I Shall Be Near to You
By:  Erin Lindsay McCabe
Challenge:  Monthly Motif
Published:  2014
# of pages:  320

Official description:  An extraordinary novel about a strong-willed woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight beside her husband in the Civil War, inspired by a real female soldier's letters home   Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she's always worked by her father’s side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she's told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier.   Rosetta drills with the men, prepares herself for battle, and faces the tension as her husband comes to grips with having a fighting wife. Fearing discovery of her secret, Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s as their marriage is tested by war. Inspired by over two hundred and fifty documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story, in Rosetta’s powerful and gorgeous voice, of the drama of marriage, one woman’s amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life’s challenges side by side.

My opinion:  Overall, this novel felt disjointed.  There were times I couldn't follow the narrator's logic.  Even at the end, when Rosetta makes her biggest decision, I didn't understand why since it completely disregarded her previous stance on the decision just a few pages earlier.

I love the author's idea of exploring female soldiers in the Civil War.  It isn't common knowledge that there were so many female soldiers in that war, so it was interesting to read the author's note at the end of the book about where she came up with her idea for this novel.

Why I gave this book 3/5 stars:  Interesting story and characters, but I didn't connect with any of them.  The narrative felt disjointed and hard to follow at times.


Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

Under a Painted Sky
By: Stacey Lee

Published: 2015

# of pages: 384

Challenge:  Monthly Motif, Full House

Official description: Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail. This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and heart-wrenching survival tale. But above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.

My opinion: I just loved this book!  It's a young adult and it isn't super realistic, but I absolutely loved the characters.  The author is an amazing writer.  I enjoyed the way she described what the characters were thinking as well as the settings.  I also found it refreshing to read a young adult novel that is also a historical fiction that takes place during a time that is not written about so much.

This met the requirement for January in the Monthly Motif Challenge and the "diversity" category of the Full House Challenge.  The main characters are Chinese and black (escaped slave) young women.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Great characters, unique story, beautiful descriptions.  Not entirely realistic or complex, but that's okay for an uplifting young adult novel.

Other reviews:
The Perpetual Page-Turner

Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

The Winter People
By: Jennifer McMahon
Published: 2014
# of pages: 317
Challenge: R.I.P. XI
Official description:

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie. Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace. Searching for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

My opinion:  I was going to read The Night Sister by the same author, but it wasn't available at the library.  The Winter People was, so I checked that out instead.  I'm glad I did because this book was a suspenseful read for the R.I.P. Challenge!  I was hooked the entire time.  I'm not going to lie; I'm not sure I was happy with the ending.  The pace at the end was a little rushed after all of the build up.  I didn't quite follow why Ruthie's story ended the way it did.  She made a decision that I didn't understand.  Overall, this was a fun, suspenseful read that I'd recommend to lovers of suspense, ghost stories, etc.

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars:  Mostly well written, characters I liked and related to, original story

Other reviews:

chrisbookarama

Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

The Eye of the World
By: Robert Jordan

Series: Wheel of Time

Published: 1990

# of pages: 814

Challenge: Ultimate Reading Challenge

Official description:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

My opinion: With the exception of the flashback within a flashback (within a flashback?) chapters, this was a very well written novel that takes place in an amazingly well thought out fantasy world. It reminded me of Tolkien (Jordan claims he was inspired by Tolkien) and A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin and The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss. 

I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Rand and Perrin (and each of their thoughts about how the other was more comfortable with women!). I'm interested to see what happens with each of the characters in the following books, but especially Rand and Perrin.

And seriously, what about that last paragraph!? I feel like I could be content with waiting a long time to read the next book (which is what I usually do with long series with long individual books like A Song of Ice and Fire and Outlander, etc), but after reading the last paragraph I want to immediately jump into the next book to see what's happening! However, it took me a L.O.N.G. time to get through The Eye of the World. I think it would have been slow going at times even if I was my normal reading obsessed self, but life hasn't treated me so well this summer and it's affected my reading habits. Right now I want to concentrate on my R.I.P. Challenge book choices which are shorter and suspenseful and will maybe pull me out of my reading slump! I was planning to start the next Wheel of Time book next year, but I'm thinking that maybe after October 31 and the R.I.P. Challenge, I'll pick up book #2 to find out what happens next! 

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts
By: Joshua Hammer

Published: 2016

# of pages: 280

Challenge: Full House, What's in a Name?

Official description:  To save precious centuries-old Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven.
In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers.
In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali.
Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s—and the world’s—literary patrimony. Hammer explores the city’s manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants’ march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism.

My opinion: I wish this book had pictures and more descriptions of the actual librarians who risked their lives to save the manuscripts. The book mainly concentrates on the terrorism in Mali and North Africa, which is necessary to the story of the libraries. The problem for me is that there were more details about the terrorists themselves, including the history of several of the leaders, than about the librarians. The only librarian that is really discussed is Haidara, and he didn't physically transport the books. It was awesome that he organized everything, but I wish the readers could learn more about his nephew Touré and others who were smuggling the books.

Why I gave this book 3/5 stars: Interesting read about a subject I had never heard of before, but most of the book had nothing to do with the title, which leads readers to believe they will be reading about true heroes and not the "bad guys."

Other reviews:
Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

Bone Gap
By: Laura Ruby

Published: 2015

# of pages: 373

Challenge: Full House, Ultimate Reading Challenge

Quote: "She said, 'Do you love me yet?'
He recoiled from her, from the look of her.  'You don't love me because you can't see me,' she said.  'Look!  Look!  I am beautiful now.  I am beautiful.'"

Official description:  Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

My opinion:  I usually don't enjoy books in the magical realism genre so much, but I loved Bone Gap. It was a well written, original story with a beautiful message.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars:  Well written, beautiful message, identifiable characters

Other reviews:
things mean a lot

Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

I'm also going to participate in the Ultimate Reading Challenge.  It isn't a sign up challenge, just a personal challenge to complete, but I will list out the categories and keep track of them on this post!

A book based on a fairy tale: The Wrath and the Dawn  by: Renee Ahdieh (based on A Thousand and One Nights...maybe not technically a fairy tale, but close enough)
A National Book Award winner:
A YA bestseller: Passenger  by: Alexandra Brecken
A book you haven't read since high school:
A book set in your home state:
A book translated to English:
A romance set in the future: Illuminae by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
A book set in Europe: The Zookeeper's Wife  by: Diane Ackerman  (Poland)
A book that's under 150 pages: The Bears on Hemlock Mountain  by: Alice Dalgliesh  (64 pages)
A New York Times bestseller: The Nightingale  by: Kristen Hannah
A book that's becoming a movie this year:
A book recommended by someone you just met: Illuminae  by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff  (does a recommendation from a new blog count?)
A self-improvement book: Women are Scary  by: Melanie Dale
A book you can finish in a day: 
A book written by a celebrity:
A political memoir:
A book at least 100 years older than you:
A book that's more than 600 pages: Dragonfly in Amber  by: Diana Gabaldon  (743 pages)
A book from Oprah's Book Club:
A science-fiction novel: Ready Player One  by: Ernest Cline
A book recommended by a family member: The Secret History  by: Donna Tartt (by my mom)
A graphic novel:
A book that is published in 2016:  Crooked Kingdom  by: Leigh Bardugo
A book with a protagonist who has your occupation:  Truly, Madly, Guilty  by: Liane Moriarty  (mom)
A book that takes place during Summer: Bone Gap  by: Laura Ruby
A book and its prequel: 
A murder mystery: Black Eyed Susans  by: Julia Heaberlin
A book written by a comedian:
A dystopian novel: The 100  by: Kass Morgan
A book with a blue cover: Gemina  by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff












A book of poetry:
The first book you see in a bookstore:
A classic from the 20th century: The Eye of the World  by: Patrick Rothfuss
A book from the library: Boneshaker  by: Cherie Priest
An autobiography:
A book about a road trip: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry  by: Rachel Joyce
A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: The Icarus Girl  by: Helen Oyeyemi (Nigerian)
A satirical book:
A book that takes place on an island: The Girl Who Wrote in Silk  by: Kelli Estes (Orcas Island, WA, USA)
A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy:

Full House Reading Challenge 2016

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril X



It's that time of year again!  I am hardly on my blog anymore, but you can always count on me to join R.I.P. every year.  I'm participating in Peril the First - read 4 books.  I will read short stories from Shadows and Monsters by Grace A. Dow.  And maybe this will be the year I actually watch a scary movie on Halloween like I always say I will!

1. The Vanishing  by: Wendy Webb
2. The Shining  by: Stephen King
3. Rooms  by: Lauren Oliver
4. The Bad Seed  by: William March

• A word including ‘ing’ in it:  The Shining  by: Stephen King
• A colour: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender  by: Leslye Walton
• A familial relation:  The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife, and the Missing Corpse  by: Piu Marie Eatwell
• A body of water:  The Lake House  by: Kate Morton
• A city:  The Little Paris Bookshop  by: Nina George
• An animal:  Bird Box  by: Josh Malerman

I welcome you to join us.
September 1st is right around the corner. It is time to begin.
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.
That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.
As time has wound on I’ve honed this event down to two simple rules:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).2. Share that fun with others.

I'm so excited about the R.I.P. Challenge this year!  I'm going to do Peril the First  - read 4 books. I may also watch a movie on Halloween, although I'm not usually into "scary" movies.  I will also read some short stories from the book Spooky South.

Here's my list:

1.  Nine Coaches Waiting  by: Mary Stewart
2.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane  by: Neil Gaimon
3.  The Vanishing  by: Wendy Webb
4.  'Salem's Lot  by: Stephen King

The challenge runs from January to December. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories:


A reference to time:  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  by: Mark Haddon
A position of royalty:  His Majesty's Dragon  by: Naomi Novik
A number written in letters:  Ready Player One  by: Ernest Cline
A forename or names:  The Flight of Gemma Hardy  by: Margot Livesey
A type of element or weather:  Windhaven  by: George R.R. Martin & Lisa Tuttle

Extra information

• Books can be any format (print, audio, ebook).
• It’s preferred that the books don’t overlap with other challenges, but not a requirement at all.
• Books cannot overlap categories (for instance my first example, Eleven Minutes, could be used for category 1 or 3 but not both).
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• You don’t have to make your list of books beforehand, you can choose them as you go.
• You don’t have to read your chosen books in any particular order.

How to get started

ANDREA'S MAP