Title: T4: A Novel

Author: Ann Clare LeZotte

Pages: 105

Summary: It is 1939. Paula Becker, thirteen years old and deaf, lives with her family in a rural German town. As rumors swirl of disabled children quietly disappearing, a priest comes to her family's door with an offer to shield Paula from an uncertain fate. When the sanctuary he offers is fleeting, Paula needs to call upon all her strength to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.


My Rating: 7.5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: Oddly, what I liked about the novel, is also what I disliked. For starters, the story is told through poetry of a young adult, and her experience during WWII when T4 was in effect and persons with disabilities were targeted. The story is about her journey to avoid capture, and the story told through poetry is powerful and captivating. Some of the passages were very powerful and emotional. At the same time, I wish this was used in combination with an actual story, sometimes I felt that I needed more information, in what was going on, I wanted to dig deeper into the mind of the girl and others around here and in the story, and the poetry just didn’t reach that point for me. Still worth reading, but I wanted more than what I got. Although this could also be the intention of the author, maybe she intended to give ups just enough to want to learn more about this horrid aspect during the war, that she’d hope readers would do their own research. Hmmm.

Would I recommend it to read: For sure. It’s a great book, powerful and emotional. The author is talented and brings up a haunting past most wish to forget or have never learned or known about before.

What to read next: I'm not sure on this one, I'd say the Diary of Anne Frank would be a good start, maybe read some non-fiction books on the events during T4, to learn more about it. But other than that, I'm unsure what would be a good companion read to this book.


Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge, WWII Challenge, YA Challenge,

Title: The Good Doctor

Author: Damon Galgut

Pages: 215

Summary: A taut, intense tale of the dashed hopes of the post-apartheid era and the small betrayals that doom a friendship, The Good Doctor is an extraordinary parable of the corruption of the flesh and spirit. It assures Damon Galgut's place as a major international talent. When Laurence Waters arrives at his new post at a deserted rural hospital, staff physician Frank Eloff is instantly suspicious. Laurence is everything Frank is not - young, optimistic, and full of big ideas. The whole town is beset with new arrivals and the return of old faces. Frank reestablishes a liaison with a woman, one which will have unexpected consequences. A self-made dictator from apartheid days is rumored to be active in cross-border smuggling and a group of soldiers has moved in to track him, led by a man from Frank's own dark past. Laurence sees only possibilities - but in a world where the past is demanding restitution from the present, his ill-starred idealism cannot last

My Rating: 4/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: The book had an interesting premise, so when I accidentally came across it in the library I thought I’d give it a try. I started it and gave up for a while, before restarting it and then reading it during the read-a-thon. And I ended up really disliking it. First of all not what I’d expected, I thought it would be more of an out look on doctors helping in an African community after a tyrant down fall. Instead I got a self loathing Doctor in an empty hospital full of people who don’t care about anything or anyone and especially don’t care that they’re aren’t actually helping anyone.

The a new doctor appears and he actually wants to help people, and people look at him as if he’s insane. He wants to make a difference, and people look at him if he’s insane, doubt him and tell him to give up and not bother, because hey who cares if you help immunize one community, or help a small group of people, it won’t save the world, so lets not bother, instead lets sit on our ass and complain about how no one is a good person, no one can make a different, and bitch about a cheating wife who years ago left the one doctor for his friend.

That sums up about three quarters of the story. The other quarter contains a love affair between self loathing doctor and a local native with abusive husband who’s part of a rebel group who dislike the government, a town slowly filling up with soldiers who got word about rebel group but do little to do anything about it, instead they all just hang out in a bar. Score one for them! The there’s the thief in the hospital who works there and is part of the rebel group (gee didn’t see that coming) but he has had a hard life, so it’s okat according to the head of the almost empty hospital who is limited on resources to start with and any patient in need of actual care has to be transported hours in a make shift ambulance just to receive care, but because the ass hat who is stealing has had a hard life in the past, it’s okay for him to take advantage of the hospital meant for those who can’t get to the real hospital. Have I lost you yet?

Good doctor finally is able to convince the idiots at the hospital who rather sit on their asses all day and drown in self pity, hatred and loathing (and complain all the supplies keep going missing, yet they know who is doing it, but won’t actually do anything to prevent it because what does it matter, no one cares! SIGH!) Okay so the good doctors starts with community visits to talk about health related stuff, offers some medical check ups and he actually does something, but that lasts for maybe three pages, because instead we need to hear the narrator whine and bitch about why in the world would any one (referring to the good doctor) would want to do that. The ending also sucked because it basically went in full circle back to the beginning. Nothing was accomplished, nothing happened, no lessons learned. Nothing. AGH!

Would I recommend it to read: No, no I wouldn’t, I kept reading the book in hopes it would get better it didn’t. This is one of the books where you hope some freak hurricane takes them all out and ends the story. All the story is, is this doctor who hates him self so much, he doesn’t understand why others around him aren’t the same way, or why someone might want to help out in a community. (Why a doctor, who doesn’t give a rats ass about helping, ends up in an African village hospital is part of his “deep character” as he does it to escape a “Dark” past. But the dark past isn’t anything worth while for him to need to escape.)

What to read next: I'm not sure I really didn't like the book much, so it's hard to pinpoint what would be good to read next. There's a book on my shelf that may be a good choice to read after this, The Piano Turner but I'm not sure how close the two would be related, but haven't read it yet.

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge

Title: Good Bones

Author: Margaret Atwood

Pages: 117

Summary: In GOOD BONES, first published in 1992, Margaret Atwood has fashioned an enthralling collection of parable, monologue, mini-romance and mini-biography, speculative fiction, prose lyric, outrageous recipie and reconfigured fairy tale, demonstrating yet again the play of unerring wit overseen by a panoramic intelligence.
Short Stories included with the collection:

Bad News
The Little Red Hen Tells All
Gertrude Talks Back
There Was Once
Unpopular Gals
Let Us Now Praise Stupid Women
The Female Body
In Love With Raymond Chandler
Stump Hunting
Making a Man
Epaulettes
Cold-Blooded
Men at Sea
Alien Territory
Adventure Story
Hard Ball
My Life as a Bat
Theology
An Angel
Poppies: Three Variations
Homelanding
Third Handed
Death Scenes
Four Small Paragraphs
We Want it All
Dance of the Lepers
Good Bones

My Rating: 8.5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: Another read-a-thon read, this was a wonderful collection of short stories, and essays, a lot of which examines the feminine psyche as well as some social commentary and observations in the world but done so in an energetic and humours way. Atwood is able to get her point out, but she uses wit and humour and her awesome story telling ability to engage the reader into her stories, and ensures you’ll never be bored.

This was one of the first short story collections where I’ve enjoyed almost all of the short stories in the book. There were a few I didn’t like as much, but most of them were great reads, which were humours, but also made some excellent observations on how society perceives things and thinks. Some of my favourites were: The Little Red Hen Tells All, There Once Was, Unpopular Girls, The Female Body, Stump Hunting (which is sure to make me laugh), Making a Man, My Life as a Bat.

Overall a wonderful collection, well worth reading and makes you want to investigate more short story collections by Atwood.

Would I recommend it to read: Yes I would, it was such an enjoyable collection, and Margaret Atwood is a very talented author, this book really shows how talented she is, because it’s able to show a wide spectrum of her work, but done so in very short pieces, so there’s a lot of variety and if there is a story you don’t enjoy, it’s short and you can ove on to the next quickly. Definitely worth checking out.

What to read next: More by Margaret Atwood, and you may want to check out Alice Munro, who also is a good short story teller (and both are Canadian :))

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 3rd Canadian Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge, RYOB Challenge

Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe

Author: C.S. Lewis

Pages: 206

Summary: When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them. It all begins one rainy summer day when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a room with an old wardrobe in the corner, Lucy immediately opens the door and gets inside. To her amazement, she suddenly finds herself standing in the clearing of a wood on a winter after-noon, with snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy has found Narnia, a magical land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals -- and the beautiful but evil White Witch, who has held the country in eternal winter for a hundred years.

My Rating: 6.5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: This is one of the cases where the movie is far better then the book. Although it’s my favourite book of the series so far (including some of the ones after it), it’s still not that great. First of all the battle scene is very anti-climatic and dull. I don’t need to have a detailed description of blood guts, and slaughter, but I’d have liked a better idea of what was happening then what the reader gets.
Also, again with the lack of detailed descriptions of this magical world, I get the idea of leaving it up to the reader’s imagination, but at least give us something to work with! The only real descriptions are of the crowns.
One major thing I dislike about the book, and it’s a constant theme in the series is the anti-women elements. Mainly implying women are weak, and shouldn’t be fighting. It’s even stated at one point when Susan gets her bow, it shouldn’t be used for war/fighting unless it’s a last resort because women shouldn’t be there. WTF? Throughout the book there are a lot of things that symbolize women are weak, sinful, etc. And it really bugged me.
What I did like about the book, it’s a better story of the Narnia series where the reader is able to get a better idea what Narnia is, what it’s about, sort of how the magic works, and a very different fantasy world is shown then what we see nowadays. But it’s still missing a lot of elements and it’s a very different book then what I thought it was. I prefer the movie. The newer movies by Disney have done a fantastic job at making Narnia come alive.


Would I recommend it to read: This is the best book of the four I’ve read in the series so far. It gives you a lot more information on how Narnia works and the magic behind it. So I’d say yes. You could even read this book as a stand alone novel if you wish to. You don’t need to read the first to understand this. Although you need to read this one to understand Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the last two books (I think The Horse and His Boy could also be read as a stand alone or skipped all together).

What to read next: The Horse and his Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle (the other five books listed in Chronological order).

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge, YA Challenge

Title: The Magician's Nephew

Author: C.S. Lewis

Pages: 202

Summary: When Polly vanishes after Uncle Andrew's horrid trick, Digory has no choice but to follow her. Touching the magic rings takes the children into a wood where mysterious pools lead to countless other worlds. Their adventure opens up the doorway to Narnia -- a new and magical land where animals learn to speak and where trees are able to walk. But Narnia is under threat from the evil Queen, and Digory and Polly have to find the magical fruit that alone can save it.

My Rating: 6/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: I’ve read or have had some of the Narnia books to me as a child, but I don’t remember which ones, or much of the story. The only thing I have to base any Narnia knowledge on is the movies. So during the Read-a-thon, I decided to jump into the Narnia books, and started where Narnia started. And I was very disappointed. The books don’t have that magic to them I thought they did or remembered them to have. The characters were bland and boring, there was little description of Narnia and for a fantasy novel. I understand it’s for a younger audience, so the author didn’t go to in-depth in describing the setting or certain scenes, but this goes beyond the point in trying to keep the attention span of children.
Overall, boring and not a very strong introduction to keep a reader’s attention in the series I enjoy the idea behind the story and series, but not a fan of how it’s executed.


Would I recommend it to read: For children yes, I’d say some of this would be good for the 7 - 9 range reading with family kind of thing, because it’s a good book that might help get reluctant children to read (I mean what child doesn’t like an all powerful - talking lion. (Although in later books, he seems to be slightly cruel).

What to read next: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and his Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle (the other six books listed in Chronological order).

Challenges: 1st in Series Challenge, 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge,
YA Challenge

Title: Under This Unbroken Sky

Author: Shandi Mitchell

Pages: 352

Summary: Spring 1938. After nearly two years in prison for the crime of stealing his own grain, Ukrainian immigrant Teodor Mykolayenko is a free man. While he was gone, his wife, Maria; their five children; and his sister, Anna, struggled to survive on the harsh northern Canadian prairie, but now Teodor—a man who has overcome drought, starvation, and Stalin's purges—is determined to make a better life for them. As he tirelessly clears the untamed land, Teodor begins to heal himself and his children. But the family's hopes and newfound happiness are short-lived. Anna's rogue husband, the arrogant and scheming Stefan, unexpectedly returns, stirring up rancor and discord that will end in violence and tragedy.
My Rating: 7.5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: The writing style of Shandi Mitchell is lovely, a elegant poetic style, that slides off the pages. The descriptions were written like passages of poetry reminding me a lot of Fugitive Pieces. Although I can definitely see some being turned off by this style of writing.
The story it’s self was good, but not great. It hit the nail on immigrant families trying to survive in Canada, the life of poverty and living day to day, as well as a family dynamic when tragedy hits, but at times I found it to be boring and repetitive and very depressing. I liked the “depressing” themes, because what this family goes through is hardship after hardship, but I wish it was executed in a different way, to prevent some of the respective aspects of it, still a good read, but different then what I was expecting, but I see a lot of talent from this author, and hope more novels by her.

Would I recommend it to read: I would recommend the book, but to select readers, because of the depressing tone, I think some may be turned off the story, it’s good to read about the struggles the family went through, but it’s not a very uplifting book, and I think there would be a few who would find the writing style choppy.

What to read next: Fugitive Pieces by Ann Michaels, because at times the poetic writing style reminds me of it.

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, 2010 Countdown Challenge, A - Z Challenge,
Fall Into Reading Challenge

Total Time Spent Reading: 18.5 - 19 hours
Total Time Spent Blogging/Other:  2.5 hours

There's about 30 minutes I'm unsure of, near the end began to get very sleepy and fuzzy. 

Total Pages Read: 1476

Total Books Read:

6 Books Completed

• The Magicians Nephew - C.S. Lewis
• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
• Good Bones (collection of Short Stories) - Margaret Atwood
  
• The Good Doctor (I had started this before the readathon, but read the last 159 pages of it)
• T4
• The Horse and His Boy

 Four Short Stories

• Soulmates - Marian Keyes
• De-Stressors - Joan O'Neill
• The Twenty-Eighth Day - Catherine Barry
• Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods - Cathy Kelly
  

Parts of the Following

• Crown of Swords (Wheel of Time Book 7) - Robert Jordan (Aprox 190 pages)
• The Prince of Caspian -C.S. Lewis (Aprox 66 Pages)
• Jacobs Room - Virgina Woolf (Aprox 28 pages)
  

Total Blogs Visited: 7 which I commented on, but I stopped by and visited a few others too, but I forgot to write everything down near the end. So I plan on stopping by today.


Jenn's Bookshelves
Peeking Between the Pages
Bibliofreak
The Zen Leaf
Books, Movies and Chinese Food
A Stripped Arm Chair
S. Krishna's Books

Blogs I found While Doing it:
 Ticket to Anywhere
My Books, My Life
She Reads
Book Lists Life

I didn't do much socializing, so I'm going to lurk around today for some new blogs, to read.


Cups of Coffee Consumed:
5 (although in theory each "cup" actually holds two cups of coffee, so yeah)

And finally Wrap-Up Questions


1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

The last hour I was awake 4 - 5. It's the reason why I didn't stay up for the for 24 hours, because I was so tired I kept reading the same page over and over.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Irish Girls About Town  is a collection of short stories, I didn't get far into it, but they are light, and funny so it's a good choice to read later at night. Easy to follow, chick-litish related. (Although some are more "Women's Lit"

The Chornicles of Narnia Books are also good choice. Although I'm finding I'm just not a big fan of them, they're very easy to follow, big font in most editions and you can read a bunch of them in a short period of time.




3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Provide us caffine IV Hooks-Ups, or cattle prods to make me stay awake the full 24 hours? Haha.





4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The Cheerleaders were great! I was busy reading, so I never did see what the mini-challenges were like this year, but I saw glimpses of them and they look interesting and creative. 






5. How many books did you read?
See wrap-up above

6. What were the names of the books you read?
See Wrap Up Above


7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Good Bones - Margaret Atwood

8. Which did you enjoy least?
The Good Doctor, The Horse and His Boy

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Wasn't a cheerleader, but again, you guys rocked!

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
100% Likely! It gives me an exscuse to read all day! And of course, a reader! Just Keep Reading, Just Keep Reading!

Book Reviews Should be up shortly - within the week. I have one from before the read-a-thon to catch up on.

Getting soo sleepy, I can't concentrate on one book for two long, and reading is slowing down. I want to make it to 8 am, I really do. Whether or not I actually will remains the question, stay tuned. Back to reading. Read bit from Jacob's room two short stories, going to try and finish a narnia book. Font is big. So less straning my poor eyes. 4.5 hours to go.... I can do it.... right?
Just keep reading, just keep reading!


Time Spent Reading Since Last Update: 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time Spent Reading: 17 hours 30 min

Time Spent Blogging/Other Since Last Update: 0
Total Time Spent Blogging/Other: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Pages Read Since Last Update: 302
Total Pages Read So far:1314

Books Read Since Last Updated: 1

Total Books Read So Far: 6

* The Magicians Nephew - C.S. Lewis
* The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
* Good Bones (collection of Short Stories)
* The Good Doctor (I had started this before the readathon, but read the last 159 pages of it)
* T4
* The Horse and His Boy


Blogs Visited Since Last Updated:0

Total Blogs Visited So Far: 7

Cups of Coffee Consumed: 5