Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday Finds #4

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

This week I am showcasing a Young Adult Series that I want to read:


(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)




What Did You Find This Week?

Friday, January 18, 2013

Friday Find #3

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

[Insert Text Here]

(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)


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What Did You Find This Week?

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Bout of Books 6.0 Sticky Post

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon



MY GOALS:

  • Weekdays (Monday - Friday):  To read at least 30% to 50% of whatever book that I am reading.  
  • Weekends (Saturday - Sunday):  Read at least one book a day.  (This might be hard because I have a book club meeting and a coffee meeting on Saturday).

BOOKS TO READ:


CURRENTLY READING:



UPDATES:


Monday:  I achieved the low end of my goal, reading 30% of a book a today.  I am kind of disappointed, I had hoped to reach at least 40%.  But  it was a rough day at work and I was exhausted, so I'll take what I can get.

# Pages read today:  82                           Total # pages read: 0
# Books completed today:  0                   Total # books completed: 0

Tuesday:  It was a great day for me reading wise.  I read on my lunch break and after work on my bus ride.  Then when I got home, I  read some more.  I was at that point in the book where I did not want to put it down and needed to know how it ended.  I beat my goal and read 56% of a book.

# Pages read today:  140                       Total # pages read:  222
# Books completed today:  1                   Total # books completed: 1


Wednesday:  When I got home from work, I just wasn't in the mood to read.  So, today was not a good reading day and I didn't meet my goal or do any of the other things that I was suppose to do today.  It was just one of those days.

# Pages read today:       10                    Total # pages read: 232
# Books completed today:  0                   Total # books completed: 1


Thursday

# Pages read today:                               Total # pages read:
# Books completed today:                     Total # books completed:


Friday
# Pages read today:                               Total # pages read:
# Books completed today:                     Total # books completed:

Saturday
# Pages read today:                               Total # pages read:
# Books completed today:                     Total # books completed:

Sunday
# Pages read today:                               Total # pages read:
# Books completed today:                     Total # books completed:

Books Completed:


Friday, January 11, 2013

Friday Finds #2

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

The most common type of books that I come across in the book blogging community is Young Adult.  While Young Adult is not my preferred genre I still have acquired a list of YA books to that might one day go on my ever growing TBR list.

Here are a couple:

(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)






What Did You Find This Week?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Review: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Pages: 284
Genre: Literary Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: Paperback (ISBN: 9781416589648)
Publication Date: August 2008
Original Title: The Other Hand
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Personal Collection

Synopsis (Book):
Little Bee, a young Nigerian refugee, has been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria.  Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows.  Sarah a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.

They first met on a beach in Nigeria, where Sarah was vacationing with her husband, Andrew, in an effort to save their marriage after an affair, and their brief encounter had haunted each woman for two years.  Now together, they face a disturbing past and an uncertain future with the help of Sarah's four-year-old son, Charlie, who refuse to take off his Batman costume.  A sense of humor and an unflinching moral compass allow each woman, and the reader, to believe that even in the face of unspeakable odds, humanity can prevail.
Review:

PLOT GRADE: A

     The main theme behind Little Bee is nothing new, basically it is a story of what happen when two people from completely different worlds collide.  But it was done in a such a unique way, I have a hard trying to find a book that has the same "feel".  Maybe it is because I don't often times read books about immigrants and their experience.

    One of the things that made this story work was that it was told from alternating point of views.  Cleave, started the out from Little Bee's point of view and from alternated every other chapter between her and Sarah as the story progressed.  It was a well done move, that showed his talent, but also gave readers a chance to see not only what each character was thinking but also how they viewed the events that ultimately brought them together.

    The one gripe that the timeline.  Even though it is not that huge of a deal everything seemed to happen so fast.  From the time that Little Bee showed up on Sarah's doorstep to the time they take a trip to London, about a week had passed (if that).  I felt that the time frame was not long enough for some of the strong emotional attachments that had formed to be realistic.

    One thing that might turn some readers off of Little Bee, is that it is not a happy story.  There are no nice little ribbons and HEA (happily ever after).  The best way to describe it is that Cleave is not one of those writers that is afraid to little the story end where it is suppose to.  Sometime, while reading a book, I feel like writers have a fear of not end with an HEA, so the take out the ribbons and the bows and the wrap everything up nice and neat.  I hate that, which is probably why I liked Little Bee so much.  Because as a reader, even though I was rooting for some glimpse of sunshine and butterflies mixed in with the darkness, I could tell that Little Bee was not going to be one of those stories.  And Cleave was not afraid to take it all the way, even it meant disappointing some readers that need/want their book ending to be tied up nicely in a pretty bow.

CHARACTER GRADE: A

Let's start with Sarah.  The best way that I can describe my feelings is through a Venn Diagram.


The green circle is like, the blue is indifferent, red is dislike.  Sarah falls in the tiny little space where the three circles meet.  I did not like. I did not dislike her.  And I was not completely indifferent about her. There were a few times where she was in the red ( most of the time).  Times that she was in the blue (often enough).  But there was only one occasion that I can remember that she was in the green.  I don't think a character in a story has ever ended up in this little space before.  Her character was rather shallow, yet she didn't know that she was shallow.  She thought she was a deep person that cared about others and felt deeply, but she selfish and only cared about what she wanted.  The only unselfish thing that she probably ever did in her whole entire life was on the day she met Little Bee on the beach in Nigeria.

On the opposite end sat Little Bee.  It was at times to believe that she was only 16, at most.  But considering some of the stuff that she had went through it was no wonder.  She was a very mature girl and some of my most favorite quotes come from her.  Like
We must see all scars as beautiful  Okay?  This will be our secret.  Because take it from me a scar does not form on the dying.  A scar means, I survived. 
I also like Little Bee because she was a good person.  She truly wanted to be helpful and even though some of the things that happened were not her fault she still felt the need to redeem herself for them.  Little Bee character (at least for me) was the complete opposite of Sarah's.  While Sarah's good deeds seemed to be motivated by how it would look (or make herself feel), Little Bee's good deeds were because she felt that she was in the wrong and had to makeup for what she had done.

Charlie (mentioned in the synopsis) is destined to spend some of his adult years lounging back in a shrinks chair.

WRITING GRADE: A+

The true beauty of Little Bee is the writing.  Which showcases Chris Cleave's talents off superbly.

First:  Little Bee is written in first person.  In my experience not to main writers can pull that off and do it well.  Little Bee is an example of the first person narrative done at it's best.  I have opened several book while shopping in the book store and read the first two paragraphs and could tell instantly that I would not be able to tolerate it because it was in first person.  I did until the end of chapter one that Little Bee was in first person.   Add to the fact that he was able to refer to the reader without taking me out the story.  Yes, Cleave success used words like "you":
 Your system is cruel, but many of you were kind to me.  You sent charity boxes. You dressed my horror in boots and a colorful shirt.  You sent it something to paint its nails with.  You posted it books and newspapers.
Without making me want to throw the book at the wall and walk away.  It is very rare when I enjoy a first person narrative, I normally avoid them like the plague.

Second:  I don't think I have ever read a novel were stream of consciousness played a major part.  There were times when Little Bee would go off and just start rambling and I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed her chapters the most because the voice sounded authentic and when she would go off and just like her mind wander, she would say the most amazing things.

Third:  Amazing Quotes:
You have seen trouble too, Sarah.  You are making a mistake if you think it is unusual.  I am telling you, trouble is like the ocean.  It covers two thirds of the world.
Death, of course, is a refuge.  It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself.  It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant you asylum.

Explanation of Rating:
     
Even though Little Bee has the makings of being a instant favorite, it did not stick to me.  And all my favorite books stuck to me after I finished reading it.  Maybe that is a plus because it meant the story was finished and I could go on to another book.  But if you have read Little Bee, you will know why I should at least wonder a tiny bit what happens with the characters when the last page was done.

Final Grade: A


Overall Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes literary fiction and is not disturb by a story that is gloomy throughout.  If you like your stories to take you away to a happier place, this is not for you.  If you need your characters to go riding off into the sunset, keep moving.  But if you are not bothered by the fact that things might not get better or might just even get worse for your characters, then this might be the book for you.  Great writing, a unique plot, a to old for her age refugee girl, and no nice little bow endings.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Wondrous Words Wednesday #2

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Bermudaonion, where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love.  Feel free to get creative!   If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!

This weeks Wondrous Words Wednesday are brought to you by Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  This books has tons of great words in it and a few that were new to me or where I thought I knew the meaning but checked the dictionary just to make sure.

(all definitions are courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

  • portent (noun) - something that foreshadows a coming event
    • "Yes, but theses are the same portents that precede lunchtime, frankly" ~pg. 27
  • penultimate (adjective) - of or relating to the next to the last syllable of a word
    • "He hung on the penultimate syllable, deepening his voice in comic pomposity even as he raised his eyebrows.  INN-digo, he boomed. ~ pg. 31
  • vespertine (adjective) - of, relating to, or occurring in the evening
    • Sorry, I forgot to more where I read it in the book.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Teaser Tuesday #2


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
So far as racial difference go, the United States puts a greater premium on color, or, better, a lack of color, than upon anything else in the word. To paraphrase "Have a white skin, and all things else may be added unto you."
~ Page 103 (ePub)

Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Sunday Shorts #2

Photo credit: the bbp / Foter / CC BY 

Sunday Shorts is a weekly feature here at The Little Reading Nook.  Were I review short stories that I have read (normally on a Sunday).  It is my way of diving into the world of short stories and trying to introduce others to them also.

This is the second Sunday, that I am reviewing a short from Ran Walkers 16 Bars:  A Short Story Mixtape.  Today I'm only reviewing on story because I almost forgot that I started this tradition at the end of 2012.

Description (GoodReads):

Ran Walker's first "short story mixtape" pulls together a varied collection of stories about black men and how they are shaped by the relationships they enter. With topics ranging from break-ups to awkward first dates, 16 Bars is a bold, unflinching, and even humorous take on what goes on in the minds of black men when romance enters the picture.

A Theory on Toilet Paper:  

Aaron watches a date disintegrate because of a little ice cream.
I was a little leery of A Theory on Toilet Paper, the name just screams bathroom humor.  And while I am might enjoy the occasional bathroom humor every now and then it does have to be done "tastefully".  As "tastefully" as possible for bathroom humor.  I am happy to report that A Theory on Toilet Paper is done "tastefully".  I laughed the whole way through and refrained from reading another story just because I could not guarantee that I would not compare it to A Theory on Toilet Paper.

Like all the other stories in the collection, so far, A Theory on Toilet Paper is written in first person.  I had a fear in the first couple of paragraphs that Aaron, the main character/narrator, would be overshadowed by his funny and very memorable uncle, Mudbone.  It was an easy fear to have when the first scene opens up with Mudbone says this:
"For folks with low to no income, they use the single ply.  It's the most affordable, but it ultimately provides the least protection.  It's the closest thing to wiping your ass barehanded.  Now, just because people don't have a lot of money don't mean they should have to wipe their asses barehanded."
Mudbone has more to say on the topic but you'll have to read the story to find out.  Aaron was an equally strong character.  His voice was unique and I was able to form a picture of him in my mind.  When he met Jolie Soleil, I was rooting for him.  And when things did not go the way that he wanted, I read in horror and amusement as he explained what happened.

Overall A Theory on Toilet Paper was an excellent read and it made the wait at the bus stop and the ride to the grocery store fly by fast.

Sunday Post #1




The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~
It's a chance to share News.
A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.
This is your news post, so personalize it. Include as much as you want or as little.
Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies.

There have been a lot of end of the year review post popping up in my RSS Feed.  I am going to openly admit that I have been a bit envious.  When I see all the books that others read, my little puny number is quite depressing.  Then there are those readers/bloggers that make graphs about the books that they have read.  The geek in me gets excited and I think "why didn't I do that?"  So this year, I promise myself that I will keep better records so I can open up my spreadsheet (did I mention that I love spreadsheets) and create cool graphs.

What Happened Last Week:
  • Monday: End Of Year Review - Where I show how I completely failed in 2012
  • Tuesday: Three teaser sentences from  Little Bee by Chris Cleave - Which I am really enjoying right now.
  • Wednesday:  Goals for the New Year - I blast the site with different challenges that I signed up for an my goals. (the link is to the main post)
  • Friday:  I showed off the cookbooks that I had discovered while reading other peoples blogs.
What's Happening This Week:
  • Monday:  Start of Bout of Books Read-A-Thon (I will have only on master post)
  • Tuesday: Teaser Tuesday from The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
  • Wednesday: Wondrous Word Wednesday - Words that I had to look up while read Little Bee by Chris Cleave
  • Thursday:  Review of Little Bee
  • Friday:  Weekly Friday Finds Meme
  • Saturday: Weekly Stacking The Shelves Meme (which I completely forgot to do this week).

Happy Reading,
MoniqueReads

Friday, January 4, 2013

Friday Find #1

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

It's the first Friday Find of the year and I am starting it off with one of my favorite topics food.  Inside somewhere underneath all this laziness is a foodie, until the day she emerges I will just read cookbooks.

Here are three cookbooks that I want to try out soon.
(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)



What did you find this week?

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

eBook Challenge



I am still deciding how to tackle this challenge.   I have two options:

  1. Read books that are currently in my Nook and can't be used for other challenges.
  2. Read as normal and count any eBook that I read (allow for crossovers).

I am aiming for level 2:
  • CD – 10 eBooks
List:
  • The Lynching of Louie Sam byElizabeth Stewart
  • The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
  • Leaves by Michael Baron (finished 02/13/2013)


Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

Official Rules and Sign up can be found at Socrates Book Reviews:

Awhile ago I wrote a blog post about the series that I have started and where I am in them.  Well, I haven't made much progress with most of them and as I look at the books that I have read, I realize that there are sequels to some of them.

So, with the help of the Finishing the Series Reading Challenge. I have committed to completing two series that I have already started.


  • Lion's Blood Series by Steven Barnes - 1 book left
  • Nappily Series by Trisha R. Thomas - 4 books left
I admit I am being a bit lazy since these are the two series that I have the least amount of books to finish.

Nerdy Non-Fiction Reading Challenge 2013

Official Rules and Sign up can be found at Bookmark to Blog.

I always say that I am going to read more Non-Fiction books but never do.  Thanks to my book club I have read more Non-Fiction books in 2012 than in any of the previous years.  So, to ramp that up just a little I have decided to sign up for this challenge also.

Level: Geek: 4-6 books in at least 2-3 different categories

Official List of Books:
  1. Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver
  2. The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive by Marvelyn Brown
  3. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy
  4. Mississippi in Africa By Alan Huffman
  5. Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington


2013 TBR Pile Challenge

The official rules of this challenge can be found at Roof Beam Reader.

I have away to many books in my various TBR piles.  Yes, I have more than one TBR pile.  I have my official TBR list on GoodReads, and the books on my Nook that have never made it to my GoodReads account.  As well, as books that I have been planning to read but never wrote down.

2013 is the year of trying to read some of those books and this is the challenge that is going to help me do it.

The Official Twelve Books:

  1. Song Yet Sung by James McBride
  2. Conception: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon
  3. Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice(
  4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  6. Push by Sapphire
  7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  8. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
  9. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
  10. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
  11. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bonte
  12. Jane Erye by Charlotte Bonte
Backup:
  1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (finished 01/08/2013)
  2. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  3. 16 Bars: A Short Story Mixtap eby Ran Walker 

Teaser Tuesday #1


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from Little Bee by Chris Cleave
I wish my brain did not fill in the frightful details like this.  I  wish I was a woman who care deeply about shoes and concealer.  I wish I was not the sort of woman who ended up sitting at her kitchen table listening to a refugee girl talking about her awful fear of the dawn.
~page 102 (paperback)
Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!



Don't forget to leave a link to your tease.  I want to read it.

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed the New Year's festivities last night. 

I had plan to start this post by saying that I would not sign up for any challenges in 2013.  Instead, I would complete the challenges that I failed in 2012.   After seeing everyone else post plans for 2013, I got jealous.  So, I scraped my initial plan and started the search for challenges.

Perpetual Challenges:

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2008 list):

My goal this year (like last year) is to read 10 books.

The Pulitzer Project:


My goal this year is to read 4 books.

New 2013 Challenges:*






What are your reading plans this year?

*List of books for the new challenges to be posted later today.