2011 Reading Challenges

I took part in a few reading challenges throughout 2011, and for the most part I did pretty well on them. Here are the results for my records and your perusal.

The Contemps

1. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
2. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
3. Freefall by Mindi Scott
4. Girl, Stolen by April Henry
5. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
6. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
7. Trapped by Michael Northrop
8. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
9. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
10. Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy
11. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
12. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
13. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
14. Family by Micol Ostow
15. Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith
16. Pearl by Jo Knowles
17. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
18. Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Didn't quite make it for this one. So close, too! I just had too many other books I was more interested in reading.

2011 YA Historical Fiction Challenge

1. Everlasting by Angie Frazier
2. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
3. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
4. The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
5. The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
6. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
7. Steel by Carrie Vaughn
8. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
9. Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
10. Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
11. Karma by Cathy Ostlere
12. Walk the Wild Road by Nigel Hinton
13. Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
14. Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
15. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
16. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

My goal was to read 10 YA historicals, so I definitely made this one! Through keeping track of these titles I learned that I like reading in the historical genre, but mostly when it's combined with fantasy or something similar; only 6 of these are strictly historical fiction.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

1. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
4. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
5. Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin
6. Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton
7. The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
8. Clarity by Kim Harrington
9. Enclave by Anne Aguirre
10. Possession by Elana Johnson
11. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
12. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
13. Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
14. Karma by Cathy Ostlere
15. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
16. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
17. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
18. Fury by Elizabeth Miles
19. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
20. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
21. Lie by Caroline Bock
22. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
23. Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine
24. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
25. Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
26. Divergent by Veronica Roth
27. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
28. I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
29. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
30. The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
31. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
32. Flyaway by Helen Landalf
33. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Wow, how many great YA debut novels were there last year?! I actually read 49 debuts, but didn't review all of them on the blog. Here's hoping there are just as many great YA debuts in 2012. I know I've already read a few great ones!

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Series: n/a
Review Source: Library

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

My Thoughts:
This book shares a very interesting look at competitive high school singing. There have been a lot of comparisons between this book and the show Glee because of this, but when it comes to the singing aspect, this book has it beat, hands down. This is partially because we get a more realistic look at the competitive nature of these clubs, and partially because we don’t have to deal with Mr. Schuster’s rapping, annoying laugh, and/or bad life choices (ouch! can you tell Season 2 of Glee left me jaded?).

More than the singing, though, this is a story about the friendship and rivalry between two girls. It’s a look at the politics and insecurities of friendship, and what girls will do to each other, especially over a guy. This close look at what friendship is was saddening, but also sweet at times, and it made for a fascinating read.

I absolutely loved the two main characters. They are both people who appear, figuratively, black and white, but of course this is never true in the best stories. Things get murky as the girl you want to support makes questionable decisions, and the supposed queen bitch is vulnerable, more sitting on the sidelines and letting things happen on her behalf, rather than being the big bad instigator like it initially appears. It’s awesome how you end up rooting for both characters despite, and because of, their flaws.

Contemporary romance is where my heart lies, but I liked how the girls were the main stars of this one. There were little glimpses of romance, and there were fights over boys, but this is truly a story about rivalry and friendship, and I totally appreciated it. However, I also appreciated Matt. Most of the nerds in books are quasi-nerds who, you know, maybe read comic books and wear glasses. This is not Matt. Matt is a full on nerd, and I totally hearted him. When I get to read about fanfiction and totally dorky online hobbies in a novel, I am a happy person.

So, overall: a very well written book, a totally cool musical aspect that I haven’t seen in many other places at all, and an intriguing look at what makes people friends -- or rivals.

The Cover:
There's something so pretty about it! Love the piano in the background.

Rating:
[4.5/5]

Find Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

Release Date: July 19, 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288
Series: n/a
Review Source: Library

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.

Melissa Walker has crafted the perfect balance of engrossing, thought-provoking topics and relatable, likable characters. Set against the backdrop of extreme religion, Small Town Sinners is foremost a universal story of first love and finding yourself, and it will stay with readers long after the last page.

My Thoughts:
‘Small Town Sinners’ is an incredibly compelling and touching novel. Melissa Walker offers a very nuanced and non-judgemental examination of religion, belief, and truth. When reading the book I was really touched by Lacey and Ty and their discussions and doubts.

There are a lot of horrifying scenes in the book of what the church is saying through their Hell House. It makes me sad to know these things really happen, because I feel like no matter what you believe you should have respect for people as human beings. Condemning people for their sins in this way seems so opposite of the ‘God is love’ message. These are the types of questions and reactions that ‘Small Town Sinners’ elicits, which I think is fabulous and important.

The book contains a beautifully written and sweet romance and some touching friendships as well. It’s a truthful examination about faith and how questioning is part of being a teen, and even part of being a human being. To me the book is really about searching for answers and truth while knowing that there may not always be an easy answer. ‘Small Town Sinners’ is moving and relevant and I highly recommend it, as it was one of the best contemporaries I’ve read this year.

The Cover:
Beautiful! I love the apple and its symbolism.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Release Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 320
Series: n/a
Review Source: GalleyGrab for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.
Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

My Thoughts:
‘The Day Before’ is a novel written in verse, and it was only the 2nd time I have read a novel in this format. In my previous experience with verse I really loved the rhythm of the story and the way it flowed through the poetry. This time around I actually found the format a bit distracting. Lisa Schroeder’s writing is quite lovely at times, but often I thought it read just like normal prose formatted to look like a poem. I don’t mean to be overly critical, because I did like the writing, I just didn’t think it needed to be written that way. I found both the story and the characters to be interesting, so I wished that I could have read more words to more fully describe them and their situations.

Overall, though, I did enjoy the story being told. It was a bit mysterious at first, and it quickly became equal parts heartbreaking and sweet. One thing I did appreciate was that I could feel Amber’s emotions leaping off the page. I empathized with her and cared for her. I also enjoyed how neither Amber nor Cade’s stories are exactly what they seem at first. It’s not a huge mystery to be unravelled, but is isn’t an obvious story either. I don’t think either story is one which you would guess right away, which is awesome. The concept of ‘The Day Before’ -- having one perfect day before everything changes -- was a cool one. The events of the book also reinforce its message, showing readers that no matter what you plan for, you never know exactly what will happen. Though I don’t seem to be as touched by Lisa Schroeder’s writing as others are I still enjoyed this book, and with its beach setting and sweet romance it would make a perfect summer read.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy

Release Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 272
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
When 15-year-old Enid Calhoun follows her boyfriend Wick to Maryland for a party, fearful that he might be intending to cheat on her, she finds herself sneaking on board a houseboat where Wick and his friends plan to have a wild night. But before the boys discover their stowaway, a hurricane strikes, and the teenagers are carried miles from the shore and shipwrecked. What follows is a harrowing, yet heartwarming, story of survival, as the teens battle hypothermia, dehydration, man-eating sharks--and along the way, confront their own deepest secrets, including their catalytic roles in the disaster.

My Thoughts:
Wow. To say that this book was deeply intense would be an understatement. The thing I like most about it is that it starts off like a typical contemp: a story about a bratty teen girl who is overbearing and undertrusting toward her boyfriend, and then BAM!: the story shifts absolutely suddenly into a scary story of trying to survive in open water. If you picked up this book without reading anything about it, you would never know the story it was going to turn into, and I absolutely love that.

The title of the book is ‘Sharks and Boys’, and that’s really what the book is full of, yet it’s really a story about Enid and her family, as well as her relationship with all the boys in the story. Enid and her twin brother Landon have been part of a ‘twin study’ for years, meaning that their closest friends are three other pairs of twins. One of the other twins, Wick, is Enid’s long-term boyfriend. Enid’s mistrust in Wick is what causes her to sneak aboard the boat that all the boys are on. Madness occurs as a storm sinks their ship, and they have to try and survive aboard a tiny raft.

Kristen Tracy does an amazing job of creating tension and fear as you wonder what fate awaits the eight teenagers adrift in the Atlantic. No one is safe, and the relationship between the raft’s passengers ebbs and flows like the water they are in. Tempers flare, and the mental state of everyone becomes fragile.

If you’re looking for a survival story that’s quite emotionally raw you should definitely pick this one up. My one complaint is that I would have preferred a more detailed ending, but that’s more a personal preference than anything. I still felt like the storyline was complete for the most part, and the powerful emotions and straightforward prose in this one make it absolutely worth picking up.

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Release Date: May 24, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 256
Review Source: eARC from S & S GalleyGrab

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

My Thoughts:
You should know something about me: I love Elizabeth Scott’s books. Like really, seriously love. She is definitely one of my favourite contemporary YA authors, so I was thrilled to be able to read this one early through GalleyGrab. When I started this one I just fell into the story right away with an emotional response. I was so frustrated with the main character, Abby. For the most part she’s not someone whose thoughts it is pleasant to read about. I hated how much Abby hated herself. I just wanted to give her a wake up call. It was so counter-intuitive how all she wanted was her life to be about more than her sister, and yet all she did was compare herself to Tess. It was strange to me that Abby would be so blinded that she would idolize Tess and put her up on a pedestal when Tess was clearly a very troubled person who treated a lot of people badly.

It’s clear that frustration was what I felt as I read this book. The self-deprecation that Abby always shared openly was painful to read about. She always assumed the worst and interrupted people in order to put herself down. This was insanely hard to get through, but thankfully Abby (very slowly) begins to see herself in a different light. Eli is a character who helps Abby see that she’s worth something, and that she’s separate from her sister, in a positive way. Eli was completely precious. His life was not without its own hardships -- in fact, it was pretty tough, but this helps Abby to see that what others see as perfection (as she views both Eli and her sister) isn’t always so.

This was a bit of a tough read, but well worth getting through. I so appreciate how Elizabeth Scott can write practically every type of book out there and do it well. If you’re looking for an emotional story about family, loss, and acceptance, I definitely suggest you pick this one up. My joy at reading Elizabeth's lovely prose far outweighs the frustration I felt with Abby.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Release Date: January 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 224
Review Source: Library

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision....

My Thoughts:
‘Trapped’ was a book that I just didn’t want to put down. The situation that the teens in this book find themselves in is absolutely intense. Having started winter off with my entire city and its surrounding area being shut down by close to seven feet of snow I could totally understand the type of snow that was described within the pages of ‘Trapped’. My personal experience with being snowed in helped me get a picture in my mind, but I think even someone in the warmest climate would shiver at the descriptions of the terrible storm within these pages.

Michael Northrop does an amazing job of creating an increasing sense of panic and being trapped, and the incredible book design helps encourage this feeling. The book’s first chapter begins with a double page spread of falling snow and only the bottom covered with white. As each chapter continues on, the level of snow on the page grows higher and higher. I was surprised at how claustrophobic it felt to get to the point of the book where no image of sky remained. The combination of the book’s design and the pace of the writing create a brilliant tale of survival and fear of the unknown.

This book featured fairly strong male characters, and the relationships in the book played out quite interestingly. Northrop created the perfect cast of characters for this story, and they were all interesting and likeable in one way or another. The one weakness of this book, and the reason I couldn’t rate it a 4, is the ending. As a reader I felt cheated. Without getting completely spoilery, I thought it was completely unfair to have gone on this intense survival journey with these characters and then not find out what happened to them. Yes, there is a hint of closure, and you could imagine what happened to the characters, but I don’t want to have to guess the ending. I absolutely would have preferred a concrete ending to the story, whether it was joyous or horrifying. Still, I’m glad I read this book. It was completely engaging, and it is the perfect read to pick up on a cold, wintry day.

Rating:


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Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Release Date: December 1, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Review Source: Library

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

My Thoughts:
I found this to be a charming contemporary novel which centres around Delilah Hannaford and her screwed up family. The book is really about the harm that can come from keeping secrets and the mixed up feelings that can occur from not knowing the truth. It was nice to read a book which centred around a family of three women, while also featuring a cute romantic subplot.

Delilah was an interesting character. I could relate to her on some levels, but I never fully connected with her. Delilah was so scared of being alone that she was scared of feeling anything real. However, I didn’t always think her reasons for feeling like this were justified; you almost had to look below the surface and try and imagine why she felt the way she did, and because of this, I thought she overreacted to situations a lot. However, everyone is different, and I still liked Delilah and felt for her.

Honestly, Delilah and Patrick are such a cute couple. I loved reading about them, up until the end. My biggest pet peeve in love stories is the big miscommunication that causes a couple to fight/break up, when really the whole scene could have been easily avoided, and unfortunately that’s what happened here. I can understand Delilah running scared, but the fact that Patrick ignored her back felt really strange. That whole part of the story was a bit overdramatic, with both of them acting really childishly.

Despite my minor qualms with the drama in the romantic subplot, I would definitely recommend this book, even if I didn’t like it as much as ‘Twenty Boy Summer’ (which I adored!). ‘Fixing Delilah’ is a strong contemporary offering about families, and I think fans of Sarah Dessen would really enjoy Sarah Ockler’s writing style.

Rating:


Find Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca