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Tip off is here and we are ready to choose teams. On one side we find out which fictional character reins supreme, and on the other side great beasts go head-to-head. Prizes are on the line so choose wisely.

You guessed it, It is time for March Madness! We are mad about books at Arbordale and this year we have our own March Madness contest for you. Choose your favorites on the bracket downloaded from our website and submit your choices by March 25^th. This tournament isn’t winner take all; the top four scorers will win a prize.

Visit our March Madness page for all the dates, details and to download your bracket!

And don’t forget, one of the newest members of the Arbordale team, Midnight Madness at the Zoo is a great March read!

The weekend, Mother Reader’s 9th Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge will take place. I participated in this event a couple of times and truly enjoyed being able to set aside two glorious days for reading. This year, I honestly just cannot do the entire weekend, but given the nature of the Challenge this year, I plan to go for 24 hours. Going full force with #WeNeedMoreDiverseBooks, the creators of the event have decided to make this an all out diversity challenge. How will it work? This is from their site.

1. The weekend is June 6-8, 2014. Read and blog for any 48-hour period within the Friday-to-Monday-morning window. Start no sooner than 7:00 a.m. on Friday the sixth and end no later than 7:00 a.m. Monday the ninth. So, go from 7:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday… or maybe 7:00 a.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Monday works better for you. But once begun, the 48 hours do need to be in a row. That said, during that 48-hour period you may still have gaps of time in which you can’t read, and that’s fine.
2. The books should be middle-grade, young adult, or adult books. If you are generally a picture book blogger, consider this a good time to get caught up on all those wonderful books you’ve been hearing about. Graphic novels can be included in the reading. One audiobook can also be included in your time and book total — helpful if you have somewhere to drive to or need to prepare dinner, etc.
3. Three winners will be chosen at random from each of three levels of reading commitment – 12 to 23 hours, 24 to 35 hours, and 36 to 48 hours. Since each level will progressively have less participants, the more you read the better your chances. Top readers will still win individual prizes. International winners may be given gift cards instead of books due to mailing costs, unless a U.S. address is provided.
4. It’s your call as to how much you want to put into it. If you want to skip sleep and showers to do this — and some people do — go for it. If you want to be a bit more laid back, fine. But you have to put something into it or it’s not a challenge. Twelve hours is the benchmark for winning prizes.
5. The length of the reviews or notes written in your blog are not an issue. You can write a sentence, a paragraph, or a full-length review. Up to you. The time spent reviewing counts in your total time.
6. You can include some amount of time reading other participant’s blogs, commenting on participating blogs and Facebook pages, and Tweeting about your progress (remember the #48hbc tag!). For every five hours, you can add one hour of networking. This time counts in your total time.
7. On your blog, state when you are starting the challenge with a specific entry on that day and leave the link to that post at the Starting Line post at MotherReader on June 6th. And please link to the contest on your post.
8. When you finish, write a final summary that clearly indicates hours — including partial hours — you spent reading/reviewing/networking, the number of books read, and any other comments you want to make on the experience. It needs to be posted no later than noon EST on Monday, June 9th. Also, check in at the Finish Line post on MotherReader that will be posted Sunday and please link to that post from your final summary post.

Easy Peasy!! AND!!! There are prizes!

Who’s in??

What books do you suggest for participants?

Picture books and MG books are quick reads that help lighten up the reading, so be sure to include plenty of those. Any other tips for the readers?

Just went through my list of books saved for the 48 Hour Book Challenge -- Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, Shiver, White Cat, Jekyl Loves Hide, Chime, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Everlost, Tantalize -- and realized that I have exactly ONE book that is not paranormal YA in that mix. Which is guaranteed to send me through the roof after about a book and a half. Will have to look for a few things to balance that out.

What's on your Book Challenge Reading List?

The starting line is set for MotherReader's 6th Annual 48 hour book challenge! Hope that copy of Chime will get here in time. I plan to be prepared this year, with lots of juicy YA novels.

I just found out–I will be speaking on the ALAN Panel “Books that Are Challenging, and Are Challenged” Nov 21st at 2. Such ironic timing, with Scars being challenged now–and good, too!

I’ll be on a panel with Lauren Myracle, Andrew Smith, and Paul Yee. Wow!

... when you have to reset your comment word verfications again. Sigh.

There were some last minute comments, so I'm upping my FotL donation to $25.

My I start by saying that I vote we find some kind of magic math widgit to enter all our numbers into before next year? Because the bookkeeping for this is a pain.

So. My books:
Everything is Fine - intermediate
The Tear Collector - YA
My Double Life - YA
Breathe My Name - YA
Silent in the Grave - adult
Mozart and the Whale - adult nonfiction
Brandon Buckley's Universe and Everything in It - intermediate
thinandbeautiful.com - YA
The London Eye Mystery - intermediate
Get Real - intermediate


Plus started The Wizard of Karres and listened to a section of Downtown Owl


Total pages: 2575, not counting time listened to audio and books I chose not to continue
Total time reading: 21 hours, 21 minutes
Total time listened to audio book: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Total time blogging: 3 hours, 18 minutes
Total time networking: 1 hour

Grand total: 27 hours, 41 minutes!

Wow, that is way more than I expected to do! And I enjoyed almost all of it! I would call this my best book challenge ever; I didn't push myself to uncomfortable limits like last year, but I kept plugging and accomplished a lot. Being able to listen to an audio book for part of the time was a tremendous help -- I could get a few things done, but still feel like I was participating. The networking time was also a nice break. The challenge rules have evolved in really helpful ways since the first one.

I basically enjoyed everything I read, too. Breathe My Name has the odd distinction of being both the best and most memorable book I read, and the most disappointing.

I received 21 comments, which means I will donate $21 to the local Friends of the Library. Thanks to everyone who commented and made it more fun!

The Wizard of Karres by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer.

I was awakened earlier than I'd hoped by a force of nature, aka my darling child, so got a few last licks in after all. This is an other-authors sequel to one of my favorites, The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz. I haven't gotten far enough in to have a real opinion yet; they've certainly done a decent job of imitating the style and seem to have a handle on the characters, but I'm not sure the places they're taking the story feel right. But I may be impossible to please on this point.

Will do my finish line post in a while, there's lots of housecleaning (literally and figuratively) to take care of.


23 pages (out of 313)
Reading: 33 minutes
Blogging: on my own time

Technically there are almost 9 hours left of my 48, but I will not be using them. Not for book challenge purposes, anyway. I will try, between catching up on Facebook and reminding my son he has a mother, to continue cheering on the folks who are still in their 48 hours. And will keep collecting comments here, with $1 per comment going to the local Friends of the Library.

Get Real by Betty Hicks

I think I may be too tired to properly articulate what I thought of this one. I'm not sure I can even think it through.

I like the voice of the narrator, Dez; she's not always the most likable person in the world, but she seems very much herself. She's an unapologetic neatfreak living in a painfully disorganized world.

What bothered me was the plot; the way the author got from point A to point B was just... weird. Thought perhaps the 10+ books in 2 days factor is affecting my perspective. But the events Hicks chose to make her points were not convincing.

I also disliked Dez's best friend, Jil, who seems incredibly selfish and self-absorbed. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about her, honestly, but she's a major character and presumably intended to be at least somewhat sympathetic.

So kind of divided on this one. I did enjoy reading it and might recommend it to someone looking for a friendship story with a touch of wacky suburban adventure.

184 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 8 minutes
Blogging: 14 minutes

Of the last 6 books I've read, 5 of them were published in 2007.

I may have time for one more before I call it a night... don't know what to pick, but perhaps I should take it as a sign and find something else published in 2007.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.

This was recommended to me by my mother, and knowing her, I'm guessing she loved it for its Britishisms. Not just the setting with the London Eye, a sort of extra-big, extra-long ferris wheel, but all the phrases: "Bunk off." "Skivving." Shreddies for breakfast! This book can't possibly be as fun to read if you're actually from England.

I confess my first thought when she told me it was about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome who solves a mystery was "oh, not another one." But the story worked--I think because it's so much in the classic mode of a children's story. There genuinely is a mystery to solve, and our hero Ted does it with the help of his older sister, which has an impact on their difficult relationship reminiscent of the brother and sister in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L Konigsburg. And he finds a way around the fact that no one will listen to him, as all misunderstood heroes must.

As a portrayal of someone with Asperger's (never labelled, but it's pretty obvious), I don't know if this was all that great. But it certainly was an interesting mystery and family story. (9 & up)


323 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Blogging: 14 minutes

thinandbeautiful.com by Liane Shaw. Second Story Press, 2009 (978-1-8971887-62-3) $11.95 trade

I'm not a fan of problem novels, but this one had a hook that grabbed me instantly: it's about a girl involved with a "pro-Ana" support group online. Maddie narrates her story from an eating disorders clinic where, in her mind, everyone is in a conspiracy to force her to be fat. Cut off from the Internet, she desperately misses the only support she had, the group of "Girls Without Shadows" who were the only ones who understood her need to do anything to be thin. But as Maddie describe the events that led her to the clinic, she starts to feel less sure of what she believes:

"I thought I had this all figured out. Looking back, I was sure I knew what I was doing. I have a right to do what I want with my own body, and so I did it. I wasn't hurting anyone, including myself. I knew this absolutely. I had it confirmed by my GWS and everything."

Confused and desperate for non-judgmental support, Maddie breaks the clinic rules to talk to her online friends one more time. What she discovers then will change her life forever.

The best thing about this story is the authenticity of the online culture depicted--and it's a sympathetic portrayal, as well. Though we know as readers that all of the GWS girls are deceiving themselves and each other, there is clearly no malice, just as great deal of pathetic self-delusion. Oddly, the "real" characters in the story don't come to life nearly as well, and a somewhat contrived bit of romance with a boy in the clinic falls flat. But though the writing may not rise much above "message novel" competence, it's a very engrossing, fast-paced story that stirs up a lot of feelings, and will likely have a strong appeal to teen readers. (12 & up)

Incidentally, the author has used the title of her book for an interesting website.

263 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Blogging: 29 minutes

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It by Sundee T. Frazier

I was happy to see that MotherReader fudged the age requirement a bit, because this is listed as grade 4.5 reading level, but it's the book from my pile that I most wanted to read. And if our Gracious Leader can do it, so can I!

Brendan Buckley, the child of a black father and a white mother, is an intensely curious, scientifically-minded ten-year-old boy, trying to answer two complicated questions. Why doesn't he know his mother's father? And why are white people sometimes mean to black people?

When he accidentally runs into his grandfather Ed at a minerals exhibit, Brendan discovers they have a lot in common. And he feels compelled to try to solve the mystery of his grandfather's absence from his life... but he may not like the answer he gets.

Frazier takes what I guess could be called a post-modern approach to biracial identity here, and expresses it with sincerity and conviction. Although Brendan's life is not free of racism, he's not caught up in a black identity or a white identity, but open to all aspects of himself. His energy, commitment and intelligence make him a very likable character and I moved to tears by his final, triumphant self-acceptance. (9 & up)

198 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 18 minutes
Blogging: 25 minutes

Mozart and the Whale by Jerry and Mary Newport.

I think I read a non-fiction book about autism during every challenge. Not deliberately, there's just always at least one in my pile.

I didn't think much of the movie "Mozart and the Whale," but it did get me interested in reading the book, which is really not the same story. The real characters were much older when they met, for one thing, and already had a lot of life experiences behind them. This is not just their love story, but also their autobiographies.

I had some trouble getting into this book. One problem is that two different people are writing in turn and it's hard to tell when the points of view have changed (this was an ARC -- perhaps they made it clearer in the finished book.) The other problem was that the sections by Jerry Newport were so full of worn-out phrases. It was a nagging irritation.

But I persisted and wound up relating to a lot of what I read. And it was intriguing to read the points of view of two autistic adults, who share a lot in common yet also have many differences.

Like many autobiographies I read, this one sometimes felt too... elliptical, is the word that comes to mind. So much happened to them and they just drop little bits and pieces of it into the narrative, leaving me with tons of questions. How someone got from point A to point B is often a mystery. It reminds me of confusing autobiographies of children's book authors I read when I was younger.

Two bits of trivia

1)The "Mozart" of the title, Mary's costume at the Halloween party where they met, was not Wolfgang Amadeus -- it was his sister, the thwarted prodigy Nannerl. I find that very touching.

2) I can't find any verification of this, but I'm almost certain that the opening of the show "the Big Bang Theory" was inspired by a paragraph in this book. Or possibly, since both came out in 2007, the other way around?

261 pages
Reading: 129 minutes
Blogging: 31 minutes

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourne

I am thoroughly YA'd out, so decided to finish this book, which I'd started before the challenge. Victorian historical mystery, a bit along the lines of the Amelia Peabody books, though without an archeological emphasis. It was fun, I'll probably read the rest of the series.

326 pages (out of 509)
Reading: 2 hours, 27 minutes
Blogging: 2 minutes

Breathe My Name by R. A. Nelson

Well, shoot. I was just loving this book, and really admiring how the author had managed to keep such a shocking story from seeming sensationalistic, when it suddenly turned into a lurid melodrama. It's so disappointing, because everything other than that is exquisitely crafted. There's a believable romance with a sweet, funny guy and an atmospheric road trip and a lot of thoughtfully expressed, complex emotions. After that, the intrusion of an implausible plot twist is almost painful to read.

Still the best book I've read today.

314 pages
Reading: 2 hours
Blogging: 22 minutes

After four (4)! failed attempts, I'm now in the middle Breathe My Name, which is the best book so far.

I've noticed that groups of books I choose or read often have unintended similarities. Today's unplanned themes have been:

absent fathers, often the spouses of mentally ill mothers

tragic sibling issues

morally upright boyfriends

football

Have spent an average of 10 minutes each on three books I couldn't get into. Perhaps it's time for a break.

My Double Life by Janette Rallison.

Alexia is pretty, bilingual, and on the honor roll, but she's too poor to make much of a splash in high school; her main claim to fame is that she looks like pop star Kari Kingsley. When Kari approaches her about a doubling job, Alexia discovers their resemblance is no accident: Kari's famous singer father is also the father she never knew, who never knew about her--or did he? Against her mother's wishes, she decides to take the impersonation job--less for the money than for the chance of meeting her father and uncovering the truth about her childhood. But trying to fit into the world of celebrity, conspicuous consumption and paparazzi is complicated, especially when she gets to know Grant Delray, a charming young rock star that Kari dislikes but that she's always had a crush on.

Written with a light touch, this is very much a feel-good Cinderella story, yet it has a bit of an edge that kept it from feeling like meaningless fluff. Alexia is quite naturally envious and angry about the contrast between her life and Kari's, as well as troubled by Kari's emotional problems. Most of the characterizations are fairly shallow--Grant is pretty much all hair and cheekbones--but Kari, a dumb fake-blonde who is very serious about her work, is surprisingly interesting. I felt that everything wound up a little too clean and a little too perfect, but would recommend it to readers looking for a wholesome fantasy that doesn't insult their intelligence.

265 pages
Reading: 2 hours
Blogging: 39 minutes

My son is reading too, timing himself with a stopwatch. He wants to know if you get extra credit for going all three days.

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones.

Damn, this book challenge is not starting out with a bang. The Tear Collector has a fascinating premise--its teen-aged protagonist is an emotional vampire, who thrives off the tears of humans--and it's certainly engrossing. But throughout the first half, I felt continually teased by snippets of information and mystery, and the second half, though ambiguous, struck me as morally repugnant. Which is rather odd for a story about a non-human learning to feel emotion. I would recommend this for lovers of mild horror, but not that wholeheartedly.

263 pages
Reading: 1 hr, 47 m
Blogging: 5 m

My Finish Line Post.

I am So. Tired. Too tired even to check over my math, though I keep wishing I could make it come in over 29 hours, since everyone seemed to do 29 hours. Possibly everyone else is rounding. Can I round?

Anyway, the final results are:

Reading: 25 hours, 14 minutes
Blogging: 2 hours, 44 minutes
Reading Blogs/Commenting: 53 minutes

For a grand total of: 28 hours, 51 minutes. I think. I'm really, really tired. Did I mention I was tired?

Oh, I forgot to say how many books. Uh, I didn't keep track. I think it was 7 complete books, most of an 8th I had already started, a portion of a 9th I didn't get to finish, and about 2 pages of one that I didn't get into.

So what did you learn, Dorothy? Well, this year was the most fun ever. I've never had such a good time getting funky and exhausted--at least, not all by myself. Really making it a priority made it a much more powerful experience. The community aspect was very refreshing, too. It felt great to hear from other people who were going through this same peculiar experience.

I spent much less time blogging this year--previously, I think I wrote about as much as I read. That was fine...I wrote when I felt like it, didn't when I didn't. It was nice to just go with the flow. But also good to really focus on the reading. I'm very pleased that not only was this a personal best, but I read, just read, for over 24 of the hours. Half of the challenge.

Just some random thoughts on the books I didn't mention before:

1) There was a typo in David Inside Out that gave me the impression the author had originally written it in the third person and then changed it. I have nothing meaningful to say about that, I just thought it was interesting. I think it probably worked better in the first person than it would have in the third, though just guessing, of course.

2) SPOILER for How to Ditch Your Fairy - is it just me, or was that ending kind of whack? I mean, she realized it was no fun to have a boy like you when it was your fairy making him a zombie love slave. But she's perfectly fine with having a fairy that makes her better in sports? I suppose since it's generally accepted that all the most talented people in her society have fairies making it happen for them, it wouldn't occur to most people to question it. But it seems bizarre, in context.

So, I am done. My thanks to my wonderful husband, who put up with this, and my fabulous son, who only startled me out of my skin by yelling "Boo!" while I was reading a couple of times.