WE MADE IT!!

Just a little faith, trust and pixie dust; and we've made it a whole year! Isn't teamwork magical?

After such a busy year, I really don't see how I've read 52 books and not become a hermit. I am sure there were times when you feared for me along the journey. I must admit, I feared for myself here and there.

I worry I will break hearts with this next part; I will not be able to participate in the 2016 Annual Reading Challenge. There, I've said it. 

I know you have all been waiting for the first week of January when I would post the first book review of the year. Sadly, and not so, I have decided to spend my time in other ways, rather than just reading.
Oma believes there are more important things in life than reading. I made sure she knows that there are some more important things, but not many.

For those of you who haven't been following 100%, or have maybe got lost in the middle but found your way back; here is the list in full.

1. A book with a one-word title - Light by Michael Grant

2. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet - The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

3. A book set in the future - All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

4. A book a friend recommended - hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

5. A book by an author you've never read before - Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

6. A mystery or thriller - The Last Juror by John Grisham

7. A trilogy - The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

8. A nonfiction book - The Treasures of William Shakespeare by Catherine M S Alexander

9. A book you can finish in a day -  Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

10. A book at the bottom of your to-read list - The Fault in our Stars by John Green

11. A book with a number in the title - 1984 by George Orwell

12. A book with antonyms in the title - My Life in Black and White by Kim Izzo

13. A graphic novel - The Sky Goddesses of Dryden by Laura Konrad

14. A banned book - The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

15. A book by a female author - Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

16. A memoir - Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

17. A book more than 100 years old - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

19. A book based on or turned into a TV show - Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy

20. A book that made you cry - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

21. A book by an author with your same initials - Medicine River by Thomas King

22. A book published this year - Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

23. A book based on a true story - Freedom Writers Diary

24. A book with a colour in the title - Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

25. A book with nonhuman characters - Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

26. A book that was originally written in a different language - Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

27. A book with a love triangle - The Host by Stephanie Meyer

28. A book of short stories - The Edge of Spider-Verse

29. A book from your childhood - Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park

30. A funny book - Alice in tumblr-land by Tim Manley

31. A book you started but never finished - The Fairy Tales of the Grimm Brothers

32. A book that scares you - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

33. A popular author`s first book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher`s Stone by J.K. Rowling

34. A classic romance - Persuasion by Jane Austen

35. A book set in a different country - Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

36. A play - The Tempest by William Shakespeare

37. A book you own but have never read - The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy

38. A book that became a movie - Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

39. A book by an author from your hometown - Lorelai, You'll Never Die by Laura Konrad

40. A book recommended by your sister - Crazy Love by Francis Chan

41. A book set in high school - Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

42. A book you pre-ordered - The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

43. A book with magic - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

44. A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

45. A book your mom loves - The Villa by Nora Roberts

46. The largest book you own - Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

47. A book with more than 500 pages - Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

48. A book that came out the year you were born - Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying by Barbara Park

49. A book written by someone under the age of 30 - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

50. A book set during Christmas - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Now, as we close off another year, let's remember to continue reading in the future. While reading 52 books in one year may take a lot of time and dedication, reading one a month hardly takes any amount of brain power.

If you possibly feel as though I am abandoning you next year, there is a way that you can continue with the reading challenges. Visit this website to see what your future reading could look like: http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-39126431

Much love, this is t-bear signing off

The Last Melon

Book 50 - A book set during Christmas

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This may have been the first book that I ever completely decided on, when I was first looking through the different challenges. Many challenges made room for creative thinking, so I had a large amount of books to choose from.

As I read this particular story every year at this time, I had already decided that this would be the final book in the challenge. And what a fitting way to conclude.

My copy of the story is bound in red and boasts, not just, A Christmas Carol, but And Other Stories, as well. This caused my family members some confusion when I put the string at the end of this story and proclaimed it finished. Don't worry, I set them all straight.

If you have never heard this delightful tale before, allow me to synoysis it for you.

Mr. Scrooge, a grumpy old humbug, is sitting in all his wealth and unhappiness on Christmas Eve, when he is greeted by the ghost of his former business partner, Mr. Marley.The ghost of Mr. Marley tells Mr. Scrooge that he will be visited by three more ghosts in the next three nights; the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Thus begins the journey of Mr. Scrooge realizing what is so important about having Christmas spirit, and finding out what will happen if he continues down his current path of grouchiness.  

Although the story doesn't give a lot of credit to the fact that Christ is the reason for the season, there are so many good lessons to be learned from Mr. Scrooge's travels with the spirits.

You may think that it sounds wonderful, but feel rather discouraged with the idea that Charles Dickens wrote it. Some people seem to think that he didn't even write in English.

Have no fear, the story is but 87 pages long (in my book) and doesn't require a large amount of translating. Though I may be a bit biased, seeing as I am more familiar with his writing style.

If you have been following me as I travel through this book challenge, then you have five days to complete this masterpiece to be within the year. Good luck!

 

We made it! this is t-bear signing off

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

Book 49 - A book written by someone under 30

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Once again, I took to my book shelves to find a novel that would perfectly fit the description. Determined to find such a one, I searched through all the books that I haven't already read this year to find the perfect match. 

I interpreted the challenge to mean that the author wrote the novel when they were below that age, not that they are below that age at the present moment.

I was just about to give up hope, when my eyes fell upon this particular treasure; sitting on the shelf of my Hoosier cabinet. How could I have forgotten it in all it's glory?

I quickly took to the Internet to make sure that Mr. Fitzgerald was within the prescribed age when he wrote the novel. To my surprise, and relief, he was at the age of 29 when this fine piece of work was published. 

If you haven't ever read the novel, but have taken the time to view what Hollywood has put together, then you will not be far off. As with any novel, there are parts which have been left out of the film, however; there isn't much to be disputed. Often I find myself leaving the cinema with a completely different story in my head, after seeing a book-to-movie film. I am quite pleased to say that Hollywood has done something correct in the workings of this particular scenario.

If you have never read this novel and are one to dream of what life was like in the early 1900s, then you should probably go out and get yourself a copy to enjoy. A majority of the novel involves the frivolity of the 1920s in the back lands of Long Island, New York. Your New Years Eve party doesn't have anything on their unnecessary wildness. 

I have often wondered at life in such a time, but then I have also spent a lot of hours with Downton Abbey. Though that was in England, there is still something so magical about the past, even if we'd all rather it stay there. 

One for the money, this is t-bear signing off

It's easy when the choice is solid

Book 48 - A book that came out the year you were born

Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying by Barbara Park

Many of you may look at this book choice and decide that I have turned to ease rather than difficulty. 

Let me tell you about the struggle that it was finding a book that came out in 1994. (I sometimes wonder if the only great thing that happened that year was me...)

Mother can also tell you about the struggle that I had, as she was in the living room when the struggles became huffs and puffs. 

After I had flipped through ever single children's book that we have on our shelf in the living room, (or maybe Moma just got tired of all the huffing and puffing), Moma took out her mobile device and searched the Google for books that were published in 1994. 

When what to our wondering eyes should appear, but a lovely book about Junie B. Jones. I knew for a fact that I had four of her tales on my bookshelf, but I wasn't sure if this book would be amongst them. 

Here, I thought I had searched through my entire collection and hadn't found anything. Apparently, I didn't look hard enough. 

I took the book to a lovely neighbourhood bakery and sat for my lunch hour to enjoy my readings. Unfortunately, my readings were interrupted by the minute hand approaching the ten. With only three chapters left, I packed up my things and proceeded back to work. 

Not to worry though, I was easily able to finish the reading within ten minutes after arriving to my bedroom after supper. Ease, and yet such a struggle.

I had to wonder at what the other customers at the lovely neighbourhood bakery thought of me as I sat with my little book, giggling. Though I try not to think about such things as I go about my awkward life. 

Phew, only two! this is t-bear signing off

It's harder than you think

Book 47 - A book with more than 500 pages

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

599 pages, to be exact. Which means that I'm now briefly allowed to refer to myself as an overachiever. Look out world!

Let me tell you the spectacularness that is Afterworlds.

Now, I was already a large fan of Mr. Westerfeld before this novel became a thing. He is one of those authors that you just buy the next book he publishes, because you already know that it's going to be a wonderful experience reading all 599 pages within a week. (I hope you are all following the fact that I work 37.5 hours a week and was in Toronto all weekend. Yes, I can read 599 pages much faster than a week. Let's stick with the overachieving idea.)

This novel, is a novel within a novel. (Mr. Westerfeld must be taking a page from Mr. Shakespeare's book. Although in that case we'd be referring to a play.) 

In any case, this novel is based around Darcy who is writing a novel over the course of this novel. One chapter is Darcy and how her novel came to be, the next chapter is the said novel. This continues back and forth through the 599 pages until the very lovely set-up-for-a-sequel ending. Are we complaining? Nope!

Darcy, being the author of the novel, writes about a character named Lizzie. Now, if you have ever even lived upon this earth, then you will know that these two characters are the loveliest of lovers brought about by our dearest, Jane Austen. Let me tell you the shock that Darcy has when she realizes the connection she has created between her name and her characters'. This is something that I love about writing. There is so much room for little clues to be dropped about, just waiting for someone to pick them up. 

Throughout the entire novel, I felt such a connection between myself and Darcy. She is a young author, embarking on the journey that is her first published work. As I have not come to such an achievement in my twenty-one years, I can't entirely relate. Nonetheless, I feel that Darcy and I could have spent a lot more time together. 

Something that I kept thinking about as I traveled from 1 to 599, was that Mr. Westerfeld got to create two lovely intertwined stories within the same hard covers. He got to connect a "real" and a fictional life to make so much more out of the fantastic world that is writing. 

I don't have many other thoughts about the novel, other than the fact that I was right there the whole time. Right in that novel's face. I don't know how I'm suppose to continue on with my life at the moment. I sure hope that I figure it out before work tomorrow morning. 

3 to go! This is t-bear signing off

A hard-to-hold sort of reading

Book 46 - The largest book you own

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan (Illustrated by John Rocco)

In its piddly 387 pages, you may be wondering how this could possibly be the largest book I own; as we all know Les Miserable is part of my collection. 

Today, we choose to look beyond height, to the factors of length and width. 

This book is about 2 Les Mis' long by 2 Les Mis' wide. That is, of course, referring to the copy of Les Mis that I own. (Your estimate may differ slightly depending on the size of your copy.)

If you would be so kind as to turn back and read a few of my posts from the past year, you will note that Uncle Rick is a reoccurring author; and will be sticking around. Please don't ruin a good thing.

I can't remember if I've written about the similar book by Uncle Rick, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods. This one is the same thing, only with heroes instead of gods.

In any case, this book is quite spectacular. Though I'm sure there are areas of each heroes story that are rather fictional, I do believe that I now have a good understanding of the Greek heroes lives. 

Many of them were much more interested in pillaging and plundering than anything else, but they were each able to show some hero-ness at some point in their stories. 

For most of the heroes stories, it seemed like if their family hadn't been destroyed, accidentally or otherwise, they really didn't have a standing as a hero. 

More often then not, there was a king whose kingdom needed to be overthrown by a hero. The one and only way for the hero to gain that kingship was to show themselves with a quest. If only showing worthiness was so easy in today's world. I think I could do a decent job questing. 

The stories were, at times, so exciting that I didn't even notice how long I had been perched upon the island stool. Yes, my back was sore the next morning. Yes, it was worth it.

I have to say, I wouldn't recommend reading such a large book all the time; it creates difficulty when trying to  hold the book for a long period of time.

1 down, 4 to go, this is t-bear signing off