The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Hey!

I hope it's okay to start this now; I thought it would give people ideas for the upcoming Summer Challenge. (Although I am sure we all have crazy-long TBR lists!)

I read several really great books during the Spring 2010 Challenge:

by John Banville was SO, SO beautiful. It is a challenging book and certainly won't be for everyone but, Banville's prose it outstanding and, possibly, unmatched in the literary world.

by Jacqueline Kelly was a real treat. I read this for part of the Texas task and thought it flawless. I also wished it was a book that had been around when I was a girl. It is memorable and timeless and I have been recommending it to many, many people.

by Nicole Krauss was another remarkable read for me. Moving and memorable, this is a beautiful novel.

I also had two books that were 4.5 stars, although I am not sure what would be needed from either for me to give them 5 stars?

by Leslie Jamison is her debut novel and it is raw, hard and stunning. Again, not a novel for everyone but Jamison writes poetically giving immediacy and grit to her telling.

by Michael Greenberg is a nonfiction story about his daughter's manic psychosis during the summer of her 15th year. It is a tale fraught with pain and personal examination but compels with its honesty.

I read so many amazing novels for this challenge! In no particular order:

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn was amazing. The connections between characters through the centuries were really interesting. I read it for the "Re-" part of my task.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was one of the group reads. It's still a powerful warning about the dangers of radical religious doctrine, especially where government is concerned, and it remains relevant even 25 years after it was written.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a book about a girl who has a mental breakdown over the course of several months. It's beautifully written and painful to read in parts, and I can't figure out why I didn't read it sooner.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is about a girl who is given the opportunity to go back in her life and change the day she died. The protagonist is dynamic, and the premise sets this book apart from other, similar books. So good, I went out and bought it after reading it. (Goodreads Author)

What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson is an intensely powerful book that examines the afterlife (man, I was on a kick with this theme this time, wasn't I?). It's one you'll definitely want to take time later to mull over; don't read it unless you have half an hour or so to just sit and think when you finish. Powerful, and better than the movie.

Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling was recommended by someone for the "allusions" task, and I'm really glad I took the recommendation. This book had me rolling around on my bed for hours, and I didn't go to sleep until I'd finished it. One caveat, however--it works better if you know the literature (preferably read; a passing familiarity, however, will do). (Goodreads Author)

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt is about a seventh grader during the Vietnam War who, by a cruel trick of scheduling, ends up spending every Wednesday afternoon with his teacher while his classmates go to their religious classes. A highly entertaining read.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo makes me cry every time. A beautiful story about a vain stuffed rabbit who learns to love after being separated from his owner. An excellent read-aloud book.

Hate That Cat: A Novel by Sharon Creech is the sequel to Love That Dog. A novel in verse, this book explores how the protagonist's feelings about a certain prickly kitty change over the course of a year. Creech incorporates the writings of a myriad of poets in her work, including some absolutely beautiful parodies.

Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip is a very funny mystery novel about the staff of a school newspaper. While the mystery is easy to unravel, it's still a great book because, while the reader knows the answers, it's interesting to see how the characters arrive at their solutions.

Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart probably only got five stars because I knew all the locations she talks about (she even mentions my favorite restaurant by name!). It's not a bad book, and it definitely kept me guessing as to the secrets the protagonist strove to uncover, but thinking back on it, it wasn't as beautiful as I believed it to be when I first read it.(Goodreads Author)

Continent by Jim Crace is astoundingly well-written. I lovelovelove this book, so much that I just bought several by him. Most of the stories seem like folktales, and the writing is crisp and lush and absolutely gorgeous and I'm gushing but I don't care because the book is incredible! So is the other book of his I read (for the "first/second book" task), The Gift of Stones, so I recommend them both.

The Wave by Todd Strasser is a difficult book to read, but it's completely believable. A slippery-slope story about a classroom experiment that exploded into something much bigger--and dangerous. Again, highly, highly recommended.

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters was my last five-star Spring SRC book. Such an amazing book, extensively researched and lovingly crafted and not nearly as dirty as one might expect.

I really enjoyed "Push" by Sapphire, "Dead In The Family" by Charlaine Harris, "The Book Thief"

Oh, Tipping the Velvet has been on my list for eons.

Jayme, I also really loved Push. I found the style so compelling and thought Sapphire captured the essence and being of Precious so well. I really loved how the language and spelling evolved as Precious became better and better with her reading and writing. What an unimaginable situation that is sadly more prevalent than we allow ourselves to believe. It was a story of strength and hope.

Jennifer wrote: "Oh, Tipping the Velvet has been on my list for eons.

Find a place for it in the next challenge. Not even lying, it's one of the most amazing books I've ever read.

Jennifer wrote: "Oh, Tipping the Velvet has been on my list for eons.

Jayme, I also really loved Push. I found the style so compelling and thought Sapphire captured the essence and being of Precious so well. I re..."

It reminded me of the movie "Dangerous Minds"

This Challenge had me discovering many good books. My five stars for this Challenge are:

Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls by Matt Ruff. 5*
(my all-time favorite for this Challenge)
A warm story of 2 Multiple Personality individuals coming to terms with their "souls" and their individual pasts and learning to trust Life and people in the process.

Blaze: A Novel by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King). 5*
(my biggest surprise of the Challenge)
What a marvelous find of a book! I didn't expect to find such a gem from Stephen King.
Blaze's story is so poignant with all the sadness and alienation he goes through and seeing how hard he tries.
I really felt for Blaze in his loneliness and confusion and to really dislike those who turned their backs on him time and time again.
As an author, Richard Bachman has much better character development than any King book I've read. King should write like this more often.

Broken by Daniel Clay. 5*
The story is compelling and the writing slowly builds the tensions in this book.
This is a story of the consequences of actions and how one family can change a neighbourhood.
I liked the voice of Skunk telling her tale, the characters were real and believable, their stories blended together smoothly as the life of the neighbourhood unfolded.


All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg. 5*
Beautiful story of coming to peace with one's past and learning to face one's future. A lovely YA book. The story of Matt, a small Vietnamese child who was adopted in America, as he adjusts to his new life, while living with the fear and guilt of his past is poignant and touching.
The verse format brings out tears and emotions of a child adjusting after a traumatic childhood.

Its been a bad season for me, only two five-stars, though they were both excellent:

Island by Aldous Huxley (fiction that you want to have truth to it)

Ocean Sea by Alessandro Barrico

Hopefully everyone has already read my 5-star books, but in case you've missed them:

Bridge to Terabithia
Somehow I made it to adulthood without having read this book. It's a quick read, but well worth it.

Stardust
I saw this movie a couple years ago and had loved it. The book is just a lot of fun.

Ender's Game
I re-read this for the challenge and actually gave it one more star than I had originally. Ender's Game is a children's sci-fi classic, but I think adults will better appreciate the theme that genius and accomplishment can actually lead to loneliness.

I liked
Push
The Book Thief
The Pretties
Dead In The Family
The Tenth Circle
Family Tree
Because of Win Dixie

My 5* reads this Spring:

Years by LaVyrle Spencer
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Outlander AND Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (not a 5*, but I still really liked it)

To my list above, I'm adding A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens to my 5* list.
It's a tale of the French Revolution and the fear and horror that this time had on the people. It's also a story of love, devotion and sacrifice. In a deep sense, this is one of the truest love stories ever.

I had 2 five-star reads this spring:

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende


&

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Here are my 5-star reads from the Spring challenge:

I don't rate many 5* books but my favorite of the season was Alice I have Been and Remember Me?

which were both part of the same task (time is flying, but I pretty sure I read them for the Spring task :-) )

there are so many books on this list, I am going to do some reasearch on these and i'm sure my TBR will only get bigger!

I only had one 5-star this season.

Sophie's Choice by William Styron

I loved by Kate Morton
It was a touching story and I will admit I cried at the end.

The most touching story ever written by a wounded heart. I can still picture Rahul's agony. Truly Madly Deeply was the best book of the year for me. Truly, Madly, Deeply.

I took a break from the challenge this spring, so I don't have anything to add, but you all have managed to add to my TBR list yet again. Thanks (I think)!