Five Best Reads of 2010

As part of Princess Bookie's contest craze, the blog,Forever Young, is hosting a giveaway, involving the creation of a list of the best five books read last year.

So let's get to it:

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - If you have not read the Hunger Game trilogy, I cannot implore you more to go get a copy now.  If I had a copy to spare, I would send it your way.  This last book ties up everything so perfectly in ways that can be so violent and heart-wrenching, but so true to the world that has been created.  Katniss Everdeen continues to be one of my favorite characters.

2.  Undone by Brooke Taylor - The book hooked me from page one and Serena's journey as she deals with mourning and moving on and making sense of life all resonated so well.

3.  WAR by Sebastian Junger - It feels odd to say that a book about an outpost in Afghanistan where lives were lost was one of my favorite reads of the year, but it was.  It was horrifying and sad.  It was a book that made me stop and think about the things soldiers are facing and how ill-equipped some are to come home. 

4.  Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - It was one of those books that pulls you right in and manages to capture your imagination and heart within a page or two.


5.  Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - I loved this book and couldn't believe it took me so long to pick it up.  Why had I waited?  (finished Crescendo on Sunday and will put up review of that soon).

daily gratitude

How long does it take to make something a habit?  I will get the hang of this.

I arrived home from a good, but busy day to a lovely package awaiting me.  I won an autographed copy of The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell and some other goodies and it came today.  This book sounds so great and I can't wait to dig into it this weekend. 

It's Not What You Read But Where Reading Challenge - Main Entry

I wasn't going to do anymore reading challenges.  I was content with the ones I had signed up for, especially since my reading habits tend to vary at times.  I'm always reading, but some weeks, I zoom through books and some weeks, I trudge along.

But the idea of the It's Not What You Read but Where You Read It Challenge from I Heart Monster's blog sounded far too interesting.  Maybe it's just the idea of being discovered in my mud room curled up with a book.  You can sign up here.

The Categories

Twist Your House
Place of Commerce
Move
Nature
You Don't Call Home
Probably Shouldn't
In Pairs

Writing Progress - 18 days in...

Since January 1st, I have made my writing goal of 250 words a day.  There were a few days where I managed a lot more words, even finished a story or two, but mostly, I'm just aiming to make my goal and writing for at least 30 minutes a day.  I know to a lot of people that's not a lot, but getting back into the habit of this and making room for it along with my other obligations including working out, chores around house, etc, has meant that I just need to allot a certain amount of time. 

It's been hard some days, like pulling teeth to get any words out, let alone decent words, but I'm also trying not to worry so much about the quality in the first draft.  I don't want it to completely suck, but it's so easy for me to get caught up in trying to perfect one paragraph that I accomplish nothing else.

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Aside from that, I'm reading, but not as quickly as normal.  Partly because I was attempting to read George W. Bush's book, which made me want to cry from boredom and anger at various moments and I've been trying to see all the possible Oscar movies and rediscovered the show Fringe and have been watching that from season one to present.  I'm sure, at some point, JJ will mess this up as he does all of his shows I have loved - Alias, Lost - but for now, I shall enjoy it.  Plus, Joshua Jackson with scruff?  Not sure one can go wrong there.

books, books, books...

I just finished my last deadline story.  Well, almost.  It's in the hands of someone to read over one last time, but pretty much done.  Now I can read like crazy.  My vacation has begun and I don't have many plans this holiday season.  So I can curl up in front of my fireplace with a blanket, hot chocolate and lots of books. I've got a pile from the library I need to get through and a few books I purchased that I haven't gotten to yet.  And over the past two weeks, I've found out that I've won a few different books from various sites like Book Hounds, Bitten By Books, and My Overstuffed Bookshelf (I know I'm forgetting a site and I totally apologize!  My mind has ceased to work!). 

Is there anything better than books and getting lost in reading?  I love writing and creating my own worlds and characters, but there is something so perfect about a good book.

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Today's Reverb 10 prompt:

December 23 – New Name. Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott)

It's such a funny thing because for most of my young life into my late teens, I wished with all my might for a different name.  There were a lot of girls my age with my name and definitely not with the spelling I used.  My mother's explanation that both my sister and I were named after a Jane Austen characters (see was obsessed with Jane Austen, which is why I probably am too) didn't mean much to me.  After all, my sister's name was normal and there were plenty of those brushes-with-insert-name for her.  Not so much for me.  And that damn lady on Romper Room never saw me in her magic mirror.  Jens and Michelles and Amys, yeah, but never me. 

My name was the bane of my existence.  And then I don't know what happened.  It stopped being an issue.  I stopped wishing my name were different and came to love my name.  It's a part of who I am.  It's the first word I think of to describe myself.   Maybe I'm just a bi-polar name person, swinging from hate to love, but I wouldn't change my name.  I wouldn't want a different name for a day.  A different job?  A different perspective?  Sure, but I'm keeping my name.

Master Post: Lazy Girl's Mini-Challenge - Completed

Lazy Girl Reads is hosting a Mini-Challenge.  It involves reading four books: 1) something old, 2) something new, 3) something borrowed and 4) something blue.

If you're interested, you can sign up here. 

This will be my master post for linking up to reviews of books for this challenge.

• 1/4 - something blue - Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia 
• 2/4 - something borrowed - Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk
• 3/4 - something old - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• 4/4 - something new - The Wave by Susan Casey

Rachel Caine & Bitten By Books

So one of my favorite authors, Rachel Caine, has a new book out, Ghost Town, and to celebrate it, Bitten By Books, one of my favorite book blog sites, is running a contest!  So go share your favorite parts of the Morganville series thus far and enter to win an IPad.  You have until November 10, 2010 to enter.

If you haven't read any of Rachel's books, I highly recommend them.  She not only writes the Morganville series, but a few other great fantasy sets as well.  I highly recommend her stuff.

Link to Bitten By Books contest:  http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=32545

Rachel Caine's Website:  http://www.rachelcaine.com/

huge book giveaway

Because I ingest books at a rapid rate, I felt the need to share this!




You have until October 13th to enter! Eight different genres of books to choose from in each package! So head on over, fellow bibliophiles!

Monday - what are you reading

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

Last week was a good reading week for me.  I was coming off of my "staycation" and I really wanted to get through my library book reads so I could jump into Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. 

Finished Last Week (reviews to come): 

• Oh My Gods by Tera Lynn Childs
• I Know I Am, But What Are You by Samantha Bee
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Currently Reading:

• War By Sebastian Junger
• Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

Upcoming Reads:

• Daywalker by Jocelynn Drake
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson

Loved Mockingjay.  Was pleasantly surprised by Oh My Gods.  Laughed a whole lot reading Samantha Bee's memoir. 

Two latest book reviews

Book:  Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk

Summary:  Using magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it’s Allison Beckstrom’s job to identify the spell-caster. Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical Offload that has her father’s signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control.
 
My review:  I ended up giving this book four stars (really liked) because of the world that Devon Monk created. The book itself reads like what I believe it was - the set up to a series - and in the beginning there is a lot of world building and a catalyst to bring the character to where she is at the end. I did really love the main character and how easily her feelings contradicted themselves against her actions or even just against how she felt moments later. She felt very real to me. I also really loved the idea that there are rules and consequences for using the magical energy, even if it is used for good.
Basically, it is one of those books that I picked up and ended up spending more time on my Saturday finishing up because I enjoyed it. And I'm highly interested to see how book two plays out.
 
Rating: 4/5 stars
 

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Book:  Forget About It by Caprice Crane

Summary:  Jordan Landau is having a bad life. At twenty-five, she is attractive, smart, funny and talented. But all that doesn't keep her mother from calling her fat, her boss from stealing her ideas, and her boyfriend from cheating on her. Day in and day out, she sits back and watches as everyone walks all over her. Then one day while riding her bike home from a particularly awful day, Jordan collides with a car door and is knocked clear off her bicycle. Coming to in the hospital, Jordan realizes she has a perfect excuse for a "do-over"; she vows to fake amnesia and reinvent herself.
And it works. Finally, Jordan is able to get the credit she deserves at work, and she stands up to her family and her jerk boyfriend. She's living the life she always dreamed of--until the unthinkable happens. Suddenly Jordan must start over for real, and figure out what really makes her happy--and how to live a truly memorable life.

Review:  (contains spoilers)

Despite the insanity of premise of the book, I really enjoyed how the majority of the story played out. I love the writing and could definitely relate to the main character, Jordan, and her issues and need for a "do-over." I think everyone goes through moments like that. The author managed to pull off this idea of faking amnesia without it coming off like too much of a soap opera and just passing for what it was - a nutty plan from someone going through a rough patch.

However, my issue came up in the last act of the novel, where it really did seem to turn toward the insane soap opera writing. I get the journey that the author was attempting to create for Jordan, but it just went so far out there that I started to shake the book since I couldn't shake the character (which does, again, prove the creation of a great character).

My other issue was that I felt like the first part of the book did build up her relationship with Todd, then laid out this huge pronouncement, but never really dealt with it to a satisfactory place...part of which, I feel was because of the last act of the novel.

Overall: enjoyable. If you've got the time, go for it, but it's not the book I'd force on my friends as a "must-read."

Shallow comments: In my head, I'm torn between my love of Todd and Travis, but I think Todd wins out. Is there anyone who reads this and feels anything but repulsed by Dirk?

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: My Fair Lazy by Jennifer Lancaster

This book works for double whammy for both the Read Your Name Challenge (M-A-R-E) and the Non-Fiction Five (Book 3/5)...

My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster

Summary:  Readers have followed Jen Lancaster through job loss, sucky city living, weight loss attempts, and 1980s nostalgia. Now Jen chronicles her efforts to achieve cultural enlightenment, with some hilarious missteps and genuine moments of inspiration along the way. And she does so by any means necessary: reading canonical literature, viewing classic films, attending the opera, researching artisan cheeses, and even enrolling in etiquette classes to improve her social graces.

In Jen's corner is a crack team of experts, including Page Six socialites, gourmet chefs, an opera aficionado, and a master sommelier. She may discover that well-regarded, high-priced stinky cheese tastes exactly as bad as it smells, and that her love for Kraft American Singles is forever. But one thing's for certain: Eliza Doolittle's got nothing on Jen Lancaster-and failure is an option
 
My review:  The length of time it took me to finish this book is in no way due to the actual book and more to my own ongoing life and craziness. This is the second book by Jen Lancaster that I've read and I have to say that she's one I will continue to read. I really enjoy the way Jen Lancaster writes. She comes across as someone I would want to be friends with (even though we don't share political ideologies, but she barely ever brings that up). Her writing style is unique and all her own, like she's having a chat with you about whatever she has learned or has happened to her. And it's always amusing, with an overall story from beginning to end. She's one of those writers who makes the banal bits of life enjoyable to read about, not boring in the yeah-we've-all-been-there sort of way.

This book focuses mainly on her decision to become more culturally aware by opening herself up to new experiences with theater, literature, food, etc. I found it quite interesting as someone who, while I've always loved theater, has her own issues with coming out of her own comfort zones. And it's nice to see that others struggle with the same things, just in different ways.

If you like memoirs or books about life lessons and opening up to the world, this a book for you.
 
Overall: highly enjoyable - 4 stars

Book Review: Dream Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Summary:  In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she’s seen many times.... in her dreams. 

My Review:   One of my friends chided me for having never read Sherrilyn Kenyon in all my reading, so I attempted to start with the Dark Hunter series through my library, but after months on hold, it was removed from their catalog (the horrors), so I finally added the Dream Hunter series to my requests and I'm glad I did.

I loved the Greek mythology mixed into the current day world. I loved that no one in these books - gods or not - was perfect in any way, but not inherently evil either. The m...more One of my friends recently chided me for having never read Sherrilyn Kenyon in all my reading, so I attempted to start with the Dark Hunter series through my library, but after months on hold, it was removed from their catalog (the horrors), so I finally added the Dream Hunter series to my requests and I'm glad I did.

I loved the Greek mythology mixed into the current day world. I loved that no one in these books - gods or not - was perfect in any way, but not inherently evil either. The main characters were compelling. Geary was smart, wary, and while she kept her guard up emotionally, she loved those in her life fiercely. And of course, Arik has his own interesting story of wanting to experience emotion and moving from his own selfish needs to an act of selflessness and trust.

This is one of those books that proves how a typical writing trope can be used well in the hands of a good writer. I'm intrigued to continue on with this series (when the library will let me have the book - sometimes it's hard being at the hands of the library gods).

My only recommendation is not to follow my lead if you start this series. I would suggest starting with the Dark Hunter series. While it wasn't a major part of the storyline, at times I felt like certain scenes would've packed more umph if I knew the dark hunter background.

Very good read from start to finish.

Book Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Summary:  Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.

In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future. 

My Review:   This book is now added to my favorites. I borrowed it from the library, but I'm guessing that I'll buy a copy at some point to re-read as it was so wonderful. It was one of those books that pulls you right in and manages to capture your imagination and heart within a page or two.

I loved the characters in this story and how everything fell into place between the supposed story-within-the-story and what was going on with Taylor's life. And I really loved the journey with Taylor, a character that in some ways wears her heart on her sleeve and in other ways is just so terrified and closed off.

I enjoyed her relationship with Jonah and the territory wars. I enjoyed learning of not only their origins but how the way they began and that what it was meant to do seems to be what Taylor and the other characters seemed to accomplish.

Highly addictive read. I didn't want to go back to work or sleep, I just wanted to keep reading.

Definitely recommend and plan to add to my permanent library.

Latest Read: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Summary: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Review:  This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down once I got a few pages into the story. I warn that it deals with suicide, so if that's a trigger for you, it might be a good book to avoid, but I think it deals with it in such a unique and yet truthful way. It was an interesting way to tell the story of one girl's life and have it understood by someone outside of her world. It's heartbreaking at moments, both for Hannah and Clay.  It's a lot like real life in many ways - that you want to know why and how it happened - and mostly, as you get to know Clay as a character more, you want to know why he would be on such a list as to receive the tapes.  You're both grateful and sad that it happens to him. 

Again, I really loved the style of storytelling with this book.  It was a great way to learn about so many different characters at the same time.

Highly recommend.  Couldn't put it down.

Overall:  5 stars

Book Review: Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster

Awhile ago I discovered Jen Lancaster's blog, Jennsylvania, and immediately loved her style of writing.  I looked through her list of books written and decided to give it a try.  Luckily, my library (everybody support your libraries!), carries her books and I was able to put a few of them on hold.

Title: Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie is Not the Answer by Jen Lancaster

Summary:  Personal Training, Session One: I'm standing at the front desk, waiting for the mythical "Barbie" to appear. While I was sucking down water and aspirin earlier today, trying to shed my hangover, I started thinking about how judgmental I can be. I mean, why should I have instantly freaked out when I heard someone named Barbie was going to be my trainer? Sure, the name brings up images of gorgeous girls with long blonde hair, shiny white teeth, deep tans, and impossible-to-achieve, completely enviable figures, but maybe this Barbie is different.

My Review:  As someone who has been on a quest over the past year to come to terms with her own weight issues, I decided to start with this book. It's not a weight loss guide, by any means, nor does she claim it to be anything more than her own journey, but if you're someone who has tried to lose weight (be it ten pounds or fifty pounds), you can relate to her own feelings and experiences.  It reads like a conversation with a friend, who understands what the whole process is like. It's written in a funny, sardonic voice that I adored and I couldn't help but relate to her woes of working out, the ability to talk yourself into "one little cheat" and realizing that most of the diets out there want you to be afraid of food for no good reason.

Some might not relate to the weight loss portion, but it's intermixed with pop culture, funny conversations, and trying to live life and attempt to be healthier.   I enjoyed it. 

Overall: 4 stars

Book Review: Eating Animals

This book works for double whammy for both the Read Your Name Challenge (M-A-R-E) and the Non-Fiction Five (Book 2/5)...

Title:  Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer 

Summary:  Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between carnivore and vegetarian. As he became a husband and a father, he kept returning to two questions: Why do we eat animals? And would we eat them if we knew how they got on our dinner plates?

Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, and his own undercover detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits-from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth-and how such tales justify a brutal ignorance. Marked by Foer's profound moral ferocity and unvarying generosity, as well as the vibrant style and creativity that made his previous books, Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, huge bestsellers, Eating Animals is a celebration and a reckoning, a story about the stories we've told--and the stories we now need to tell.

My Review:  I read this book, coming off having seen the movie, Food, Inc, searching out more information on what is really going on with the current meat industry. I heard Jonathan Safran Foer on NPR talking about this and decided to give it a go.I think this is a must read for everyone. The author makes no attempts to turn people into vegetarians/vegans and he spends a huge portion of time getting accounts from many different perspectives, including small farm owners. The reason it's a must read is that he shares a lot of information that most of us don't know - or don't care to know - about what goes on with the animals we eat. It's not that we eat animals, though he is admittedly a vegetarian, but the way they are treated in factory farms and the way it effects our environment (it causes a lot more pollution than cars on the roads).

There were quite a few unpleasant moments in the book, but I think they are necessary. And I have to say that this book has made me rethink my own way of viewing meat - not only slowly cutting meat out of my diet, but becoming an advocate for alternative ways to provide meat for people that don't involve horrible suffering for the animals.

While I truly recommend this book, I must warn that it has gruesome bits, especially for animal lovers.

Overall: 5 stars

Spring giveaway from MisfitSalon...

 

Great site with great book reviews.  I'm not sure it's a surprise that I'm a huge bibliophile and follow many book blogs, always on the look out for new reads to add to my book collection.  I want to have one of those old movie huge libraries one day.

Also, be sure to check out MisfitSalon's current giveaway to celebrate spring. Free books, my friends. Free books and fun reviews.

books, books, books

My brother and sister-in-law have a reading blog, the Kansas Reading Society, so check it out if you're like me and always looking for new books to read.

I just started reading Graceling by Kristen Cashore.  I'm only three chapters in as I started it last night, but so far, so good.  It's really hard to come up with much in the way of discussion when you're not very far into the book. 

I did recently finish both Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan and Last Words by George Carlin.  Opposite of Fate was a great read.   It's essays of Amy's life and how it affected not only who she is now, but the writer that she became.  I love the way she puts sentences together, she's obviously someone who loves language and it shows in her writing.  I think this is a book that anyone can relate to - we all have family tales - but if you're a writer or wannabe writer, I always enjoy learning about another's creative process. 

Last Words managed to be funny, interesting, and sad.  It's a reminder of the great comic genius that we lost.  Again, George Carlin was a man who loved words  and the meaning that simply the way you phrased a sentence could bring great connotations to it.  Plus, he never failed to make me laugh.  My favorite still remainds, "You can get on the plane, I'm going to get in the plane."

pimp and complain - the interesting saturday night

Snow, snow, snow.  Ugh.  I hate snow.  I hate shoveling it and driving in it and just dealing with the ice melt that ends up getting tracked around everywhere.  Stupid snow.

I actually accomplished a little decluttering today, getting rid of some dvds that never get watched and going through books of doom.  And I got in advanced bootcamp despite my own best efforts to avoid working out. 

Yes, this is a driveby post as my brain is frozen from the cold and the snow.  That said, I wanted to share this very cool contest with all of you.

The Book Junkie is running a Birthday Box of Books Giveaway now through February 22nd.  Free books, my friends.  Can one go wrong when there are more books to read?