Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 13-17, 2010

Book Blogger Appreciation Week My Nominations for best books since September 2009.

Best General Fiction Book
Geektastic - Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci

Best Book for Kids (not young adult)
City of the Dead - Derek Stone 1 - Tony Abbott

Best Young Adult Book
Lockdown - Escape from Furnace I - Alexander Gordon Smith

Best Nonfiction Book
The Primal Blueprint - Mark Sisson

Best Speculative Fiction Book
When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

Best Literary Fiction Book
Rose Sees Red - Cecil Castellucci

Best Romance Book
Sea Change - Aimee Friedman

Best Historical Fiction Book
When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

Best Thriller/Mystery/Suspense/Crime Book
Trackers #1 - Patrick Carman

Best Book about Cultural Issues
Debt is Slavery - Michael Mihalik

Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Nonfiction Book
Mercury - Hope Larson

Best Spiritual/Inspirational/Religious Book
Called to Life - Jacques Philippe

Best Audiobook
White Cat - Holly Black - The Curse Workers Book 1

My Posts for Judging for Best Eclectic Book Blog:
Geektastic - Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
The Primal Blueprint - Mark Sisson
The Chestnut King - N.D. Wilson - Book 3 of the 100 Cupboards
J.F. Powers Literature, Life and Legacy
Fitness Friday Top Ten Lists and More

Re-Gifters - Liew, Hempel and Carey

Re-Gifters
Mike Carey (Author)
Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel (Illustrators)
Minx a abandoned division of
DC Comics
ISBN 9781401203719

This is the second Graphic Novel in the now defunct MINX line that I have read, the first being The PLAIN Janes by Castellucci and Rugg. Both are about strong female characters - young women who can be role models or examples for the young women in our lives. This one is about a young Korean girl growing up in LA. She has spent years studying hapikido. But she is also a young girl in love. And love sometimes makes us do crazy things. This is a story about tradition, it is a story about honour and it is a story about life. Dixie, Jen Dik Seong, is told by her instructor: "If you do not find that harmonious balance you cannot fight well or live well". Read to find out if she can learn to discover that balance. Wonderfully drawn and written, this is a great story. It is a pity DC Comics cancelled this line. These are books I plan on hanging onto for my daughter for when she is older.

MINX Graphic Novels:

The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (May 2 2007)
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey, Marc Hempel, and Sonny Liew (Jun 6 2007)
Clubbing by Andi Watson and Josh Howard (July 11 2007)
Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm (Aug 1 2007)
Confessions of a Blabbermouth by Mike Carey, Louise Carey, and Aaron Alexovich(Sep 12 2007)
Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich (Nov 7 2007)
Burnout by Rebecca Donner (Jun 24 2008)
Water Baby by Ross Campbell(July 8 2008)
The New York Four by Ryan Kelly (July 22 2008)
Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci (Sep 23 2008)
Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki (Oct 14 2008)
Token by Alisa Sheckley (Nov 4 2008)

All Nighter by David Hahn (Unreleased)
Janes Go Summer by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (Unreleased)

The Emperor's Code - 39 Clues Book 8 - Gordon Korman

The Emperor's Code
The 39 Clues - Book 8
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545060486

Gordon Korman does an amazing job on this 8th book in this unique, creative series. The Cahills, Amy and Dan, start in China and the book ends with them heading off to the Caribbean in search of pirates. The main historical figures featured in this volume are the last emperor of China, Puyi, and a British climber named George Mallory. But they also travel back and forth across China and encounter different aspects of Chinese history. Dan and Amy finally think they find out what clan of the Cahill family they belong to. They have a fight and get separated in Tiananmen Square. Some of the family seems to be helping them and some they still mistrust.This is the first series I have read that was written in such a way - 7 authors in 10 books in under 2 years. The individual books are good but collectively they are great. If you combine the books with the online games and clue hunt, you have an amazing experience for children of all ages. I started reading these books because the concept was so unique and interesting. I keep reading them because they are so well written. The gift and skill of the authors contributing to this series amazes me, each picking up from the previous book and continuing the series while keeping true to the characters and the overall story arc. This series is truly wonderful.

Sites With More Info:
http://various.wikibruce.com/39Clues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Clues
http://39cluesworld.com/
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27257


The 39 Clues:
The Maze of Bones - Book 1 - Rick Riordan
One False Note - Book 2 - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave - Book 4 - Jude Watson
The Black Circle - Book 5 - Patrick Carman
In Too Deep - Book 6 - Jude Watson 
The Viper's Nest - Book 7 - Peter Lerangis
The Emperor's Code - Book 8 - Gordon Korman
Storm Warning - Book 9 - Linda Sue Park
 Into the Gauntlet - Book 10 - Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Black Book of Buried Secrets - Rick Riordan
Vespers Rising - Book 11 - Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson

Midnight Ride - Clifford Riley

…

Card Pack #1 - Books 1-3
Card Pack #2 - Books 4-6
Card Pack #3 - Books 7-9
Rare Card Pack

...

The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers
The Medusa Plot - Book 1 - Gordon Korman
A King's Ransom - Book 2 - Jude Watson
The Dead of Night - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Shatterproof - Book 4 - Roland Smith
Trust No One - Book 5 - Linda Sue Park
Day of Doom - Book 6 - David Baldacci

…

 

The 39 Clues Unstoppable Series:

Nowhere to Run - Jude Watson      

Breakaway – Jeff Hirsch

Countdown – Nattalie Standiford

Flashpoint - Gordon Korman

…     

  

The 39 Clues Doublecross Series:

Mission Titanic - Jude Watson  

Mission Hindenburg - Jenny Goebel

Mission Hurricane - Alexander London

Mission Atomic – Sarwat Chadda

…

The 39 Clues Rapid Fire:
Legacy - Book 1 - Clifford Riley
Ignition - Book 2 - Clifford Riley
Hunted - Book 3 - Clifford Riley
Crushed - Book 4 - Clifford Riley
Turbulence - Book 5 - Clifford Riley
Invasion - Book 6 - Clifford Riley
Fireworks - Book 7 - Clifford Riley

…

 

The 39 Clues The Cahill Files:

Operation Trinity - Clifford Riley 

The Submarine Job - Clifford Riley

The Redcoat Chase - Clifford Riley

The Houdini Escape - Clifford Riley

Silent Night - Clifford Riley

Spymasters - Clifford Riley

…

 

The 39 Clues Super Special Books:

Outbreak – C. Alexander London

…

 

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

Hypergifted (2026)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003) 

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

Sleepless (2026)

The Favorite (2027)

… 

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

...

Author Profile and Interview with Gordon Korman

...

 

On One Leg For Legs - Tony Horton One on One Volume 2 Disk 11

Tony Horton
One on One
Volume 2 Disk 11
On One Leg For Legs
Beachbody
This is another of the One on One workouts that will be great for the road or while travelling. It runs 52 minutes with warm-up and cool-down. It is 10 Leg exercises, but done on one leg, and then the other leg. Much like the first On One Leg, many people out there do not like this workout. I think there are pros and cons to it. It is such a specialized workout that I do not see myself using it as often as some of the others. It is a good workout; it will push your legs to the limit, especially if you really try to keep up with Tony.
The Exercises are:
Russian Squats
Half Moon Lunges
Pumpers
Royal Dancer Kick
Seat DropsOne Legged Chair
Teeter Totter
Cross Hops
Single Leg Wall Squat
Standing Split And Reach
Bonus Pushups
To find out more about this series or other workouts in the collection follow the links below. I have created a random workout generator that uses 1 on 1's and P90X if your interested.
Volume 1, Disk 1: Plyo Legs
Volume 1, Disk 2: Power 90® Road Warrior
Volume 1, Disk 3: Killer Abs
Volume 1, Disk 4: Just Arms
Volume 1, Disk 5: 30-15: The Upper-Body Massacre
Volume 1, Disk 6: Fountain of Youth
Volume 1, Disk 7: Super Cardio
Volume 1, Disk 8: Mammoth UML
Volume 1, Disk 9: Bun ShaperVolume 1, Disk 10: Medicine Ball Core Cardio
Volume 1, Disk 11: Recovery 4 Results
Volume 1, Disk 12: Diamond Delts
Volume 1, Bonus Disk - Holiday Workout
Volume 2, Bonus Disk - Pay It Forward
Volume 2, Disk 1: Cardio Intervals
Volume 2, Disk 2: Core Ball Sandwich
Volume 2, Disk 3: Patience "Hummingbird"
Volume 2, Disk 4: 10-Minute Crusher Pack
Volume 2, Disk 5: Butt and Belly (I Dare You)Volume 2, Disk 6: Back and BellyVolume 2, Disk 7: On One Leg
Volume 2, Disk 8: Iso Abs
Volume 2, Disk 9: Cardio Confusion - Mason's Choice
Volume 2, Disk 10: 100/30/20
Volume 2, Disk 11: On One Leg 4 legs
Volume 2, Disk 12: Upper Body Balance

Volume 3, Disk 1: Chest, Back & Balls
Volume 3, Disk 2: ARX2 (Ab-Ripper X 2)
Volume 3, Disk 3: Shoulders and Arms MC2Volume 3, Disk 4: Base and Back
Volume 3, Disk 5: MC2
Volume 3, Disk 6: Plyocide
Volume 3, Disk 7: Stretch And Recovery
Volume 3, Disk 8: V Sculpt
Volume 3, Disk 9: Core Synergistics MC2
Volume 3, Disk 10: UBX
Volume 3, Disk 11: PAP
Volume 3, Disk 12: Total Body X










(Disclaimer: I am asked frequently if I am a Beachbody Coach, no I am not, I am just some one who has used their products, P90X, 1on1 with Tony Horton and more and liked them and achieved good results. I am not paid by Beachbody or any of their affiliates. You can see my full disclaimer here.)

Smile - Raina Telgemeier

Smile
Raina Telgemeier
Graphix an imprint of
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545132060

This is the story of Raina who just wants to be an ordinary sixth grader. She is going to get braces to fix an overbite but before they get affixed she falls and knocks out her two front teeth. This begins a long ordeal for her, of on-again off-again braces, headgear, surgery and that is just her teeth. There is also an earthquake, boys, and finding real friends. It chronicles over 4 years of treatment and adolescence.

I read this book because a friend who wrote a Graphic Novel column said it was one of the best of the year. I have also found a new fondness for the media over the last year. The specific story intrigued me because of my own experience with braces.

Telgemeir, in her story in this graphic novel, does an amazing job of capturing the experience of wearing braces. It chronicles the frustrations, the pain, the discomfort - all wrapped around the story of a girl growing through adolescence, and finding her true self. Wonderfully illustrated and inked, it was great fun to read. I had my braces from grade 4 to grade 8. I had 21 breaks while wearing them. I also remember my mouth feeling funny when they came off, and feeling weird without them. Raina Telgemeir truly has captured the essence of having braces and living with them day in and day out for year. But this book also captures the experience of growing up, and discovering what you love to do, and finding out what real friendship is about and like.

Leepike Ridge - N.D. Wilson

Leepike Ridge
N.D. Wilson - blog
Yearling an Imprint of
Randomhouse
ISBN 9780375838743

I picked up this book because I loved the 100 Cupboards trilogy by N.D. Wilson. This is the first novel by this author, and he kept the story the way he wanted it instead of selling out to get a book deal earlier than he did. I am glad he did. I was amazed by this book for a few reasons. First, as a debut novel it is very polished and far more coherent than some first novels I have read. Second, the complexity of the story and twists in the plot were unique, new, and drew the reader in and kept you reading. The story is almost addictive. Twice I stayed up reading when I should have put the book down to get a good night's rest. Third, it is so different from his other series; few authors this early in their careers show such diversity and skill. I am very impressed overall with the writings of N.D. Wilson and with this book, Leepike Ridge in particular.Thomas Hammond is eleven years old. His father died a few years ago, and now one of his teachers wants to marry his mother and move into their strange house. The Hammond's house is chained on top of a rock ledge, up a long staircase. Thomas and his mother have a fight over her suitor. Thomas slips out during the night and ends up floating down the creek, near his house, on a giant piece of packing foam. He soon finds himself washed under his ridge. Everyone says he is dead, but his mother does not believe it. In this strange underground world he encounters a corpse, four graves, a tomb and buried treasure. But can he find his way home again?

This is an incredible story by N.D. Wilson and I think readers of all ages will become enchanted and enthralled as they read it. Well done.
Books by N.D. Wilson
100 Cupboards:
The Door Before - 100 Cupboards Book 0.5
100 Cupboards - 100 Cupboards Book 1
Dandelion Fire - 100 Cupboards Book 2
The Chestnut King - 100 Cupboards Books 3

Ashton Burials: 
The Dragon's Tooth
The Drowned Vault
 
Leepike Ridge

Parody: 
Right Behind
Supergeddon

Picture Books:
 The Dragon and the Garden - The Old Stories
In The Time of Noah - The Old Stories

Non-Fiction: 
Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
Death By Living

Author Profile Interview with N.D. Wilson
 

Debt is Slavery - Michael Mihalik

Debt is Slavery:
And 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money
Michael Mihalik
October Mist Publishing
ISBN 9780978545703

I was very impressed with this book. Short and simple, at under 125 pages with appendix. It has great advice and tips, for gaining control of your spending, your finances and in doing so, your time. The biggest lesson I took from the book is that money is time. If you make 20$ a hour and you want a Blue Ray player that is $200 then it is about 10 hours of your life for you to buy it. As a father of young children I already do this. For example, there are guys at work that go out and eat almost every day for lunch. When I only go every few weeks, they bug me. But depending on where they are going I say lunch is a box of diapers or two cans of formula. But I had never considered applying it to all spending. Every time you spend money it comes down to how much do you need to work for that item or expense. Every expense therefore has a time value not just a dollar value.

The book is clear and concise; it has tips and tricks at the end of each chapter to help you apply it. No matter where you are at, it can help you start on the road to financial recovery. I only wish the worksheets and checklists it uses were available for download from the website, as excel workbooks that can progress from month to month or as PDF to be printed and used. But other than that it is an excellent resource especially for students or new grads, to develop the good habits early.