ReadingChallenges

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Book	Challenges	Review Date	Notes
2	Demigods and Monsters	NG A2Z 52	Jan 2021
3	Honeysuckle Season	A2Z, 52, January Mini challenge	Jan 2021	what i liked about this: the book kept me captivated enough to keep turning the pages, even if it was very often to confirm my thoughts on the mysteries.. and i uncovered those in the beginning (but is that what the author intended?) and i loved a couple of the characters (the little boys for one, and what did not make it a wow read for me, or live up to its many rave reviews: was too predictable (At least for me) right from the start; some		what is the idea of the book? what is my goal from this book? what parts should i read? read the intro, summary, toc, intro, dip into sections for a few minutes and answer those three questions then read a bit more of the seelcted parts from the toc use a pen or something similar to move along the words you are reading
4	Where the Crawdad Sings	A2Z, 52	Jan 2021	So what did I like about this: i had to keep reading it; i loved the implausiblity of the book and the storyline; i loved Tate and Jumpin' and Mabel; Kya's love for nature and her talent for painting and using it to identify and learn and classify the world around her were the most plausible aspects of the book (and yes, people like Tate and Jumpin' and Mabel too, well I can't forget the store clerk who I also loved) And then the other side: Sorry, I might be on the other side, but there were some aspects that stayed with me like that annoying pebble in my shoe throughout: again, the implausiblity (I know I loved it, but it was also just a tad too unbelievable - especially how that little one survived despite everything - a series of fortunate events?); I could have done without some of the scenes in the book - especially between Kya and Chase - which could have been shortened just a bit or changed just a bit?; while Kya's reactions to the world seem reasonable, I still felt like shouting out loud and asking her to be, well, more reasonable at times!!; and while I wouldn't have known of this before, some gripes are about a total non-existence /or possiblit of existence of such a place in N Carolina just because of the geography, and then the accents of the parents, and children as well - i was confused that they spoke the way they did when both parents were supposedly from rich families. overall this book is like taking a wonderful hike in a beautiful wood with that proverbial pebble in my shoe as i walk..	Miles of blade-grass so tough it grew in salt water, interuppted only by trees so bent they wore the shape of the wind. It is not a morality, but simple math. Among themselves, doves fight as often as hawks. ...their feet banging the plywood floor until the music of the battery-operated radio died, sounding as if it were singing to itself at the bottom of a barrel. Other mornings Ma spoke about adult things Kya didn't understand, but she figured Ma's words needed somewhere to go, so she absorbed them through her skin, ..... Death's crude pluck, as always,stealing the show. Sometimes she heard night-sounds she didn't know or jumped from lightning too close, but whenever she stumbled, it was the land that caught her. Until at last, at some unclaimed moment, the heart-pain seeped away like water into sand. Still there, but deep. Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother. But she only stared, didn't move. She felt a strong pull toward him and a strong push away, the result being stuck firmly in this spot. You all listen now, this is a real lesson in life. Yes, we got stuck, but what'd we girls do? We made it fun, we laughed. That's what sisters and girlfriends are all about. Sticking together even in the mud, 'specially in mud. There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. --- aldo leopold ... ----"It ain't just that." She spoke almost in a whisper. "I wadn't aware that words could hold so much. I didn't know a sentence could be so full." He smiled. "That's a very good sentence. Not all words hold that much." Time ensures children never know their parents young. "Well, we better hide way out there where the crawdaads sing. I pity any foster parents who take you on." Tate's whole face smiled. "What d'ya mean, where the crawdads sing? Ma used to say that.".... "Just means far in the bush where the critters are wild, still behaving like critters. .." He didn't say a word about the biology books being too advanced for her, so she plowed through chapters she wouldn't have seen for four years in school. Autumn was coming; the evergreens might not have noticed, but the sycamores did. They flashed thousands of golden leaves across slate-gray skies. But that wasn't the main reason he'd left feathers for Kya in the forest, or why he kept coming to see her. The other words Tate didn't say were his feelings for her seemed tangled up between the sweet love for a lost sister and the fiery love for a girl. He couldn't come close to sorting it out himself, but he'd never been hit by a stronger wave. A power of emotions as painful as pleasurable.	no
5	Under the Love Umbrella	NG		A precious book that uses an umbrella as a metaphor for the all-encompassing love of parents for their children. I adored the illustrations, and the neon colors used thereof. I do love bright colors as a rule, and when rightly used, they are brilliant - just like the artwork in this book. While the rhyming seems a bit forced sometimes, or a bit off, the sentiments strike the right chords in a parent's heart and that makes this book so perfectly worth a read. A great gift for any day, and even more so as a Valentine's day gift for your child, or for another parent who will love to read this. I also loved how Davina Bell chooses to end the book with the words at the start of the book, tying it all together in a warm circle, like a parent's love all over again. And again, totally love and inspired by Allison Colpoys art.
6	Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?	NG		A little wordy, but the rhymes are oh-so fun and at the same time explain math concepts so very well. Children definitely need an adult or an older person to read this with them, for it is word play and math concepts all in one. For example, just look at the book's description: 'First think of One peeking out from the night Like a point, or a dot, or a shimmering light. But when One finds a friend to run from or run to, Then we can’t call both “One”—that new One must be Two!' The book itself is more of the same... and brilliant it is from frame to frame.. (oh, well, page is what I meant, but it wouldn't have been rhyming content!) And I cannot forget about the artwork here. I loved the adorable, bright, cute, delightful, educational, fun, great illustrations (I stopped with g.. could have continued but don't want this review to be overlong too)
7	Joey			backmatter includes a timeline, a bibliography, sources, and bidenisms! loved the water-color (?) illustrations that reflect the correct atmosphere for the story and complement Jill Biden's laudatory (expected, of course) and straightforward narrative very well. The book effectively takes readers on a journey of our 47th President's lfe, from his early years where he learned to overcome stuttering, to being class president at college, briefly touching on his achievements as an adult and ending with announcing his run for Presidency in 2019. [maybe a future update to the book with his win and the inauguration itself will be available at a later date??) I love the messages of family, perseverance, central motto of "give me the ball," honesty, and service shine through effortlessly across the book. .
8	lost manuscript			an epistolary set in 2016 .. what i liked about it is the central message, and a pretty strong one about books (words) can change lives.. the impact that stories have on other people's lives, stories they read on paper (or well, via digital media), is often profound, even life-changing.. and this book is all about that. what put me off is that while there were subtle differences in tone/voice as the letter writer changed (and there are many in this book... ), those differences were a little too subtle and if not for names or other references, it could have been almost the same person writing all the letters. i would have loved to see some more difference in how each person wrote their letters.. and almost everyone used language ( at least part of )which seemed archaic in today's world (it is set in 2016) . what else i loved: the actual writing of actual letters :) and the possibility that a book could travel across the world (kind of like flat stanley; or people leaving books on park benches during those international day of the book or other such events).. the descriptions of some of the places (in brittany, loreze, brussels, and more - making my travel-ready feet even more eager.. but alas covid).. what else put me off: a couple of times, i was confused since i thought i missed something because of the information exchanged in the letters but then i also realized it is subtly implied that there was some other form of communication that occured other than those letters.. what else i loved: people getting over their pasts and looking forward.. some beautiful quotes/passages what kind of put me off : one last thing: one person seems to be the binding thread, and not too humbly that way too.. god-?? much?	Overall this is a sweet tale about connecting in unique and interesting ways. The book has some beautifully written passages. It is definitely a book for booklovers so if you like those kinds of reads, I definitely recommend it. Personally, I felt the beginning half held my attention way more than the second half. I can't pinpoint the shift, but I think at one point I found it a little hard to remember who was who, and what their connection was and after that, my excitement dwindle . I particularly found Anne-Lise to be annoying and many of her actions juvenile. She constantly meddles in the lives of the others despite many of them asking her not to. She somehow gets everyone to confess their deepest secrets to her and then offers them her unsolicited advice. She even admits all this in a letter to another character. 2. I also thought, the closer I came to the end, that it was hard to keep the many characters straight and that the letters didn’t always make sense. I reread some of them several times and still had the feeling as though I had missed something. schmaltz·y book felt like characters just revealing their traumas to each other that have never met (and realistically would never just write these things in a letter to a stranger!!!). Also, some of the wording within the letters seemed very unbelievable as well. Like, you wouldn't wax poetic (again-in a letter to a stranger!) about nature or speak in metaphors the way these characters often did. This just gave the story an overall sense of unbelievablility that I ultimately couldn't overcome. In terms of characterization, I found that every character had the same narrative voice in their letters and so I never felt attached to any of them. Now, this may be a direct result of the translation from French, but I can't be sure. The story becomes less about the manuscript and more about the lives of those that it touched (which was obviously inevitable you can't wax on about a manuscript changing hands for over 200 pages) But if you don't care about the characters then you don't care very much at all! Also, Anne-Lise was highly unlikable in my opinion. She's so pushy. For example, after receiving letters from the author to stop pursuing the mystery she's just like "I DON'T CARE!!" and keeps on going! Not cool and she was super hard to like or relate to at all. She also muddled up her best friend's budding relationship by saying the man she was interested in was interested in another woman?! No, just nope.
9	All the Way to the T	op		This book shines a light on a topic that is too often left in the dark. Before reading this book, I had never heard of the Capitol Crawl or Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. After reading this book, I will be telling everyone about my new hero!
10	Live Your Best Life				a series of infographics. If you like to consume information that way, you may enjoy this book. The information is useful, and written in a clear and entertaining style. The author takes the most popular myths and long held beliefs about life, health and nutrition and tells readers the nitty-gritty, just the facts here, ma'am. Dr. Farrimond offers valuable advice and facts in all aspects of healthy and productive living, even more necessary during this pandemic year. The illustrations and graphs are great; the right visuals can bring to life the facts being told and the illustrations accomplish that here. This book is chock full of fantastic information on when it's best time to sleep, whether vitamins are helpful, what you should eat, what time you should exercise and so, so much more. I loved every single page. I kept quoting so much of this to my family. How lunch is the tastiest meal, how you should nap between 1-3pm, how you're most productive in the morning, how entering a new room tells the brain to start fresh, how keeping a diary improves your memory (knew it!) and on and on. This book is beautifully illustrated which makes it a joy to read but it's the content that shines. I loved every single page of it. If you like ways to improve your day and you like science, you will love it too!!
11	Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe	A2Z, 52, February Mini challenge
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