Books read in 2010

1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (563 pgs)
2. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (337 pgs)
3. Breaking Her Fall by Stephen Goodwin (408 pgs)
4. The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel: Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin/Raina Telgemeier (162 pgs)
5. Fallen by Lauren Kate (452 pgs)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (248 pgs)
7. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (630 pgs)
8. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (203 pgs)
9. House Rules by Jodi Picoult (532 pgs)
10. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles (303 pgs)
11. When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall (326 pgs)
12. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (390 pgs)
13. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin (368 pgs)

14. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer (308 pgs)
15. Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (292 pgs)
16. Making Choices (Everwood) by Laura J. Burns (179 pgs)

17. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (341 pgs)

18. Night Road by Kristin Hannah (385 pgs)

Number of Books: 18
Number of Pages: 6427

In A Reading Rut

Ugh, so for the past two weeks I've been in a sort of reading rut. I was incredibly excited about starting a book that's been sitting on my bookshelf for about a year now: The Stolen Child by Kieth Donohue.

While the book is decent enough and there are parts that I have genuinely enjoyed so far...overall, this particular reading experience has been lacking. I don't find myself looking forward to picking up the book to continue reading. I think it's mostly because there are parts that are just slow moving and kind of boring, which is unfortunate because the premise is really interesting.

Now, I bet I know what you're thinking. Why don't I just stop reading the book and start a new one?

Because I have issues. lol. I am one of those people who can't not finish a book, even if I dislike it (although there have been a few exceptions: Little Earthquakes and Macbeth are examples.) It bothers me if I don't finish what I start (it took me 3 months before I finally gave up on Little Earthquakes!) and I'm always hoping that maybe the book will get better if I just read a little bit further...

I'm unsure whether I'll finish the book or not. Perhaps I might just put it aside for a while and pick it up later. I just hate wasting valuable reading time not enjoying a book and then not reading at all because I'm not looking forward to picking up the book again.

What do you all do when there's a book you're reading and not able to get into? How far do you read to give it a chance? And am I the only one who has a hard time abandoning a book?

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy, Dystopian

Summary (from book flap - SPOILERS FOR THE HUNGER GAMES): Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned hsi back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely conivnced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Review: The wait for this book was almost unbearable. September 1st could not come soon enough. I was horrified when I realized that the closest bookstore to my house did not open until 9am, meaning I'd have to wait until I got out of work to hold a copy of the book in my hands! But the wait was worth every single second.

Catching Fire does not disappoint and is just as engrossing as The Hunger Games, with a mix of action and violence that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the novel. Collins does a great job at fleshing out her characters and giving them depth. I felt like I knew Katniss and Peeta and the residents of District 12. It's as if they were my own friends and family. There's nothing I love more than being so completely invested in such a vast set of characters. There are certain characters to whom I become emotionally attached. I've tried to explain this to other people but so far all I've gotten is a bunch of "Are you crazy?" looks. But this is one of those books.

I love the strength of these characters. Katniss is independent, strong-willed and has such a sense of compassion for those around her. It is characters like this that I am thankful for; because I hope that when I have children, they will have great characters in books to look up to.

If you have not read The Hunger Games please run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore/library to get a copy. If you have read The Hunger Games, well, what are you waiting for? Go pick up Catching Fire!

Now if I could just be patient for the third book in the Trilogy...a feat I don't think I'll be able to accomplish ;)

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the Title & Author, too, so that other TT participants can add their book to their TBR list if they like your teasers.

My Teasers:

"Between the covers, a book can be a sin. I have spent many hours in such a waking dream, and once having learned how to read, I could not imagine my life otherwise."

~ p. 102, The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

Award Time!

First, I need to apologize for the incredible lateness of this post. I fully intended to do this much sooner, but between work and some family issues I've been away from the computer for a while. I'm hoping to rectify that this week and get back on track!

I'd like to express my thanks to the people that passed along these awards to me. It astonishes me that a) I received any awards at all and b) People are interested enough to actually read my new blog. It's been great getting to find so many other people with a similar interest and passion in books and reading =)

Jenny from TakeMeAway gave me The Zombie Chicken Award!



The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.

1. Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings
2. Lisa at Book Blab
3. Mandy at Edge of Seventeen
4. Nikola at Nikola's Book Blog
5. J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog

I also received the Your Blog Rocks! award from Jenny at TakeMeAway and Lisa at Book Blab!



I'd like to pass this along to:

1. Faye at Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm
2. April at Good Books & Good Wine
3. Natalie at The Book Inn
4. Rebrebs at Count Rebula's Concepts & Comments
5. Linda Ellen at Bambi Reads

And lastly, the Super Comments Award, which I received from Jenny at TakeMeAway



1. Linda Ellen at Bambi Reads
2. Faye at Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm
3. Krista at Life or Something Like It...
4. Alexia at Alexia's Books and Such
5. Jenny at TakeMeAway (Yup, I'm re-awarding it to you! lol ;-) )

Thanks again, everyone - These awards made my day! I hope everyone is having a great start to their week :)

Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Vintage)
Publication Date: June 23, 2009
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Summary (from back of book): Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into a complex and atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vangar, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel voncition, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

Review: I remember the first time I saw this book when I was browsing at the bookstore and initially didn't think much of it, only sparing a quick glance at the cover before I passed it by. It wasn't until a few months later that I took notice of the book for a second time and took a closer look before finally making my purchase.

Initially, the first 30 or so pages started off a little slow for me but very quickly picked up - boy, did it pick up! The worst thing about some crime novels is when you figure out the ending early on and I was a little skeptical that I wouldn't be engaged enough and that the novel would be predictable. I wondered whether the story would live up to all the hype I was hearing about it. Thankfully, my skepticism was unfounded. I became entranced by the unsolved murder of this young girl, Harriet, and the drama that surrounds the mystery.

I found myself wanting to know more about two of the main characters as I made my way through the novel. Their own history and storylines were just as compelling to read about as the murder investigation, which I found especially true of two of the main characters: Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander

All in all, this was a fantastic book that was nothing like I expected or thought it would be. The content is, at times, extremely disturbing and keeps the reader on the edge of her (or his) seat. There were certain points in the story when I literally got chills while reading. It's wonderful to really not know what's going to happen when you turn the page and being just as shocked or astounded as the characters are. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series: The Girl Who Played with Fire.

This is only the fourth book review I've written since I started my blog earlier this month and I've found myself being unsure of how much of the plot and characters to talk about without giving too much away that also doesn't just leave the review at, "I liked it!" or "I hated it!." For me, one of the best things when I'm reading a book is to make all the discoveries along with the characters and experience things with them. So, for now I've gone with a less is more approach. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this whole reviewing thing eventually!

This is also the first book I have completed for the Olympic Challenge - London 2012. 1 down...201 books to go! =)

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny at TakeMeAway where we recognize those older books...an older book you've always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!

This week's throwback is:

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Description from Amazon.com: From the first day of third grade, when Ramona Quimby meets her eventual nemesis Yard Ape, life moves on at its usual wild pace--usual for the boisterous Ramona, that is. Soon she is accidentally squashing a raw egg into her hair at the school cafeteria, being forced to play Uncle Rat with her annoying young neighbor, and, worst of all, throwing up in her classroom. The responsibilities of an 8-year-old are sometimes daunting, especially in a family that is trying to squeak by while the father goes back to school. But Ramona is full of too much vim and vigor to ever be down for long.

I remember devouring through the Ramona Quimby books early on when I was in elementary school. The adventures and crazy predicaments that Ramona always managed to find herself in were incredibly entertaining. I definitely identified with aspects of Ramona and lived vicariously through her hijiinks on those rainy days when I stayed inside to read. It is certainly a book series that I hope my kids (when I have them) will enjoy just as much as I did. Plus, while I was typing up this post I was googling about the book and realized that they are making a movie! Ramona and Beezus. It's not set to be released until 2010, but it will be interesting to see one of my favorite children's books on the big screen.