CHALLENGE: The Eponymous Challenge

Completed!

I finished this one a while ago and it was surprisingly easy to do. I must be drawn to those title of books, or there are a lot of them. The goal was to read 4 books between March 1 and May 31st.


The Life and Times of Michael K - JM Coetzee
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn [hmm, this looks like a possessive use of name, not the eponymous-ness required of the challenge. I'll find another book to use instead]
Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli
Miss Julia Takes Over - Ann B Ross
Zel - Donna Jo Napoli

Best book: Maniac Magee, and Zel , both young adult books
bleh: The Life and Times of Michael K

Thanks coversgirl for hosting with a great idea! I love that word, eponymous.

BOOK: Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B Ross

Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B Ross

eponymous challenge, series challenge

Miss Maggie and her Southern Reading Challenge introduced me to the delightful Miss Julia series last summer. This second book feels like it has hit its stride a bit more, and I enjoyed it more than the first one. Little Lloyd and his mother, Hazel Marie are living with Miss Julia and Lilian, but when Hazel Marie doesn't come home one night, Miss Julia decides she must find her. Foul play is suspected and Miss Julia, with her proper manners, and her ability to decide when disobeying the law is allowed heads off with a private detective to find Little Lloyd's momma. You'll have to read Miss Julia's adventures to see how she ends up driving around a NASCAR track in North Carolina, but I like her spunk and her increased confidence and her growth in this book. I'm more interested now in picking up the next book, Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, to see who gets married, because there was quite a bit of romance happening, and there are several possibilities.

This series challenge has been good, reminding me of books that I'd like to keep reading. I discovered several new authors and characters last year and this is keeping me going with them. After I made a whole list of books in series, it made it easy to pick out another book at the library. I tend to read series books from the library. Only another 5 or 6 in this series to go.

BOOK: Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Once Upon a Time II, Young Adult Challenge, Eponymous Challenge

Napoli uses beautiful writing to retell the fairy tale of Rapunzel. This was set in Switzerland during the 1500s, and I forgot how much of the story I knew, but as I kept reading, another element made me remember. I liked how the prince was a count, and the love story was perfect. It was really the story about love, different kinds of love, and the things that love can drive you to do. I'd read another fairy tale by Napoli.

A great start to the Once Upon a Time Challenge II.

Also reviewed by : mawbooks

BOOK: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn adn David Levithan

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Young Adult Challenge, Eponymous Challenge

A little raunchy, lots of bad language, just like the teenagers I see everyday. Nick and Norah alternate narrating the chapters of the night they meet. Nick sees his ex- girlfriend in a bar and asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. They kiss and the sparks fly. Thus begins a New York night of punk-rock bar hopping, mosh pits, misunderstandings, and romance. Music plays a big part of the book - Nick writes songs and plays in a queercore band, although he is not gay, and Norah's dad is a music producer.

This was a very cute book. I liked how Nick and Norah were both straight edge (no drinking or smoking), how they felt a spark immediately, but did the back and forth dance, afraid to show how deeply they felt for fear of rejection. Both are coming off relationships and the exes are around all night but they are healing and growing. I'm not up on my punk music so that was unfamiliar to me, but the relationship stuff, all the emo thoughts, rang true and I really rooted for Nick and Norah.

BOOK: Life and Times of Michael K by JM Coetzee

Life and Times of Michael K by JM Coetzee

Booker Winner 1983; Book Awards Challenge; Eponymous Challenge

Oh dear. I tried Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello last year and I didn't get it at all. I had to look up reviews to get any understanding of the novel, and most of the reviews implied it was confusing, hard to understand, and too abstract, even for Coetzee. So I felt I should give Coetzee one more try and while this wasn't as bad as Elizabeth Costello, I still didn't get it. I haven't looked anything up yet because I don't think books should be that hard. I am looking forward to the discussion at the yahoo book awards group to figure out the meaning of this book. I'll save some of my complaints for that discussion as well. The only thing it had going for it was that it was under 200 pages. I may not have finished it otherwise.

The book is broken into three sections - the first tells of Michael's life and those 126 pages had no breaks, not even an extra space anywhere. Michael was born with a hare lip, put in an institution, released, became a gardener, quit to look after his mother, escaped Cape Town without his papers during a civil war, his mother died, he is captured and spends some time on a work gang, escapes, finds a deserted farm to live on, grows some vegetables, is captured again. Part two is narrated by a doctor in the work camp and was the part I enjoyed the most as it seemed to make the most sense. Part three is Michael's escape and life back in Cape Town.

If this book is about 'the need for an interior spiritual life; for some connections to the world in which we live; and for purity of vision' as the front inside cover states, I didn't really get that. I think A Prayer for Owen Meany might have covered the same basic theme, but I enjoyed that process much better.

To be fair, I'm not into difficult books, and many people find him a wonderful writer, worth the effort to read. He's won many awards, including the Nobel prize, and this is a Man Booker winner, but I need more story in my books. To read reviews of people who liked the book, I've linked to some more eloquent writers who also appreciate Coetzee more than I do.

3m's review

caribousmom's review

CHALLENGE: The Eponymous Challenge

Over at Between the Covers, coversgirl is hosting her first challenge. And there is a choice of buttons. Never underestimate the appeal of a good Challenge button. I've been sucked in several times. Plus, I love that word. Eponymous. So cool. Here's the deal:

The Eponymous Challenge
"Here’s how it works:
The challenge will run from 1 March to 31 May, 2008.

During that time your mission should you choose to accept it is to read 4 books whose titles are the name of one or more of the characters (e.g. Evelina, Oscar and Lucinda); or a description of one or more of the characters (e.g. The Merchant of Venice, Sylvia’s Lovers).
Non-fiction books and overlaps with other challenges are welcome, as are books named after four-legged characters."

I'm making a list and hoping to read 4 from this list

1. The Life and Times of Michael K - JM Coetzee
2. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
3. Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn [hmm, this looks like a possessive use of name, not the eponymous-ness required of the challenge. I'll find another book to use instead]
4. Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli
5. Miss Julia Takes Over - Ann B Ross
6. Ender's Shadow
7. Zel - Donna Jo Napoli
8. King Leary - Paul Quarrington

Wrap up post is here