Summer 2011 Reading List

I love summer, reading and making lists so this is what happens when I combine my two lists!

Here's my summer reading list for 2010 I didn't get very far but I'm going to update it with a few comments below


Classics Reading List

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot (I downloaded this book on my Ereader but I rarely use my Ereader. I continued reading this book on my Spring break road trip with my family but I haven't picked it up [or my Ereader] since. I think this would be the biggest achievement of my summer if I could finish this book)

2. Kindred by Octavia Butler (I own this book now so no excuses!)

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen (Oddly enough this is the Jane Austen book I laughed the most at, I would have thought that honor would go to Pride & Prejudice but no....and I didn't properly review it haha)

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Read for school, I don't absolutely LOVE it but it's my 2nd favorite book we read, next to The Importance of Being Earnest)

8. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (currently reading and it is VERY SLOW GOING. Don't expect a review anytime soon. Although I am bringing it to Guatemala so maybe....)

9. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (I want to read this next so badly)

10. The Living is Easy by Dorothy West

Adult Fiction

1. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
2. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
3. Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice
4. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
5. Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant
6. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Book 1 in Easy Rawllins series)
7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
8. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
9. Feminista by Erica Kennedy (plan to read next)
10. Bloody Waters by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera (Book 1 in Lupe Solano Mystery series)

Off Color (To reiterate: These books will not be reviewed here. I may review them on Goodreads)

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (We own this book so I have no excuse not to read it sometime) 2. Graceling by Kirsten Cashore
3. Rampant (Killer Unicorns #1) by Diana Peterfreund
4. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
5. The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson
6. The Daykeeper's Grimoire (Prophecy of Days #1) by Christy Raedeke
7. Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker
8. The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire (anthology), edited by Trisha Telep (Read never reviewed on Goodreads, one day....)
9. White Cat by Holly Black
10. Levithian by Scott Westerfield

2011 Summer Reading List (this is not school-required)

Classics

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot (MUST FINISH)

2. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

3. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

4. Kindred by Octavia Butler

5. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

7. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

8. The Richer, The Poorer by Dorothy West

9. Quicksand by Nella Larsen

10. Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset

Adult Fiction

1. Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min (Madame Mao absolutely fascinates me)

2. Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

3. Under Fishbone Clouds by Sam Meeking

4. Half of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (taking on the trip to Guatemala)

5. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

6. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

7. Drown by Junot Diaz (taking on the trip to Guatemala)

8. Onaedo-The Blacksmith's Daughter by Ngozi Achebe

9. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafoar

10. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

No-poc Main character (This summer has been dubbed my Summer of YA Contemporary. Thus all the books are contemporary so as much as I love recs if it's YA historical mystery or something it's not going to be added but it will stay in my mind)

1. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

2. Violet on The Runway by Melissa Walker

3. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (Lived up to the hype but didn't WOW me, fun read)

4. Anna And the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart

6. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

7. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (ok so this is half historical fiction and half contemporary I think so I'll add an extra contemporary book to make up for it :)

8. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

9. Papertowns by John Green

10. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

11. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

So what do you think of the books on my list? I'm ready for a summer of fun reading mixed in with some deep reading!

*I will be out of town with no Internet access from June 10-20. If it's urgent you're out of luck haha. But I will respond to all emails/comments/Tweets as soon as I can upon my return.

School Reading List 2010-2011

I forgot to check my mailbox this week so I'm not sure what new books I got. I apologize if you sent me something last week and I still haven't thanked you yet!

I didn't want to not post today so I thought I would share a bit about what I'm reading for school. I'm curious if people want some school updates? Nothing too long, just what we are reading and whether I liked the book or not. Or something like that. Let me know in the comments (if there are no comments I'll assume that means no one cares about my school life, which I completely understand. Hearing about school is depressing).

Social Studies Reading



How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer

Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It's a perfect window into the crosscurrents of today's world, with all its joys and sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide-ranging work of reportage, Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between. How Soccer Explains the World is an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.

-Did this book explain the world? Was it utterly fascinating? Yes. I know how to play soccer but I don't watch it, I just hop on the bandwagon when the World Cup comes along. This book provided a great look at the world of soccer (it's not the best book to use as an introduction to the soccer world because at times I was a bit lost). We had to read a book over the summer for my Comparative Government class (which was a first. My school never assigns summer reading) and the choices included this book, The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria or Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni. Obviously I picked this book and while it wasn't my original choice (Lipstick Jihad was checked out of my library at the time), I'm very glad I read it.


Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni

Azadeh Moaveni was born in Palo Alto, California, into the lap of an Iranian diaspora community longing for an Iran many thousands of miles away. As far back as she can remember she felt at odds with her tangled identity. College magnified the clash between Iran and America, and after graduating, she moved to Tehran as a journalist. Immediately, Azadeh's exile fantasies dissolved.

Azadeh finds a country that is culturally confused, politically deadlocked, and emotionally anguished. In order to unlock the fundamental mystery of Iran-how nothing perceptibly alters, but everything changes--she must delve deep into Tehran's edgy underground. Lipstick Jihad is a rare portrait of Tehran, populated by a cast of young people whose exuberance and despair bring the modern reality of Iran to vivid life. Azadeh also reveals her private struggle to build a life in a dark country--the struggle of a young woman of the diaspora, searching for a homeland that may not exist.

-I have a friend who doesn't like to read much (at least I don't think she does. I don't know, we never talk about books but I digress) but she really really liked this book. My teacher has talked about it a bit and I think it sounds like a great read. The first country we are studying is Iran and since I don't know much about Iran's history, I figured I would start reading this book while we study Iran. I'm heading to go get it today. Plus I'm eager to learn about youth culture in Iran, specifically the underground movement.

English Reading

Junior year is British literature. I'm not particularly pleased about that (dead white male authors), but I will try and have an open mind (based on the syllabus we received the only book we read by a white female is Daughter of Time by Josephine Fey. There are no authors of color on the list, even though our teacher told us that Brit Lit includes literature from former British colonies like Jamaica, India, etc. For the record my English teacher is not white, but is a male.)We are starting off reading The Book of Lost Things.



The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

Taking readers on a vivid journey through the loss of innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

-This was a surprise read. I had never heard of this book and I didn't think we read modern literature (published in 2007). We are currently reading it and it's very good. Very creepy, but I love the twisted fairy tale setting. I can't wait to finish this book (I usually read ahead in school reading but I don't have much time to do that this year) because I have a feeling the ending will be good.

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Translated by Seamus Heaney)

Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the classic Northern epic of a hero's triumphs as a young warrior and his fated death as a defender of his people. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on, physically and psychically exposed in the exhausted aftermath.

-We read this next. I.DO.NOT.WANT.TO.READ.THIS. It sounds boring, the movie looks too long to watch and it had to be translated from Old English to modern English. UGH. I need someone to tell me that I will not despise this book.

The rest of our list consists of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens.

I would love recommendations of British literature that is not by white males (Helen Oyemi comes to mind). I can't read it now, but maybe for the summer.

So has anyone read these books? If so, what did you think of them?

New Crayons, Cool Link & Summer Reading List Update

New Crayons is hosted by Color Online

In this meme we talk about what books we got this week, from the library, bookstores, giveaways, gifts, etc. Crayons being an unique metaphor for multicultural literature.

But first it's time for you to primp yourself! Why? Because you need to get caught reading a book by an Author of Color! This is being sponsored by Amy Bowllan and her goal is to get 100 pictures sent in by September. Let's send in more than that, I might even said in my own :) Please go check out the post and then email Amy your picture.

Won

Other by Karen Kincy

Gwen Williams is like any other modern teenager with one exception: she's a shapeshifter. Never having known her Pooka-spirit father, Gwen must struggle with the wild, wonderful magic inside of her alone—and in secret. While society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in Klikamuks, Washington, who don't care for her kind.

Now there's a new werewolf pack in town, and Others are getting killed, including Gwen's dryad friend. The police are doing zilch. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen meets a cute Japanese fox spirit who's refreshingly comfortable with his Otherness. Can Gwen find the courage to embrace her true self and find the killer-before she becomes the next victim?

-I won this book from YABC (Young Adult Books Central), thank you so much! Why am I reading it? April's review 'cute Japanese fox spirit'

And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman

Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.

Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.

And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.

As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

And Then I Found Out the Truth by Jennifer Sturman

This is a sequel to And Then Everything Unraveled so I won't be sharing the summary (in order to not spoil the ending for myself and my readers).

-Won from MarjoleinBookBlog. Thanks so much! I think the main character is half Chinese, I'm in the mood for a good mystery and many bloggers I respect have really liked this book. Yay :)

What new books did you get this week? Any PoC ones?

Summer Reading Update

Classics Reading List

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot (I am still currently reading this except I had to turn it in at the library. So I technically haven't read this book in quite some time. I keep it up on Goodreads so that I can remember what page I was on. There's a 99% chance I won't get to read this book till next summer)

2. Kindred by Octavia Butler (my library doesn't have this book so I'm going to have to ask them to order it)

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen (currently reading, enjoyable so far. I like the humor)

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

8. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

9. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (I want to read this next so badly)

10. The Living is Easy by Dorothy West (I really liked this novel along with The Wedding, Dorothy West is an excellent writer and I intend on reading her one other book, The Richer, The Poorer)

Adult Fiction

1. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

2. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

3. Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

4. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

5. Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

6. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Book 1 in Easy Rawllins series)

7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

8. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan

9. Feminista by Erica Kennedy (plan to read next)

10. Bloody Waters by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera (Book 1 in Lupe Solano Mystery series)

Off Color (To reiterate: These books will not be reviewed here. I may review them on Goodreads)

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (plan to read next)

2. Graceling by Kirsten Cashore

3. Rampant (Killer Unicorns #1) by Diana Peterfreund

4. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

5. The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson

6. The Daykeeper's Grimoire (Prophecy of Days #1) by Christy Raedeke

7. Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

8. The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire (anthology), edited by Trisha Telep

9. White Cat by Holly Black

10. Levithian by Scott Westerfield

So obviously I didn't do so hot with my list. Oh well, better to aim high from the get-go. I'm going to use this list as a reference point throughout the school year and hopefully I will have time to finish all these books before next summer so that I can create a new summer reading list.

Blogaversary Giveaway #3, Winners, Update

I'm baaaaaaaaacccccckkkkkkk =) I had a blast (I visited Brown University). I didn't get a chance to check my mailbox
so I'm not sure what I got, but I'm excited to check on Monday.

The winners of the POC on Covers/Whitewashing giveaway are...

Katie PB! (Magic Under Glass)
Diana Dang! (Liar)
Niranjana Iyer! (Silver Phoenix)
Vidisha! (His Own Where)

Congrats to all winners and thank you to all those who entered! Of course I realized for the Whitewashing giveaway that I forgot to include a space for your email address. So winners of that giveaway please email me within 48 hours, but since I messed up I will allow you an extra day for 36 hours, but 48 is ideal.

If you didn't win, cheer up, I have another giveaway! Author Lyn Miller Lachmann has kindly offered a signed copy of Gringolandia. It's U.S. only My REreview of Gringolandia My original review

To enter: Must be a U.S. follower. Fill out THIS form Ends: July 24, 2010 11:59 CT

I was pleased to see that most people who entered my giveaways so far are old followers. I'm not throwing these giveaways to get more followers, I want to thank my followers, the people who have been with me and supported me for quite some time. Besides, if you only follow me for giveaways, you may want to unfollow me now because after July ends, giveaways will be over for awhile (unless an author offers to mail out the book) due to my lack of a steady income.

I also want to share my Summer reading list updates.

Classics Reading List

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot (currently reading, longer than I expected!)

2. Kindred by Octavia Butler

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen (I want to read this by August)

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

8. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

9. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (I want to read this next)

10. The Living is Easy by Dorothy West (I want to read this next along with The Wedding)

Adult Fiction

1. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

2. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

3. Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

4. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

5. Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

6. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Book 1 in Easy Rawllins series)-currentyl reading

7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

8. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan

9. Feminista by Erica Kennedy

10. Bloody Waters by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera (Book 1 in Lupe Solano Mystery series)

Off Color (To reiterate: These books will not be reviewed here. I may review them on Goodreads)

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (plan to read next)

2. Graceling by Kirsten Cashore

3. Rampant (Killer Unicorns #1) by Diana Peterfreund

4. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

5. The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson

6. The Daykeeper's Grimoire (Prophecy of Days #1) by Christy Raedeke

7. Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

8. The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire (anthology), edited by Trisha Telep

9. White Cat by Holly Black

10. Levithian by Scott Westerfield

As you can I'm not doing so well. Ideally I want to read every book I have listed, but I'll settle for reading all the books on my adult fiction list and half on the classics list.

Check out this fun link, it lists 50 novels to read when you need a good laugh. I haven't read any books on the list but I do intend on reading many of them. I would also add Catcher in the Rye to the list and a host of other YA books. What would you add? Leave a comment here or at that post.

New Crayons, Awards, Summer Reading Lists

I received the Sunshine Award from Donna at Bites, Helen at Helen's Book Blog and Katy at A Few More Pages. Thank you so much! This award is given to bloggers who inspire others and show creativity. You must pass it on to 12 bloggers.

I pass this award to... (random order)

1. Christina at Reading Extensively
2. Pam at Bookalicio.us
3. Steph at Steph Su Reads
4. Steph at Hey! Teenager of the Year
5. Kristi at the Story Siren
6. Terri at Brown Girl Book Speak
7. Akilah at The Englishist
8. Monica at the Bibliophilic Book Blog
9. Laura at Bib-Laura-Graphy
10. Maggie at Bilbiophilia-Maggie's Bookshelf
11. April at Good Books and Good Wine
12. Heather at the Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Thank you bloggers for continuing to inspire and amaze us!

New Crayons was created and is hosted by Color Online. In this meme I share what new books I got this week.

I also want to share my summer reading lists. I'm not including any YA/MG POC because you can just find those titles in my TBR list on Goodreads. I want to share my reading lists of the classics I want to read, some off color books (to catch up on titles that I won't review on my blog but that I want to read) and the adult fiction POC titles that I may or may not do mini reviews of. These are not complete lists, I just picked my top 10 in a random order. I'm also going to be reading books about current events and politics but I don't feel like listing those.

Classics Reading List

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot

2. Kindred by Octavia Butler

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

8. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

9. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

10. The Living is Easy by Dorthoy West

Adult Fiction

1. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

2. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

3. Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

4. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

5. Sleeping in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

6. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Book 1 in Easy Rawllins series)

7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

8. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan

9. Feminista by Erica Kennedy

10. Bloody Waters by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera (Book 1 in Lupe Solano Mystery series)

Off Color (To reiterate: These books will not be reviwed here. I may review them on Goodreads)

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

2. Graceling by Kirsten Cashore

3. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

4. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

5. The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson

6. The Daykeeper's Grimoire (Prophecy of Days #1) by Christy Raedeke

7. Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

8. The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire (anthology), edited by Trisha Telep

9. White Cat by Holly Black

10. Levithian by Scott Westerfield

Received for Review

Middleworld: The Jaguar Stones Book 1 by J&P Voelkel

Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in the tiny Central American country of San Xavier. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart.

Upon his arrival, Max's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier begins. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies, and even human sacrifice!

-This sounds like an adventurous and fun read. I'm curious to learn more about Mayan culture. Received from the publicist. Thank you! Summary from Amazon.com

Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader

Marina is mean. Sachi is nice. Marina is Barney's. Sachi is Burlington Coat Factory. It's bad enough that they have to coexist in video class—but now they're being forced to work together on the big semester project. Marina's goal? Expose her wanna-be BFF as a fashion wanna-be to the entire middle school. Sachi's goal? Prove that she's not just another honor-roll Indian student and get people talking. Work together in harmony? Yeah, that would be no. How can Sachi film something meaningful, and Marina, something fabulous, if they're yoked to each other?

Summary from the author's website I WoWd this. I'm also participating in a blog tour celebrating the release of the book =) Thank you Jessica!

From Doret (we traded)

Efrain's Secret by Sofia Quintero

Ambitious high school senior Efrain Rodriguez dreams of escaping the South Bronx for an Ivy League college like Harvard or Yale. But how is his family going to afford to pay for a prestigious university when Moms has to work insane hours to put food on the table as it is? And Efrain wouldn’t dare ask that good-for-nothing father of his who has traded his family in for younger models. Left with few options, Efrain chooses to do something he never thought he would. He embarks on a double life—honor student by day, drug peddler at night—convinced that by temporarily capitulating to society’s negative expectations of a boy like him, he can eventually defy them.

-I finished this book last night. I'm exhausted not only from a long day but from this book. It was awesome, it had a little bit of everything. Review tomorrow :) Summary from Amazon.com

So what POC books did you get this week?