2016 Finalists for the Trixie and the Moai Book Award

 I was looking at this book that I had just read. It was a wonderful book and had numerous awards. That got me thinking about awards. Basically book awards are given to amazing books but only those books that catch the attention of people giving awards. There are thousands upon thousands of books published each year. And just because a book doesn't get an award, doesn't mean it doesn't deserve an award!

So I've decided that I'm going to give 5 awards to the books I read this year that seem the most amazing. Books that I can't let go of or rather books that can't let me go...

It's totally arbitrary and nothing comes with the award but a little "sticker" I made to go on them. But I still want to recognize the amazing books I read this year.

So without further ado these are the finalists for the first annual Trixie and the Moai Book Award!

Stiff competition!!!

I will soon pick the top five books of the year!!

Books of 2016- Installment #21

101. The Art of Confidence by Wendy Lee
Eric's cousin wrote this book, so we were thrilled to read. It's really quite good and I like how she wove together the different voices.

102. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
I love trees and always angered by our mistreatment of them. This book gives vent to that anger. He does at some point discuss the amount of carbon dioxide trees use- before prehistoric forests existed the levels were 9 times what they are now. Here's a little video to look at current activity....

103. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
This fantasy novel is about a changeling private detective. When I first heard about  it, I thought it bore a striking resemblance to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, but in reality there's not much that's the same. 

104. Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Set primarily in the late 80s but as flashbacks from 2009, this is an interesting story on teen life. I'm not sure how to classify this book. Perhaps it could be viewed as a young adult book. Perhaps fantasy. My initial reaction is to say it's like an angry Eleanor and Park with magic. With all the references I feel like this isn't really a YA book but rather a Gen-Xer book. And as a Gen-Xer that's fine by me! (Incidentally I found this book because I was interested in her other book Certain Dark Things, which is definitely on my to read list...It's got vampires!!)

 
105. The Ghost and the Ghostyard
This is a paranormal bodice ripper, set nominally in New Hampshire. There are a couple of ghosts but also witches, vampires and zombies. I quite enjoyed the beginning, but I don't think I will continue the series...

Books of 2016- Installment #20

96. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
 This is a book of nonfiction- not my normal fare but interesting nonetheless. The author has several disorders that impact her well-being, but she wants to live her life furiously happy and this book is a collection of her essays on her pursuit of living furiously happily.

97. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
This book was gripping! I really devoured it! It's a thriller, though I saw it listed as horror somewhere. I really was taken in by the story. I couldn't help but wonder how one could handle this new world... And I keep thinking that we have practically no canned food and what a problem that would be...

98. The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
This is a young adult novel about a teen grappling with a life with Egyptian Gods for parents. I read a lot of criticism for this book online, and I would say she's an unhappy teen who is having difficulty dealing with a situation. Perhaps you don't want to spend time with a narrator like that, but I don't think the character was annoying, just struggling.

99. Speak by Louisa Hall
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I'm really glad I read it. It had a lot of really interesting motifs. It doesn't really answer any questions, and I can tell you what I read, but I'm not sure I can tell you what the book was about. The best thing I can tell you is this book was written in response to an article asking if machines could think, would we know.

100. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
This book was described as a comedic space opera. I did not agree. I did find it an enjoyable read, but a slow one. This one a world building book, a journey book, which means you need to sit with the characters and the world.

Books of 2016- Installment #19

91. The Book of Kells by R.A. MacAvoy
This is book was written in 1985 and for some reason was never really on my radar. I can't say why I suddenly "discovered" it, but its premise intrigued me... an artist and his lover time travel into the past to avenge a viking attack... I wondered how the Book of Kells figured into this. It was an interesting read... I learned quite a bit about Irish history... well, tenth century history anyway. I did find the beginning hard to follow, but once the book was over, I kept finding myself drifting back into the past and wondering what was happening now. A book that doesn't leave you...

92. Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie
I love Jennifer Cruise! This is a novella that I somehow missed. It's a quick, fun little read, it a little early for Christmas what with Thanksgiving still on its way.

93. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
I love Alice Hoffman's writing. I keep going back to her when I need a little something that's missing. I grew up in New England and many of her books, like this one, are set in Massachusetts. And there are times, like in this book, when I'm completely transported back to New England. She has this one sentence about the black-eyed Susans and I'm instantly back in my childhood, seeing things anew. Ah, the power of a book...

I picked this quote because in these tumultuous times- post 2016 election/pre-Trump inauguration- I thought this quote appropriate...

94. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
This is a multiverse trilogy, which made me think about Dark Matter since I just read that this year too. It's very different and basically the only thing they share in common is jumping between verses. The authors handled the how differently. This one was lighter and definitely aimed more at young adults.

95. The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
 This is a really interesting family story that spans generations in one family. It's about familial bonds and how they can bind us and tear us up. Very interesting.

Books of 2016- Installment #18

86. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
October is the perfect month to read this. Now, it's a graded reader that I read to do with my students, so while it's not the original, I've read it 3 times this month!!

87. The Selkie Bride by Melanie Jackson
This is a story set in the 1920s about an American woman of Scottish descent who moves to a Scottish isle after her Scottish husband's death. She finds a world full of creatures from the world of the fey. She (mostly) embraces this life without modern (and think the 20s idea of modern) conveniences and eventually adjusts whole-heartedly to a life with fey. 

88. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
This is the second novel in the trilogy but the third story. There's a novella between These Broken Stars and this one. I really enjoyed the first two stories and just devoured this one. It was a rainy weekend and I hadn't been able to read much this month. I want to dive into the third one but will read at least one book between them because I like to linger for awhile before moving forward.

89. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
This book has been getting a lot of buzz, so I put a copy on hold. I didn't think much about it since I was just waiting for it to come. Shortly before it came I discovered that it was written by the author of the Wayward Pines series, which I didn't enjoy and was almost unwilling to read this one because of my feelings. Still once I had it on my Kindle I decided to read at least the first chapter. I was quite hooked, so even though I read some truly mixed reviews about it, I read it to the end!

A side note, I don't usually quote the quoting of someone else in a book, and I usually try not to pick a quote from the literal beginning of a book, but this one is so good. Good on its own but also good for the book. He chose wisely when he began his book with this one!

 














90. Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner  
This is the conclusion the Starbound series. I definitely loved this series, and it ends in a wonderful way. I will say, though, that the first one was my favorite. Still, I can't help but be moved by the quote, "To be alone in this universe is an emptiness none of us could bear." This resonates with me rather deeply.

Books of 2016- Installment #17

81. Easter Island Rapa Nui by Felipe L. Soza

I really felt the need to reread this book. I love Easter Island so much, and reading this book put me right back on the island!

82. Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Wow! What an intense book. I am left a little speechless by this book. It's got quite a lot going on in it. It's hard science fiction which isn't for everybody with an interesting take on human arrogance and our abdication of duty to the other inhabitants of the Earth and even to each other. I am interested in continuing the trilogy but need a break before I take on the next one.

83. The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
We got a little kitty in September (the 2nd to be precise), and we named her after the main character of the Miss Phryne Fisher Mysteries... Phryne (pronounced FRY-knee). I've read 12 of these novels and just felt the need to dive back into this world. It's been 34 books since I last read a Phryne. And instantly I was happy and relaxed!

 
















84. The Bridge and Other Love Stories by Christine Lindop
This is a graded reader I read for stories to use with my level 200 students. It's got some nice stories, and we'll see if my students like them.

 
















85. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
This is a graded reader I read for stories to use with my level 200 students. It's got some nice stories, and they liked the two we've done so far. But we haven't done the Gift of the Magi yet.

Book Junkie?

Patricia sent me a link to this quiz.

Am I a book junkie? I feel like I might be. Let's just find out! 

Directions: Mark each statement that applies to you.

 1. I have dropped a book on my face. More than once.

 2. On social media, I follow writers, not singers and movie stars.

 3. “Unputdownable” IS a word.

 4. My idea of a great weekend is starting a new book.

  5. My fingers type “Google” into the web address bar, but somehow I keeping winding up at Goodreads.

6. If I leave the house without a book I feel naked / I have a mini panic attack/ I never leave the house without a book.

7. I freely admit I’ve hugged, kissed and/or lovingly patted a book.

 8. My favorite thing in my wallet is my library card. (I'm pretty digital and get my library books on my Kindle...)

 9. I plan road trips just to listen to audio books.

 10. While reading a book I am oblivious to the outside world. People can shout my name, gesture rudely, but short of bodily injury, I will not notice them.

11. I’m happy if there’s a long wait at the mechanic/doctor’s office/airport because it means I get to read.

12. When putting together a travel checklist, my first item is always: “books to read.”

13. In lines or at doctor’s offices, when everyone else around me is tapping out messages on their cell phones, my face is buried in a book.

14. If a novel I’m reading has a plot twist I wholeheartedly disagree with, I will complain, out loud, to my book.

15. When I discover a new book I’d like to read, the first thing I do is to list it as “want to read” on Goodreads. Then I blog about it. (Sort of... I definitely share that I want to read it. Is it the first thing? Sometimes... (I don't have a Goodreads account...)

 16. If I reach for a book, my household pets jump onto my favorite reading chair.

17. My favorite historical figure is Booker T. Washington.

18. When I meet new people, the first question I ask is, “What kinds of books do you like to read?”

19. The only thing better than buying new books is when someone reads—and likes—a book I’ve recommended to them.

20. I read posts entitled “How to Tell if You’re a Book Junkie.”

If you marked ONE OR MORE of the above boxes, you are a bookie junkie and are hereby awarded this badge. Wear it with pride.