You wouldn’t know it from this list, but I really have been reading some books aimed at adults (and books outside the fantasy genre). They will feature in June’s Into the Stacks, however, because I’m not done with them. Patience, people. Patience… (more…)

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you’ll probably have noticed that my monthly book summaries ceased when the calendar switched years. It wasn’t done on purpose. I wanted to hold off in January because I was behind in mailing out Christmas packages. And I just never quite got my act together to get it out in any of the subsequent months.

And, yes, I realize this is a particularly paltry sum of books to have read since the start of the year. I started many more books than this, but either I was really on a run of sub-par books that just didn’t merit finishing or the depression really bit into my desire to read.

Earlier this week, Grey Kitten pointed out that I’ve not posted about books in forever and that he missed seeing what I was reading. That encouraged me to take out this post and dust off the moth balls that had lingered on it for some time.

The good news is that I’m currently working on several books that I do enjoy and that I will resume regular summaries at the end of the month. In the meantime, I offer you the books I finished between January and April, in no particular order:

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If you do not want to know what the American cover of the final Harry Potter book looks like you should not click here.

Sorry for the delay in announcing the contest winners, but I was lacking prizes. Somehow, it’s just less interesting to find out that you’ve won a contest when what precisely you’ve won is vague.

But I’ve been out and about and now have some goodies for some folks selected randomly from amongst the commenters.

First, I wrote down everyone’s name and put them in my Gromit mug.

Then, I assembled the prizes. It didn’t occur to me until afterwards that they were color-coordinated.

Finally, I drew names and assigned prizes in the order I’d written them down on the blog.

Winner #1:

Karen in Toledo has won some warm-weather sock yarn that I ogled last week at my local yarn store, as well as some sock-themed needle point protectors.

The yarn is Panda Cotton, made of 24% cotton, 21% elastic nylon, and 55% bamboo, in the lovely spring shade of Fern. I’ve never knit with it, so I’ll be eager to hear your report.

Winner #2:

Sarah has won a collection of notecards titled, “The Reading Woman,” for jotting notes to the favorite characters. She also wins a fun Koosh-ball themed measuring tape.

Winner #3:

Stephanie has won this cool mousepad and notepad set so she can write down book recommendations and yarn orders from the blogosphere without fear of wondering where that piece of paper slipped off to. (Stephanie owns the wonderful Spritely Goods, from whom I recently bought some lovely nature- and literary-inspired sock yarn) She also wins a copy of Keane’s Hopes and Dreams, a fantastic band that’s part of the second wave of Britpop.

Bonus Winner:

Jenn submitted the 700th comment to the blog, so in honor of the occasion, she needed a prize, too. So knowing she just dropped a large wad of cash buying books that you suggested, I give her a $10 Book Sense gift certificate.

Congratulations to all four of our winners, and many thanks to all 23 of you who sent me book and author recommendations. I guarantee I will not be at a loss for reading material any time in the near future!

Remember, you can always see larger versions of my photos by clicking on them.

Last month Shannon Hale, who wrote the Newbery award-winning The Princess Academy took some time between feeding her newborn and being sick with a stomach bug to contemplate the issue of high school English class curricula.

I thought it tied in nicely with a conversation I had with one of my aunts back at Christmas. My cousin is a 16-year-old boy, and he has not found a lot that he’s interested in reading. He isn’t helped, I don’t think, by a mother who also did not enjoy a lot of what she read in high school and is disinclined to try to figure out what a teacher is attempting to get a student to learn by reading a certain text.

I think we would all acknowledge that most high school English classes leave something to be desired. Think back to when you were in high school. (I’ll wait while the black and white newsreels rewind and the scratchy violin and organ music play…)

What do you remember reading? What did you think of the books at the time? And looking back now?

I definitely remember reading some great things — books I enjoyed at the time, as well as books that I understood the importance of in retrospect. But I also recall some books that were just painful and a few that I didn’t bother to read at all. (Moby Dick springs to mind.)

But I know we can do better. (more…)

Now that I’ve finished writing up the nearly 50 books I read last year, which were amongst the best? I offer my top ten list — five books aimed at adults and five aimed at young adults — for 2006 below. The links take you to my original book reviews.

1. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan — This book really was the most riveting, creative, wonderful book I read all year. The protagonist is an everyday kid, the sort you’d be annoyed by in any average venue, until he finds out that he could possibly be extraordinary. Which is where any good epic takes off. I so look forward to reading future volumes in this series.
2. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss — The best books sometimes happen into your life accidentally. This story of many kinds of love came into mine at an airport convenience store. Who would have expected something so great from the O.C. airport?
3. The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde — Favorite authors just cannot be ignored when they write new books. And Jasper has yet to write a book that disappoints. This tale departed from Thursday Next’s series to take on the story of Detective Jack Spratt with equal excitement and cleverness. Rudi gave me the follow-up, The Fourth Bear, for Christmas and I’m eager to tear into it very, very soon.
4. Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke — Admit it; the saying is often wrong. You frequently can judge a book by its cover. And this new favorite author’s work hopped into my hands almost exclusively based on its cover. (Mind you, I’d been attracted to her covers before this one demanded to come home with me.) A terrific read for book lovers everywhere. Read it before the movie comes out.
5. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg — Old friends often have great recommendations for what you should pick up next. When two old friends independently refer you to the same book, it’s time to put down your current read and find out what’s going to make your literary taste buds water. Thanks Eri and Rebs for encouraging me to seek out Fannie’s latest wonder. It’s unusual for a book to have you grinning for the duration, but this one succeeded at doing just that.
6. Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes — Book awards cannot be totally ignored. This work of historical fiction, which appeared on many short lists last year, was a bit of a downer, but it kept me reading until the very end and left me wondering about the final chapters’ events. It’s hard to ask for more than that from an author.
7. Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson — This account of the origins of the inhabitants of Never Never Land was on my list for a long time before it and I ended up at the same place at the same time. And then it kept me up late kicking my brain into wakefulness with questions of what would happen next.
8. Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge — While covers are important, sometimes cover blurbs are, too. A freebie advance reader copy of this book found its way home with me last year from one of my book conferences via Rudi’s sharp eye for colorful descriptions. Whoever wrote the book’s blurb is to be congratulated. The author’s sense of place stayed with me, as did her use of language, so I’m grateful that the blurb lived up to the reading.
9. Wicked, by Gregoire Maguire — This adaptation of the Oz mythology had long sat on my list of books to check out at some point. When the long-awaited sequel came out, it seemed imperative to read the original. A friend and I read it together and I’d say we both enjoyed it. I wish the book had been a little longer in order to let the end of the story not feel so rushed, but I still think it merits appearing on my top ten list for the year.
10. The Safe-Keeper’s Secret, by Sharon Shinn — Tears are a real tribute to an author’s ability to make you care about her characters. And I wept on public transportation for the characters in Shinn’s novel. I look forward to seeing how their story plays out in future stories.