What's in a Name Challenge for 2012

This challenge is one that really dragged on for me.

The challenge is based on book titles, and participants are encouraged to be creative when choosing.
There are 5 categories and the challenge is to read one for each category.
I started with the category Topographical Feature, reading The Broken Shore by Peter Temple.
Next up was Something You'd See in the Sky, and I read New under the Sun by Kevin Major.
A couple months later I tackled Something You'd Carry in your Pocket, reading Pulp and Paper by Josh Rolnick.
The fourth category I read for was Type of House, with The Bungalow by Sarah Jio.
For the fifth category, Something on a Calendar, I read The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.
Then I delayed, trying to find the right book for the last category Creepy Crawly, and finally chose The Honey Locust by Jeffrey Round.

For a while, I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but wrapped it up with a couple weeks to spare.
I'm looking forward to next year's challenge.

The Honey Locust

Finished December 16
The Honey Locust by Jeffrey Round

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for more than two years, and finally got around to reading it. I read it in one day, thoroughly enjoying it.
The main character here is Angela, a young woman who has made a career for herself as a journalist covering war zones. The story moves back and forth between the final weekend in late summer 1994 when Angela, her parents, and her sisters spend a final weekend at the family cottage on the Bruce peninsula and Angela's work in late 1994 and early 1995 in Sarajevo (with a side trip to Mexico).
Angela's marriage has ended recently and her father died shortly after that final family weekend. She has always thrown herself into her work, and has found herself in life-threatening situations, but this trip comes at a time where she realizes that she has been searching for something in her life. She has been doing more than just rebelling against her mother's reliance on safety and order. This time the experiences she witnesses touch her in a new way, breaking through her professional shell.
Here, Angela finally faces her life and all the denials and secrets that have been part of it. A wonderful book.

The Journal of Helene Berr

Finished December 15
The Journal of Hélène Berr  by Hélène Berr, translated by David Bellos

The first portion of this journal, from 1942, was written as a private diary. Then there is a gap of about nine months and the second portion from later 1943 through early 1944 is written as a record of what is happening around her and for her fiancé should she not be here when he returns.
Berr is a university student at the Sorbonne, from a well-to-do family who have been settled in France for generations. She struggles with falling in love for the first time, determines to do the right thing in the face of the occupying Germans, and wanting to help those who need it.
We see her reaction to the order forcing Jews to wear yellow stars and how she reacts to those who react to  that. She is open in her journal about her emotions, and her struggles with what to do in the face of increasing restrictions. Because she was involved in assisting those arrested and awaiting deportation, she was more aware of what was going on than most, but that didn't save her from her own fate.
An interesting historical account from a unique perspective.

War Through the Generations Challenge for 2013

I will be joining the War Through the Generations Challenge again for 2013.

For 2013 the war is the American Revolution.

Site rules:
Books can take place before, during, or after the war, so long as the conflicts that led to the war or the war itself are important to the story. Books from other challenges count so long as they meet the above criteria.

I'm going for the Wade level, which is
Read 4-10 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.

Not sure what I might have on the shelf for this period, but will take a look.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home

Finished December 13
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carla Rifka Brunt, read by Amy Rubinate

This was a wonderful book to listen to, with Rubinate's voice perfect for the young narrator June Elbus. June is 14 years old and it is 1987. June feels gawky and her best friend is her uncle Finn, a renowned New York painter who is dying from AIDS.
June's mother has her own issues around her brother and June's older sister Greta seems to have grown mean and unfriendly to June. June has fantasies of living in medieval times, and becoming a falconer, and one of her favourite places to go is the Cloisters. Finn has always understood June and she feels his loss keenly, but his death brings someone new into her life.
This new relationship gradually gives June new insight into her family and why they behave the way they do. In this book June changes significantly, from a child into a young adult, and her open on the world and the people around her. We see that nothing is as simply as it seems and Greta's attitude has its own explanation. A wonderful book.

Scat

Finished December 6
Scat by Carl Hiaasen

This children's novel is another eco-thriller, this one featuring Nick, who is in the eighth grade and lives near the Florida Everglades. After a class trip to the Everglades, biology teacher Mrs. Stark appears to be missing. Nick and his best friend Marta are determined to figure out what is really going on with her disappearance. On her last day in class she had an altercation with a student, Duane (also known as Smoke).  At first Duane seems to be missing too, but when he turns up again, he is a changed student. What is going on?
On the class trip to the Everglades, Nick hopes to see a panther, an endangered species, but the trip is cut short. He thinks he heard a panther's cry, but isn't sure.
Meanwhile Nick is also dealing with missing his father who is serving in Iraq.
Lots going on, with an emphasis on the environment, and strong female characters as well as male.

My Dad's a Birdman

Finished December 4
My Dad's a Birdman by David Almond, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

This lovingly illustrated book tells the story of young Lizzie and her Dad. Without her mom, Lizzie has been looking after her dad, with the help of her Aunt Doreen, who pops in every now and then. Her headmaster, Mr. Mint has been very understanding of the challenges of her home life.
With the upcoming Great Human Bird Competition, dad has been putting together a set of wings so that he can enter the competition. At first Lizzie isn't sure, but she gradually comes around and decided to enter along with him. Aunt Doreen thinks they are both flighty, and enlists the help of Mr. Mint to talk them to the ground.
This is a lovely story of love, loss, and going on with life. A great book.

Boom

Finished December 4
Boom by Mark Haddon

I've loved every book of his I've read and this one is no exception. But this is a book for kids. Jim and his older sister Becky have the usual brother sister teasing relationship, although she's grown a bit more antagonistic lately. So when she tells him she overhead teachers talking about shipping him off to a reform school, he's pretty sure she's teasing, but not absolutely sure. He talks to his best friend Charlie and the two decide to bug the teachers' staffroom to see if it's true. What they hear shocks them both. It would seem that two of the teachers have a secret language, but what is behind this. As the two boys investigate, things begin to get a bit scary for them, and when Charlie disappears Jim finds himself calling on Becky for assistance. Of course, as with all older sisters she comes through when it counts.
With a great story, and great characters, this book is a winner all the way. There's a nice side story of Jim's dad and his struggle for meaning in his life, too.

The Willoughbys

Finished December 4
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

This classic children's tale is great fun. As the cover states, it is "nefariously written and ignominiously illustrated" by Lowry.
It is a  book about a family of old-fashioned children, who try to plan their lives differently. When their parents go off travelling and hire a nanny to look after them, things do go differently, but not in the way they imagined. The book is a very tongue-in-cheek send-up of those classic children's books, in a very amusing style. Full of nice big words, interesting characters and with the requisite happy ending, this will keep the reader entertained throughout. A glossary is provided.

Porcupine Year

Finished December 4
Porcupine Year by Louise Erdich

This historical novel is told from the point of view of Omakayas, a young Ojibwe girl in the 1800s. The Ojibwe were being driven out of their native lands by white settlement and relocating into areas already occupied by other tribes. As Omakayas and her family move north and west, they encounter difficult situations and a fight for survival.
This is a story of native history, of coming of age, and of family. The reader will learn some Ojibwe words along the way, with a glossary provided.
I've had a special affinity for porcupines since I was a young child, and I really liked the relationship with the porcupine here. This is a one of the books that both entertains and educates at the same time.