February and March

I never wrapped up my reading for February and March here, so here goes. In those two months I read 17 books. Of those books, all of them were YA except one. Yeah...I've been really into YA lately!

My very favorites of those months were Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, and The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Great, great books!

Here are some quick thoughts and ratings on the books...

HP and the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling

This is my 3rd time reading this one, and I love it every time! 5/5

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

The last book in the Fever series, the only 'adult' book I read this month. Fun series, interesting ending. 4/5

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Interesting story, great characters. Can't wait for the next book! 5/5

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Enjoyed this one more than I was expecting. Looking forward to the next book! 4/5

Paranormalcy by Kierstin White

Not my favorite, but an interesting paranormal book. I'll probably check out the next book. 3/5

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I admit, I mostly read this one because I heard Emma Watson is going to be in the movie version. I did enjoy it though. 4/5

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Wasn't sure what to expect, but really enjoyed it. Very interesting idea. Thought the characters would be really cliche, but I liked them a lot. Definitely looking forward to the next book. 4/5

Matched by Allie Condie

I love this type of book, but did find it pretty similar in some ways to Delirium. Still really liked it though! 4/5

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

This was a companion book to The Giver, but it was kind of flat for me. Easy to read, interesting idea, but not enough to it. 3/5

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Picked this one up on a whim from the library. Really not a fan. 2/5

Messenger by Lois Lowry

The final companion book for The Giver. Again, interesting idea, but just kind of fell flat. The Giver was so good, and these just didn't live up to that. 3/5

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I loved everything about this book. Great characters, great setting. Just loved it! Great contemporary YA book. 5/5

Beastly by Alex Flinn

A modern day re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. Nothing spectacular, but decent. 3/5

Inside Out by Maria V Snyder

This one took me a little while to get into, but then I really liked the story and the characters. Interested to see what happens next! 4/5

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Fantastic book. I cried, grinned, blushed, all that stuff. Really well-written and great story. 5/5

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Pretty good story, but the stupidity of the main character (she seemed like she should be way smarter about things than she was) kept me from loving it. A great male character though, which helps! 3/5

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Wasn't too sure what to expect from this one, but really liked the 2 perspectives. 4/5

January Reviews and Notes

I read nine books in January, for a total of 2811 pages.

Six of the books were YA, five of the books were part of a series. Of the series books, one was the final book and three were the first.

Seven of the books were by new (to me) authors.

It's hard to name a favorite, because I enjoyed several of them a lot! I only rated one of them 5/5, but several others were close! I always have a hard time giving a perfect rating, even if I really love a book!

Here are my short reviews and ratings:

Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead
I have enjoyed this series, and really like the characters. I think there is one more book coming out this year, to wrap it up. I will be sad to say goodbye to Georgina. I don't think this book was the strongest of the series, but I did enjoy it. Rated: 3.5/5

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
This was the first book in a YA series, and I enjoyed it. It was a nice mix of paranormal and contemporary. I admit that I found the 'love interest' to be a little predictable and too perfect. But otherwise I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Rated: 4/5

The Duff by Kody Kiplinger
This book took me by surprise and I really enjoyed it. I think it is a great book for teen girls. It was a bit more mature than a lot of other YA books, but I thought the message in it was really relevant for teen girls. I will definitely read more by this author! Rated: 5/5

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
This was a really short YA read, the first book in a series. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and it was a little...odd. But I thought it was interesting, and will read the next book. It was a very unique look at eating disorders. Rated: 3/5

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I've been meaning to read this book for a long time, and finally got it from the library. I really liked it, and am waiting for the next book to come in from the library now! I liked it more than I thought I would, and can't wait to find out what happens next! Rated: 4.5/5

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
This is one from my 'ten to read in 2011' list. Again, it's a book that I've been meaning to read for a very long time, and just always put it off. I was glad I finally went ahead with it. I knew the basic story-line, but still found it really depressing. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it though - I thought it was very good. Glad I finally got around to it! Rated 4/5

Love Drugged by James Klise
I grabbed this book at the library without knowing too much about it. I thought the basic idea of the story was good (gay teen trying to fit in and change who he really is), and think it's a good read for young adults. I did find the 'bad guy' to be a little too convenient (and evil) at times. But the idea was a good one. Rated: 3/5

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
This book caught me by surprise. I'd heard of it, but honestly didn't know much about it. I had read a short excerpt from the beginning of the book and knew immediately that I wanted to read it. It was a very interesting story! Rated: 4/5

Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
This was the last book in a YA series. I wanted to like it more than I did. I enjoyed the first two books, and this one just seemed a little flat to me. I found myself just wanting to see how it ended, and not really caring too much about how it got there. Rated: 3/5

Eight!

Wow. I am already on book #8 for January! I'm impressed, if I do say so myself!

AND, I've read one of the books from my 10 'must reads' for the year! I'm well on my way to reaching my goals of reading those 10 books, and reading 75 books for the year.

I'm not doing so great on the reviews though. I think I might just have to do one big review post at the end of the month or something.

I'm currently halfway through book #8 - The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. It is definitely an interesting read so far!

Ten Books I Will Read in 2011

Inspired by other blogs and a book-club message board I'm a member of...

Here is a list of 10 books that I am determined to read this year. Some have been on my bookshelf for a long time, others not so long, but still there. I have heard good things about all of them, and don't want to put them off anymore! (And as you can see, there is a pretty good variety!)

In no particular order...

1. Dark Lover by JR Ward (I need to see what the hype is all about!)
2. Case Studies by Kate Atkinson (haven't read anything by this author, but have had this one reccomended to me a lot lately)
3. Faithful Place by Tana French (I LOVED her two other books!)
4. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (I keep hearing that this is the start of a great YA series)
5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (I've put this one off for a long time!)
6. Under the Dome by Stephen King (It's a big one, and that's a little intimidating. I got it while I was pregnant, and have issues reading Stephen King while pregnant. Yes, I'm weird)
7. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Why have I not read this yet??)
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (just bought this for my nook, but it's been one I've been meaning to read for a couple years now)
9. Storm Born by Richelle Mead (I've really enjoyed both of her other series, so I hope this one is good too).
10. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (kind of embarassed that I haven't read this one yet!)

So, there you have it. Of course, there are others I want to read too, but this is a list that I definitely want to get to this year. I'll have to check in from time to time and see how I'm doing on it!

Best of 2010

The year isn't quite over yet, but I met my goal of 50 books! This was about half of what I read last year, but it was a much busier year, so I am pretty proud of 52 (and counting! I can probably get another 2 in before the new year!)

I read some pretty great books this year, but here is a list of my favorites:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larrson
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
One Day by David Nicholls
In the Woods and The Likeness by Tana French
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice (reading this one right now!) by Richelle Mead
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

And even though I've read them before, the Harry Potter books that I read this year (so far 1-3) are always among my favorites!

Kind of an interesting mix of books! And these are just my very favorites...there were quite a few others that were great too!

My reading goals for 2011 are pretty simple --- read 75 books, and keep track of the number of pages read. I'd also like to be a better blogger, and rate my books right away too! Since the list of books that I want to read is HUGE, I shouldn't have any problem finding enough to read!!

Oh, Harry...

Friday was opening day of the newest Harry Potter movie: The Deathly Hallows, Part I.

I've been looking forward to this movie FOREVER (or so it seems) and it did not disappoint. Jay and I love these movies. He is the one that got me hooked first on the movies, and then on the books. I put off reading the books for too long, but once I read them, I was hooked. I now consider myself a HUGE Harry Potter nerd!!

We both loved this new movie, although it's bittersweet to see it all coming to an end. There is only one movie left (thank goodness they made the last book into two movies!) and it comes out in July. I know I will be so depressed when it's over! It was bad when the books are done, but at least then we could look forward to the rest of the movies coming out! But now the movies are going to be done too.

Sigh.

The movie was fantastic, and as soon as it was over I wanted to see it again. Hopefully we'll be able to see it one more time on the big screen (and then I'm sure I'll watch it countless times on DVD!).

And OF COURSE, it makes me want to re-read the whole series...again. I knew I didn't want to read Deathly Hallows right before seeing the movie, so now I'm trying to decide if I should hold off on re-reading until the final movie comes out, or just do it now... I re-read them last summer after Half Blood Prince came out, so I wonder if it's too soon.

As I'm typing this, our old, beat-up copy of The Philosopher's Stone is sitting next to me, calling my name....

September in Review

September was a busy month for me...which meant there wasn't much time for reading. I did read three books though.

My favorite of the month was The Likeness by Tana French. I am really liking her books. They are mysteries, but not like the 'typical' mystery book. I'm looking forward to reading her next book soon!

I also thought Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was a really interesting book, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the movie compares!

Of the three books I read in September, two were new (to me) authors, and one was young adult.

It's already almost mid-October and I've only read one book (although it was a big one!), but I'm hopeful I can at least read four this month. I am close to my goal of 50 books for the year, so I can't slow down now! :)

August in Review

This month, I read seven books, which is the most I've read any month so far this year. Not too shabby!

Six of the seven were young adult novels.

Three were new authors (to me).

All of the books were part of a series.

My favorite 'new' author was Tana French.

And of course, my favorite book was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Well worth the wait for that one!

Overall, a decent month of reading, and I hope to keep it up!

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay did not disappoint. This is the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. If you have not read the others, this will contain spoilers. Also, if you have not read the others - DO IT NOW!

(Grrr, Blogger won't let me copy and paste a summary, I will try again later).

I have heard that some people weren't satisfied with the way the series was wrapped up, but I really enjoyed the book. I think no matter what had happened, some wouldn't have liked it. But I thought it was all very fitting.

I bawled like a baby for several parts, and cheered out loud at one point. It was just a great book, and an amazing series.

*SPOILERS: I really did like Gale, but I think Peeta was the one that Katniss was meant to be with. I was so sad about Prim - the one that Katniss had been trying to protect since the beginning! :( When Buttercup showed up at the end, I was sobbing!

Overall, just a great series, and I'm really looking forward to reading them all again. I hadn't read Catching Fire since it came out, a year ago, so a few of the details were fuzzy for me, and I think I will catch a lot more (in all the books!) the second time around!

Rated: 5/5

Mockingjay!

I have been waiting all year for this book and it's finally here! Mockingjay is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. If you haven't read these books, get ye to the bookstore!! They are fantastic!

I was able to start the book last night, and will read on my lunch hour today, and then after the kids go to bed tonight. I'm already hooked! I'm excited to read further, but sad to see this amazing series come to an end!

Nook!

I got a Nook several months ago, but have just started playing around with it more, recently. E-readers are all the rage right now, and I admit - it's fun! I thought I would miss the feel of a real book, but I don't. It's easy to read on, easy to navigate. The one thing that I was worried about was spending a lot of money on e-books. I've been getting most of my books from the library lately, since I have way too many books already, and to cut back on spending. So the Nook takes care of the space issue, but not the spending! However, I discovered how to download library e-books onto it now! The library doesn't have as many e-books as they do regular books, but they do have a pretty decent collection! So, I am excited about being able to check out e-books and read them on my Nook! I also scored a couple 'free' B&N giftcards (from Pampers points, and Discover Card rewards), so I will be able to buy some e-books guilt-free!

Since the Nook is the only e-reader I've used, I can't really compare it to others...but I think it's pretty awesome! And with the recent price drop, I have a feeling a lot more people will be getting one!

18?

It's mid-May. I've read 18 books this year so far.

Not TOO bad, considering, I've also had a baby, work full time (well, I'm currently on maternity leave), and have a wild and active 2 year old....

But last year I had read 18 books (and reviewed all of them!), by mid-February!

What a difference a year makes...

Review: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell

Summary from Barnes and Noble:

In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend's attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital—where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. Esme has been labeled harmless—sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, and hard to put down (although with a baby and a toddler, I had to put it down more often than I would have liked!!). I thought I had it all figured out, but I definitely didn't! It was heartbreaking at times, and I liked the different perspectives it was told from, so you got several sides to the story.

Overall, a really great read! I have another book on my shelf by O'Farrell, and I'm looking forward to reading it!

Rated: 4.5/5

Checking In

I haven't posted for awhile, life has been busy!

I welcomed my second child into the world on March 16th. It's a boy! Elijah took his time arriving...12 days late!

Needless to say, I haven't done much reading in the past two weeks. I did start a book a couple days ago though, and have been finding a minute here and there to read. As we get into more of a routine I'm sure I will find a little more time.

And maybe some day I'll find the time to review some of my recent reads here!

2009 Year in Review

Well, I hit my goal of reading 100 books in 2009. I actually read 115! And that was without reading a single book in December (how did that happen??). Nine of the books I read were re-reads, but that means I did still read over 100 NEW books. Woohoo!

I would have to say that my favorite book of the year was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It was one of the first books of the year for me. I also read the sequel, which was great...and the third (and final) book in the series comes out this summer, so I'm really looking forward to that!

I discovered a lot of new authors and genres this year, I stepped outside my usual box quite a bit, and read a lot of great books! I read a lot of young adult books, and a lot of series.

I did NOT reach my goal of reviewing every book I read. It just got to be too much later in the year, with pregnancy, a busy toddler, and everything else going on!

Overall, a great year of reading though -- and I have a lot of books lined up to read this year as well, so I'm looking forward to that...assuming I can find the time! It is going to be a busy year I think!

No Reading?

I've been having a really hard time getting into any books lately. I've started a few and not gotten very far on them. Too many other things going on? Or boring books? Maybe both?

Anyway, obviously I haven't been blogging much, but hopefully I'll find some good books to read and review soon!

October in Review

It's a little late, but here's a wrap-up of my October reading!

I surprised myself and read ten books in October. Four were new (to me) authors. Three were part of a series - actually they were all the first books in new series, so that's something to look forward to! Six were young adult books.

My favorite was Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Great story, lots of tears...would definitely put her down as an author to look for in the future!

Looking at the list, it was a pretty interesting combination of books and subjects. A good month for me, especially being pregnant, when I tend to read less and more slowly. I'm sure the next couple months will be a little slower with lots of holiday festivities going on, but I have a nice stack from the library that I'm working on right now, so certainly no lack of material!

Selling Used Books?

I am trying to do some de-cluttering to make room for this new baby, so I went through some books this morning. Yikes! I have SO MANY!! I'm making some piles and need to figure out my plan of action.

Does anyone know of good places to sell used books? A lot of my books are popular ones that are in great condition. It sounds like most used books stores prefer to give store credit. I could also do swapping online, but I really just need to get rid of a lot of them to save the space.

I don't expect to make a TON of money, but a little cash wouldn't hurt! It's kind of hurting my head to think of how much money I spent on them all in the first place!!

Let me know if you have any advice! I could donate some of them to the library also, but I'd like to check out some ideas for making cash first!

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take is the first book in a new young adult series by Rachel Vincent.

Summary from Barnes and Noble:
She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next...

This was an interesting paranormal novel...different than most of the others out there right now. I was not blown away, but did enjoy it. I'll read the rest of the series. I thought some of it was pretty predictable, but there were a few surprises. It was a pretty quick read too.

Rated: 3.5-4/5

Review: Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

Blue Bloods is the first book in a young adult series by Melissa De La Cruz.

Summary from Barnes and Noble:
When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America. But not all the Pilgrims were pure of heart; they were not all escaping religious persecution. Indeed, some were not human: they were vampires.

In present-day New York City, Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious New York private school. On her fifteenth birthday, her veins turn a bright blue and she begins to crave raw meat. Suddenly she is part of an exclusive secret society ruled by The Committee, a group of honored Blue Bloods. One of the popular girls at her school is found dead, and Schuyler decides to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger?

I've been wanting to start this series for awhile. It's another young adult vampire series, and I've enjoyed a lot of those. I liked this one too. It was an interesting take on vampires and how they have been around for so long. Schuyler's family history was interesting also, and there are still some questions that need to be answered. There are already four books out in this series, so I'll need to catch up!

The one thing that bugged me about the book was the way the main characters name was spelled. I knew how to pronounce it, but I still kind of 'tripped' over it while reading because it just never looked right to me. By the end I was more used to it.

Rated: 4/5