1. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
I loved The Giver and had no idea that it had a companion book. I loved it.
2. The Redheaded Princess: A Novel by Ann Rinaldi
I've discovered that I love pretty much anything that has to do with Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth.
3. I Still Have It, I Just Can't Remember Where I Put It by Rita Rudner
I've always thought she was great but now I really love her. This book was clean and giggle-out-loud funny.
4. Left to Tell: Discovering God Admidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
I don't even know what to say about this book. Heart rending. Awe inspiring. Faith promoting. Amazing. Should be required reading.
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simply gorgeous writing. Because of what it is I can't really say that I enjoyed it, but I can tell you I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.
6. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Really fun. Although I have this insanely strong desire to slap several of the characters.
7. Austenland by Shannon Hale
Fine, but I didn't like that the point is that it's ok to have totally unreasonable expectations because just when you think you're going to have to give up on your totally unreasonable expectations, POOF! All your dreams will come true!
8. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Totally different from Austenland..would not have guessed they were the same author. But I loved it and am excited to read Enna Burning.
9. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mixed feelings. One of the things I loved about the first book, Stargirl, was that Stargirl herself was sort of this crazy mystery. In Love, Stargirl it turns out that all the stuff inside her head is ridiculously normal and I couldn't decide if I loved that someone so different was so like me in her head or disappointed because she should have been crazier. The book itself was fine though.
10. Savvy by Ingrid Law
Loved. Want a savvy.
11. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
I'm not sure how I HADN'T heard of this book, considering all the awards and whatnot. But I picked it up on playaway at the library because the blurb on the back sounded good. And I loved it.
12. The Hinky Pink: An Old Tale by Megan McDonald*
Just the type of book I would have loved when I was in elementary school. Cute illustrations.
13. Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff*
Somehow I was expecting more from this book. The story is fascinating but for some reason the book felt a little...blah.
14. Kenny & The Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi*
Slow start but I loved the ending.
15. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide (Book 1) by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black*
I didn't particularly enjoy the movie and I think that may have ruined the books for me? Not sure. Going to read a few more to see how I feel.
16. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd*
Question: Why is it that when married women need to "find themselves" in novels they must do it through an affair? Couldn't they just take up surfing or something? Novels about philandering wives make me twitchy. Decent writing but meh.
17. Tithe by Holly Black*
I need something I can relate to in fantasy novels otherwise it all just feels TOO foreign. There was nothing in this book for me to relate to and I mostly just wanted to report her mom to CPS. The second half was better than the first but I still had to push myself to finish.
18. Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline*
Fine.
19. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
I have a lot to say about this book. Very little of which is positive. I got the first three in this series for free and I'm just going to toss them. Life is too short for bad fiction.
20. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
These books are so much fun. The writing flows. The stories are strong. Just a great ride. So glad there are still 3 more in the series!
21. Fire by Kristin Cashore
Janssen kindly let me read her ARC and I pretty much loved every second of its 461 pages.
22. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Good except for it's sort of similar in feel to Fire and reading them within a day of each other got me a little confused about which characters and events belonged to which book.
23. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone (Book 2) by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
I think this series might just be kind of too dark for me, much like Holly Black's Tithe. They're really short, so I'll try one more to see how I feel but I doubt I'll finish the series.
24. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Kind of meh but I am apparently one of the very few who think so. I think YA fantasy is starting to feel sort of formulaic to me maybe?
25. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Hard but beautiful but boring all at the same time.
26. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Holy mother of awesome series. I want to marry Suzanne Collins. That's legal somewhere, right?
27. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
So incredibly awesome.
28. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Yawn.
29. Sorcery & Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
I loved The Giver and had no idea that it had a companion book. I loved it.
2. The Redheaded Princess: A Novel by Ann Rinaldi
I've discovered that I love pretty much anything that has to do with Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth.
3. I Still Have It, I Just Can't Remember Where I Put It by Rita Rudner
I've always thought she was great but now I really love her. This book was clean and giggle-out-loud funny.
4. Left to Tell: Discovering God Admidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
I don't even know what to say about this book. Heart rending. Awe inspiring. Faith promoting. Amazing. Should be required reading.
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simply gorgeous writing. Because of what it is I can't really say that I enjoyed it, but I can tell you I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.
6. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Really fun. Although I have this insanely strong desire to slap several of the characters.
7. Austenland by Shannon Hale
Fine, but I didn't like that the point is that it's ok to have totally unreasonable expectations because just when you think you're going to have to give up on your totally unreasonable expectations, POOF! All your dreams will come true!
8. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Totally different from Austenland..would not have guessed they were the same author. But I loved it and am excited to read Enna Burning.
9. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mixed feelings. One of the things I loved about the first book, Stargirl, was that Stargirl herself was sort of this crazy mystery. In Love, Stargirl it turns out that all the stuff inside her head is ridiculously normal and I couldn't decide if I loved that someone so different was so like me in her head or disappointed because she should have been crazier. The book itself was fine though.
10. Savvy by Ingrid Law
Loved. Want a savvy.
11. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
I'm not sure how I HADN'T heard of this book, considering all the awards and whatnot. But I picked it up on playaway at the library because the blurb on the back sounded good. And I loved it.
12. The Hinky Pink: An Old Tale by Megan McDonald*
Just the type of book I would have loved when I was in elementary school. Cute illustrations.
13. Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff*
Somehow I was expecting more from this book. The story is fascinating but for some reason the book felt a little...blah.
14. Kenny & The Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi*
Slow start but I loved the ending.
15. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide (Book 1) by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black*
I didn't particularly enjoy the movie and I think that may have ruined the books for me? Not sure. Going to read a few more to see how I feel.
16. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd*
Question: Why is it that when married women need to "find themselves" in novels they must do it through an affair? Couldn't they just take up surfing or something? Novels about philandering wives make me twitchy. Decent writing but meh.
17. Tithe by Holly Black*
I need something I can relate to in fantasy novels otherwise it all just feels TOO foreign. There was nothing in this book for me to relate to and I mostly just wanted to report her mom to CPS. The second half was better than the first but I still had to push myself to finish.
18. Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline*
Fine.
19. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
I have a lot to say about this book. Very little of which is positive. I got the first three in this series for free and I'm just going to toss them. Life is too short for bad fiction.
20. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
These books are so much fun. The writing flows. The stories are strong. Just a great ride. So glad there are still 3 more in the series!
21. Fire by Kristin Cashore
Janssen kindly let me read her ARC and I pretty much loved every second of its 461 pages.
22. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Good except for it's sort of similar in feel to Fire and reading them within a day of each other got me a little confused about which characters and events belonged to which book.
23. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone (Book 2) by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
I think this series might just be kind of too dark for me, much like Holly Black's Tithe. They're really short, so I'll try one more to see how I feel but I doubt I'll finish the series.
24. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Kind of meh but I am apparently one of the very few who think so. I think YA fantasy is starting to feel sort of formulaic to me maybe?
25. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Hard but beautiful but boring all at the same time.
26. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Holy mother of awesome series. I want to marry Suzanne Collins. That's legal somewhere, right?
27. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
So incredibly awesome.
28. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Yawn.
29. Sorcery & Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
Yet another super awesome book. Love love love.
30. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Pleasantly surprised.
31. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Deeply unsettling but awesome.
32. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Great setting and premise and a decent story. Except the girl on the cover looks like Scarlett Johansson and the main character's name was Scarlett and for some reason I couldn't get over that.
33. Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
Rather disappointing.
34. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
I really love this series.
35. Airman by Eoin Colfer
Becoming a serious fan of Colfer's. My favorite from him thus far.
36. Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer
Amazing and riveting but also bleak and soul-crushing. I have new pity for those stuck in polygamy.
37. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
A nice little love story.
38. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Oh Dan Brown. Such crazy talk presented in such logical ways.
39. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Loved. A great story and a great setting.
So..here's the thing. When I finish a book I sit down at my computer, log the book as read on Goodreads, record the pages in my Excel spreadsheet, then record the book in a Blogger draft for eventual posting. Except while I wasn't feeling well it didn't always happen that way. In fact, it didn't ever happen that way. I didn't record at all.
So just now I had to sit and think and try to remember what I read while on the couch. It wasn't too hard since I didn't read nearly as much since the nausea set in, but while I have 39 books for this quarter recorded in blogger, I have 41 page numbers listed in my Excel spreadsheet (I don't label them in Excel, there's only page numbers). At one point last month I did catch Wes typing away while my spreadsheet was on the screen, but nothing looked out of the ordinary on the sheet, so I just didn't save the changes and closed it.
Except there was a 314 page entry at the bottom that I couldn't account for, so I just removed it in case it was Wes's work. But that still leaves me with 40 page numbers and only 39 books and I can't figure out which one doesn't belong. I'll assume I entered something there and not other places and I actually read those pages, because that sounds like something I would have done over these past few months. So I think there's at least one book missing from this list. Possibly two. I'm not sure.
In any event, I read 12,062(ish) pages this quarter. Possibly a little more. Possibly a little less.
Which brings my book total to 116 and my page count to 36,186.
Janssen read 46 books this quarter, bringing her total to 141. And I would total her pages, but I don't want to. I'll do it later. Possibly after I give birth. We'll just say I'm still winning in pages while she still wins in book numbers. It seems fair.
Also, you may have noticed that several book titles in this post are hyperlinked. That's because I finally gave in and started a book blog (true to form, I like to create separate blogs for things some of my readers may not be interested in. Don't want to read baby or book stuff? It's cool, just don't read those blogs). It's nothing fancy, just a place to occasionally write a longer review when the mood strikes. Also, a place to keep track of my "Boy List," which is a list of books I think my 12-18 year old boy(s?) might enjoy when we get to that point. In any event, there's not much there, but it is there, for those who might be interested.
And now: off to the library.
Pleasantly surprised.
31. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Deeply unsettling but awesome.
32. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Great setting and premise and a decent story. Except the girl on the cover looks like Scarlett Johansson and the main character's name was Scarlett and for some reason I couldn't get over that.
33. Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
Rather disappointing.
34. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
I really love this series.
35. Airman by Eoin Colfer
Becoming a serious fan of Colfer's. My favorite from him thus far.
36. Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer
Amazing and riveting but also bleak and soul-crushing. I have new pity for those stuck in polygamy.
37. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
A nice little love story.
38. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Oh Dan Brown. Such crazy talk presented in such logical ways.
39. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Loved. A great story and a great setting.
So..here's the thing. When I finish a book I sit down at my computer, log the book as read on Goodreads, record the pages in my Excel spreadsheet, then record the book in a Blogger draft for eventual posting. Except while I wasn't feeling well it didn't always happen that way. In fact, it didn't ever happen that way. I didn't record at all.
So just now I had to sit and think and try to remember what I read while on the couch. It wasn't too hard since I didn't read nearly as much since the nausea set in, but while I have 39 books for this quarter recorded in blogger, I have 41 page numbers listed in my Excel spreadsheet (I don't label them in Excel, there's only page numbers). At one point last month I did catch Wes typing away while my spreadsheet was on the screen, but nothing looked out of the ordinary on the sheet, so I just didn't save the changes and closed it.
Except there was a 314 page entry at the bottom that I couldn't account for, so I just removed it in case it was Wes's work. But that still leaves me with 40 page numbers and only 39 books and I can't figure out which one doesn't belong. I'll assume I entered something there and not other places and I actually read those pages, because that sounds like something I would have done over these past few months. So I think there's at least one book missing from this list. Possibly two. I'm not sure.
In any event, I read 12,062(ish) pages this quarter. Possibly a little more. Possibly a little less.
Which brings my book total to 116 and my page count to 36,186.
Janssen read 46 books this quarter, bringing her total to 141. And I would total her pages, but I don't want to. I'll do it later. Possibly after I give birth. We'll just say I'm still winning in pages while she still wins in book numbers. It seems fair.
Also, you may have noticed that several book titles in this post are hyperlinked. That's because I finally gave in and started a book blog (true to form, I like to create separate blogs for things some of my readers may not be interested in. Don't want to read baby or book stuff? It's cool, just don't read those blogs). It's nothing fancy, just a place to occasionally write a longer review when the mood strikes. Also, a place to keep track of my "Boy List," which is a list of books I think my 12-18 year old boy(s?) might enjoy when we get to that point. In any event, there's not much there, but it is there, for those who might be interested.
And now: off to the library.
Posts
8 comments:
Thanks for the recommendations! I'm curious to read Boy in the Striped Pajamas after seeing the movie.
I loved The Giver and had no idea that it had a companion book.
Nor had I. Thanks for the heads up.
Um, so . . .what are the * for?
Oh ya, good question, I had forgotten I was doing that. I was marking the books I read just because the author was going to be at the book festival but then forgot partway through and then obviously offered no explanation. So...ya know. Responsible blogging and all.
I can't wait to read the companion book for The Giver!
A book blog! Huzzah!
I loved both Austenland and The Goose Girl, but for totally different reasons. I loved the funny, conversational style of the writing in Austenland, and was mildly shocked at how the ending came together. I loved Goose Girl for Shannon Hale's rich descriptions.
I think my favorite of her books so far is Princess Academy.
And I read the Percy Jackson books this year and LOVED them. I read all five in rather short order. Did you know they're making a movie out of the first one?
Can I just say ... I'm completely jealous of how many books you manage to read in a quarter. Wow! I'm looking forward to checking out the book blog.
I feel totally the same way about affairs in books.
Sorry to hear you've been sick again. Hope it passes soon!
hey, congrats on baby #2!!! so exciting!
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