2014 hub reading challenge

Reader Response: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

midwinterblood new

This post is a reader’s response to a book read for the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge.

I had been intrigued by Marcus Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood since I first found out about it. The title combined with the cover conjured up images in my head of witches dancing in the moonlight or ancient cults performing rites of sacrifice cloaked in secrecy. I knew immediately that I had to get my hands on this book, had to dive into what I hoped would be a chilling tale of horror and the supernatural.

I often borrow books from the library instead of buy, and I eagerly anticipated the day that my library would add a copy of this book to the collection. I was overjoyed when that day finally arrived and the book I had wanted to read was finally in my hands. My initial reaction was that the book was much shorter than I had expected, and I dreaded reading through it too fast, reaching the end, and having to move on to something else.

As I dived in, I was immediately struck by Sedgwick’s use of language. He writes so vividly that I could see the island in my mind, could map its pathways, cliffs, and ports. I often found myself interrupting whatever my roommate was doing to read a sentence or paragraph out loud to her. I couldn’t get enough descriptions of the island’s flowers, inhabitants, and landscapes. No wonder the inhabitants called the island Blessed. In fact, I found the descriptions of the simplicity and beauty of the island so compelling and real that I wanted to visit the island for myself.

Thank goodness I couldn’t! An island of peace and serenity this was not, contrary to all outward appearances. As I worked my way through the plot, through each story and historical period that Sedgwick chose to include, I found myself chilled and puzzled. I spent plenty of time trying to figure out the mysteries of the island myself. Why were there no children? Why didn’t the inhabitants of Blessed ever age? What was the significance of the dragon flowers? Ultimately, though, I had to bow to Sedgwick’s masterful storytelling and simply let myself be pulled along by the plot. It was a delightful journey, steeped in history, mythology, and mystery.

And that ending! In a final story that threw back the curtain on the island’s mysteries, brought clarity to our heroes, and catapulted readers back to the present, everything came together. As I flipped the final page and closed the book, I was left in a sort of shell-shocked state. It took me quite a while to digest what had happened, make peace with it, and be able to move on to another novel.

Most of the books I read for YALSA’s Hub Challenge were books I wouldn’t normally pick up. I didn’t enjoy a lot of them, and I wouldn’t really recommend them to my friends. But Midwinterblood? A new favorite, one that I could read again and again. It changed me, left me different. So thanks for the introduction!

-Jancee L. Wright

Reader Response: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

midwinterblood new This post is a reader’s response to a book read for the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is a glorious enigma of a book, and a puzzle that I hope no reader will ever fully solve. Therefore, I won’t seek to explain it or expand much on the plot. Instead, I want to talk about where this book took me. It seems appropriate that while reading a book that was set in multiple times and places, I was taken back to multiples times and places in my own reading life. Midwinterblood magically transported me back to two times that I might call golden ages in my reading history.

I will call the first (forgive the melodrama) the Age of Surrender. This time period of my reading life spanned from ages 12-16. I did most of my reading at that time during summer vacations. I had very few responsibilities and distractions, and, so was more able to surrender my time and attention fully to whatever book I was reading. I think I was also able to surrender my judgement to the world of the book and only the world of the book.

These days, as a teen librarian, I read editorial reviews, blogs, and follow my fellow librarians on Goodreads. It is almost impossible to read any YA book without hearing the interrupting voices of critics. I miss that Age of Surrender when I had no baggage to check at the first page. Midwinterblood took me back to this place for two reasons. First, unlike prior Printz Award winners, I hadn’t heard much about it. (Though this may have been because I was in my final months of library school when it came out). Second, the world of the book was so intriguing, beautiful, strange and unprecedented that my own critical voice, which usually stands outside the story and makes disruptive comments, was silenced. I felt like I was back to those summers of reading without distraction, and before it became almost impossible not to approach books as a critic. I felt like I was reading like a teen again, which is one of the best gifts a YA novel can give an adult reader.

I will call the second golden age of my reading history the Age of Analysis. This age spanned from ages 18-21 and coincided directly with being an undergraduate English major. Almost all the books I read during this age were later dissected and analyzed and mined for symbolism, and all interpretations, as long as they were properly supported by the text, were valid. There was no right answer, and we were never really going to figure out exactly what the author was telling us, but that was the most thrilling part of studying literature. Readers of Midwinterblood will find countless symbols, motifs and ideas to pursue if they want to capture the heart of the story. The fun of it is– they are never really going to capture it.

Midwinterblood was by far my favorite book of YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge, not only because the world of the book took me multiple places at once, but also because the reading experience took me back to multiple reading eras in my own reading life.

-Emily Childress-Campbell

Reader Response: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

This post is a reader’s response to a book read for the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau was one book that I was definitely not expecting to like. It sounded like such a rip off of The Hunger Games and I had already read and enjoyed many a book in the dystopian genre like Divergent, Matched, and Legend. As a teen librarian I was done with the female heroine and her future world of chaos and series books in general. I felt as if I had read enough from the genre to recommend to readers, and then The Testing came along.

I ignored its flashy cover and talk from my friend who is a teen librarian recommending it to me as well. She had originally recommended Divergent to me many months before it became well-known so I probably should have listened to her. Still, I was set on ignoring it. Then the book came up on The Hub’s 2014 Reading Challenge list and I thought I would give it a try, it was becoming evident that I couldn’t avoid it forever.

I was amazed at how fast the book sucked me in. The scenes were so vivid that I found myself even more disturbed (in a good way) than I ever was reading The Hunger Games. I had assumed the book to be more juvenile than The Hunger Games, (more like the Matched series) but I think it borders on an older teen audience with some of the graphic depictions. Think: eyeballs being torn out… I was hooked and wanted to read the next book in the series. Go figure.

I picked up the second book, Independent Study, on audiobook. When I had the chance to go to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo for work a couple of months ago I was excited to see that Joelle herself was going to be signing books! I eagerly bought a copy of The Testing and was first in a short line of only five people to have Joelle sign my copy. I guess all of the comic book fans were too into artists’ and washed-up television stars’ signatures to stop by the authors’ booths! I immediately began a conversation with Joelle about how creepy the book was. She admitted to being creeped out too…by her own writing. I thought this was great and she mentioned that she hadn’t listened to the audiobook versions yet. I ended up recommending Independent Study on audiobook to its own author! How great is that?

I was definitely surprised with how connected I became to the main character and her struggle to survive. The writing was extremely detailed, and seemed darker than previous dystopian novels, which was a nice change. It didn’t gloss over the fact that teenagers were being purposely killed. It went into some gory details that show the reality of the situation and make you feel as if you are truly a part of a dangerous game â€“ the game of survival â€“ right alongside the characters.

-Alison Colman

Wrapping Up the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge

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The 2014 Hub Challenge is over and the finishers have been contacted, so I’m here to announce the winner and officially wrap things up!

I’m pleased to announce our randomly selected grand prize winner, Emily L., who will receive a YALSA tote bag full of books. She finished the challenge by reading 25 books, and even managed to squeeze in a few more titles on top of that. Congratulations, Emily!

This year, we had over 300 participants in the Reading Challenge, and 81 finishers! That is truly impressive– kudos to all of you who took the challenge, and extra kudos to our finishers!

A few facts about our 81 fabulous finishers:

32 of them were first-time participants.
There were 71 librarians, 5 teachers, 4 YA lit fans, and 1 teen.
The most widely-read book was the Morris Award winning title, Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn, with 56 out of 81 finishers having read it.
22 people heard about the challenge right here on The Hub, 15 heard via listservs, 11 heard about it from YALSA, and one person heard about it… accidentally?! (We’d love the story on that!)

Thanks again to everyone who participated and made this year’s challenge so much fun! We hope you’ll join us for the Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge in the Fall and again next year for the 2015 Hub Reading Challenge!

-Allison Tran, currently listening to Scowler, written by Daniel Kraus & narrated by Kirby Heyborne

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #20

Hub Reading Challenge logo This is it, the final check-in of the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge! Anything from the list of eligible titles that you read or listen to up until 11:59pm EDT tonight, June 22, counts. So fill out the form below and let us know that you’ve finished the challenge before 11:59pm EDT!

After the deadline passes we’ll do a drawing to determine our grand prize winner, who will receive a YALSA tote bag full of 2013 and 2014 YA lit! (If the winner is a teacher or librarian or something similar, we’ll also include a few professional development titles.) Everyone who completed the challenge will receive an elite digital badge of achievement, as well as an invitation to submit a reader response to a book they read for the challenge that will be published on The Hub. Check out some of the amazing Reader Responses from last year if you’re curious.

We’re also interested in knowing what you thought of the 2014 challenge! What worked for you? What didn’t? Did you participate on social media? Why or why not? Leave us a comment and let us know what you enjoyed most about participating, what you’d like us to change for the next reading challenge, or anything else you want to share. You can also email us if you’d like to respond privately.

One last time, then, don’t forget to check out social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag and jump into the discussion over at the Goodreads 2014 Hub Challenge group if you haven’t already.

If you’ve completed the challenge by reading or listening to 25 titles from the list of eligible books, be sure to fill out the form below by 11:59pm EDT tonight, Sunday, June 22. Please be sure to use an email you check frequently so we can send you your Challenge Finisher badge, get in touch to coordinate your reader’s response, and, perhaps best of all, notify you if you win the grand prize drawing! Thanks for participating in the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge! I can’t wait till next year!

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #19

Still not signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 3 counts, so sign up now! You have just over a week left!

As The Hub Manager, I’m not officially participating in The Hub Reading Challenge– but I am reading along for fun, and I love the books I’ve encountered so far! I just finished reading the Printz Award winner, Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick, and can’t stop thinking about it. I had no idea what to expect, and it was absolutely captivating. Too, I had read Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park before the challenge, but I re-experienced it via the Odyssey Honor winning audio format, and fell in love with the story all over again.

So, with the challenge deadline of June 22 approaching, how’s your reading going? Have you read anything that particularly surprised you? A few of you have signed up in the last few weeks with the intent of powering through, which I think is awesome and admirable. Update us in comments here, or share your thoughts on social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag.

The 2014 Hub Reading Challenge runs until 11:59 PM EST on June 22nd. We’ll have one last check-in post next Sunday morning, so you can share your thoughts about the book(s) you read/listened to this week and share links to any reviews you post online. If you want to share your thoughts immediately, use the social media hashtag #hubchallenge, or join the 2014 Hub Challenge group on Goodreads.

If you have already completed the challenge by reading or listening to 25 titles from the list of eligible books, be sure to fill out the form below so we can send you your Challenge Finisher badge, get in touch to coordinate your reader’s response, and, perhaps best of all, notify you if you win our exciting grand prize drawing! Be sure to use an email you check frequently and do not fill out this form until you have completed the challenge by reading/listening to 25 titles. Continue reading 2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #19

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check In #18

Fourteen days and six books. That is where I find myself in The Hub Reading Challenge. We have just two weeks to go, and I have read nineteen books on the list. Since my library just opened a new Teen Center, and I’m building up a Teen non-fiction collection from scratch, I think I’ll focus my final reading push on the non-fiction titles on the list. Branded by the Pink Triangle, Dogs of War, March, and The President Has Been Shot! all sound like good candidates for my fortnight of reading.

How are you doing? Are you close to finishing? What are the final few titles that are piquing your interest? Let us know in the comments here, or share your thoughts on social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag.

The 2014 Hub Reading Challenge runs until 11:59 PM EST on June 22nd. We’ll have another check-in post next Sunday, so you can share your thoughts about the book(s) you read/listened to this week and share links to any reviews you post online. If you want to share your thoughts immediately, use the social media hashtag #hubchallenge, or join the 2014 Hub Challenge group on Goodreads. We will be compiling posts from various places online into a Storify collection. You can see the social media conversation so far below!

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #17

Not signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 3 counts, so sign up now!

As we enter our final weeks of YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge, I am excited to see all the progress everyone is making on their reading. Many are finishing up their pile of books, but even if you haven’t reached your goal yet, there is still time to finish 25 books from the list before midnight on June 22nd.

As you move through the list, be sure to keep us posted. What book have you just finished? Which books have you liked? Are there any that you have discovered that you never would have read without the competition? Did you find new authors or even new genres to love? Let us know in the comments, post your thoughts on Goodreads or share it with us on other social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag!

The 2014 Hub Reading Challenge runs until 11:59 PM EST on June 22nd, so even if you are just starting, you still have plenty of time to read 25 books! Be sure to keep track of what you are reading/listening to as you go along. We’ll be posting these check-in posts each Sunday so you can share your thoughts about the book(s) you read/listened to that week and share links to any reviews you post online. If you just can’t wait for our weekly posts, share your thoughts via social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag, or join the 2014 Hub Challenge group on Goodreads. We will be compiling posts from various places online into a Storify collection. You can see the social media conversation so far below!

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #16

Not signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 3 counts, so sign up now!

I’ve spent the past week catching up on the wonderful discussion happening over at the Goodreads 2014 Hub Challenge Group which you should definitely investigate if you haven’t already. So many insightful comments and lots of diverging opinions–be sure to check it out if you want to talk books with your fellow reading challenge participants.

I’ve really enjoyed reading those Goodreads threads, but I confess I’m not making much progress with the challenge itself. I’m close, though, and there’s still time. To be honest, I haven’t even attempted a challenge book since finishing Max Berry’s Lexicon a couple weeks ago, because I’ve been reading interview-related titles in preparation for upcoming One Thing Leads to Another posts. Thank goodness for the two 2014 reading challenges (this one and the Morris/Nonfiction) which shortened my interview reading list considerably and exposed me to authors and titles that I might have missed otherwise.

What about you? Are you still making progress? Stuck in a rut? Taking a break? Have you completed the challenge? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to join the social media conversation by checking out the Goodreads 2014 Hub Challenge Group and the #hubchallenge hashtag. Here’s some of the awesome tweets we’ve collected over the past week:

The challenge ends at 11:59PM EST on June 22nd so you still have plenty of time to finish, even if you’ve stalled out like I have. Check in with us each Sunday as we count down the home stretch and let us know how you’re doing.

If you are have already completed the challenge by reading or listening to 25 titles from the list of eligible books, be sure to fill out the form below so we can send you your Challenge Finisher badge, get in touch to coordinate your reader’s response and, perhaps best of all, to notify you if you win our exciting grand prize drawing! Be sure to use an email you check frequently and do not fill out this form until you have completed the challenge by reading 25 titles. Continue reading 2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #16

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #15

Not signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 3 counts, so sign up now!

Hey, readers! How many more of you have finished the challenge? I know there is at least person who conquered this challenge and read everything! That is some amazing reading! If you have finished, I will be sending you emails soon with your badges. Those of you still reading, keep at it! You have plenty of time to finish before June 22.

I am going on vacation this coming weekend and was thinking of reading ONE book from this year’s challenge. What should I read? I was looking at Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Thoughts? Let me know what I should read in the comments!

As I said before, I’m not participating in the challenge this year, but I have been following along on social media by checking the Goodreads 2014 Hub Challenge Group and the #hubchallenge hashtag. We’ve collected some tweets from your fellow participants– join the conversation if you haven’t already!

Keep reading, and remember, you have plenty of time to get through this challenge; it ends at 11:59PM EST on June 22nd. Please keep reading and tracking your progress and check back here each Sunday to let us know how you are doing and to see how other folks are doing.