The Host by Stephenie Meyer is the selection for the month of July at
Becky’s Online Reading Group.
The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
July’s Book-of-the-Month at Becky’s Online Reading Group
Day 0: July 2nd; Share thoughts on cover, flap, blurbs, prologue, first paragraph of chapter one. In other word–first impressions. Also might want to visit Stephenie Meyer’s website or the book website.
As “homework” between 7/2 and 7/7 read The Host 1-58 (Pro…
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Added by Becky on July 1, 2008 at 2:12pm —
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The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
I used to be someone.
Someone named Jenna Fox.
That’s what they tell me. But I am more than a name. More than they tell me. More than the facts and statistics they fill me with. More than the video clips they make me watch.
More. But I’m not sure what.
…
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Added by Becky on June 9, 2008 at 11:36am —
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As I just mentioned, The Worthing Saga discussion begins June 2nd at Becky's Online Reading Group.
MotherReader's 48 Hour Reading Challenge is only one week away! "To sign up, you'll need to visit her blog and leave a comment. While you're there you're probably going to want to make a note of all the rules and guidelines." And "The weekend is June 6–8, 2008. 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 en…
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Added by Becky on May 31, 2008 at 4:00pm —
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Seafaring Challenge
Four-Legged Friends Challenge
The Sci-Fi Experience
Winter Reading Challenge (Rock Creek Rumblings)
Hometown Reading Challenge
Winter Reading Challenge (Inksplasher)
Zora Neale Hurston Mini-Challenge
Speculative Fiction
Young Adult Challenge (Thoughts of Joy)
First in A Series
Young Readers Challenge
Banned Books Challenge
D.E.A.R. Reading Challenge
Royalty Rules Challenge
The Novella Challenge
Young Adult Literature Challenge (Shady Glade)
Eponymous Reading Challenge
Reading…
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Added by Becky on May 31, 2008 at 2:00pm —
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A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck. 148. 5/5
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. 130. 5/5
Blackness Tower by Lillian Stewart Carl. 367. 2.5/5
Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block. 478. 3.5/5
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. 330. 4/5
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. 361. 5/5
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. 256. 5/5
Bronte's Book Club by Kristiana Gregory. 148. 3.5/5
The Sky Inside by Clare B. Dunkle. 229. 5/5
Crispin: At the Edge of the World by Avi. 256. 3/5
Greeti…
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Added by Becky on May 31, 2008 at 12:23pm —
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These tips are for blogger/blogspot users. I did the big template change today...and thought others might be curious on the how-to. And I wanted to share before I forgot how to do it. You never know, I might need to refresh my memory at some point :)
First step is to download the new template--whichever one you choose--granting that there are no structural problems within it--this should be relatively easy. You can try clicking on it or doing a "save link" or "save link as" option. The file sho…
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Added by Becky on May 28, 2008 at 11:36pm —
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June:
Becky’s Online Reading Group will be reading The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card for the month of June. Orson Scott Card–as many of you know–is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite authors. And this book isn’t as widely known (and as widely read) as his Ender series. (Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender’s Shadow, etc.) I’m choosing this one because I love it, obviously, but also because I…
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Added by Becky on May 23, 2008 at 9:28pm —
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April
Guinevere's Gift by Nancy McKenzie. 325. 3.75/5
George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. 297. 3/5
Jack Russell: Dog Detective: The Phantom Mudder by Darrel and Sally Odgers. 4/5
Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey. 193. 3.75/5
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 101. 5/5
Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank. 283. 5/5
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. 336. 5/5
The King's Arrow by Michael Cadnum. 208. 3.75/5
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. ??? 4.5/5
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly C…
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Added by Becky on May 1, 2008 at 12:25pm —
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1 Star -- I finished it. That's about the only good thing I can say about it. It's over.
2 Stars -- Enjoyable in a few places. But had some flaws or quirks that annoyed me. Not hideous. But more frustrating than satisfying.
2.5 Stars -- Enjoyable in more than a few places. Yet something was missing that kept me from really enjoying this one. Almost but not quite.
3 Stars -- A good, solid, nice, enjoyable read. A respectable rating. The norm. Nothing to be ashamed about. A book I'd be happy to re…
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Added by Becky on April 28, 2008 at 9:30pm —
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1) In one window, open up the blog (or other site) you want to make a widget of
2) In another window, go to
http://www.widgetbox.com/
3) I honestly can't remember if you need to create a free account before/during/or after the widget-making process but at some point if you want to save your work, you'll need to sign up. It's relatively painless. And I don't recall getting unnecessary email from the group/company.
4) Click on "My Widgetbox" or "…
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Added by Becky on April 27, 2008 at 11:30pm —
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Added by Becky on April 27, 2008 at 6:30pm —
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My name is Becky. I'm book-obsessed and challenge-addicted. I love blogging. I do. I started my first blog,
Becky's Book Reviews, in August of 2006. I've since started several other blogs. Some active, some inactive, some all-but-officially-dead. But I won't link to the mostly dead ones!
Young Readers is my blog that focuses on books written for those aged 0-10. Board books. Picture books. Early Readers.…
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Added by Becky on April 27, 2008 at 4:11pm —
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Becky's Book Reviews is happy to accept review copies (books and audiobooks) from authors and publishers. My policy has always been that I review everything that I finish. If I read it, I review it. (I do strive for honesty in my reviews. If you don't want my honest opinion of a book, then don't ask me to review it. If you ask for feedback, feedback is what you're going to get.) By receiving a review copy, I am not guaranteeing that I will review it. Bu…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:43am —
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Twisted Fairy Tale Challenge
Host: Squeaky Books
dates: March - May 5, 2008
books required: 4
Series Challenge
host: Crazy Cozy Murders
dates: December 1 - May 31rst
books required: participant decides
Spring Reading Challenge
host: Rock Creek Rumblings
dates: March 1- May 31rst
books required: participant decides
Margaret A. Edwards Challenge
host: Me
dates: February 1, 2008 - June 1, 2008
books required: 3-5
48 Hour Reading Challenge
host: MotherReader
dates: June 6, 7, and/or 8th 2008
boo…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:40am —
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The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My review of C.S. Lewis' classic children's book The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is going to be chatty--quite chatty--and there's nothing I can do about it. I first encountered the magic of Narnia in fourth grade when my teacher read it aloud to us. My teacher, Mrs. Watts, was known for many things. She inspired much fear and trembling. Like Aslan, she was not tame, but good. While, other students may remember the discipline or the hard…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:32am —
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Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.
Speaker for the Dead is the sequel to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. But in many ways, it is even more instrumental than Ender's Game. You see, Ender's Game started out as a story--a short story. Orson Scott Card was working on ideas for a new novel, and the basic premise of Speaker for the Dead came to him. Although, at the time the Speaker was a Singer. He thought and worked and thought and worked. And then it came to him, what if the Speaker was E…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:27am —
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How I Came to Love A Monster:
A Rambling Review of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein
Frankenstein has haunted and followed me around wherever I go. I remember first reading the book in high school. It must have been tenth or twelfth grade because Mrs. Lippe--the dreaded and much afeared Mrs. Lippe was the one who assigned it. I don’t really remember much about this brief introduction to Mary Shelley’s creative masterpiece. I could have hated it. I could have loathed it. I could have be…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:23am —
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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
It is time to talk about an old friend. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. A novel that has become without a doubt my most favorite book in the entire world. Okay, so you might think I'm a bit overly dramatic at times. (I've been told this countless times.) But this time, I really, really mean it. (You still don't believe me, do you?) To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born. No, I wasn't born loving Ender's Game, but sometimes it f…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:21am —
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Hurston, Zora Neale. 1937. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
If ever a book is going to grab you at 'hello', let it be Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
Now women forget all those things they don’t wa…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:19am —
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Mitchell, Margaret. 1936. Gone With The Wind.
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need...
--The Rolling Stones
Because I used to love her, but it's all over now...
--The Rolling Stones
Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. (5)
Thus begins Margaret Mitchell's classic novel Gone With The Wind. Does it surprise you that Scarlett O'Hara "was not beautiful"? Can you…
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Added by Becky on April 26, 2008 at 11:17am —
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