Poetry Project Mid-Year Reflection

The Poetry Project is hosted by Regular Rumination and The Written World.

1) What has been the most rewarding aspect of The Poetry Project so far?

Reading poetry again, sticking to a blogging schedule, and reigniting my love for writing poetry
 
2) What is your favorite post from a fellow Poetry Project participant this year?

Lu's How to Love a Poem
Nancy's [Readings in Philippine Literature: Poetry #3] Filipino poets on the "burning" power of love (with Pulitzer Prize in Poetry winners as guests)

3) What is your favorite poem that you have read because of The Poetry Project?

It was impossible to choose just one!  The Poetry Project has introduced me to lots of fantastic poetry and poets - some old, some new.  Surprisingly since I am not a fan of Halloween or "scary" motifs in general, most of my favorite poems came from the October round-up.

A Spiral Notebook by Ted Kooser
Wind by Ted Hughes
Cemetery by Marra PL. Lanot
Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

4) What are some poetry-related goals you’d like to set for the coming year?

1. read a little poetry at least once a week
2. read more new/modern poets
3. work through some of my favorite poets' canons (Pablo Neruda, Anne Sexton)
4. write more poetry - as the new year begins, I am planning on beginning a new feature on my blog called "Scripted Verses" where I post an original poem every Friday. 

5) Do you have any suggestions for The Poetry Project in 2013? What would you like to see happen?

I would like to see monthly themes dedicated to the most unusual poem you've ever read or a poem translated from a different language or your favorite poem from childhood.  As a child, I was partial to "The Purple Cow" by Gelett Burgess, "Sick" by Shel Silverstien, and "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?" by Emily Dickinson.

6) Share with us one line of poetry that you think we need to read.

I've already shared one of my favorite lines from a Pablo Neruda poem here when I began this project, but here are some other favorites lines and poems I recommend:

Gibbons Ruark's "To The Swallows of Viterbo"

The flawed hinges of our shoulders shine

Gibbons Ruark's "Basil" (posted with commentary by poet Kathryn Stripling Byer) 

Your quick hand on my face the scent of basil

I also highly recommend Michael McFee's The Smallest Talk - a collection of one line poems.  I've read this book over and over again, and I still find something to love every time.  Here's a teaser (or two): 

Dermatographia

Look how her nails spoke in tongues all over my back

Sharing Chapstick

The closest his lips may come to touching hers  

7) Is there a new poet that you have discovered through The Poetry Project?

I can always count on Snowball @ Come, Sit by the Hearth to post diverse poems and poets.

8) Anything else you would like to share?

In keeping with my first posts as part of this project where I shared my personal poetry, often inspired by the very poets whose poems I posted, I thought I would share my ode to Gibbons Ruark in the mode of "To The Swallows of Viterbo"; also, keep an eye out for more of my original poems.  I plan on posting one every Friday in the New Year. 

To the Swallows                                                                                 

We are all angels fallen down,

Gingerly feeling the points where our

Wings once sprouted, reminders rounded

And hunched in a menacing glower,

Warning others to stay away.

These “flawed hinges of our shoulders”

That one poet once enshrined lay

On our backs like Atlas’s boulders;

A heavy burden we all carry

As a result of our swift tumble

From grace that left us frightened and wary

Of loving another and fumbling

Our way through life knowing something

Is just out of reach or missing.    

The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

*Warning* Spoilers ahead!

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

"It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore."

Unlike Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races, which feels realistic even though the plot centers around killer water horses, The Raven Boys is the stuff of legend and myth.  Blue comes from a long line of psychics - the real deal, which is ultimately the catalyst for her interactions with The Raven Boys - a group she normally avoids.  However, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah are not the typical prep school type.  Each is consumed with his own personal demons, but it's Gansey's quest that binds them all together.  For most of his young life, Gansey has been obsessed with finding the sleeping King Glendower.  His travels have taken him all over the world tracking intersecting lines of energy called ley lines.  His copious research led him to the tiny town of Henrietta, Virginia where his path crosses Blue's, a girl born of a psychic but who is not one herself; however, she has the uncanny ability to amplify psychic energy.

Although I've rapidly lost interest in the sudden surge of paranormal fiction flooding the YA shelves, Stiefvater's novel(s) still appeal to me mostly because despite the odd occurrences or presence of fantastical creatures, the stories cannot be classified as paranormal.  Instead, they are the perfect blend of legend, myth, and folklore.  It's King Arthur for the modern age.  It's hard not to get caught up in the Raven Boys' quest, and at times, the predictions and ghostly apparitions the boys and Blue encounter had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.  Stiefvater knows how to keep you guessing in this novel - sometimes a little too well.  The last few chapters speed by with very few resolutions, evoking more questions than answers for the reader.  Since The Raven Boys is the first in a cycle, I understand that Steifvater is setting up the plot and the reader for book two; however, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I find Steifvater to be at her best in her standalones when she is not concerned with leaving enough loose ends to tie up in another book or two.  Although I think Steifvater could have effectively condensed the plot of The Raven Boys to one novel with an open-ended conclusion a la Forever, I am still eagerly awaiting the release of book two. 

Most notably I am awaiting resolution of the weird, almost non-existent love triangle between Blue, Gansey, and Adam.  It's a stated fact, if you believe a whole hosts of psychics and visions, that Blue is going to kill her first love. Although it's unclear how, it's clear that somehow Gansey is involved.  Assumption number 1: Gansey will be her first love.  But no, Blue meets Adam and so begins their awkward, innocent, but totally adorable flirtation, and I as a reader was rooting for them.  Blue's relationship with both boys remains in it's infancy - she's not used to getting intimate - so it's unclear how things are going to progress.  Will they parallel the prophecy that has overshadowed her entire life and the vision that recently turned her life upside down, or will fate intervene leading her and The Raven Boys down a path they never could have imagined in their wildest dreams?  And do they have some wild dreams.  Stiefvater hints with the last line of the first novel in this cycle that the next book will deal with the power of dreams - dreams that you can manipulate and can become tangible.

As the main characters, Blue, Gansey, and Adam are very well-developed, but the supporting characters are equally intriguing if only for the unanswered questions Stiefvater leaves the reader with.  When I first met Noah, I knew something was up.  He is a character defined by absence and abstienance.  He doesn't eat; he doesn't seem to sleep; he merely exists on the fringes of the boys' foursome.  In fact, I wondered why Stiefvater bothered to pen him at all.  He seemed a character of little value to the narrative, but when his death is acknowledged, he becomes more present and an integral witness and guide to the quest.  He seems to have fulfilled his role though by the end of the first book, so I wonder how and if he will reappear in the second.  Ronan Lynch also remains a mystery.  In my mind, he is the most intriguing character.  All dark and sharp edges, Ronan is caring around some heavy baggage in the form of a secret surrounding his dad's death.  Ronan also seems in touch with some primordial magic that even Gansey with all his study and Blue with her connections to the spiritual world do not possess and have yet to imagine.  The possibilities for his character seem limitless, and I'm eager to see how Stiefvater will develop him further.

This book is an irresistible, strange journey, highlighting a writer at the pinnacle of her career.  I have not read Stiefvater's first faerie novels, but I have read all of her published works in order since Shiver and watched her style evolve into the accomplishment that is The Raven Boys.  It is a book I highly recommend for readers on a quest for something magical.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore was the surprise of the year for me.  I had heard rumblings about it but wasn't fully committed to investigating it further until my librarian recommended it to me.  The day before we left for Christmas break she called me down to the library to pursue the new shipment of books she had acquired, so I could pick my holiday reading.  Sloan's novel was there as well as Ally Condie's Matched and Crossed, which have been on my TBR forever, so I snapped them up.  I decided I needed a little break from YA and series, so I picked up Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore first.  I didn't really know what it was about, but as Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner recently wrote, there is a beauty in going in blind - no expectations, and what I found on the other side was fascinating, slightly mysterious, and overall satisfying.  The only book I read this year besides Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl that was so compelling I read it in a day, this novel is a brilliant commentary on the intersection of print and web-based technologies and the dangers of dependency on both.

The novel follows main character Clay Jannon, a fledgling designer, through his ordinary life dealing with ordinary things like layoffs, job searches, roommates, and relationships, but all of that changes when, on a whim, he enters Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, whose front window boosts a "We're Hiring" sign.  Immediately, Clay is intrigued if confused by the store's shape, size, and contents - most of which are books he's never seen or heard of - as well as its mysterious owner, Mr. Penumbra.  Clay takes the night shift, which brings him in contact with Mr. Penumbra's many colorful patrons as well as Kat, a self-proclaimed Googler, and when his curiosity gets the better of him, he is plunged into a world of cryptic texts, secret societies, and archaic methods of coding and decoding.  Can Clay and his friends convince Mr. Penumbra and his patrons that technology can help them on their quest?  Can they uncover the secret to immortality encoded by "The Founder" hundreds of years ago?

This book is a mish-mash of genres that blend into a seamless commentary on our ever evolving relationship with technology.  It's part typographer's Bible, archeology dig, Hardy Boys mystery, literary criticism, and techie manual.  The novel highlights the power of following your instincts and daring to make a mark on the world. In his epilogue, Sloan brings the book full-circle and reflects on some of its more philosophical aspects.  Almost like a challenge to the reader, he writes, "But I hope you will remember this: A man walking fast down a dark lonely street.  Quick steps and hard breathing, all wonder and need.  A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes.  A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time" (288).  Ultimately, it is about the saving power of literature - how it can make you climb out of yourself - how it can sustain you. 

If you're not yet convinced that you need to read this book, I leave you now with my favorite quote from the novel: 

"Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means.  It means: I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf" (143).

Sloan's novel is that secret passage in the bookshelf that so many of us have longed for but have yet to find.

Best matched with bibliophiles and techies.

A Christmas Carol (For My Godchildren) by Christina Rossetti

I read an abbreviated version of this poem in my church's Advent Devotional and thought it was a lovely proclamation of the Christmas spirit as well as a way to honor the 27 new angels in heaven sent from Connecticut last week.

A Christmas Carol (For My Godchildren)
Christina Rossetti

Source: The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti, with a Memoir and Notes by William Michael Rossetti (1904), page 187

The Shepherds had an Angel,
The Wise Men had a star,
But what have I, a little child,
To guide me home from far,
Where glad stars sing together
And singing angels are? –

Lord Jesus is my Guardian,
So I can nothing lack:
The lambs lie in His bosom
Along life's dangerous track:
The wilful lambs that go astray
He bleeding fetches back.

Lord Jesus is my guiding star,
My beacon-light in heaven:
He leads me step by step along
The path of life uneven:
He, true light, leads me to that land
Whose day shall be as seven.

Those Shepherds through the lonely night
Sat watching by their sheep,
Until they saw the heavenly host
Who neither tire nor sleep,
All singing 'Glory glory'
In festival they keep.

Christ watches me, His little lamb,
Cares for me day and night,
That I may be His own in heaven:
So angels clad in white
Shall sing their 'Glory glory'
For my sake in the height.

The Wise Men left their country
To journey morn by morn,
With gold and frankincense and myrrh,
Because the Lord was born:
God sent a star to guide them
And sent a dream to warn.

My life is like their journey,
Their star is like God's book;
I must be like those good Wise Men
With heavenward heart and look:
But shall I give no gifts to God? –
What precious gifts they took!

Lord, I will give my love to Thee,
Than gold much costlier,
Sweeter to Thee than frankincense,
More prized than choicest myrrh:
Lord, make me dearer day by day,
Day by day holier;

Nearer and dearer day by day:
Till I my voice unite,
And I sing my 'Glory glory'
With angels clad in white;
All 'Glory glory' given to Thee
Through all the heavenly height.

6 October 1856

Posted for The Poetry Project hosted by Regular Rumination and The Written World

Reading Challenge: Outside the Box 2013

I still consider myself a blogging newbie.  I began this blog about a year and half ago after considering it for a good six months or more.  I've participated in memes like The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesdays and Regular Rumination and The Written World's Poetry Project, both of which have kept me blogging regularly when I didn't have the time or energy for full-blown reviews.  However, I've never participated in a reading challenge.  A few days ago, I stumbled across a year long challenge hosted by Kate at Musings of a Book Lover, and it seemed like the perfect challenge to get me started.  It's unique yet low key and customizable, which seems doable with my busy work schedule.  The challenge is called "Outside the Box" and encourages readers to pursue books outside of their comfort zone.  I'm shooting for "No Box can Contain Me!" by participating in all 13 mini challenges.  I'm really excited to get started.  The parameters of the challenge are listed below, and if you want to join in, head on over to Musings of a Book Lover to sign up.  The more the merrier!

Image from Musings of a Book Lover

Choose your level – just how far out of the box do you want to go?

I’m a little Scared: 3-4 categories

It’s not so bad out here!:  5-7 categories

Look at me, outside my comfort zone!:  8-10 categories

No Box can Contain Me!: ALL 13!

Guidelines:

This challenge will run from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.   

Grand Prize Drawing will be 7 January 2014!

1. Sign up any time. Though, it’s best to do it by the 31^st of December, 2012 – that way you will have more chances to WIN! (However, sign-ups will close 1 December 2013)

2. You cannot use any books or reading material that was read before 1 January 2013 (except for #9 – but you DO have to REREAD that one to count!)

3. At the End of each month, you must post a link to your review for it to count! If you don’t have a blog, be sure to link up the review you did in GoodReads, Amazon, Library Thing, etc. We need to read your review! (There will be a one week grace period to get in the review. i.e. January 31^st rolls around and the linky will be up, but you have until 6^th of February to get your linky in!) Each review will get you a ‘token’!

4. Share the Love (PLEASE!?!) – Write your intentions on your blog, link back to this post, have the button on a side bar, so others will know what fun you are having, and they can have it too!

5.  Overlaps are okay, but the purpose of this is to try other books, not grabbing ONE book to fit four categories! You only get ONE token in for each review, so the more the merrier.

6. Comment below with how comfortable you are of climbing out of your literary box!  BUT, don’t feel you have to be tied to that level! You are shy and want to start slowly but love the feeling of the air outside of where you are…go for it!  You thought you could be a book sphere, but the box is warm and comfy, that’s okay too!

7. Be encouraging!  Sometimes it’s a little frightening coming out of your comfort zone. Go to the other participants’ sites and give them words to help free them. Offer suggestions on the best ways to climb out of the box – give them a ladder that they can use!

8. Optional – share books.  Be willing to swap books with other participants (unless they are library books, or books that are not yours, then you might find yourself in a whole other type of box, and I can’t help you then!)

9. Make sure you post your reviews every month.  Who knows, I just might have a surprise giveaway that month! 

Now… to the categories!

#1   To the Screen

Read a book that was adapted to the screen.  Try to read the book first, then see the movie – how did they compare?

#2   Another Voice

Do you typically read books that focus on a Female Character? Try a male protagonist. A male point of view usually? See what it’s like from a woman’s perspective.

#3   Opposites Attract

 Are you always reading young adult or historical fiction? Try something that would be opposite – a contemporary read for those stuck in the past, for instance.

#4   5 Star Day

Is there a book you’ve seen featured on another blog and everyone raves about it? Even if it isn’t your cup of tea – give it a try to see what the hype is all about.

#5   XyZ pdQ

You’ve seen them – ABC book challenges – well this one is light! Grab a book that has either an X, Z or Q in the title!  Too tough? Try going for the author’s name!

#6   It’s my Birthday!

So, have a party! Read a book that was published in either your birth month or birth year!

#7   From one place…

It’s neat to read a book that was first published outside of the United States (or your country – we won’t hold it against you if you don’t live in the Good Ol’ USofA).  Make sure to pull up a slang dictionary of that country, though, otherwise you will always wonder why they put the ‘kettle on the hob’ (and, no, it has nothing to do with short hairy guys with big hairy feet!)

#8   It’s All About ME!

It seems that everyone has written a memoir of one kind or another – or someone wrote about their favorite person.  Read about their life and know that yours is still marvelous, even though you didn’t climb Mt. Everest by the age of 2!

#9   Visit an Old Friend

Do you have one of those books that you tell everyone is your favorite, because of the fond memories you have when you read it eons ago?  Read it again, just to make sure it still is your Favorite!

#10  Look at the pretty pictures!

It seems that Graphic Novels are all the rage.  Check on out and see for yourself! If you have read the original, how did the graphic novel compare?

#11  She made me do it!

You read about the book on another site.  It wasn’t necessarily something that everyone raves about, but this person spoke so well of the book, you just had too! (I know, it’s kind of like #4 – but this one is special, you were moved by the blogger’s recount of the story, you just had to!) Don’t’ forget to mention who made you grab that cookie from the jar!

#12  I couldn’t help myself!

We all do it! We walk through the book store (or even one of those super stores) and it strikes you! You stop in your tracks and you have instant Cover Love! Grab it, buy it, and READ IT! Well, was it worth it?

#13  To be or Not to be…

Time to break in to that section that very few of us fear to tread!  Read a play, memorize a poem and analyze it since it’s rolling around in your head!  Give the Bard (whoever she may be!) a chance!

End of the Year Book Survey 2012

Image from The Perpetual Page Turner

Hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
It could be the fact that I finished this book days ago, so it's fresh in my mind, but it is seriously the most original novel I've read this year.  It's fantastical, but not overtly so; it's romantic, but not overtly so; it's suspenseful, but not overtly so.  Basically, it's got all the things and all the feelings in just the right amounts.  No one plot or person or emotion overshadows the other.  Also, it's a standalone, which I was definitely needing.  I need a break from series (although I did just start The Raven Boys...).

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
It will take more than mediocre political fiction to shake my faith in J. K. Rowling.  I really hope this book was a fluke. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012? 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater  
If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I would read a book about killer water horses and not only love it but bequeath it the title of best book I read in 2012, I would have laughed at them.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Cut by Patricia McCormick (I talk about Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Of Mice and Men, The Catcher in the Rye, Speak, The Things They Carried, and anything by Ellen Hopkins in class a lot, but I actually recommended Cut to several students this year, and they really enjoyed it.)

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (I really need to finish that!!), and I finished Rick Riordan's The Kane Chronicles and read the newest book in The Lost Heroes trilogy. I'm really trying to get away from series because I'm tired of being locked into one for so long (The Raven Boys is my current exception).

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Stephen Block The Story of Forgetting
Block's heart wrenching and thoroughly researched novel about the toll diseases of the memory take on patient and family alike was one of the best pieces of adult fiction I've read in a long time.

Syrie James The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte
A little fluffier than I normally go, but James did an excellent job of evoking the spirit and writing style of two of my favorite British authors, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, while also providing readers with a romanticized, happy ending for these classicly unromanticized heroines.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I read a lot of dystopia this year - my favorites were probably The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, which I described to one of my students as The Hunger Games on crack.  I read several adult books this year too, and one of the most difficult and unforgettable was The Story of Forgetting by Stephen Block. 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - definitely a page turner - I read this in one sitting!

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

I really want to re-read Great House by Nicole Krauss.  It is such a complex book, but I think I'm ready to tackle it again.  I'll probably re-read The Hunger Games, The Scorpio Races, The Fault in Our Stars, and maybe Bumped and Thumped, but I also thought it would be fun to see what I re-read this year:
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan like I said I would last year
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky
Persuasion by Jane Austen

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Bumped and Thumped by Megan McCafferty
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Puck Connelly The Scorpio Races (YA)
Amy Dunne Gone Girl (Adult)
Manchee The Knife of Never Letting Go (Animal)

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Steifvater evokes the landscape of Thisby so beautifully, and in addition to including poets like T. S. Eliot and Wallace Stevens, Green reveals some pretty profound concepts through his characters. 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
It's a book about cancer, but as Hazel says in the beginning of this moving novel, "it's not a cancer book, because cancer books suck" (48).  Instead it's a book about life and love and living in the moment. 

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenger
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle 

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? 

from Thumped by Megan McCafferty
from Persuasion by Jane Austen 
Anything Sean Kendrick said to Puck Connelly in The Scorpio Races (swoon)

"The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking" (Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go 42).  *In addition to being a pretty profound statement, this is the best titular reference since Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

"I was thinking about the word handle, and all the unholdable things that get handled" (John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 60).

"Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means.  It means: I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf" (Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 143).

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

Gone by Kathleen Johnson (170)
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins (604)

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
when I hit page 200 - I was like WTF!!!???

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
It may not have been my favorite read of 2012 but that ending!

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Sean Kendrick and Puck Connelly in The Scorpio Races
Gus and Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Collateral by Ellen Hopkins - I am quite a fan of Hopkins, but her most recent books didn't sit well with me.  Collateral was a fantastic read though.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

My intrepid librarian recommended Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.  As a bibliophile, I was intrigued.  The book is about a strange bookstore, coded books, a secret society of readers, but it's also about technology today - specifically Google - and what happens when print and web meet.  In short, it is an absolutely brilliant book about the quest for immortality.

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? 

Hitting on Girls in Bookstores - guy who reads YA and he is hilarious

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? 

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
I think this is one of my most thorough and honest reviews.  I don't like when I get gushy although there are some books I can't help but gush about.  (See The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith provided some thought-provoking reflections on poetry.

My Top Ten posts usually get a lot of comments (although I haven't had time to participate recently) - but my To Film or Not to Film post generated some good discussion.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I can always count on the ladies at The Broke and Bookish to provide an interesting, thoughtful discussion on all things literary, so it's not surprising that two of my favorite posts of the year are from their site.

The Casual Vacancy
Daisy Discusses DNFs

I loved both of these posts because they were able to so candidly express some of the very same struggles and opinions I have on these topics.

Also, although not *technically* a book blogger, she is an author, and Maggie Stiefvater posted a fantastic video about how being young and in love does not mean you lose your identity or your ability to pursue a career.  Warning: It is spoilery for those who haven't read The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

The Poetry Project hosted by Regular Rumination and The Written World
It's still going on if you want to join in!

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

Presenting at the National Council of Teachers of English conference about my banned books themed ENG 111 course.  I got to meet Ellen Hopkins, Sonya Sones, David Levithan, and Maggie Stiefvater.  All of my passions intersected at this conference: education, reading, and blogging.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Why YA?

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Etsy bookish themed jewelry and clothing
Captain Wentworth cuff
Captain Wentworth scarf
Harry Potter Marauder's Map iPhone case
Harry Potter "Always" necklace
The Hunger Games bracelet

Also, as a kid, I went to the library by my grandmother's house A LOT.  When I went off to school, I used the library for research papers but not much else.  Recently, I've been frequenting my school library more and more.  For one, my awesome librarian has been ordering some of the books I recommend!

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I've been posting more regularly due to The Poetry Project, and I've allowed myself to abandon books that don't I don't click with.  I even started a Did Not Finish shelf on Goodreads.

Looking Ahead…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

The rest of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

Joining in Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by The Broke and the Bookish again and, of course, reading more!!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I loved Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, but Linger and Forever left me cold, so when I first read about The Scorpio Races on Stiefvater's blog, I thought, "Killer water horses?  Not for me."  However, I kept reading amazing reviews of this book.  Stiefvater posted numerous times on her blog how The Scorpio Races is the most "her" book she's written.  I finally decided I had to read it, so I picked it up at the National Council of Teachers of English Conference, where I got to meet Stiefvater, and all of those reviewers and Steifvater herself were right.  This book is amazing.  It's the most authentic book I've read in a while, earning it the honor of "Best Book I Read in 2012" on my 2012 End of the Year Book Survey, hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner.  (I'll be posting mine soon!)

From Goodreads:

"It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.  At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.  Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

Even though this is a book about killer water horses, there is nothing fantastical about it.  The plot reads very realistically.  I caught myself several times thinking Stiefvater's Thisby was a real place.  She paints the landscape and the characters, main and supporting, so convincingly, and as always, her writing style is very lyrical, which in this novel, evokes the wind-swept island cliffs and the powerful muscles of a galloping horse beneath you so clearly that I half believed I was there myself.  I don't claim to be very outdoorsy, but I did grow up on and move back to a farm, and when I go out on the back deck in the morning and look out over the field, the land I grew up on, to the woodline and see the early morning streaked sky, I think this is home, and Puck's love of Thisby really resonated with me.

I also really appreciated the slow-growing romance of Sean and Puck.  Unlike the deeply passionate relationship of Grace and Sam in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, Sean and Puck's relationship seems to spring up naturally between them, growing out of their mutual love for the land and horses.  Everything about Sean is so deliberate, and yet, when he speaks to Puck or touches her, every word, every action is infused with longing.  It is a beautifully restrained relationship, culminating in an anticlimactic kiss, which is perfectly orchestrated against the backdrop of the November ocean so that the couple becomes part of the landscape that they love so much.

But this book isn't really a romance.  This book is about courage and survival and independence.  It's about how hard it is to achieve those things and be respected, especially when you are a woman, and how you have to fight like hell to keep the things you love.  And although it's not a romance in the strictest of senses, it is a book about love.  Love for your family, for your friends, for the land, and for the horses.

I highly recommend this book.  I think Stiefvater is at her best in her stand-alones when she's not concerned with cliffhangers or loose plot lines that can be picked up in another book.  The Scorpio Races is a deeply moving, satisfying read.  If, like me, you saw "killer water horses" and thought, no way, I urge you to put your preconceptions aside and pick up this wonderful novel that transcends age and genre.  You will not be disappointed.

Best matched with fans of family dynamics, natural settings, horse races, and light romance.