Ever since venturing into the world of book blogging early this year, I’ve been noticing the multitude of Reading Challenges that so many of you are participating in. After reading and observing for many months, I think I’m finally going to dip my toes into the challenge pool!

It was when I came across The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog, that I knew it was time for me to give a challenge a try! I may be all grown up, but I love my YA fiction.

Here are the details of the challenge as posted at J. Kaye’s Book Blog:

1.  Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate.
2.  There are four levels:

• The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
• Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
• Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
• Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.

3.  Audio, eBooks, paper all count.
4.  No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5.  Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

Since this is my first challenge, I think I will start slowly and try The Mini YA Reading Challenge. I’ll list my 12 books here as I go.

1. Wake by Lisa McMann (Review posted)
2. Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
3. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Review posted)
4. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (Review posted)
5. School’s Out Forever by James Patterson (Review posted)
6. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (Review posted)
7. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
   
8. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
9. The Necromancer by Michael Scott (Review posted)
10. The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller (Review posted)
11. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Review posted)
12. EON by Alison Goodman (Review posted)

In keeping with the season, we selected a holiday novel for our December With a Good Book Club selection.  As a fan of other Richard Paul Evans novels, I thought Grace would make a perfect book club choice.

From Richard’s website:

Grace is the story of a young runaway girl and the boy who hides her from a frightening world too large and unfathomable for him to comprehend. It is also about two brothers and the love that binds them together through difficult times. Most of all, Grace is a story of a young couple learning to love.

Now that I have finished the book, here are the discussion questions. Taken from the Discussion Guide supplied on RPE’s website, and slightly edited to suit our needs. As always, you are not limited to the questions posted below, please bring up anything you’d like to discuss about the book.

1. “It’s been said that parents should give their children roots and wings.” To what extent is this statement true of Eric and Joel’s parents? In your experience as a child and/or parent, how do you interpret this statement?

2. Why doesn’t Grace explain to Eric the true nature of her dilemma earlier? How does the author’s decision to reveal Grace’s character gradually affect your appreciation of her difficult situation? How does Grace’s plight as a runaway make her especially prone to falling in love with Eric?

3. How does the threat of nuclear annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis intensify Eric and Grace’s feelings for each other? How does the crisis affect Eric’s immediate family?

4. How does their Halloween encounter with Stan, Grace’s stepfather, affect Joel and Eric? Why does Stan abuse them verbally when they trick-or-treat? Why doesn’t Grace’s mother make more of an effort to protect her daughter from her husband?

5. “I just don’t think God wants us to do good things because we’re scared. I think he wants us to do good things because we’re good.” What does Grace mean by this remark?

6. Why is Grace successful at concealing her pregnant condition from Eric and others for so long? How does the revelation of her pregnancy affect their relationship? To what extent is Eric justified in taking offense when Grace describes him as a naïve boy who believes everything everyone tells him?

7. “Hawaii was just someplace I’ve always wanted to be, the way some people think of heaven.” Why does Grace lie to Eric about having come from Hawaii? Why is she so moved by Eric’s recreation of a Hawaiian meal for her on Christmas? When Grace writes in her diary, “Eric is my Hawaii,” what does she mean?

8. Why does Eric ultimately reveal Grace’s whereabouts to the police? Why does he blame his parents for what ultimately happens to Grace, and to what extent do you agree with him? Why doesn’t Grace say anything to Eric as she is led away by the police, and what does her silence suggest about her premonition of what will happen when she is returned to her home?

9. “My whole life I have hoped for redemption. Redemption and grace. I don’t deserve it, but I still hope.” How does Eric’s career path as an adult reflect the enormous impact of his childhood friendship with Grace? To what extent does he seem to have found both redemption and grace in his chosen profession?

10.  Did you enjoy the story? How did you feel upon finishing the book? Would you recommend it to others?

Grace
by Richard Paul Evans

My last review for the Christmas Reading Challenge!

Grace tells the story of a young girl (named Grace) and her struggle to survive in a harsh world that has treated her poorly. She meets Eric, who helps her survive as best he can, and as they get to know each other young love blossoms.

Sounds like a happy story right? I can easily say that Grace – while an enjoyable read – is the most depressing holiday story I’ve come across to date!  I’m not even sure I’d classify it as a holiday story.  Richard Paul Evans is famous for his Christmas novels, so I expected another moving and heartfelt tale that delivered a message about the true meaning of Christmas.  Instead we get a sweet, yet disturbing tale of a pair of young teens growing up in the 60’s.  There is a wonderful Christmas portion of the story, but I don’t know that celebrating Christmas in a story actually makes it a holiday novel?

But just because I wasn’t filled with the holiday spirit upon reading it, does not mean that Grace isn’t a good story.  I very much enjoyed the story, and all the characters in it, and did take away a message about how one person can make a difference, but I also cried pretty hard.

Overall? Grace is a good story with heart, but wouldn’t be one I’d recommend as a happy holiday read.

Since next Friday is Christmas Day and I will be on the road (and away from the computer), I’m pleased to share this special Christmas Friday Freebie with you a week early.

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Richard Paul Evans’ Christmas stories (so much so, that we chose one of his books for our December Book Club Discussion!),  so I was thrilled to learn that he is sharing one of his popular holiday novels as a free audio book!

Here’s a bit about the book:

In four seasons of Christmas – The Advent, The Morning, The Night- Evans presents a stirring introspection of love,faith and parenthood. The First Gift of Christmas is a gift in itself – from one heart to another.

About the Author:

Richard Paul Evans first wrote The Christmas Box as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters and distributed 20 copies to close friends and relatives. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas has since gone on to be a nationwide bestseller among people everywhere of the same heart.

As far as I can tell, The First Gift of Christmas is out of print and not available as a new book anywhere, so be sure to grab your copy while you can!

Download your free mp3 audio copy of The First Gift of Christmas here.

A VERY Merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season!

The Ultimate Gift
by Jim Stovall

I finished this book last weekend. And, while Christmas preparations kept me busy the last few days, that’s not why it’s taken me so long to write this review. It’s that I was disappointed. The librarian who recommended the book to me so was so enthusiastic with her praise. As a result, I expected so much more than I got.

I got teary a few times so the book’s got something. It’s just not a lot. Or rather, I can see exactly how they got a TV movie out of it. It’s the perfect outline for a script. But, as a book, it did – and pardon me for dragging this saying out – too much telling, not enough showing.

In the story, Jason Stevens the spoiled great-nephew of newly deceased billionaire Red Stevens finds out he must complete a year’s worth of tasks in order to collect his inheritance. With each task that he completes, Jason finds his view of the world challenged and his attitude towards those around him changing. Though he’s tempted to give up several times, he keeps pushing so that he can finish the year and receive The Ultimate Gift.

Sounds good, right? The inside flap on the front of the book invites us to, “Join Jason on the Journey of a Lifetime!” More like join the narrator (not Jason, FYI) as he wonders how Jason is doing on the journey of a lifetime but has to wait until Jason returns every month to fill us in on what happened. It’s frustrating, to say the least, that we never actually get to see any of Jason’s journey. The book certainly wouldn’t be as short if the author had fleshed it out and actually followed Jason instead of Red’s lawyer but it would be a lot more interesting.

Like I said, I did tear up over the things Jason learns and I like the overall message of the book. I don’t doubt that Jim Stovall is a good motivational speaker. I suspect his non-fiction books are probably outstanding. That said, I’d think twice about picking up another of his fictions. In fact, there’s a sequel to this book called The Ultimate Life but, since it appears to be told in the same manner as The Ultimate Gift, I think I’ll pass.

I will say this, there are a lot of people who really, really love this book. So, while I’m not ever going to recommend it to anyone, I do think those who were already interested in it reading it should give it a try. It’s a fast read and the overall message is worth remembering. And if you check it out from the library, you always have the option of buying it later if you end up loving it as much as my librarian did.

Battlestar Galactica: The Official Season 4 Companion
by Sharon Gosling

It’s been a looong 8 months since we last saw the crew of Battlestar Galactica, and there’s still another 2 months until Caprica arrives to save us from a world without cylons or Adama’s. If you’re like me, you’ve been missing the drama, intrigue and action that BSG is so adept at providing.  I’m happy to report that Titan Books has released Battlestar Galactica: The Official Season 4 Companion to help bridge the gap between the future (BSG) and the past (Caprica).

The Admiral himself (aka Edward James Olmos) addresses the fans in the foreword – or as he calls it “the final log in the Admiral’s journal”. Here’s one of my favourite quotes from Olmos’ foreword:

“Yes, we gave the show all our heart and soul. Yes, we gave it all our expertise. Everyone who touched it, gave it their ALL! But, the FANS gave us life.” [page 7]

There Must Be Some Way Out of Here – which examines the various aspects of ending something as massive as Battlestar Galactica – follows the Admiral’s opening words. In it, Ronald Moore shares why he felt it was time to bring the series to an end, along with some of the process that went into closing up all those story threads.

“The nature of the idea had a finite limitation to it. You’re setting out to find Earth — at a certain point, you’re going to find it, or you’re not…” [page 8].

To read more about Battlestar Galactica: The Official Season 4 Companion check out my full review over at Ramblings of a TV Whore.

*This book was provided for review by the fantastic Titan Books.

Last Friday I was occupied with family things, which meant I didn’t have a chance to hunt down any treats for you, so this week I wanted to make sure I shared something fun! Since I know we have many Charlaine Harris fans out there, I thought a sneak peek of her newest Harper Connelly novel would be just the thing.

For those of you who are unaware, Charlaine Harris is the author of the very popular Sookie Stackhouse books that spawned the TV series True Blood. Aside from the Southern Vampire series, she also writes several other enjoyable series, one of which features Harper Connelly – a young woman who can hear the dead. There are currently 4 books in the series and you can read the first chapter of the newest volume Grave Secret for free on here on Charlaine’s website.

If you want to know more about the earlier books in the Harper Connelly series, check out my reviews of Grave Sight (book 1), and Grave Surprise (book 2).

The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits
by Les Standiford

“Celebrating Christmas without some reference to A Christmas Carol seems impossible, a remarkable fact given that the book was published more than 150 years ago. Indeed, the resonance of the story has remained so strong through the generations that commentators have referred to Dickens as the man who invented Christmas.”

I first found The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits last year as I was wandering through Barnes and Noble randomly picking titles off shelves. I was intrigued by the title and I skimmed through a few pages. But I already had way too many books in my pile for someone who still had a lot of Christmas shopping left to do. Which is why the Christmas Reading Challenge seemed like the perfect reason to seek it out again.

The book is very interesting but the title is misleading and I found myself disappointed it didn’t spend more time focused on how A Christmas Carol “revived our holiday spirits.” The author certainly convinced me Dickens’s Carol played an important part in the revival but, based on the title of the book, I expected it to have a much more significant role.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. It’s not a light read. The author is from academia and though he notes at the end of the book that he didn’t indeed it as a formal work of scholarship, I think you can take the man out of academia but you can’t take the academia out of the man. So, while he may not have intended it as a work of scholarship, some of the writing is still more formal than informal. That combined with pieces that he was quoting from Dickens and his contemporaries, made some passages of the book a little challenging. I come from an English background and I still found myself reading portions of the book out loud so I could understand the point being made.

Continue reading for more of my thoughts on The Man Who Invented Christmas.

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

Another one for the Christmas Reading Challenge! I’m almost ashamed to admit that I’ve never read this classic before. After being fairly disappointed by the new Disney 3D movie version of A Christmas Carol, I decided it was time to read the book so at least I’d know the real story. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I often have a hard time getting through the classics, but absolutely I adored it!

Charles Dickens is a true wordsmith; his writing flows in such a way that makes it almost lyrical. I won’t go into the story, because I can’t imagine there’s a person out there who hasn’t heard, read or seen it some form or other, but I will say that I regret not reading this wonderful tale earlier, and am eager to read more stories by the fantastic Charles Dickens!

I’ll leave you with a quote from the end of the novel that’s had me smiling all day:

“His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.”

May your heart laugh this holiday season!

The Christmas Box
by Richard Paul Evans

Like Jody, I’m participating in the Christmas Reading Challenge and The Christmas Box marks the first of my three books. Coming in at 125 pages (give or take, depending on your publication version), this is a very quick read and very enjoyable. I wasn’t quite as blown away by it as I expected based on what I’d heard but it’s definitely a heart-warming tale about a parent’s love for his child and taking time to appreciate what you have.

The book opens with a young family exchanging their cramped residence for the mansion of a wealthy widow who desires companionship more than she actually needs the young couple to cook for her. Our narrator, the husband, works long hours making his new business a success. But it doesn’t take long for the family to bond with Mary, the widow, and grow close to her, especially as they share the joys of the holidays. By the story’s end, Mary has taught the young family about the first gift of Christmas and the importance of the season.

Like I said, I really enjoyed this short story. The shortness, however, is exactly why I didn’t find it nearly as touching as I expected. I just didn’t have time to get emotionally connected to these characters so, while I could appreciate the story, I felt almost detached from it. Although I do think parents are more likely to feel the deeper connection I was missing. If I ever have children, I’ll have to read it again and see if my perspective changes.

I have a confession. Until I read more about the book on his site, I believed Richard Paul Evans was sharing a story from his life. His wife’s name is the same as the wife in the story, Keri, as is his daughter’s, Jenna. I can’t remember if that info was in the included little author bio or not but, given the narrator is male and never identifies himself, it felt like Evans was telling the story himself. Especially since there’s a note at the end of the book about the actual statue included in the story. All these things combined gave the story an air of non-fiction.

Not that it changes the effect of the story but I had to admit I felt quite silly when I did a little more research and discovered the truth. Evans did originally write the story as an expression of love for his children and only ever intended it for family and friends. I imagine that’s why he chose those names and, indeed, wanted it to feel like he was the one telling the story. In a way, knowing that gives the book a little extra special meaning.

If you’ve never read The Christmas Box and are looking for a quickly holiday read this season, I suggest you give it a try. Especially if you’re a parent!