The Book Nest

Book Bio

2009-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

As of 1/1/10, the book bio will be moved to a new URL. The new location is:

http://bookbio.pbworks.com/

Our own Julie has taken over and done an excellent job in making it user friendly. You can still find our monthly book club selections along with genre recommendations and constantly suggested books/series.

Happy Reading!

eBook Readers

2009-12-29T04:47:00.000-08:00

We've been getting a lot of questions on the Nest's Book Club lately about the differences between Amazon's Kindle, Sony's reader, and Barnes & Nobles' latest addition to the fray. There are others as well. Most of the NBCers (not all) prefer actual books to the electronic readers but they are becoming more and more popular with business travelers and others.

We have a site which compares the various features of the readers so that you may determine which one works best for you:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

There was also one from the New York Times which gives the basic overview of the more popular ones available now:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/12/03/technology/personaltech/03ebook-chart1.html

Another question that we get often is about free books. Once you actually get an eReader, can you download free books and where do you find them? The answer depends on the device. Recent software patches allow the Kindle to download PDFs. Sony's product does allow for PDFs but you have to jump through hoops to get them to work or you can utilize their database. A couple of sites where you may find free books follow:

http://www.manybooks.net/

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Come on over to the Nest Book Club and let us know how they work. If you find other sites for free books, share them with us as well.

Happy Reading!

The Time Traveler's Wife Movie Trailer

2009-06-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

I know by now we have all seen this trailer....how excited are you for this movie?!?

The movie opens August 14th. I can't wait!

July's Book Has Changed!

2009-06-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we will be reading Summer Sisters by Judy Blume in July and the original July pick in December.

Lord of the Rings Read-Along!

2009-05-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone is welcome to join this read-along, first time readers of the series, and people that have read it 50 times! I've never read it, I've always meant too, and I'm so glad to read it as a read-along.

We'll start with The Hobbit, although if you don't want to read that one, feel free to join us 2 weeks later when we get started on The Fellowship of the Ring.

Here are the discussion dates for the books:

June 29th: The Hobbit

July 13th: The Fellowship of the Ring

July 27th: The Two Towers

August 10th: The Return of the King

Discussions will take place just like the standard NBC discussions, with open forum. Feel free to ask questions, make comments, start posts, the whole sha-bang.

I'm looking forward to reading these together!

SuBC Icons

2009-05-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to get these up early so you can get them in your siggys. Once again I coerced my husband into making us something pretty. He found this picture on flickr in Joseph Robertson's photostream.

I posted two different sizes.

In order to post this in your siggy, go to your profile on the Nest, click on Edit My Profile, and down at the bottom is a signature area.

Insert this: <*img src="tinyurlhere" width="200" />

Right click on whichever size you want to be in your siggy and choose "copy image address".

Now, paste that address where it says "tinyurlhere" and delete the * from in front of img.

All done.

75 in 2009

2009-03-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

A group of us all felt that 50 book in 2009 wasn't enough of a challenge but 100 was a little too far, so we decided to go for 75 books in 2009. Feel free to join us (and take the graphic if you'd like).

SBC: Book Being Made into a Movie

2009-03-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just to clear up some confusion. The book that you read for the category of book being released as a movie can be any book/movie coming out in 2009. So for example Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will work, even though that doesn't actually come out until July (perfect for those doing the HP read along as well).

Here is a post from this morning that talks about this and includes a list of movies based on books that are coming out this year.
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/13286028.aspx

Spring Bookmark Exchange

2009-03-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it earlier today we are doing a Spring Bookmark Exchange!

Here's the info:
The deadline to sign up is April 3, email me and I will email you the invite.
You have until the end of the day April 3 to go to Elfster and set up your info (nestie name, real name, mailing info *remember only your elf can see your address)
After the 3rd names will be drawn and you will get an email with who your elf is.
Mail your bookmark so they are there by April 20.
The money limit is $15. You can buy or make the bookmark.
Let me know if you have any questions.

The basics of the exchange:
Since I know we have some new people since the last one and I'm sure there will be questions.
Basically here are the steps.
*Someone sets up an exchange on Elfster and then lets everyone know to email them, they then send out an invite so that nesties can go to elfster and sign up
*Nestie then goes and signs up (putting their nestie name, real name, and mailing info (this is set to private so that ONLY the person who gets your name can see it).
* Once the deadline to sign up passes the organizer tells Elfster to draw and match names, nesties then get an email telling them who they will be sending a bookmark to
* Now you can ask your nestie questions on Elfster (they come across without a name so they don't know who you are) and/or you can do polls here to get an idea of what to send (for example last time my elf asked if I liked Twilight and she made me a Twilight bookmark)
* You then mail them a bookmark by the date we set (these can be homemade, bought from the store/etsy/etc). Make sure you put your nest name somewhere so they know who you are
*You get your bookmark in the mail and post on here to let your elf know you got it
The important thing to remember with this is to only sign up if you really intend to mail out a bookmark, it's not fair to someone if they send one off and don't get one in return.

200 Book Challenge

2009-03-25T05:05:00.001-07:00

100 just isn't enough for some people.

Here's a graphic for them:

Enjoy!

All info on Spring Book Challenge

2009-03-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

General SBC Info

Here is the link to the completed spreadsheet. This includes all 25 point challenges: SpringBC Master 2009

The 25 point challenges were all created by the 5 winners of the Winter Book Challenge. To find out who made up which challenge, follow this link. Feel free to send them PMs or messages on the NBC to ask any questions you may have about their tasks.
We have our 5 -25 point tasks

Here is the graphic to put in your siggy. How to put a graphic in your siggy is on the lower right of this page.

Task Specific Info

Task: Book/Related Music
You can enter a book or a band and it will give you suggestions.
: : Artists for Literacy - Projects : :

Task: Book by gay/lesbian author or with gay/lesbian main character
A really nice list of books that fit perfectly into this category.
Lambda Literary Foundation :: LL Awards :: Current Finalists

Task: Read a book that was released the year you were born
Actually, there are a couple sites to help you out with that one. Here ya go:
Category:1984 books

(You can change the year once you follow the link.)

New York Times Best Seller List

RevJen is our Official SBC researcher. If you have any further questions, drop her a line and she will help you find something incredible to read!

Task: Read a book that is being made into a movie coming out in 2009
Just to clear up some confusion. The book that you read for the category of book being released as a movie can be any book/movie coming out in 2009. So for example Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will work, even though that doesn't actually come out until July (perfect for those doing the HP read along as well).Here is a post that talks about this and includes a list of movies based on books that are coming out this year.http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/13286028.aspx

The Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse series)

2009-02-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse series)
By Charlaine Harris

When vampires announce their existence, thanks to the discovery of synthetic blood, Sookie Stackhouse felt nothing but excitement. Being a telepathic barmaid in a small Louisiana town, she wanted some adventure in her life, and she got exactly that.

Through her vampire boyfriend, her world expands to werewolves, fairies and witches – all who need her telepathic powers to solve various mysteries. Each adventure brings a new supernatural suitor and some romance – leaving Sookie in a growing love triangle throughout the series.

Series order:
1. Dead Until Dark (HBO’s “True Blood, season 1)
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead To the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Dead Together
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone (released May 2009)

Nest Book Club Facebook Group

2009-02-07T04:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we're official and stuff now that we have a Facebook group, right? Right.

To join, just search for "Nest Book Club" in groups and request to be added. This is a private group because we have our nest names posted, but our admins are pretty nice girls, so most likely they'll let you in!

That's all.

List of Book Fairs

2009-02-06T18:17:00.001-08:00

With all the talk of gtgs and book fairs I thought I'd post this here for anyone who missed it. Ceresas posted this link to the Library of Congress web site. It lists a ton of book fairs and events by state. So check it out if you're interested. Even if not for a gtg then at least for yourself. And maybe another nestie or two would be interested and you could do your own little mini gtg.

All Mapped Out

2009-02-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post the map that we've worked out over the last few days.

There are a lot of NBC members represented. If you aren't, but want to be either leave me a message here or contact me on The Nest.

Here it is!

--Jacki

Harry Potter Read Along Update

2009-01-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

It's discussion time for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! The discussion is taking place on the new Harry Potter board. We're talking about the book and the movie, so come join us!

And get ready to start Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Feb. 2. We're planning to have the book done by Feb. 21 and then watch the movie. The discussion will be the week of Feb. 23.

So put on your robes, grab your wand, and come talk Harry Potter!

Info on the Challenges

2009-01-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

Since there has been some confusion with the challenges Jacki and I thought we should clarify.

There are 3 challenges dealing with number of books read in 2009. They are: 25 books, 50 books and 100 books. If you want to do one of these all you have to do is pick which one you want to do, start reading, and keep track of your books however you want (goodreads, a spreadsheet, whatever). There will be some checkins on the board to see how everyone is doing. Feel free to add the graphics to your siggy as well.
One thing that has been asked a lot is whether re-reading a book counts. This is the decision of the board: if it is the first time you have re-read the book this year it counts, anything more than that does not. Other than a multiple re-read this year any book that you read counts toward these challenges. The point of these challenges is to simply encourage us all to read, not dictate what we read. We want everyone to have fun!

The other challenge is the Winter Book Challenge. You can find the information for that in the book challenge blog, the link for that is on the right of this page (scroll down).

Goodreads/ PBS Log is available

2009-01-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who gave me their PBS/Goodreads info. Now we have it all together in one place.

Here it is.

If there is a problem with your entry or you need added, leave a comment here or PM me or Kayash on The Nest & we'll get it changed!

100 Books in 2009 Challenge

2009-01-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right, there is now a third form of the book challenge. A few members of the book board decided to really challenge themselves this year and have decided to go for 100 books over the year. If you'd like to participate in this challenge simply read 100 books this year, that's it. There will be check ins on the board and some girls have started keeping track of them in their siggys. And feel free to put the graphic in your siggy.

Nest Book Club FAQ

2009-01-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Q: What are the official Nest Book Club selections?

A: You can find a list of the Nest Book Club selections on The Book Bio.

Q: How are these chosen?

A: Every October/November, a series of polls is conducted to find what books everyone wants to read in a handful of different genres. No one person decides on these, it is a group decision.

Q: When will they be discussed?

A: On the fourth Tuesday of the month, the discussion for the month's book starts. The discussion lasts though out the week.

Q: How does the discussion work?

A: The discussion is not 'run' by any one person. Different people pose discussion questions, opinions and general conversation about the particular book & people respond. It is not an 'organized discussion', but instead a more loosely formed discussion that lasts for several days.

Q: I am crazy about Twilight. Where can I let the Twilight-crazy flow freely?

A: There are now two 'mini' boards at the top of the main page now. No more stealing boards, Harry Potter and Twilight have their own little special boards for you to enjoy!

Q: What is Paperback Swap?

A: Paperback Swap (often referred to just as PBS on the board) is a website that a lot of Nesties use. It is a way to get new books and get rid of older books for just the price of postage. This is a fun thing anyway, but The Nest Book Club makes it even better because if Nesties are posting a good, popular book, a lot of times it will be offered on the board before it is listed publicly.

Q: What is GoodReads?

A: GoodReads is another site that is used by a lot of Nesties and referred to frequently. It is a site used to keep track of books read, read reviews, keep track of what everyone else is reading, and keep a tally of books that you haven't read yet but want to. This website is huge and has tons of features just waiting to be explored. There is a Nest Book Club group on GoodReads that can be found here: Nestie Book Club.

Q: How can I 'friend' the Nesties that use these sites?

A: Here is a log of all the Goodreads & PBS users. Feel free to add everyone as friends. Some people do not feel comfortable adding you if they don't know where you got their name, so make sure you add a message saying who you are on The Nest!

In addition, there is a Nest Book Club on Facebook. To join, just search for "Nest Book Club" in groups and request to be added. Because our Nest names are posted on there, this is a private group, but our admins are pretty nice girls, so most likely they'll let you in!

Q: How can I keep from spoiling/being spoiled?

A: Because there are a lot of people in the Book Club reading a lot of different books, it is important that we not spoil endings/story lines for other people. The easiest way to do this is to put Spoiler in the title bar. For example, you are curious how everyone feels about the ending of The Notebook. A good title would be "The Notebook ending *Spoilers*". This will keep people who have not read The Notebook yet out of there.

If a discussion is in full-swing and you want to post something about the ending make sure you indicate that you are about to post a spoiler, push enter a handful of times and then write your spoiler. This will save people who don't want to read it from reading it.

The only exception to this is the Book Club selection for the month. It is assumed that people who are clicking on those discussions have already read the book.

On the same note, if you want to review a book/ask a question, feel free to put *no spoilers* if it is spoiler free!

In addition, keep in mind that everyone can read all the titles of posts, so please don't include anything that could be taken as a spoiler in the title. Think of a vaguer title and be sure to include *spoiler*, then put the content in the post itself. This will save people from accidently finding out what is going to happen in the book.

Q: What are all these abbreviations?!

A: The Nest is chock full of abbreviations. Here is a list of ones that are used specifically on the Nest Book Club.

NBC- Nest Book Club

NBR- Not Book Related

BR- Book Related

TBR- To Be Read

TOBG- The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

TTW- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

DIA- Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

NaNo- National Novel Writing Month

ATAT- All Twilight All the Time

BD- Breaking Dawn

NM- New Moon

PBS- Paperback Swap

HP- Harry Potter

WIAR- What I Am Reading

WIJFR- What I Just Finished Reading

LOTR- Lord of the Rings

WBC/SBC/SuBC/FBC- Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall Book Challenge

ABOSAA: A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

OSN: Operation: Skinny Nerd

Q: Where can I get more information on the current challenges?

A: In addition to the official NBC book selection for the month, there are often other challenges and read-alongs going on. This was one of the main reasons for starting this blog. The challenge and read along information will be able to be found here and any updates/changes will be posted both on the board and on this blog. The seasonal challenge also has its own blog, which is posted below.

Here are links to the current happenings:

Nest Book Club Challenge (Seasonal)

Spreadsheets for this challenge

100 books in 2009

50 books in 2009

25 books in 2009

Stephen King Group Reads

Harry Potter Group Read

Lord of the Ring Group Read

Operation: Skinny Nerds

Q: How do I get those little challenge boxes in my siggy?

A: There are several different boxes that have been made to show that you are participating in a NBC challenge. They are all posted at the right side of the blog, about halfway down.

To get these into your siggy, go to your profile on the Nest, click on Edit My Profile, and down at the bottom is the signature area.

Insert this: <*img src="tinyurlhere" width=200>

Right click on the box you want to be in your siggy and choose "copy image address".

Now, paste that address where it says "tinyurlhere" and delete the * from in front of img.

This will put the box in your siggy.

A Certain Slant of Light

2008-12-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

I had seen several recommendations on the board for A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. The premise sounded interesting and when I saw it on my most recent trip to the library I decided to give it a try.

"Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you're dead."

The first line lets you know that this is a ghost story. It's about Helen, a woman who died 130 years ago, but has existed as Light, a ghost, since then, roaming the world attached to a human host. When one host dies, she cleaves to another, which has brought her to the setting of the story. It begins in a high school classroom where her current host, Mr. Brown, teaches English. It seems like another day in her Light existence until she notices once of Mr. Brown's students looking at her. Not through her, at her.

She realizes that this student, Billy, has been possessed by a spirit like her. Billy was on the brink of death from a drug overdose, so this spirit, James, took possession of Billy's abandoned body. Soon James and Helen fall in love, her as a spirit and him in possession of this teenage body.

The resulting story is one of love that delves into some fascinating moral issues as well. How can these two lovers be together when they are both dead? How does James's inhabitation of Billy's body impact the people in Billy's world and the life he left behind? What are the ramifications of the Light interfering with the Quick? It also delves into the past and the reasons these two spirits are stuck wandering the Earth.

It's amazing that this is Whitcomb's first novel. Her writing is beautiful and poetic and the story is tight and full.

The only thing that is strange to me about this book is the fact that it is categorized as Young Adult. Yes, a lot of it takes place in a high school, and yes, there are high-school-aged characters, but Helen was 29 when she died, and James was in his 20's as well, so the characters are mature and much of the subject matter is mature as well. For those of you who are interested in this book, please don't be turned off by the YA categorization. Nothing about this story struck me as YA at all.

There have been some raves on the board as well about the audio book. That's something I would like to check out, as it was mentioned that the reader really captures Helen's essence in her storytelling.

~Jessica
(Young_Love)

25 books in 2009

2008-12-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

So many members on the board have decided that, while they don't think they can hit 50 books (or simply don't want to), they would still like to have a challenge. So they created the 25 books in 2009 challenge. So check out the board to see who all is doing it and feel free to post your updates here or on the board. And as always, feel free to add the icon to your siggy.

Update to the Harry Potter Read Along

2008-12-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

So RevJen had the great idea to spread out the books a bit and read one a month between January and July when the next movie comes out. Along with the book we're thinking we can watch the movie for each book each month (well, up through book 5). So, we will start in January and read one book each month. Feel free to post on the board any thoughts or questions anytime throughout the month. Read the original post for more details on what we are doing.

EW's Best and Worst of 2008

2008-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

I know these lists are really popular so I thought I'd post it here for anyone who wants to have it handy. Check out the lists here. Happy reading!

The Harry Potter Series Read Along!

2008-12-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

So a bunch of us are planning to read the Harry Potter series together, some for the first time others for the tenth. Please feel free to join in by reading all of the books or only some, whatever you want. We're starting with book 1 on January 5th and will read one book a month from then until July (which is when the new movie comes out). Then, after you read the book, watch the movie that goes with that book (there is a movie for each book through Order of the Phoenix). There will be frequent posts on the board about the books and what is going on. So please join us!

And just an fyi this is not an official nbc event, it's in addition to the regular book club pick. And if it's your first time reading these or just your first re-read you can count these toward the book challenges.

The book order:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Stephen King Group Reads

2008-12-18T06:48:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update everyone on what is happening on the Stephen King front.

To make things clear: neither of these are 'official' Nest Book Club selections. These discussions will take place in addition to the discussions about selected NBC books.

We will be discussing the book The Stand on January 20th & 21st. For LOST fans, this will be to gear up for the season premiere that night, but everyone is welcome to join in!

To answer a couple of questions about this book:

The Stand is not a "scary" book with ghosts and vampires and things that go bump-in-the-night. It is a story of an experiment that gets out of hand, killing a huge majority of the population. The story focuses on the survivors and how they respond and what happens to them. If you are scared of typical horror books, don't be scared of this.

There are 2 versions of The Stand. The original one was published in 1978. In 1990, Stephen King released a newer version, calling it the "uncut" edition. It is about 300 pages longer, and most of the additions were character development related. It will give you a little bit more back story to some characters, but really isn't essential to get the story. For the group read, feel free to read whichever copy you have access to.

Immediately following discussing The Stand, we will be reading The Dark Tower. This is a series of 7 books written by Stephen King from the time he was 19 (in 1970) and completed in 2004. We will start out, with the first 2 books, discussing every 2 weeks. After that, the books get longer and we will set discussion dates depending on the length of the book.

All the books in order are:

1- The Gunslinger

2- The Drawing of the Three

3- The Waste Lands

4- Wizard and Glass

5- Wolves of the Calla

6- Songs of Susannah

7- The Dark Tower

This series has connections with many of King's other works and is considered by many (and by King himself) to be his greatest.

For more information about plot, visit the Dark Tower website.

If you are also participating in the Winter Book Challenge, keep in mind that you can use The Stand as your 700+ book, The Drawing of the Three can be used as a book with a number in the title, If you have never read Stephen King you can count this as your book by an author you have never read, you could count the Dark Tower books as reading books in the same series. Just wanted to point these things out!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me (jackiback) or MyJuneGirls. We are the resident Stephen King fanatics and would love to get you reading him!

**Updated: January 24th**

We have now set a schedule for reading these books. We switched up the reading time depending on the length of the books and here is what we came up with:

The Gunslinger: February 9th

Drawing of the Three: February 23rd

The Waste Lands: March 16th

Wizard and Glass: April 6th

Wolves of the Calla: May 4th

Song of Susannah: May 25th

The Dark Tower: June 22nd

Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

2008-12-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

Marley and Me is an incredibly cute book by John Grogan about a mischievous golden retriever that he and his wife brought into their home. They both had fond memories of dogs from their childhoods and were convinced that they would have the same experience with Marley. But they were in for a surprise. Marley was an incredibly hyper, curious, and playful dog who brought a lot to the life of the Grogans.

The book is full of funny and heartwarming stories about the dog and the family as they grew, from a tiny puppy and his newlywed owners to a full grown dog and an established family. Marley and Me is a touching story that even someone who doesn't like dogs will enjoy.

The book is also being turned into a movie starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. The movie comes out Christmas Day.

Check out the Amazon.com page for the book and this page for the movie.

Just in Case

2008-12-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

So with the rumors today about the nest possibly going down Woogie made us a backup so we can all still communicate. If the site goes down we'll simply move over to this site. She says it's really simple and you don't have to give a lot of information to make a profile. So just thought I'd post this here just in case.

High School Reunion Part II

2008-12-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

So, I wanted to read more of Sarah Dessen's books, but I didn't want to go out and buy them for full price. I usually get most of my books at the used bookstore or on half.com, but shopping for specific books at the used bookstore never works out so well, and, in this case, I was way too impatient to wait for half.com. So...I broke down and got a library card. Then I ran upstairs to the YA section and grabbed three more of her books.

I ended up devouring these three books. I read two of them and started the third in one day, then I finished the third one the following evening.

That Summer was actually Dessen's first published novel. This is apparent when you compare the writing with the writing in This Lullaby or Just Listen, but it was still a great book. I really related with the main character Haven because she was going through her teen years as a nearly six foot tall girl, much like I did. (She also worked at the mall, much like I did for eight long years of my life. Haven and I had a lot in common.) That Summer is a "sister of the bride" story. Haven's sister getting married in the same summer as her father is getting re-married (to the woman he cheated on her mom with), so it's a traumatic summer for her. She copes by spending her time fixating on a summer from her past when her sister's ex-boyfriend, Sumner, shows back up in town.

I think we can all relate to romanticizing a time in the past when we thought things were perfect and fixating on it, and that's what Haven does in this book. The ending is very poignant, and it is a cute growing up story.

Keeping The Moon is another one of Dessen's earlier books, and is another coming of age story. I liked this one better than That Summer, mainly just because the writing was tighter and there was a little more romance (I am realizing I am a sucker for the teen romance. How sad). In this one there is the adorably dorky Norman, a talented artist, as the boy interest. (I don't know what it is about Sarah Dessen...she obviously loves the dorky boys as much as I do. It's so refreshing to see dorks getting some love. I think that's why I like her books so much.) Romance isn't the focus of this book, though, it's Colie and the journey of self-acceptance she goes through as she spends a summer at the beach with her aunt. She learns about friendship, beauty, and loving herself through her aunt, the two twenty-something girls next door, Isabel and Morgan, and the cutie-pie Norman who rents a room at her aunt's house. It all sounds very trite, but it's not, I promise. Dessen really has mastered telling these stories and teaching these lessons without sounding cliche.

The last one I read from the library was Dreamland. I don't want to say that Dessen's novels are formulaic, because they are not, but the ones I have read have followed a somewhat similar pattern of girl discovers herself and deals with family issues thanks to some dorky boy who helps her figure it all out. Dreamland is different. Yes, Caitlin has personal issues as well as major family issues that she needs to solve. However, in this book it isn't the boy who helps her solve them. In this book, the boy makes them worse.

I should have known something was different about this book when I didn't like Rogerson. I have loved all of her other guy characters, but I didn't like this one. Well, there's a good reason, because the relationship between Caitlin and Rogerson soon turns to abuse, so not only is Caitlin dealing with her mother's depression and the breakdown of her family after her sister runs away, but now she is trying to keep her absue at the hands of her mysterious boyfriend a secret from everyone. It's so fascinating the way Caitlin's life slowly breaks down and she beigins to lose every single piece of herself to this guy who hurts her over and over again.

This book is a lot heavier than the others. Obviously, the subject of abuse is a serious one. Plus, there is a lot of drinking and teenage drug use, as well as language. Rogerson is a drug dealer, and by the end of the book Caitlin is stoned pretty much the entire time. It's still one I would love to have my students read, though...hopefully to let the girls look at an abusive relationship from the outside and see what it looks like so they know what to avoid.

So, after reading five of her novels, I still have a major crush on Sarah Dessen. This Lullaby remains my favorite, but I still have a few more to read! I need to get my hands on Someone Like You, The Truth About Forever, and her newset book Lock and Key. Someone Like You is one of her older ones, but the other two are more recent and I have heard nothing but good things about them!

Looking at all of these books and reading reviews, it seems like people tend to agree that Dessen has a lock on writing characters that feel real. Like them or hate them (it seems like her girls irritate a lot of readers, but I think it may be because they relate to them more than they want to admit), they are so fleshed out that they feel like they could hop off of the page and have a cup of coffee with you (or smoke a bowl with you, in the case of Caitlin from Dreamland). The same with her secondary characters. Even though they are just there, in many cases, to move the plot along in some way or another, she never makes them flat. They are always just as interesting and complex as the main characters themselves.

Looks like I'll be stalking the YA section of the library until these come in. But, I guess by the time that happens I could have ordered them from half.com, right? Oh well...as long as I get to read them.

~Jessica
(Young_Love)

Challenge Spreadsheets

2008-12-09T16:22:00.001-08:00

j*&*p made a link to the challenge spreadsheets for everyone. Here is the link.

If you want to save it to your computer as an excel file...
1. Click on File in the command bar
2. Chose Export and a new menu will pop up.
3. On the new menu that pops up choose .xls

If you want to save it as a google docs spreadsheet (you have to have a google docs account to do this)...
1. Click File
2. Choose Create a Copy
3. Rename it and save to your own google docs account.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2008-12-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

Isabella Swan is a plain, clumsy girl who moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona to cold, rainy Forks, Washington to live with her father. She is miserable in Forks, but quickly finds herself drawn to the beautiful and mysterious Edward Cullen, a student at the small town's high school who, along with his strange brothers and sisters, seems to be an outcast in the town despite his extreme beauty.

Bella's first encounter with the gorgeous Edward is a strange one, as he seems to hate her upon first sight. From there, she is drawn into his mysterious world of cryptic answers, impossible acts of strength, and inexplicable behavior. What Bella doesn't realize is that Edward is a vampire, and the more time they spend together, the more they are moving toward an impossible relationship.

Twilight explores the most forbidden love of all. Can a vampire and a human girl truly be together, if his lust for her body always runs the chance of being overcome by his lust for her blood?

This book is one part vampire (although Stephenie Meyer's vampires do not follow traditional vampire canon at all...no fangs here), three parts angsty teen love. It's a guilty pleasure read, chock full of brooding glances and cheesy dialouge, and it is heavily recommended that you stock up on all the books in the series once you get started. Once most people get going, they don't want to stop.

The Twilight Saga
#1 - Twilight
#2 - New Moon
#3 - Eclipse
#4 - Breaking Dawn

As a bonus for Twilight fans, you can also read the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyer's website. Midnight Sun is the Twilight story from Edward's perspective. It was supposed to be Meyer's next project after Breaking Dawn, but in late August '08, the first 12 chapters were leaked onto the internet. Meyer was upset that her rough work was spread around without her permission or knowledge, released a statement saying the project was on hold indefinitely, and posted those leaked chapters for her fans on her website. You can read them, along with her statement, here.

Outlander

2008-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

English nurse Claire Randall and her husband take a second honeymoon to reconnect with one another in the Scottish Highlands in 1945 (they have been separated by 8 years of war). Claire is on a walk alone on an nearby hill when she walks through a cleft stone and is transported to 1743. She is saved from an evil English dragoon by a Highland clan, and befriends one of the Highlanders. What follows is a tale of adventure, espionage, romance, and a woman torn between fidelity and desire, and her torn conscience about returning to her own time and her newfound love in the 18th century.
There are currently six (very long) books, a seventh in the works, a graphic novel based on the first, and a spin off series based on one of the characters who first appears in book two. ~Woogie

The books are (in order):
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
An Echo in the Bone (to be released in 2009)

High School Reunion

2008-12-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

So, as a high school teacher I have become pretty interested in Young Adult (YA) lit lately. I started reading it when I said, "I want to know what my students are reading so I can talk to them about it," but then, after a book or two, I found myself hooked on the genre. It wasn't just about reading what they read, it was about getting into their heads and living their lives for a little bit, albeit vicariously.

And, I'm not going to lie, I have always had a thing about high school. I guess that's why I ended up as a teacher...I guess I could never really move on.

On Thursday I randomly picked up a book called This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I didn't even realize it was YA when I bought it at the thrift store a few weeks ago, I figured it was chick lit (which I am not a big fan of, to tell you the truth), and threw it in my TBR pile, figuring it would be a good book for a day I was looking for a quick read, and then I would donate it to my classroom library for my students. Well, Thursday was the day I was looking for that quick read, so this book got tossed into my purse and I dove into it on my lunch break.

I was interested as soon as I started reading because the main character, Remy, was not like the typical female main character in a YA novel. She wasn't a cheerleader, but she also wasn't the shy nerd. She drank, she partied, she slept around, she was a total bitch, but, somehow she was not "the bitch." She was still a likable character. I loved following her as she was revealed to me, all of these interesting facets of her personality unfolding in layers. I found myself really liking Remy, wishing she was actually sitting across from me at lunch, and not stuck on the page.

Then there was the guy. Dexter. Oh holy lord, it was like Sarah Dessen could see into my soul and created the exact guy I would fall head-over-heels in love with. Tall. Gangly. Dorky as hell. Singer in a band. Somewhat awkward. Sex hair. OMG. I. Love. Dexter. (It should come as no surprise to most everyone reading this blog that I crush on fictional characters and I crush hard. It's not just fictional characters, though. I crush on anything and anyone appealing that crosses my path. It's a sickness, really.) Dexter was after Remy. Remy was hesitant. Jessica shouted at the book, "Good LORD, Remy! Hit that and hit it NOW or I will find a way to do it for you!"

The book wasn't just about them, though. There was so much more. Remy's family issues. Her personal issues. The things she had to get over internally. The things she had to figure out about her mom and her brother. I loved getting into her head and seeing all of this through her eyes.

I devoured this book and was really impressed. It wasn't at all what I expected from a YA novel. The characters are very well developed and actually three dimensional, which I don't often see in this genre. Plus I realized the typical YA cliches weren't there, which was a refreshing surprise. The only cliche element, to me, anyway, was the I-hate-you-no-wait-I-love-you nature of Remy and Dexter's relationship, but even that was done in a way that didn't make it seem tired and worn out.

But what really impressed me was Dessen's writing. Accessible for teenagers, but polished and solid. I enjoyed it so much. And, as someone who just spent November attempting to write a YA novel, it was very inspiring. As I was reading This Lullaby I was thinking," This is EXACTLY the book I was trying to write. The characters. The story. The development. This is what I wanted to do." So, I was jealous. So jealous. Jealous, but inspired. I want to be Sarah Dessen.

However, I figured I should read more of her books before I jump to this wild conclusion, so I grabbed Just Listen from the shelf of my classroom library and brought it home for the weekend. I read the whole thing today.

It took me a little longer to get into Just Listen, but I still enjoyed it and I was still impressed with Dessen's characters, story, and writing.

I was coming off of my Dexter high and Owen, while cool and an interesting character, just didn't do it for me the way Dexter did. (However, in a very fun surprise, Dexter some of the characters from This Lulaby actually make a cameo appearance in this book! I was so excited, it was like running into an old friend at the mall. Well, maybe not, because when I see people at the mall, even old friends, I end up hiding behind the sale rack until they are gone. I passionately hate small talk. So, bad comparison, I guess.) Plus, the focus of this book is less on the relationship and more on Annabel as a person and her relationship with her family, so that romance piece was a little bit missing for me. It was still a great book, though, and one that I would totally recommend. The dynamic between Annabel and her sisters Whitney and Kirsten is such a fascinating one and even though I thought I wouldn't be able to relate because I don't have sisters myself, I found myself shedding several tears over the relationship between these three.

I'm sitting on my couch now, eyeballing my bookshelf just FULL of books I haven't yet read, but all I want to do is read another one of Dessen's books. And, honestly, if I had it with me, I wouldn't even mind reading This Lullaby again. I suppose I can wait until tomorrow to scour the local thrift stores looking for another book of hers (she has about four or five other ones, all of them look interesting), but for now I figure blogging about the two I've read will be good enough to distract me, and then thinking about how I can get my NaNo story from where it is (vapid pile of crap) to where I want it to be (This Lullaby status) will push me on once I have read everything of hers that I can, which I will inevitably do in a very short time.

My YA obsession lives on. But I had a long conversation about This Lullaby with my 2nd period class on Friday morning, so I guess it really is a good thing.

~Jessica
(Young_Love)

50 Books in 2009

2008-12-05T18:46:00.001-08:00

A bunch of us are doing a challenge next year where we plan to read at least 50 books over the course of the year. Everyone is invited to join us. Post in the comments and let us know if you plan to play along. We'll do check ins throughout the year to see how everyone is doing. And there's a graphic you can put in your siggy or blog.

Mini Nano

2008-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

Don't forget we've got the mini Nano challenge that Jen started going on from today through the end of the month. The challenge is to hit 30,000 words (or finish your story for those who are that far). We'll run it like we did with the original Nano with check ins on the board but feel free to post any updates or anything here. And there's a graphic you can put in your siggy or blog if you want.

The Book Challenge

2008-12-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Angelashly is awesome and put together an awesome book challenge for us all to participate in and now she's made a blog for it. Check it out here.

Welcome!

2008-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Book Nest! This is a place for the members of the nest book club to continue our conversations, post challenges, and share book reviews and blogs. All members are invited to contribute to this blog and take part in all the challenges. Let me know if you'd like an invite to be a blogger on here. Also feel free to comment and let us know what you want to see. Happy reading everyone!