifth grade. And I loved it. My aunt had given me two other Ann Rinaldi books before I read this one, but for some reason I couldn't seem to get into them. It was until I read this one that I discovered how much I loved historical fiction and Ann Rinaldi. I eventually went back and read the other two and loved them. I am still collecting Ann Rinaldi's books. I know they are YA books, but it's not fair that just because I'm grown I can't read and love the books she wrote after my time.

It's probably been years since I read The Last Silk Dress. There were events that occurred that I didn't remember, so even though I knew the basic story and what would eventually happen there were still some surprises for me.

One thing I noticed this time around, however, was that I like Susan less now. Before I thought she was strong and high spirited, and I still think that, but I think now that she's more of a typical Southern Belle then she'd like to admit.

It's hard to rate something that you've been reading and loved for years, something that's a part of your childhood.

5/5

Dealing with Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede

dealing with dragons
patricia c. wrede
c. 1990
240 pages

This is a book I reread for the Heart of a Child challenge (see sidebar). Generally, I don't review rereads, but this challenge required both rereads and reviews, so here you go. This book, as well as this whole series, was one of my favorite books when I was much younger. I think I read it for the first time in seventh grade. It's one of the few series of books from that long ago to have survived the recent purging of the bookshelf. I'm looking over at my shelf right now and it looks like all my Ann Rinaldi historical fiction (which I'm still collecting) and the Georgia books are the only other two YA series to have made it to San Diego.

This is a somewhat odd genre for me to love so much. I have never been a huge fan of fantasy. I like these. I like Harry Potter. I like the Alanna books. I am trying to like the Lord of the Rings (I already love the movies). I think I like fantasy that doesn't seem like fantasy. Like, the magic and whatever isn't the prevalent factor in any way. I mean, Harry Potter is very focused on the magic aspect of it, but at the same time, they're normal boy and girls going through normal girl and boy issues.

Anyway, back to Dealing with Dragons. I just think it's so clever! It's a slightly twisted fairy tale, and things that are generally accepted in the fairy tale/fantasy genre are not what you find here. It's somewhat of a parody, but is just as enjoyable looking at it for story alone.

5/5

To be young at heart...

Yes, it's true. I have found another book challenge to be a part of. This time, the 2008 Heart of a Child Challenge found at Becky's Book Reviews. Considering I only read like eighteen books last year, the fact that I keep finding and joining challenges could be laughable, but I think even if I don't complete everything I sign up for, at least I tried.

Anyway, the rules for this challenge are fairly flexible which is super nice. Just choose 3-6 books to read between February 1st and July 14th. Books should all be rereads, ones read and loved by you when you were a child (so, up until you were 18). Since I've got a lot on my plate at the moment (reading wise) and really should be spending my time job hunting instead of reading (it's hard to pay rent when one is unemployed!) I have chosen only three books.

My List:

Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
The Last Silk Dress - Ann Rinaldi
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

All three are books I loved as a child. The Last Silk Dress introduced me to my favorite genre of historical fiction, and Treasure Island has been my favorite book since I was ten (though I haven't read it in a few years, I currently own seven copies). It will be a lot of fun to go back and reread these books that began my love of reading.