Oh, for crying out loud....

I tried an ebook freebie I had, a supposed sequel to Sense and Sensibilty called Eliza's Daughter... and guess what? Joan Aiken seems to have gotten Austen mixed up with Charlotte Bronte, because the beginning reads more like Jane Eyre or Vilette than anything Austen ever wrote.

Reading: 1 minute
Blogging: 2 minutes

ACK!

Except for one graphic novel, every book in my pile is first person! I never plan this thoroughly enough. Quick, someone tell me something I might be able to download from the library onto my ereader!

Book 4.5 Everlost by Neal Schusterman

It's hard to follow up a really great book. I picked up this one because it was the first on my pile that did not have a first person narrator. Counting Chime, the two in Will Grayson, Will Grayson and the five in The Last Days, I've read eleven first person narrations today!

Unfortunately, this third person narrative really didn't grab me. I've read so many brilliant writers today that this seemed pedestrian in comparison. Hope something else will turn up in the pile.

8 out of 313 pages

Reading: 9 minutes
Blogging: 3 minutes
Networking: 1 minute

Book 4: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan. Penguin, 2010

Okay, this is going to be one close race for my favorite book of the challenge. On a strictly critical level, Dramarama is probably the better book -- curiously enough, they have a number of similarities -- but WG, WG had me laughing an average of once a page, and we're talking 310 pages here. I could name a number of things that I disliked about it, but why bother when I loved it so much? So, so much fun and really touching, too. I don't think I've ever read a better collaboration. * (14 & up)

Book from the public library

310 pages
Reading time: 3hours, 12 minutes
Blogging time: 7 minutes
Networking: 3 minutes

Random Observation

My current book (Will Grayson, Will Grayson) and Chime both have what is presumably the same font, with very distinctive and distracting fat exclamation points. Punctuation should not make itself so obvious.

Book 3: The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld. Razorbill, 2006

The sequel to Peeps, though could probably be read on its own; I didn't remember a whole lot about Peeps but everything got explained.

I had some trouble getting into this: the first half is primarily about five people forming a band and seemed to be written for an audience far, far crazier about music than I am. Once the intersection of the band plot and the science fiction elements became clearer, I enjoyed the book much more. Despite its depressing title and some very disturbing elements, it's got a positive side and was very funny in spots. Negatives are the constant catchphrases used by almost every character, and that quite a few of the characters are really unpleasant. (First person narratives by unpleasant characters are haunting me right now... I'm having very bad luck with my chosen audiobook. More later.)


Reading: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Blogging: 8 minutes
Networking: 7 minutes

Book 2.7: A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris

I decided I needed a break from YA, so picked up the book I'd been in the middle of before the challenge started. This is the second in the "Aurora Teagarden" mysteries and I found it pretty disappointing. Blah mystery, blah personal stuff. Hope the next is better, or I might wash my hands of the series.

pages: 147-168 (21 pages)

Reading: 12 minutes
Blogging: 3 minutes
Networking: 2 minutes

Book 2.5: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime by Franny Billingsley. Penguin, 2011

Well rats. Looks like a lot of interesting potential here, quite possibly themes I would really appreciate (does her sister has Autism?) and intriguingly reminscent of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, but somehow I just can't get into it. Briony's continued insistence on her guilt and horribleness makes me feel like I'm being hit on the head with a hammer and all the fantasy elements are too weird for me. Probably a great book, perhaps I'll try it again another time.

~40 out of 361 pages
Reading: 20 minutes
Blogging: 6 minutes

Book 2: Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Dramarama by E. Lockhart. Hyperion, 2007

Every time I read one of Lockhart's books -- which is about once a year, around this same time -- I wonder why on earth I haven't read everything she's written. The desperately tired young-adult-fiction-book-with-snappy-first-person-narrator genre comes to life in her hands. (Though she's not so shabby with third person, either.) I'm so achingly grateful to read an original narrative voice that I'd probably have enjoyed this even if it wasn't filled with brilliant themes about friendship and reinventing identities and discovering ones place in the world, all in an exciting theatrical package. * (12 & up)

I'm two for two! How long can this wonderful streak last? I'm going to play it fairly safe with Franny Billingsley's Chime next.

311 pages

Reading: 2 hours, 18 minutes
Blogging: 8 minutes
Networking: 4 minutes

Book 1: Held by Edeet Ravel

Held by Edeet Ravel. Annick Press, 2011

Wow, what a perfect book to start with. It was utterly riveting and got me right back into the non-stop reading swing of the book challenge. I feel too tired and stupid to write a real review at the moment, because of the challenge of avoiding spoilers, but will try to come back to it later and do it justice. My only complaint was an overly abrupt ending which left me with too many questions.


Thanks to the publishers for providing me with this book.

pages: 245
Reading time: 2 hours
Networking time: 5 minutes
Blogging time: 5 minutes

Ready... Set....

Go!

Beginning the 6th annual 48 Hour Book Challenge!

Starting time, Friday 8 a.m.

I'm going high tech this year and using my son's timer. A word of caution -- I tested an online stopwatch and it did NOT keep the correct time.

I'm starting today with Held by Eddeet Ravel. It looks very heavy, and I know from experience that as time passes, I'll want lighter reads.

Good luck to everyone!

Blogging time: 3 minutes