Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1970
Pages:  149
ISBN:  9780440404194
Genre:  YA, Classic

Started: Dec. 30, 2011
Finished: Dec. 30, 2011 (>1 day)

Where Found:  Xmas 2011 gift
Why Read:  A classic I missed reading in childhood.  Better late than never, right?

Summary:  A young girl entering puberty moves to a new city where she struggles to adapt to her change in surroundings and changes in herself.

Review:

So...I wondered about something that everyone who read this book years after its publication and initial controversy wondered: What exactly was controversial about this book that isn't a fact of life for young girls (always has, still is, and always will be)?  If this isn't an example of censorship going overboard, I don't know what is.

I loved reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (a character I really connected to, being a klutzy tomboyish girl) years ago and was amazed how engaging Margaret was to me as an adult reader.  I will admit that I cried when Margaret gave her teacher the letter instead of her project and she thought she had failed.  It was a beautiful piece of the story.

It was also interesting to me how Margaret explores the concept of God as a figment and not as an omniscient figure (I could see how the censorship racket would jump on that one quick-like) and the discovery of alternative ideas of thinking and feeling as she becomes her own person and not an extension of her parents, while at the same time she doesn't feel like she has a toehold on how to go about doing this with the flexible (maybe too flexible) attitudes of her parents.

I would put this book into the hands of any girl age 11 or 12, especially when questions start coming about growth and development--it would make a great gift!

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (HP series, #7)- J.K. Rowling

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2007
Pages:  607
ISBN:  9781408810293
Genre:  Series, YA/fantasy

Start Date:  July 29, 2011
Finished Date:  Aug. 2 2011 (5 days)

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read:  On my TBR list

Summary:  In what would have been Harry's 7th and final year at Hogwarts, he and his friends hide from Voldemort and his Death Eaters while attemping to solve the mystery of the Horcruxes that will bring an end to the destructive mayhem of the Dark Lord.

Review:

How do you say goodbye to a series as beloved as this one?  I would think that the most effective way is to write the last book as an incentive to go back and re-read the entire series again.  If I didn't have a big TBR shelf and a huge TBR list waiting for me, I wouldn't hesitate to do just that.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at their most mature state, their minds and talents honed to an adult level, and with an understanding that it is ultimately up to them to restore peace to Hogwarts.  The lead-up to this point is admittedly but purposefully slow as they hide out from Death Eaters and skeptical Hogwarts friends, but once they uncover the first Horcrux, it's a nonstop ride to the end. 

The battle at Hogwarts has a few sad moments but is well-written and a great testament to the students' and teachers' will to fight for their school and livelihood.  The scene between Harry and Snape is the most touching, memorable moment in the book and one of my favourites in the series.  Many revelations, changes, and, unfotunately, fatal sacrifices ensue until the very end.  The epilogue is a real treat as we find out the fates and futures of major characters, which cannot fail to bring a smile to your face.

I have to re-read this series sometime to see hints of later books I missed in the earlier ones as so many characters and events are re-examined in a different vein, owing to the brilliant imagination of J.K. Rowling.

So, how do I account for the series?  When it boils down to it, ordering the books from my most to least favourite, here is my list:

1) Philosopher's Stone (#1)--for me, nothing can top the very first step into this world
2) Deathly Hallows (#7)--a beautiful way to say goodbye
3) Prisoner of Azkaban (#3)--the most exciting, twisted plot
4) Order of the Phoenix (#5)--lots of important back story and a killer villain (Umbridge)
5) Goblet of Fire (#4)--entertaining new cast of characters and a milestone in the series plot
6) Half-Blood Prince (#6)--interesting backstory and tragic stepping stone to the conclusion
7) Chamber of Secrets (#2)--enjoyable romp

Also, as promised, I am posting my top 10 list for each Harry Potter book immediately after this review posts.  Enjoy!

Rank:  (A+)- A fitting conclusion to a magical adventure

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP series, #6)- J.K. Rowling

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2005
Pages:  607
ISBN:  9780747598466
Genre:  Series, YA/fantasy

Start Date:  July 24, 2011
Finished Date:  July 29, 2011 (6 days)

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read:  On my TBR list

Summary:  In his 6th year at Hogwarts, Harry makes a false impression on the new Potions teacher by using an edited textbook formerly belonging to the mysterious "Half Blood Prince" while Dumbledore confides in Harry secrets of Voldemort's past.

Review:

Like The Order of the Phoenix, much is revealed in The Half-Blood Prince that ties together many loose ends and brings forth new perspectives on prior characters.  What seems to be missing from HBP that OotP has going for it is subplot.  HBP does not renew Prof. Umbridge, who was the central villain and creator of conflicts in the previous book, leaving a lot to be desired in the 6th installment of the series.  The Potions textbook's former owner (and title character) was too predictable and only the revelations of Voldemort's past through the eye of Dumbledore's Pensieve made the book worthwhile.

Not to say that the book doesn't have its rightful place in the series.  Like The Chamber of Secrets, which for me and many other HP readers feel is the weakest link in the 7-book series chain, The Half-Blood Prince has several important pieces that further the development of the big picture story.  Also, the ending of HBP is one of the most powerful in the entire series.

It is difficult to weigh the individual importance of each book in this series, and undoubtedly all seven books are must-reads in order to appreciate the wealth of the entire story.  Let's just say that OotP wowed me more than HBP, and HBP is very close to The Goblet of Fire in my order of favourites, but just barely pales in comparison.

So, I am placing Half-Blood Prince in 5th place just before Chamber of Secrets in my list of favourite HP books. Even though a critical phase of the series takes place in this book and lots of sacrifice ensues, the lead-up to this scene & other subplots were not as effective for me as GoF were.

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (HP series- #5)- J.K. Rowling

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2003
Pages:  766
ISBN:  9780747591269
Genre:  Series, YA/fantasy

Start Date:  July 15, 2011
Finished Date:  July 24, 2011

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read:  On my TBR list

Summary:  In his 5th year at Hogwarts, everyone is on edge after the events of the Triwizard Tournament while Harry suspects that Voldemort is exerting even more control over him, Dumbledore appears to be ignoring him, and the new DADA teacher is wreaking havoc over the school inch by inch.

Review:

It seems that many readers find this book, the largest in the series, to have little to show for it by its end with the last two books revving up the story.  I was surprised then to find that by the end of OotP to find it much more eye-opening than I expected.

For starters, the tension left over from the tragedy at the Triwizard Tournament leaves many distrusting Harry and he feels very alone, despite continued support from Ron and Hermione.  This tension is incredibly influential on the book's mood, sending Hogwarts into a cataclysm after the new DADA teacher, Dolores Umbridge, begins exerting a poisonous influence on the school, starting with Harry.  The challenges and changes that Harry faces in this book are reaching a boiling point as he feels lost without Dumbledore's direct support and that his parents were perhaps not everything he expected them to be.

Mind you, Quidditch is once again absent from the book (also from Goblet of Fire, though the Quidditch World Cup more than made up for the loss), replaced with the OWLs, and battling is kept to a minimum, but evil lurks in the despicable Umbridge, whose syrupy demeanor was pitch perfect by Imelda Staunton in the movie version.  The history and influence of the Order sets the template for the next two books and we are introduced to the funky Advance Guard, including the sassy Tonks :)

All in all, I would place Order of the Phoenix as my 3rd favourite after Philosopher's Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban, very close to Goblet of Fire which takes 4th place in my favourites now due to the sheer amount of revelations in OotP.

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

The Giver- Lois Lowry

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1993
Pages: 179
ISBN:  9780440237686
Genre: YA/Sci-Fi/Dystopian

Start Date:  July 4, 2011
Finished Date:  July 6, 2011 (3 days)

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read: On my TBR list

Read For:  Back to the Classics Challenge (5/8)

Summary:  In a desensitized, painless world, a boy turning the milestone age of 12 is reluctantly chosen as his the next Receiver, a job that involves absorbing prior memories of the society from the historian known as the Giver.

Review:

I have to admit that my expectations for this book were very high as I had heard lots of amazing things about The Giver and it still ranks among the best of classic children's literature. I was not much of a sci-fi/fantasy reader as a child, though I ate up lots of Monica Hughes' sci-fi books.  I was more into The Babysitters Club, Gordon Korman, and Paula Danzinger.  That being said, I found the book to be well-written but just not as exciting as I had hoped.  Not to say it's overhyped; it just fell a tad short of my expectations.

The story's content is borderline disturbing for young readers, and I think its message is really deep, maybe too much for its readability level (it is set at a late Grade 5 reading level). I think intermediate students (Grade 7 and 8) would be a more appropriate audience, given its content. The style and dialogue of the novel is deliberately banal, which can get nerve-wracking after a while that you just want to scream. I did not relate as much to Jonas as I did to Lily. I loved her mild precocity and how it winks at the reader, almost to say, "See? There is hope for life in this Stepford Wives world." The prose is often beautiful, bringing to mind how a red rose stands out in a grey fog, and is what I liked most about the story: good enough for me to like it, just not enough for me to love it.

*Small spoiler*
The ending is quite inconclusive and that also irked me. It may suggest hopefulness for Jonas and Gabriel, but the open-endedness was too obvious a path for a sci-fi novel. It would have been more interesting to make a conclusion about their outcome, rather than leaving it up to the reader. Too many novels have that inconclusiveness that I start to wonder if endings are getting harder for writers to conjure up because so many have been recycled to the point of being cliched.

Rank:  (B)- Good, Recommend

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter series, #4)- J.K. Rowling

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2000
Pages: 637
ISBN: 1551923378
Genre:  Series, YA/fantasy

Start Date:  June 25, 2011
Finished Date:  July 4, 2011 (10 days)

Where Found:  Part of a birthday gift from several years ago
Why Read:  I've been meaning to read this for ages & finally got around to it!

Summary:  In his 4th year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter is suspiciously nominated into the dangerous Triwizard Tournament while battling dreams of Voldemort's return to power.

Review:

The Goblet of Fire is the first whopper of the series, clocking in at 637 pages! It also seems that with the violent undertones of the previous book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, the three Hogwarts heroes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are no longer children but gradually transforming into the true spirit of their house, Gryffindor.  The whizz-bang chapters at the Quidditch World Cup get the story moving, and make up for the lack of Quidditch at Hogwarts due to the mysterious Triwizard Tournament. This event reminded me of the obstacles in the chamber of the first book, The Philosopher's Stone, only much more dangerous. The gasp-worthy ending to this book makes your hair stand on end and I immediately had to get my hands on the Order of the Phoenix to see how things transpired after the tragedy.

The introduction of wizard characters from other countries was a clever analogy of the United Nations and opens the story to countless possibilities for extended adventures if J.K. Rowling considers expanding on the series.  Some new characters (Mad-Eye Moody) were great additions to the cast; others (Rita Skeeter, Viktor Krum) I could have done without, and even more (Madame Maxime, Cornelius Fudge) seem to be just getting warmed up. 

So, here is how I would rank my favourite books of the series so far:

1) Philosopher's Stone (#1)--I still love how the series starts off with all its magic

2) Prisoner of Azkaban (#3)--Terrific plot and innovative new tricks & secrets

3) Goblet of Fire (#4)--Not as complex or well-executed as PoA, the Triwizard Tournament makes up for it

4) Chamber of Secrets (#2)--A weaker mystery & less intrigue, but still very enjoyable

Onward ho, to the Order of the Phoenix!

P.S.  When I finish the series, I'm going to post a top 10 list of my favourite things from each book.  Spoilers will ensue but at this point, I think I'm safe to do so :) 

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

Happy Labour Day!

Total books read this week: 1 (up to p. 210)
Titles: My Life- Bill Clinton

I am enjoying this book (I really am), despite being only 1/5 of the way through it, but I think reading this much about just one person & generally one topic (politics) is bogging me down.  I think the page count of nearly 1000 is limiting my scope.  I'm considering a new approach...see what you think of this.

It's not unusual for book bloggers to be reading several books at once.  I'd like some input on how this works for those of you who do this.  Feel free to weigh in on any/all of these questions:

Is it more satisfying to read more than 1 title around the same time?
Do you tend to be more motivated? 
Do you forget where you left off if you leave a book too long? 
Do you need to reread a bit to refresh your memory of the book? 

I haven't tried this tactic since I had to (multiple novels to read for English university courses) but now I am tempted to give it a try.  My ability to recall where I left off in a book is well intact, so if I should take a short break from Clinton & try a shorter, breezy read like, say, Alan Alda's Never Have Your Dog Stuffed (next on my nightstand), I'm not going to accidentally mix it up when I return to Clinton's memoir and think the Prez starred in M*A*S*H...I mean, really :oD

What am I afraid of, really?  It's silly, but I tend to think of reading a single book at once to be a deeper experience instead of a race to finish as much as I can.  That really isn't true...Everyone experiences books at different paces & comes off with an equally valid (though not always the same) outcome.  *Oof, brain cramp*.  I think I'm deliberately trying to weigh this dilemma (boy, if this were the dilemma on earth right now, we must all be doing well for ourselves :oD)

So...moving on...(I love ellipses & brackets & ampersands & smilies by the way :oD).  I want to share a fun find with you...ack, here I go again with these...

Cleaning up my bookshelf recently, I dug out a box from my closet & wouldn't you know there are a few unread books in there!?!  What a find!

I, Robot- Isaac Asimov

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe- J.R.R. Tolkien

Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens

The first 3 are from a sci-fi/YA kick I was on in teachers' college when I raided my univ bookstore with a $50 gift card from my long-since-underused book club account.  The Dickens is a beat-up copy, likely my mom or dad's from their childhood.

I also searched through my 5 or so boxes of children's books to find:

Love, Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli

I absolutely adored the first book in this small series, Stargirl. It is a lovely, magical tale about acceptance in adolescence and how being different is perceived, judged, changed, and ultimately (hopefully) accepted by those who truly care about a person. It is categorized as YA, but everyone should read this...it is so heartwarming!

Speaking of that...I also have a beautifully old edition of Alice in Wonderland that my grandma received in 1930 & gave to my mom, which she coloured in (naughty girl). 

 
It is barely hanging on with the spine's fabric label torn off (but saved).  I found a great site that has an overview of the book's edition.  It sounds somewhat rare, but I think it's value of immeasurable, considering that it was in my family...and also that it's illustrated by my mom, too :oD

Illustrated by Mom!

I'm going to sneak in some reading today if I can.  There's a football game this afternoon that I'm not going to miss!  Have a great day everyone :o)