The Original TBR Challenge Wrap Up

I'm calling this one done. I read eleven books off my main list and one from the alternate. That's twelve books so I'm done :)
Here's what I read:

Food And Loathing by Betsy Lerner
Tithe by Holly Black
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Entre Nous by Debra Olliver
My Life In France by Julia Childs
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Underdogs by Markus Zusak
Address Unknown by Katherine Kressmann Taylor
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
A History of The Wife by Marilyn Yalom
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
A Guide To Elegance by Genevieve Dariaux

I enjoyed this challenge but it was difficult for me to read a set list of books.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I added The Truth About Forever to my tbr list (and the The Original TBR Challenge) because I had picked up the ARC from a friend. I'd heard good things about Dessen and since I hadn't read her before, I figured I should check it out.
Macy's sixteen and trying to be perfect. She has the perfect boyfriend who will be leaving her for the summer. She's just has to make through the summer to get her perfect life going. At first I wasn't sure if I would like Macy til I realized that we shared that unattainable desire to be perfect. I could clearly could see her struggle against the ideal and the reality. The characters talk over and over again about how perfect just isn't realistic. How perfect shouldn't ever be the goal cause not perfect can be so wonderful. Even though it would have stressed me out I loved all the chaos that Delia brought into Macy's life. It really forced her out of her hemmed in little world.
I really got sucked into Macy's story. It was very real. Macy's family is grieving the loss of her father. People treat her differently so she keeps them away. Her mom's thrown herself into work. Macy thinks if she keeps her head down and works on being perfect, everything will be fine. Then she meet Delia, a pregnant, frazzled caterer. Macy starts working for Delia and meets Kristy, Wes, Monica, and Bert. Slowly she becomes friends with this new gang of people and finds out more about herself. And Wes is sa-woon worthy!
Overall I really liked The Truth About Forever. It was a very realistic and relatable story. One I would definitely recommend. Others who shared their thoughts on The Truth About Forever: Books From Bleh To Basically Amazing, Paranormal Indulgence, and Confessions of A Book Addict.
This was my twenty-ninth read for the YA Reading Challenge.

And this was my eleventh read for the TBR challenge.

A History of The Wife by Marilyn Yalom

I don't remember how A History of The Wife wound up on my tbr list. But I do love microhistories so I was happy to read it. While there was plenty of great information, the book dragged in places and had a tendency to get dry.
Yalom starts in Ancient Greece and Rome, working her way through history and up the continent. She follows English wives to America and remains in America for the last 3-4 chapters. I started referring to this book as the History of the White Wife. There's very little information presented about African-American women and none about Asian, Indian, African, or Latin American brides. A lot of the research she presents is about white women and she's clear about that. I hope there is a sequel to this book talking about the rest of the world.
But Yalom just doesn't rely on research. She uses literature, letters, and diaries to give the reader insight to the day to day lives of women through out history. A lot of the early information about wives was through the eyes of men. She also points out how laws changed through time where women went from property to more equal partners in the relationship. But hearing from the women through letters and diaries was the most effective way to hear about how they struggled with moving to a new country, existing without food, surviving wars, and struggling to balance work and family. The difficulties that women face today, working, maintaining a home, raising kids have been difficulties for women for centuries. It's clear that in order for women "to have it all", we all have to work together, become more of a community where people share responsibilities. More part time jobs or job sharing. More communal living so the household tasks are divided among the residents. I think that flies in the face of the independent American so we have a lot to work on.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a detailed history of European and American wives. A History of The Wife does show you how women in America today wound up with their struggle to have it all and mommy guilt. Others who shared their thoughts on A History of The Wife: Kittens With Mittens.
This was my tenth read for The Original TBR Challenge.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

I chose to read The Postmistress after reading some glowing reviews when it first came out. At first I was hesitant, not really getting sucked into the story but about halfway through the book, I was hooked.
First I have to say the writing is amazing. You're just reading the story then, bam, there's all this detail. it's told so beautiful that it took my breath away. Then it would go back to the story which got really engaging to me after about page 50 or so.
At the beginning you had so many people with so many stories. Iris, the postmaster, watches the town and struggles to just watch. Harry, the town mechanic, believes that the German U-Boats will find their sleepy Cape Cod town. Emma, the new wife of the town's doctor, floats adrift after her husband leaves to help in England. And Frankie, the war correspondent, trying to bring the war to those at home in America. But each of their secrets and struggles slowly meld into one story.
I truly enjoyed The Postmistress after the slow start, it really picked up and kept me engaged. I think this would be an excellent book club book. There is plenty to discuss! Recommended. Others who shared their thoughts on The Postmistress: Book Journey, Bookfan, This Miss Loves To Read, You've GOTTA Read This, Bibliophile By The Sea, and Beth Fish Reads.
This was my ninth read for The Original TBR challenge.

 

Address Unknown by Katherine Kressmann Taylor

I added Address Unknown to my tbr list after reading about it on Lisa's blog. I can't believe I'd never heard of this short bestselling story about two men at the start of World War 2.
This is a short book, 64 pages, but not one that will soon leave you. The story is told through letters between two friends, Max and Martin. Martin has recently returned home to Germany after starting a successful business in America with Max. They have a gallery. Martin has gotten wealthy and returned back to Germany. Martin is proud of his accomplishments and sad at the beginning about the poverty he sees in Germany. But quickly the letters turn to Hitler, who Martin describes as a "Glorious Leader". The friends find themselves at odds as Martin becomes a Hitler devotee and Max learns more about the atrocities being committed to his people, the Jews, in his native county.
The letter format really works here. The writing is exquisite. Each letter is short, only a page or two but tells so much. The tone of the letters and the language make this tiny book seem so much bigger.
Highly recommended. It's such a short book. I read it in less than an hour. But it will give you so much to think about. This would be an excellent book club choice. Others who shared their thoughts on Address Unknown: Happily Ever After...In Seattle, Yorkshire Soul, and Books and Cooks.
This was my eighth read for the Original TBR Challenge.

Underdogs by Markus Zusak

Underdogs is the complete trilogy of the Wolfe Brothers by Markus Zusak. I'm glad I read them in successive order. While reading The Underdog, I thought eh, the writings good but the story is so so. I started to enjoy it more during Fighting Ruben Wolfe, but fell in love with Cameron in Getting The Girl. I actually teared up at the end of Getting The Girl which is unusual for me. I don't get weepy while reading many books.

The Underdog is the story of Cameron and Ruben Wolfe. Cameron is the youngest brother. Ruben is his older brother. Steven is the oldest brother. Sarah is their only sister. The Wolfe family is lower middle class. Their mom tries to make them a decent meal each night but sometimes they have mushrooms as meat. Their dad is a plumber. I loved the language that Cam and Ruben used. It was hard for me to understand their Australian teen slang. A lot of words were similar to British slang so it was ok. In The Underdog you get to know Cam and Ruben and how they feel about their lives. They spend their time planning heists (and not carrying them out), playing One Punch (they share one set of boxing gloves), and walking their neighbors dog, Miffy.

In Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Cam and Ruben are starting to grow up. Cam's relationship with his family starts to change. His relationship with Ruben starts change too. Zusak's writing really pulls you in and you  makes you care about this struggling family, a family of fighters. I really started to fall in love with the whole family but Cameron especially.

Getting The Girl was the best one. Here everything comes to a head. Cam has to make choices and start to grow up. I cannot describe how much I loved how things wrapped up for Cam and Ruben. I was intensely proud of these characters. I don't really say that about a lot of characters but I was rooting for each of the Wolfes. I didn't want them to get everything their little heart's desired but I wanted them to have their own happy endings. 

I cannot express how much I loved this trilogy. While it's nothing like The Book Thief, the writing is amazing. The character development over the trilogy is some of the best I've read. Others who shared their thoughts on Underdogs: It's All About Books, Guys Lit Wire, and Read Love.

This is my twenty-sixth read for the YA Reading Challenge.

Getting The Girl was my seventh read for the Original TBR List.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I added Jane Eyre to my Original TBR challenge list because I've never read it and it's one of those classics "I should read". And since I really enjoyed it, I'm glad I finally read Jane Eyre.
Despite this being a classic, it's really just a boy-meets-girl-boy-and-girl-fall-in-love-boy-loses-girl-boy-and-girl-reunite. At the beginning Jane reminded me of another orphan I like-Harry Potter. She lives with her aunt and cousins who torment her. She goes to school where she begins to blossom. I immediately liked Jane. Her desire to find a place in this world was overwhelming and endearing. While she finds school more tolerable than her life with the Reeds, she really finds her place at Thornfield Hall where she becomes a governess and meets Mr Rochester. This is part where it kind of dragged for me. I liked the descriptions of house, the countryside. But it went on a little too long for me. I just had to wait til she found her way back to Mr Rochester.
I recommend Jane Eyre. I loved the language. Others who shared their thoughts on Jane Eyre: A Book Blog. Period, Library Queue, Erin Reads, The Lost Entwife, and Book Journey.
This was my sixth read for the Original TBR challenge.

Tithe By Holly Black

Ever since I first heard of Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales, I'd wanted to read them. Sadly it took me this long to start the series. I love faeries and these are the kind of fey I like-dark, prone to destroy humans and wicked.
After her mother's band breaks up, Kaye returns to New Jersey, her childhood home. When Kaye was growing up she had "imaginary friends", three faeries that she played with. Kaye tries to find them when she returns to New Jersey but has trouble finding them until she meets the mysterious Roiben. The faeries need her help and warn her of Roiben's evil deeds. Kaye quickly finds herself trapped between her faery friends and Roiben.
At the beginning I had a hard time getting into Tithe. Partly because the hype was great. But more because (tiny spoiler) Kaye's a changeling. I'm so tired of the changeling angle. I imagine when this book came out, it was novel. Now it's so tired. But the story moved quickly enough from that and I quickly became engrossed. Black's writing is so enchanting that I forgave her for any faults. I can't wait to read more of Kaye and Roiben's story (and Corny too).
Highly recommended to those who like dark faery stories. Others who shared their thoughts on Tithe: Good Books & Good Wine, The Happy Booker, Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing, and The Book Nerd Club.
This was my twenty-fourth read for the 2011 YA Reading Challenge.

 

 This was the fifth book I read for the 2011 TBR challenge.  

Food And Loathing By Betsy Lerner

I added Food and Loathing to my tbr list after reading Sharlene's review. The second part of the title-A Life Measured Out In Calories that caught my attention. Sometimes I feel that way. That life is measure out in calories not moments.
I related to the beginning where Lerner struggles with her desire to be thin and her addiction to eating. Lerner's whole family deals with overeating so they join Overeater's Anonymous. There Betsy clings to the tenets of any the Anonymous programs. There she finds her first success at weight loss. But food isn't just her only problem. Being bipolar makes it harder for Betsy to maintain her success at weight loss. Bipolar pushes her into a mental health facility. I think her time in the facility was my favorite part. It reminded me of Girl, Interrupted but I could see why Lerner was in the facility.
I loved the honesty of her writing. I can imagine how painful some of her experiences were. Overall I enjoyed Food and Loathing. Others who shared their thoughts on Food and Loathing: Backcountry Writer, Delightful Shrinking, and Tiny Little Reading Room.
This is my fourth read for The Original TBR Challenge.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Wow, I really enjoyed Firelight. I was pretty interested based on the premise (people who shapeshift into dragons or draki in this book). And while some of the story was a little forced, I found myself unable to put it down. By the way, how gorgeous is the cover. Probably half the reason I wanted to read it!
Firelight is the story of Jacinda, a draki. Jacinda, her mom, and her sister live in a community of other draki, a pride. Jacinda's pretty rare. She's the first firebreathing draki in over 400 years. Some stuff goes down forcing Jacinda, her mom and her sister to leave the pride. This forces them to integrate into normal human life. Something Jacinda hates and resents but necessary for their survival. This is where Jacinda became spoiled whiny brat. It was really hard to like Jacinda when she's ranting and raving at her mom for trying to protect her. But here's what made the book worthwhile for me: Will. Swoon! Jacinda meets Will and he makes her draki light up. He's perfect-smart, funny, caring, the complete package. Except for his family who hunt draki. All very Romeo and Juliet.
Highly recommended. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Firelight: The Broke And The Bookish, That's Life, I Read Banned Books, Deb's World Of Books, Simply Nerdy Book Reviews, The Nerd's Wife, Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing, The Book Scout, Chick Lit Teen and A Fanatic's Book Blog.
This is my eighth book for the YA Reading Challenge.

And my third book from my TBR Challenge.

Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide To Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Olliver

I added Entre Nous to my to be read list sometime ago but I can't remember where I heard about it. I'm kind of on a French kick right now so I was glad to read about how to find my inner French girl. But I was disappointed by Entre Nous. The book is broken up into sections-Home Life, Food, Parties, Love Life. But I really felt that each section was way too long. I wish Ollivier would have told the story as a memoir rather than a how to manual.
I did enjoy some of the tips like eating in season, shopping every day for your meals, buying the best you can afford rather than a bunch of stuff on sale. Ollivier spends a lot of time talking about the French women she knows so she's drawing examples from a limited number of people. Although she does talk about some great French films and books.
In all it was cute and light. This is the second book I read for The Original TBR challenge. Others who have posted their thoughts on Entre Nous:  Dwell In Possibility, Rose City Reader and The Breakfast Club Blog.

My Life In France by Julia Childs

I grew up watching Julia Child on tv. I loved her enthusiasm for life and cooking which is evident in this book. My Life In France is about Julia and Paul Child’s time in France, living in Provence and in Paris. Paul’s governmental job took them to France (Germany and Norway as well) with Julia tagging along. One of my absolute favorite things about this book is that it shows you can never start anything to late in life. Julia was 32 when she moved to France and started to learn to cook. Julia felt a passion towards cooking and felt compelled to learn more. Julia never suggests that you move to France or join Cordon Blue cooking school. If you have a passion towards something, you should use what resources are around you to develop that passion.

I found Julia’s story to be encouraging. Often times in the kitchen I get upset that something I made doesn’t come out well. Julia says you should never apologize. As long as you try your best, it’s all part of the learning. I’ve been using Julia as inspiration in the kitchen and I’ve felt more at ease trying different recipes.

I love reading memoirs of folks who have lived in France and this has to be the best I’ve read so far. Julia describes the sights and smells of France in such an enchanting way I felt like I was standing along aside her.

Highly recommended to those who love food, memoirs or enjoy Julia Childs.

This is the first book off my TBR challenge.

The Original TBR Challenge

The last challenge I've joined is The Original TBR Challenge (link corrected).

I'm listing my 12 books below as well as 12 alternates in case :

The main list

1. Tithe by Holly Black

2. The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

4. A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom

5. Address Unknown by Kathrine Taylor

6. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

7. Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak

8. My Life In France by Julia Childs

9. Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Olliver

10. Firelight by Sophie Jordan

11. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

12. Food and Loathing: A Life Measured Out in Calories by Betsy Lerner

My 12 Alternates

1. Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

2. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K Lee

3. A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Dariaux

4. A Year in Japan by Kate Williamson

5. Mississippi in Africa by Alan Huffman

6. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

7. Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang

8.  Troll: a Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo

9. Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

10. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

11. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

12. The Daughters of Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

I kept books from my Fill In The Gaps Challenge off this list. I didn't think that was fair. There's some overlap with my list for the YA Reading Challenge. I'd love to read both lists but let's see how I do :)