Reading Challenges update Part 1

Given how close it is to the end of the year (gasp!) it is time for one last look at the outstanding challenges that I have for this year. Over the next couple of days I will do a best of 2008 type post with some stats and then some details of the challenges that I will be taking part in during 2009.

Pub 08 Reading Challenge

Whilst I didn't get around to reading the first three books off of my original list (but I will!) and I read but didn't review the last two books, I have read 47 books this year that were published in 2008, so I definitely finished the reading part of the challenge. Some highlights (with reviews) were The Host by Stephenie Meyer, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Maryann Shaffer, The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, The Time of Singing by Elizabeth Chadwick and East of the Sun by Julia Gregson. I am swapping these titles in, so this is challenge complete!

I've signed up for the Pub 09 Reading Challenge already!

Romance Reading Challenge

This challenge finished earlier this month. I still didn't manage to read either The Huntress or Lover Unbound, so I didn't quite make it to completion on this challenge.

Naida is running this challenge again this year. I am not signing up this year, but not for any other reason than I need to have some kind of limits on the number of challenges that I participate in!



Chunkster Challenge

I finally read Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden, but I haven't done the reviw yet. So I kind of finished this one.

Does anyone know if someone is running this again next year? I have tried to contact this year's host but haven't had a response yet. Are people interested in participating in this challenge? I definitely still am, and I might be willing to host it as long as no one else wants to.

Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge

I never did get around to reading Counting the Stars. I do have it out from the library again at the moment so maybe I will get to read it early in the new year. This challenge ended on November 30.

Stephenie Meyer Mini Challenge

I have read both The Host and Breaking Dawn, but haven't reviewed Breaking Dawn. I also went to see Twilight tonight. With the challenge finishing on January 30, I should still be able to complete this one.

The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer

How do you fall in love when your society has no word for it?

An epic novel closely based on historical events, The Last Concubine is the story of a shogun, a princess and the three thousand women of the women’s palace - all of whom really existed - and of the civil war that brought their way of life to an end ...

It is 1861.. Growing up deep in the mountains fo rural Japan, Sachi has always felt different, her pale skin and fine features setting her apart from her friends and family.

Then, when she is just eleven, an imperial princess passes through her village and sweeps her off to the women's palace in the great city of Edo. Bristling with intrigue and erotic rivalries, the palace is home to three thousand women and only one man - the young shogun. Sachi is chosen as his concubine.

But Japan is changing. Black Ships have come from the West, bringing foreigners eager to add Japan to their colonial empires. As civil war erupts, Sachi flees for her life.

Rescued by a rebel warrior, she finds unknown feelings stirring within her. But before she dare dream of a life with him, Sachi must unravel the mystery of her own origins – a mystery that encompasses a wrong so terrible that it threatens to destroy her ....

Set in one of the most tumultuous eras in Japanese history, Sachi's story is a potent mix of adventure and high romance. From the timeless beauty of the women's palace in Edo to bloody battles fought outside its walls, The Last Concubine is an epic evocation of a country in revolution, and of a young woman's quest to find out who she really is.

From the timeless beauty of the Women’s Palace in Edo to bloody battles fought outside its walls, The Last Concubine is an epic evocation of a country in revolution, and of a young woman’s quest to find out who she really is.

Japan in the mid 1800's was still very much a feudal society, still functioning in the ways of the emperor and the shogun, that is until the country was split into north and south factions and fought a very bloody civil war. Where the Western world was hurtling headlong into the Industrial age, Japan was a land of ancient rituals.

Sachi is a young girl who is plucked from a rural village and sent to be a maid in the shogun's palace in Edo (which we now know of as Tokyo). It is a very disciplined life in the women's court. There are 3000 women, and only one man, so it is therefore quite an honour if you catch the attention of the young shogun as Sachi does. It is also a life with very strict rules about behaviour, lots of warrior training, and lavish clothes and beauty regimes. Once a young girl entered the life of the court, it was highly likely that they would not be able to leave the environs of the castle, and certainly if they are not chosen to be the shogun's concubine they will have nothing to do with men from that point on.

As war comes to Edo, Sachi is chosen to be a decoy to try and protect the life of the Imperial princess, and so begins the great adventure which takes her back to the village she grew up in where she finds out more about who her real parents were. Along the way she is assisted by a trio of warriors, one of whom, Shinzaemon, makes her heart beats faster even though she knows that it against the strict rules to fraternise with any man, let alone one who finds himself on the losing side of the conflict that is tearing apart Japan.

Also on her adventures she meets a European man - very strange looking, with no idea of how to treat a proper Japanese lady. The Europeans are looking to expand into Japan and to bring the Industrial age to a country where very little had changed in hundreds of years. They come in their black ships, and bring their strange contraptions (carriages) and there is even talk of their iron monsters (trains)

Lesley Downer has had several non-fiction books published and there is no doubt that she knows her subject. What didn't happen very well is the translation to a fiction story. There were plot elements that were introduced hurriedly towards the end of the book that really seemed quite disconnected from the first half of the book, especially the two mysteries that were uncovered and then needed to be resolved in the second half of the book. Really only one of them was resolved, and whilst in the author's note she explains what the historical context of the second mystery was and how it really is still an unresolved matter, in some ways it seems kind of superfluous to the plot.

By trying to cover the events of not one, but two sets of doomed lovers (both Sachi and Shin and her parents), there were times when the narrative of the relationships lost some of their potency. I did enjoy the build up of the relationship between Sachi and Shin, and the subtlety of their romance reflected the delicacy of the rituals that Sachi was used to participating in, whilst still breaking all the rules. The tragedy that could have befallen Sachi if her love was exposed was always hovering just below the surface and tainted the interactions between the two with beautiful subtlety.

Reading about Sachi's life and the various traditions and disciplines that shaped her life was very interesting so it is a shame that the narrative didn't quite work for me. I will keep an eye out to see if this author writes another novel and would hope to see some growth in her writing style, because the setting that she has chosen to specialise in is fascinating, and not at all over done in historical fiction.


This book was one of the books that I nominated for the I Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge. I first heard of this book over at Reading the Past and I was interested in reading it as soon as I heard about it precisely because of its unusual setting.

Crossposted at Historical Tapestry.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente

A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers

Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can
cast over us–to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page….

Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars–each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered “mermaid” to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales–even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun….

Ever since I finished reading this book, I have been trying to think how exactly am I going to explain the structure of this book, which I have to say normally isn't my main question on finishing a book. Normally I would be thinking what will I say about the characters, or the plot for example, but this time it is the structure.

The best way I could think of is to try and explain it in terms of an old advert that used to be on TV (at least I think it was an advert). At the beginning of the story, there is a person looking out a window, but when the camera pans back it turns out that the window is painted onto a jug sitting on a table, and when the camera pans back again it turns out that the jug is in a painting, and then the painting is on the cover of a book, and the book is pictured on a TV, and the TV is on a movie screen. I hope as a description this gives you an idea of what I mean when I say that this book has a kind of cascading structure within it.

The story opens with a young prince who goes into the garden and meets a young girl. She is a young urchin who everyone within the palace ostracises, and he knows he isn't meant to talk to her, but when he does, she begins to tell him a fascinated story, and soon he is sneaking away to listen to the girl's stories whenever he can get free of his very strict and domineering sister.

As the initial story is told, we meet a character within that story who then begins to tell another story. Then, one of the characters begins to tell another story and so on. As a structure this does sound confusing, but it is testament to the author's skill that despite the incredibly challenging task she has set herself, the stories do not become jumbled or confused. Valente manages also to not only descend through the different layers of tales, but almost seamlessly ascend back through those same layers until we are back with the boy and the girl at the palace.

And what of the stories themselves? Well, they are a collection of fantastical folk lore type stories. There are princes who go on quests (as all handsome young princes seem to need to do), there are beautiful princesses who are locked in towers, or at least what you can see of them through the window is beautiful. It may well turn out that they are part bird, part horse, part pig in those parts that you can not see. There are stars that have fallen to earth, magical ships, there are people who turn into birds, there are bears who have been sentenced to live as men and skin traders who will take the skin of one creature and give it to another, for a price. And yet despite the different stories that are all jumbled up, and the many different types of characters and events, this is definitely a fun, albeit dark, read. Note that I didn't say easy read, because it is a book that you need to concentrate on, but the effort is certainly rewarded in the end.

It is hard to even choose a single story as a favourite as they are so interconnected, but I did enjoy the story of St Sigrid, and also the connected story Eyvind, the bear who becomes a man for love.

This was the final book I needed to read to complete Quest the Second as part of Carl's Once Upon a Time II challenge. Carl has a reputation of organising really great reading challenges, and it is well deserved! Thanks so much for hosting this one Carl. I really enjoyed the books that I read for it.

It was also one of the books that I nominated for the Heard It Through the Grapevine challenge!

Have you reviewed this book? If yes, leave a link in the comments and I will link to it.

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Twisted Kingdom

Reading Challenge Round up...and a new one!

Thought it was time to do some kind of review on where I am up to with the various challenges that I have joined so far this year. Given that I haven't joined a new one for a while either, it's a good chance to do that as well. First though...how am I going with the ones I have already committed to:


Pub08 Challenge

Read 8 books published in 2008. The books that I originally chose to read for this challenge were:

Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith (out February) (Own but not read yet)
Fire Study by Maria V Snyder (out February) (Coming in my Amazon order as we speak)
Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland (out March) (Not at my library yet)
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin (out January) (Not at my library yet)
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig (out January)(no sign of this being released here yet!)
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Sara Donati (or Rosina Lippi depending on where it is to be published) (not read yet)
People of the Book by Geraldine Brook (Read but not reviewed yet)

I also added The Crystal Skull to my challenge list because it was the first book that I read this year that was published this year.

In addition, I have read The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander, Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas and This Charming Man by Marian Keyes that were all published this year, but for now I am keeping the challenge books as those above, just to make it a bit harder for myself!

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Romance Reading Challenge

The challenge was to read 5 romances. Because I do read a lot of romance, I decided that to make the challenge harder for myself I would only list books that I already owned to read. The books I originally chose were:

The Huntress by Susan Carroll
The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick (sits on my bedside table all the time!)
Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan (read)
Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter
Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas (read)

As a backup I also had Lover Unbound (and no I haven't read it yet!)

Two down, three to go!


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Chunkster Challenge

Read 4 books that had more than 450 pages in. The books I originally chose for this challenge were:

Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden
Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks
A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick (reading at the moment)
Shadowbrook by Beverly Swerling

So I am at 2 done, 2 to go. Having said that I have read a whole heap of other Chunksters but again I am keeping my list as above just to keep the challenge aspect high:

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes (676 pages)
Island in the Sea of Time by SM Stirling (609 pages)
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (509 pages)
The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint (508 pages) (read but not reviewed yet)
PS I Love You by Cecilia Ahern (503 pages)
Haunted by Kelley Armstrong (495 pages)
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky (484 pages)
Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry (477 pages)

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100+ Reading Challenge

I am currently reading books numbered 66, 67 and 68 so going alright on this one!




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Once Upon a Time II Challenge
I do need to watch the end date for this challenge because it doesn't run as long as some of the other challenges! The books I chose for this challenge were:

Belladonna by Anne Bishop (read but not reviewed yet)
Onion Girl by Charles de Lint (read but not reviewed yet)
Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix
Lions Honey by David Grossman (review here)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente
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Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

The books I chose for this challenge were:

Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon (review here)
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
Aztec by Gary Jennings
Dreaming the Serpent Spear by Manda Scott
Counting the Stars by Helen Dunmore
The Witches Trinity by Erika Mailman

and as spare/alternate choices

Everyman's Rules for Scientific Thinking by Carrie Tiffany
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

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New Challenge - I Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge

And now, for the new challenge that I am joining in on. The challenge is to read three books that have been recommended by someone else between May 1 and November 30.

My three choices are:

Counting the Stars by Helen Dunmore, which I first heard about at Reading the Past.
The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer, also from Reading the Past (Review here)
In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente, which was recommended to me by Kailana for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. (Review here)