Week 2
Assignment 1:
Read about Appeal Factors

Assignment 2:
While reading the above about Appeal Factors, as soon as I read the section about Detail, the book The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon came to mind.  This is one of those books where upon describing it, I immediately think of the phrase "info dumping".  Samantha Shannon has created this intensely detailed image of alternate reality London in the near future.  Here, a hierarchy and order has been created among the humans found to be clairvoyant, depending on their powers they have developed.  At first when reading this book, I found myself slogging through all the information and detail of this very gritty vision of London.  But once you have an understanding of the world Shannon has created, you have to appreciate how detailed and involved it is.  The book even includes maps if you wish to have an even better visual understanding of the world.  Once you get past the initial learning process of the world, you are rewarded with fast paced almost non-stop action.

Another book that came to mind was Red Rising by Pierce Brown.  To me, this book has it all and, in a nutshell, I call it Hunger Games meets Roman mythology which is then all wrapped up as a space opera.  While it does have very similar themes that are found in popular YA fiction, there are scenes of violence and the book can get very intense at times.  Its the perfect book for a reader that has graduated from reading YA.  As of typing this, only the first and second books of the series are out and readers are greatly anticipating the next installment of the series.  This is definitely a series you need to read in order to properly understand the full depth of the story.  Also like Hunger Games, Red Rising keeps up an exciting, fast pace, making it hard to put the book down.  It is also filled with a plethora of characters, from the good, bad, and everything in between.  From one book to the next, you can really see the growth and development of the central characters.  You have a clear character that you are rooting for!

The most current book I have read was Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  I've been meaning to read this one for a while, as it is one of those books you keep seeing around the branch as well as on school reading lists and I had heard wonderful things about it.  It was a quick read, but it was one of those books that stays with you.  The overall tone of the book has light and funny notes while addressing a much more serious topic.  It is a story of growing up while still being true to yourself and, above anything else, being kind to others.  Not only does it give Auggie's perspective, but portions of the book are told from the perspective of others, which gives you more insight into how the family has grown around protecting and caring for Auggie.  The setting of Wonder is also highly relatable to any child around the same age as Auggie, making it even more of a story anyone can relate to and take something away from.

Be More Bookish Week 1 Assignments

Week 1

Assignment 1: Got 18/20 on the Childrens Book Covers Quiz.  Didn't know Guess How Much I Love You and The Napping House.  Can't say I ever remember reading either as a kid I guess...
Got 21/24 on the Adult Book Covers.  Didn't know Angela's Ashes, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Prophet, and She's Come Undone.

Assignment 2:  Got most of these...I really enjoy book covers!  It is interesting that there are so many sub-genres to things like Science Fiction that you would never normally think about.

Assignment 3:  The Golden Rules of Readers' Advisory: http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/ranews/june2005/orr.html

Assignment 4:  For my websites to start visiting on a daily basis, I am first choosing Early Word (http://www.earlyword.com/).  I've actually already signed up for the weekly newsletter and have been receiving it for several months now.  It has already proven to be a valuable resource, as I've learned of a good amount of books I'm actually excited about!  I particularly enjoy it because I have been finding lots of book to movie news on it as well.

I will start checking out the website Locus Online (http://www.locusmag.com/).  This interests me because on the very first page, I already see a lot of authors, books, and even movies that I enjoy and would like to know more about.

Assignment 5:  Pretty funny!