Dune (Book Awards Challenge II #10 of 10)

I can see why this is a science fiction classic. This Hugo Award winning novel by Frank Herbert is possibly the best-selling science fiction book in history. Paul, the son of Duke Leto Atreides and his concubine Jessica is at the heart of this story set thousands of years in the future. The Atreides family has moved to a desert planet called Arrakis at the request of Emperor Shaddam IV. Arrakis had been ruled by the Harkonnen family which oppressed and enslaved the native population, the Freman, in order to extract "spice" from the desert. Spice is an addictive drug created by the life cycle of the gigantic and deadly sandworms that live in the desert and is incredibly valuable off planet. Through both the subtle and the violent interplay between religion, politics, and family, Paul rises from the Duke's heir to a prophet and powerful leader.

Dune is a heavy book and it took me a bit to really get into the characters. And I am not sure I would continue to read other books in the series. However, the plot moved along well and the desert world of Arrakis was fascinating with its massive worms and native people who have figured out how to conserve every drop of moisture. I appreciated the glossaries at the end which explained the nuances of the language and culture.

Tamar (Book Awards Challenge II #9 of 10)

The subtitle of Mal Peet's Carnegie Medal winning novel is: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal. And it sure does contain all three of these. Tamar switches between 1995 and 1944. The modern scenes centered on a fifteen year old girl named Tamr and the World War II scenes, Tamar is also a major figure...only this Tamar is a spy for the Allied Forces who is living in Holland. When Tamar's grandfather (this would be the female Tamar) dies, he gives her a box containing several items which make very little sense to her. As she deciphers the meaning of the puzzle left by her grandpa, his story is also told.

I did enjoy this book but I didn't tear through it like I do with most of my books. It seems as if the World War II books I've been reading lately are from so many different angles and I love that. It is certainly the first story I've read about an Allied spy in an occupied country. There is a lovely romance and both the courage and brutality of war are shown in equal measure.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Book Awards II Challenge #8 of 10)

Brian Selznick won the Quill Award and was a National Book Award Finalist for this novel in pictures and words. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, I haven't talked to anyone who didn't love it but I didn't understand how the pictures fit in. But now it is all clear to me. Obviously.

The story of Hugo Cabret is told with 284 pencil drawings, over half the book is taken up with them. But they are truly fantastic. Hugo lives in Paris in the walls of a train station where he takes care of the clocks. He steals his food and prizes a notebook above all else. But when he is caught stealing from a toy booth, the old gruff owner takes the notebook and tells Hugo to forget it. Unable to understand why his notebook has been taken, Hugo appeals to Isabelle, the owner's goddaughter to help him get it back. What unfolds next I will not say. But I will say I read through this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.

How I Live Now (Book Awards II Challenge #7 of 10)

When Corinne saw this in my car on my way to the gym she said, "You'll read that in one day." She was right. Meg Rosoff's Printz Award winning novel was completely engaging. Daisy, a fifteen year old from New York, moves to England to live with her Aunt and cousins. They live on a farm in the country and things seem to be pretty idealic...but then a war begins. England is invaded by "The Enemy." There are no telling details about this particular enemy just that it has taken over. This is when things get scary for Daisy and her cousins. Daisy and her younger cousin Piper end up being sent away, seperated from Edmund (her cousin who oddly enough she has fallen in love with who she is having a serious relationship) and her other male cousins. As the war progresses, Daisy ends up having to do things she never thought she would have to do. I won't go into too many specifics but How I Live Now is a survival story and Daisy is absolutely determined to survive.

The Name of the Wind (Book Awards II Challenge #6 of 10)

I will admit, I was daunted when I checked out Patrick Rothfuss' Alex Award winning first book of the Kingkiller Chronicles. At 665 pages this book seemed like serious business. But then I started reading and was totally sucked in.

Kote is an innkeeper. A quiet man making a living in a way he seems to enjoy. He is new in town but the bargoers like him. Then Chronicler comes. He is traveling to find Kvothe, a near mythical magician. Some say he is an assasin, others say he is a hero, almost everyone believes he is dead. But Kote is Kvothe and the Chronicler convinces him to tell his story. Though very reluctant at first, Kvothe agrees. This book is subtitled Day 1 and is so because the story is from the first day of three in which Kvothe will let the Chronicler write his life. The condition Kvothe sets is "Do not presume to ch ange a word of what I say. If I seem to wander, if I seem to stray, remember that true stories seldom take the straightest way."

This first book covers Kvothe's childhood through his teenage years. His life is sad, dangerous, and unpredictable. But he is a fantastic character. He has amazing talents and obvious flaws. Through his interactions with the Chronicler and his student Bast he is portrayed as a wise but tired man running from his past but through his story he becomes an increasingly complex and fascinating. I have to say I am quite looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

Seeker (Book Awards II Challenge #5 of 10)

Jack McDevitt's Nebula Award winning novel, the sequel to the also popular Polaris (which I have not read) is one of the first non-YA science fiction novels I've read in a long long time. And it was pretty fun. Chase (a female) and her partner Alex deal in antiques that they've basically looted from abandoned spaceships. When they find a 9000 year old cup which is linked to an almost mythological planet called Margolia, they embark on a mission to find it and the spaceship Seeker which brought colonists from earth thousands of years earlier. But not everyone is thrilled with the idea of making money off of antiquities...and some are willing to do more than just seethe at Alex and Chase's business ventures.

I have to say I was worried about getting into this book. It's just been a long time since I've done some real sci-fi but the characters were well drawn and the plot moved quickly. I hadn't read the first book but the story still made sense. I have a few more science fiction on my Awards Challenge list and I'm remembering that once upon a time I really did like this genre.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Book Awards II Challenge #4 of 10)

I wish I had lots of good things to say about Michael Chabon's novel about comic book creators Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay. It's not that the book wasn't good...it just didn't interest me. It won all kinds of awards and receieved glowing reviews, but I wasn't taken with it at all. I think I read like 6 other books while I trudged my way through this one.

Joe Kavalier escaped from Nazi-occupied Czechsolvakia and made his way to America where he met up with his cousin Sammy Clay. The two of them together create a comic book character called The Escapist who is an outlet for Joe's hatred of Hitler and the Nazis. At once fiction and non-fiction, The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay describes a comic-book obsessed America during the 1940s and the lives of two young men who are trying to make their way in the world.

This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Monster (Book Awards Challenge #3 of 10)

Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. In this first person narrative by Walter Dean Myers, Steve describes his stint in prison and also his trial. His prison time in described diary style and his trial is written as a screenplay, written by Steve. It is how he is able to detatch himself enough from the trial to stay sane...he is terrified and only 16 years old. Steve's story is an alarming and heartbreaking look into inner city life - gangs, drugs, violence, crime. It provides a human face for circumstances that many people see only in an abstract way. It is not really a commentary on the criminal justice system although it certainly plays a factor and provides insight into prejudices that are inherant in the system. Steve must wait to see if the jury of his peers will determine he is innocent - the way he sees himself, or if they believe the state prosecutor an decide that he is, in fact, a monster.

Keeper of Dreams (Book Award Challenge II #2)

I have not always been able to really get in to short stories, but Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors and I am glad I picked this one up. Card's 22 short stories run the gamut of science fiction, fantasy, literary work, "Mormon Stories," and two short stories set in the world of the Alvin Maker series. One of the science fiction stories connects to one of my favorite Card books, Pastwatch. One of my favorite components of this collection was Card's notes on where each story came from and how it fits in to the larger body of his work. Card won the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2008 for his lifetime contribution to YA literature.

Dancing on the Edge (Book Awards Challenge II #1)

Han Nolan won the National Book Award in 1997 for this YA novel about a girl who has never been told the truth of how she was born. Miracle McCloy was taken from the body of her pregant mother after she had been hit by an ambulance. Raised by her father and her clairvoyant grandmother, Miracle is always on the outside of her family...never the object of positive attention. When her father dissapears, Miracle is left trying to pick up the pieces of herself. The only thing that makes her feel whols is dancing - something her grandmother absolutely forbids. An outcast at school and at home, Miracle wonders if what her grandfather tells her is true, "If your mama was dead when you were born, then you was never born. It's as plain as plain as that." But Miracle's attempt to feel alive nearly kills her.

Nolan's novel is incredibly painful. The neglect and selfishness of her relatives and Miracle's attempt to belong hurts to read about - but it is also a fascinating exploration of psychology and the workings of a teen mind. Miracle's idea that she is to blame for huge things beyond her control is not atypical of teenagers. The writing is beautiful and I kept hoping that somehow Miracle could get beyond her family and find some happiness in her life.

Book Awards II Reading Challenge

Corinne told me about this challenge and it seemed up my wanna-be librarian alley so here goes.

Read 10 award winners from August 1, 2008 through June 1, 2009.
You must have at least FIVE different awards in your ten titles.
Overlaps with other challenges are permitted.
You don't have to post your choices right away, and your list can change at any time.
'Award winners' is loosely defined; make the challenge fit your needs, keeping in mind Rule #2.

Here is my list - I tried to branch out a little from my usual YA but there are still some on there:

1. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (Alex Awards)
2. Monster, by Walter Dean Myers (Printz Award)
3. Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan(National Book Award)
4. Keeper of Dreams by Orson Scott Card (Margaret A. Edwards Award)
5. Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
6. Seeker, by Jack McDevitt (Nebula Award)

7. Dune by Frank Herbert (Nebula Award)
8. Tamar by Mal Peet (Carnegie Medal)

9. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Quill Award)

10. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Printz Award)