What I read (broken into months)
+ all the reading challenges


Book count for 2008: 109.

________________________________________________________________________
JANUARY (14 total)


1. Love how Kitty starts out as a wimp and gradually finds her strength.
2.
3.
4.
5. review
6. So.Much.Fun.
7. Stay away from the movie, book is better, but overall I wasn't all that impressed.
8. A debut, but already one of my favorite mystery books. The intricacies between main characters - fascinating.
9. Starts out with such a depressing scene that I had low hopes for this one; I couldn't have been more wrong. A really solid read.
10. Boring. Boring. Boring. Stupid boring. Lengthy description boring. Pointless travel boring. Endless historical data boring. Boring. Stay away.
11. Compelling characters, but too over the top for me. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series.
12. review
13. review
14. Boring. Pointless. Got halfway through and threw it at the wall.





________________________________________________________________________
FEBRUARY (14 total)

1. Uhh... fay. I don't like fay in general, I'm biased I know.
2. review
3. Not as good as the previous ones.
4. This was a mistake.
5. Patricia Briggs, what else needs to be said?
6. Terrible.
7. I'm hooked on new series now.
8. Lukewarm.
9.
10. Classic.
11. review
12. I was hoping for a magical childhood story, got a sci-fi allegory instead.
13. Unsettling but worth it.
14. AWESOME!!!!!

MARCH (14 total)


1. Kim Harrison knows how to make me happy :D
2. Forget it, forget the movie as well. Despicable characters - all I'm gonna say.
3. Kitty books are just not as good as they used to be.
4. Mindblowing.
5. Sci-fi YA with ethical issues.
6. I'm still traumatized by the movie.
7. Drenched in testosterone.
8. review
9. My new all-time- favorite. Check out Charissa's review.
10. review
11. 4 or 5 stars, I cannot decide. This book scares the bejeezus out of me.
12.
13. review
14. review


________________________________________________________________________
APRIL (14 total) 14!!! It's become this thing: 14. Not that it's intentional...


1. Comes with a review...
2. Read it, dude! It's free and it's good. (Ooops I just realized it rhymes)
3.
4. This got stuck on my TBR for a longinsh while, donno why... It's damn good stuff!!
5. Eeee... I liked the 1st book in the series, this... This is much weaker. ::Disappointed::
6. Feh. Overated.
7.
8. Steamy! So, thanks Yz!
9. Quite good...
10. I wrote like a real, extensive review for this one! Yay me.
11.
12.
13.
14.


________________________________________________________________________

MAY (16 read)

1. Such a guy book, not bad but I just could not get invested, eh.
2. This book made me feel like an asshole.
3. F. is still her daddy's spoiled little princess.
& It's getting annoying. Why won't she grow up?! She's 23, but acts like a 15 yo. Gosh.
4. As good as ever.
5. I can see why this is a classic.
6. A collection of somewhat related short stories. Not too bad, but... but I ran out of steam half way though it... Bah.
7. Pointless.
8. 5 stars. And I thought I was over fairy tales and princesses. Stupid me. I am not over. Proved wrong once again.
9. Nah. Cyberpunk is not for me.
10. I want me some honey. Now!
11. It's official, I hate all things dystopia, love Saramago.
12.
13. Better than the first 2 books, but still F is slow on the uptake and Vincent tends to overexplain things. Just give me some credit, woman! I get it!!! I knew your big twist for the last 20 pages! Now, move on with the story, ok?! Grrrrrr...
14. I lack the motivation to follow the story any longer. I'm half way through and I'm saying pass. (I was overwhelmed by the amount of descriptions, by the obsession with books and by the fixation on twins. And it dragged...)
Next!
15. I couldn't put this down.
16. The writing style was tiring me out

Why was Tales of Beedle the Bard a mistake? I do think it only makes sense to those that have read all of the Rowling Potter books.

Nights in Rodanthe - I may just have to read this. I have the reader's digest condensed version of this.

I've read all the Harry Potter books but somehow Tales of Beedle the Bard didn't agree with me. I have the same thing with Tolkien - loved Hobbit and LOTR, but beyond that uhhhh...

The initial bar was set so high than anything that comes past it comes short. So it was a mistake because I should have known better than to reach for that book, yet I could not help myself. And I ended up disappointed, despite the fact that on it's own Tales of Beedle the Bard might not be bad at all.

Does that make sense?

Kasia wrote: "Full Moon's oozing with sex - the author worked hanky-panky into so many scenes, that Riley (the heroine) should not have been able to walk properly from all the thrusting and shoving... "

Oh, lol... it does get a little out of hand doesn't it?
My other issue with these books is Riley's constant nudity. Regardless of how you feel about casual/public nudity, I really worry that this girl's gonna hurt herself... not to mention I don't know how you run around naked with big boobs.

Hymmm, I haven't thought about that, but now that you've pointed that out... Damn, it must hurt, even with bras big boobs and running don't always add up. Still, despite all this nonsense, I'm into it. After a few heavier reads, I'll probably grab next Keri Arthur's book. I'm easily pleased :D

Full Moon's oozing with sex

Oh goody! I just bought the first 4 books in this series from the used book store. Now I can't wait to get started!

The Historian...Boring. Boring. Boring. Stupid boring. Lengthy description boring. Pointless travel boring. Endless historical data boring. Boring. Stay away.

OMG...I felt the exact same way about this book. I didn't even finish it. Horrible.

Kissing Sin
I loved the idea of Riley being a vamp/werewolf so much I ordered the first 5 books in the series and read in (practically) back to back! I needed a break but when I think about her and Quinn...or her and anyone else, lol. I just love this series.

Ah yeah, I'm starting the Kissing Sin right now, how did you know? The first book in the Riley series was my pick-it-for me challenge. Now I'm hooked, I'm just trying to pace myself...

I think The Riley Jenson series is like that for everyone. I may have come across one bad review. I think everyone I've chatted with liked it for its simplicity and likable characters. That was a boo-boo, lol, I meant to type Full Moon Rising.

Hi Kasia - The Hunger Games was picked for me in March - a good choice, too! Now I'm waiting for #2.

Read Your Name Challenge (January 1 - June 30)

K.....Kitty Raises Hell - Carrie Vaughn
A.....The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
S......Stray
I.......I Capture the Castle
A......The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary Pearson

DONE!!

2009 A-Z Book Challenge:



A - At Grave's End
B - Bone Crossed
C - Curse The Dawn, Cloud of Sparrows
D - Dead and Gone
E - Ender's Game
F - Fahrenheit 451
G - The Goose Girl
H - Historian, The
I - Interview With the Vampire
J - Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell
K - Killing Floor
L - Lonesome Dove, Little Brother
M - Magic Strikes
N - Nights In Rodanthe
O - Outlander
P - Pilot's Wife The
Q - Quantum of Solace
R - Rule Of Four, The
S - Stray
T - Thirteenth Tale, The
U - Undone
V - Vamped
W - White Witch, Black Curse
X - The Adoration of Jenna Fox* (foX)
Y - You Shall Know Our Velocity
Z - Zodiac

________________________________________
*I might replace it with Xenocide at some point, if I feel like reading it, that is.

2009 A-Z Author Challenge




A: Atwood, Margaret - The Handmaid's Tale
B: Baxter, Charles - The Feast of Love
C: Clare, Cassandra - City of Bones Mortal Instruments 1
D: Diamant, Anita - The Red Tent
E: Edwards, Kim - The Memory Keeper's Daughter
F: French, Tana - In the Woods
G: Gabaldon, Diana - Outlander
H: Hulme, Keri - The Bone People
I: Irving, John- A Prayer for Owen Meany
J: Norton, Juster - Phantom Tollbooth
K: Kingsolver, Barbara - The Poisonwood Bible
L: Lockhart, E. - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
M: Matsuoka, Takashi - Cloud of Sparrows
N: Niffenegger, Audrey - The Time Traveler's Wife
O: Ommer, Uwe - Black Ladies
P: Pearson, Mary E. - The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Q: Quindlen, Anna - Black and Blue
R: Roach, Mary - Bonk
S: Sebold, Alice - Lovely Bones
T: Tzu, Sun - The Art of War
U: Unger, Lisa - Beautiful Lies
V: Vaughn, Carrie - Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
W: Ward, J.R. - Dark Lover
X: Xinran - Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
Y: Young, William P. - The Shack
Z: Zusak, Markus - The Book Thief

uh... q, u, x, y & z can be pain in the ass...

try X-files (YA) for "X". I am reading an Asian author for "Q". Karen Whiddon for "W" in case you'd like to read a romance author ;).

Oh and don't forget to add What's in a name and other challenges to your thread. What fun =D

Thanks Kenjii for all the suggestions :-)
I'm doing this one step at a time so other challenges will be coming up soon, no worry...

What's In a Name Challenge


1.) color Kitty and the Silver Bullet
2.) animal Kitty Takes a Holiday
3.) first name A Prayer for Owen Meany
4.) place Kitty Goes to Washington
5.) building The Red Tent
6.) plant War for the Oaks
7.) profession The Historian
8.) time of day/number Fahrenheit 451
9.) relative The Pilot's Wife
10.) body part Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, also: The Bone People, Bone Crossed, Blood Lines

Done on Feb 22, check!

What's In a Name Challenge: Set 2 (Feb 22 - April 30)
(done, on the last day but done)

1.) color White Witch Black Curse
2.) animal Lonesome Dove, Kitty Raises Hell, Cloud of Sparrows
3.) first name The Adoration of Jenna Fox
4.) place Congo
5.) building I Capture the Castle
6.) plant The Poisonwood Bible
7.) profession The Book Thief
8.) time of day/number Night Season , The Rule of Four, Curse the Dawn, The Power of One
9.) relative The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Little Brother
10.) body part The Lovely Bones

My Library has Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. So I will see f I can pick that up. Or check out and re-read Broken Flower.

Kenjii wrote: "My Library has Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. So I will see f I can pick that up. Or check out and re-read Broken Flower. "

And that's how you solve problems! (Bdw, dude, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is on my TBR.)

LOL. I do hope i can get and and that it is a good read =D

Men We Love Challenge (May 01-July, 31) DONE!!!
I prefer not to know too much about books before I read them.... I tied to put some books in advance but I failed to do so miserably... In the end, I decided, I'll be filling this out as I go...

1. cowboy.................................The Lonesome Gods
2. cop/fbi.................................Don't Look Now (detective)
3. military................................Ender's Game (commandor)
4. doctor/lawyer......................[b:Blindness|2526|Blindness|José Saramago|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054077s/2526.jpg|3213039] (ophthalmologist)
5. athlete..................................[b:Graceling|3236307|Graceling|Kristin Cashore|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xYPjLFCTL._SL75_.jpg|3270810] (fighter)

PNR:
6. demon/witch........................Succubus Heat (demon & succumbi)
7. elf/wizard/angel...................Once Dead Twice Shy (reaper aka death angel)
8. were-animal/shifter..............Rogue (werecat)
9. hunter/ghost.........................[b:Specials|24765|Specials (Uglies, Book 3)|Scott Westerfeld|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DGHTWT10L._SL75_.jpg|3278286] (special)
10. vampire..............................Dead and Gone (I ♥ Eric!)

Alternative:
6. CEO/businessman.................Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
7. celebrity................................The Goose Girl (a prince)
8. teacher/scholar.....................The Time Traveler's Wife (librarian)
9. techie/nerd/geek...................Geek Love*
10. unique/unusual occupation..Zodiac (environmental activist)

_________________________________________________________________
* It was a totally different kind of geek, but I did not realize it when I first grabbed the book. Whatever. It stays.

Read the Month Challenge


March (all done)
M - The Memory Keeper's Daughter
A - The Adoration of Jenna Fox
R - The Red Tent
C - Congo
H - The Handmaid's Tale

April (done)
A - The Art of Racing in the Rain
P - Power of One
R - The Rule of Four
I - I Capture the Castle
L - Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

May (done)
M - The Martian Chronicles
A - The Anubis Gates
Y - You Shall Know Our Velocity

June
J - Jong, Erica: Fear of Flying
U - Uglies
N - Nix, Garth: Sabriel
E - Ender's Game

July (in progress)
J - The Julius House
U - Urquhart: Away
L - The Lonesome Gods
Y - Young: The Shack

August
A - A Dream of Armageddon
U - Unger: Beautiful Lies
G - Gruen: Water for Elephants
U - Undone
S - Sacher-Masoch: Venus in Furs
T - Thorn Queen

September
S - Spindle's End
E - Easton: The New Topping Book
P - Patchett: Bel Canto
T - Triptych
E - Eliot: The Waste Land and Other Poems
M - Maus I: A Survivor's Tale
B - Blue Bloods
E - The Enormous Crocodile
R - Roach: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

October
O - Of mice and men
C - Catching Fire
T - A Touch of Dead
O - On the Edge
B - Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl
E - Ellroy: The Black Dahlia
R - Rose Daughter

November
N - Night Shift
O - Oe, Kenzaburo: Nip the buds shoot the kids
V - Vulnerable
E - Erdrich, Louise: Plague of Doves
M - Murakami, Haruki: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
B - [b:]
E - Exercises in style
R - [b:]

December (planning ahead)
D - [b:]
E - Erikson, Steven: Gardens of the Moon
C - [b:]
E - The Elementary Particles
M - [b:]
B - [b:]
E - The Einstein Intersection
R - [b:]

You do seem to like the challenges! lol
I like the list, seems like a good idea for keeping track of what you read. I'm on my 21st book for this month...

Yeah I do, and I like snooping around checking what other people are reading...
so you know, stick around, start your own thread, so then I could be snooping on you as well :D

MONTHLY CHALLENGES:


January (3 done)
1. Has been in my TBR pile for too long: The Historian
2. First in a series: Interview With The Vampire
4. Has a word that starts with "W" in its title: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe

February (8 done)
1. 'F' as author's initial: In the Woods (Tana French)
2. Red cover: Fahrenheit 451
3. Love, kiss or heart in title: The Feast of Love
5. B-day book (from Margaret's shelves): The Pilot's Wife
6. New Zealand theme: The Bone People
7. Fav genre (UF): Bone Crossed
8. GoodReads author (Carrie Vaughn): Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
10. Name in the title: A Prayer for Owen Meany

March (6 done)
1. Author's first or last name starts with "M": The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
2. Green cover: White Witch Black Curse
4. Texas: Lonesome Dove
5. Scotland: Outlander
6. Military: Killing Floor
7. Previously started and meant to continue: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

April (9 done)


1. A...........................Magic Strikes (Andrews, Ilona)
2. B-Day....................Kissing Sin (Sarah's TBR)
3. California..............Little Brother
4. Oldest TBR book...Cloud of Sparrows
5. Single Word...........Stray
6. Funny....................Zodiac (read in May)
7. War.......................The History of Love
8. Male Profile..........Power of One
9. Part of Series.........Curse the Dawn (Cassie Palmer, Book 4)
10. Pick-It-For-Me....Dark Lover (Yz recommended it, thanks Yz)

Wow! You are doing great with the Boxsets. Have you read all the books?

None of those in the box sets (that's how this challenge rolls) - which scares me a bit. But then it's all from my TBR pile, so I'd get to it sooner or later anyways...

LOL..Kasia..the boxed sets will keep you busy for a long time...but great list...I love it.

Yz wrote: "LOL..Kasia..the boxed sets will keep you busy for a long time...but great list...I love it."

Oh yeah, this's gonna last me for the years to come
:: sighs ::

wow, that's alot boxed sets. Good thing there's no deadline on this one. lol

Well, if there were deadlines, it would be a whole different story...

what no deadlines on the box sets! Hmm time to make some more LOL

SERIES MADNESS CHALLENGE (updated 19 VIII 2009)


Planning to start:
Alison Croggon - Books of Pellinor
Amy Lane - Little Goddess
Cassandra Clare - Mortal Instruments
Christopher Paolini - Inheritance
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next
Karen Chance - Dhampir
Marion Zimmer Bradley - Avalon

In Between:
Diana Gabaldon - Outlander
James Clavell - Shogun
Jenna Maclaine - Cin Craven
Orson Scott Card - Ender's
Scott Westerfeld - Uglies

Caught up with*:
Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville
Charlaine Harris - Sookie Stackhouse
Charlaine Harris - Harper Connelly
Eileen Wilks - World of the Lupi
Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels
Jeanine Frost - Night Huntress
Karen Chance - Cassie Palmer
Kim Harrison - Hollows
Patricia Briggs - Mercedes Thompson
Rachel Caine - Outcast
Rachel Caine - Weather Warden
Rachel Vincent - Werecats
Rachel Vincent - Soul Screamers
Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy
Richelle Mead - Georgina Kincaid
Richelle Mead - Dark Swan
Suzanne Collins - Hunger

Abandoned:
Anne Rice - Vampire Chronicles
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - Den of Shadows
C.E. Murphy - Urban Shaman
Garth Nix - Abhorsens
Holly Black - A Modern Tale of Faerie
J.R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood
Jeanne C. Stein - Anna Strong
Keri Arthur - Guardian (Riley Jenson)
Katie MacAllister - Aisling Grey
Kim Harrison - Madison Avery
Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake
Lee Child - Jack Reacher
Megan Whalen Turner - Eugenides
Rachel Caine - Morganville Vamps
Rob Thurman - Cal Leandros
Terry Pratchett - Discworld
Yasmine Galenorn - Sisters of the Moon

Finished:
Charlaine Harris - Aurora Teagarden
Charlaine Harris - Lily Bard
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter
J.R.R. Tolkien - LOTR
Karin Slaughter - Grant County
Lilith Saintcrow - Dante Valentine
Maria V. Snyder - Study Books
Sapkowski - The Witcher
Stephenie Meyer - Twilight
& more....

______________________________________________________________
*Upcoming releases:
Charlaine Harris - Harper Connelly 4 (Grave Secret)
Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels 4 (Magic Bleeds)
Richelle Mead - Georgina Kincaid 5 (??)
Patricia Briggs - Mercedes Thompson 5 (Silver Bone)
Suzanne Collins - Hunger 2 (Catching Fire)

A Lifetime of Books Challenge (23 IV 2009 - 23 IV 2010)
DONE!


1984: [b:Hero and the Crown|407813|The Blue Sword|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174499198s/407813.jpg|2321296]
1985: Ender's Game
1986: Howl's Moving Castle
1987: The Black Dahlia
1988: Sheepfarmer's Daughter
1989: The Pillars of the Earth



1990: Real Murders
1991: Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
1992: A Bone to Pick
1993: The Shipping News : A Novel
1994: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
1995: Blindness
1996: Dead Over Heels
1997: Ella Enchanted
1998: The Poisonwood Bible
1999: A Fool and His Honey



2000: On Writing
2001: Mr. Maybe
2002: The Secret Life of Bees
2003: The Time Traveler's Wife
2004: Something Borrowed
2005: Looking for Alaska
2006: Humble Pie
2007: Beastly
2008: Rogue
2009: Dead and Gone



Done! Finally. I was stuck on 1987, 1988 for ages, but I'm finally done. One less challenge to worry about.

MONTHLY CHALLENGES: (continued)


May (10 done)


1. M for May.....................................The Martian Chronicles
2. B-Day book...................................To Kill a Mockingbird (Shazzy's, BriansGirl's & Nichole's)
3. Illinois book.................................The Time Traveler's Wife
4. Fairytale.......................................The Goose Girl
5. Mother's Day................................Rogue (pregnant werecat)
6. Hospitals/Nurses/Doctors...........Blindness
7. Sports...........................................The Hunger Games
8. Female on the cover......................Dead and Gone
9. Stand-Alone book.........................The Secret Life of Bees
10.* RRR Group Bookshelf...............Pride
* !! Pick-It-For-Me............................The House of the Spirits

June (10 done)


1. J for June(author).........................Fear of Flying (Erica Jong)
2. B-Day book...................................Uglies (Courtney's bookshelves)
3. Florida..........................................Black and Blue
4. Wedding.......................................The Princess Bride
5. Witch/wizard................................The Pillars of Earth
6. Gay/lesbian..................................Tipping the Velvet
7. Royalty.........................................The Queen and I
8. Non human cover.........................Ender's Game
9. New author...................................The Reader
10.Pick-It-For-Me............................Don't Look Now

July (8 read)


1. J for July (book)............................The Julius House
2. B-Day Book...................................The Shack (Jes!)
3. UK................................................The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
4. Summer Heat................................
5. Vacation Spot................................Prey
6. Western........................................The Lonesome Gods
7. Eat Me..........................................A fool for his honey
8. Reread..........................................
9. Young Adult.................................Hero and the Crown
10.Pick-It-For-Me............................Necroscope


August (9 read)


1. A for August....................A Hunger Like No Other
2. B-day book......................Destined for an Early Grave (Yz, Platas0827, Purple)
3. Australia..........................Crap at the Environment
4. Friendship.......................Something Borrowed
5. Aviation..........................A Dream of Armageddon
6. Beach Cover....................Cape Storm
7&8. Book-2-Movie.............Ella Enchanted
9. Chick-lit...........................Welcome To The Real World
10. Reader's choice..............Thorn Queen

Kasia wrote: "2. This book made me feel like an asshole."

Why?

Oh I just realized that:
- I am not a romantic at all,
- that I have a rather pessimistic attitude towards life
- and that I'm a ruthless cynic (at best a pragmatist).

So I got angry, I don't want to know that about myself!! See, denial work for me, and this book made me inspect my soul and I'm not to happy with what I saw. I wish I could believe that as long as you love, everything is going to be fine. That it's all worth it. But I do not believe that. At all. It kind of makes me a jackass, I think. Bah!


(Sorry, that was a rant and some of it might not make much sense)

I have this book to read eventually and that's why I wondered what you thought of it.

No, it's pretty good - go ahead and read it, the comment was more about me than the book. Some people voice concerns about nudity and some profanities, but to me it all seemed to work. The nudity was essential to the story and profanities were scarce and not offensive at all. I think you's like it a lot!!

It sounded different. The only thing though is it isn't a really short book and it's a bit complicated to understand all the time traveling. The one thing about reading so many books for challenges is that I stay away from long or complicated books, so I have time to get to all the other ones. So don't know when I'll get to this.

You know, it wasn't too confusing, the time traveling was laid out fair and square: each time shift was labeled and I was given information - who figures in the scene, what's their age. And even though the book was longish, it read pretty fast....

Maybe I'll have to work it into a challenge soon then.

You don't have to, I'm not trying to push this one on you. LOL. Just saying it's not that scary....

It's one I wanted to get to eventually. I bought it at the local used bookstore. I have to be in the right mood to read time travel books though.

I'll push it on you, Briansgirl! I have no problem saying The Time Traveller's Wife is my favorite book of all time. So far I've read it 3 times, and I anticipate probably reading it 1-2 times a year from here on out.
It being my favorite book and all, I sometimes read it with the thought in mind that I want everyone I know to read it too, and with that in mind I have to disagree with Kasia a little, though. I cannot recommend this book to my mom or my sister, because there is language and graphic sex in it. I barely noticed it, but when I kept my mom in mind I started to see how much there really was.
I also thought the time travel was handled very well. It could have been a complete mess, but she kept it very neat and clean. It wasn't confusing at all.

Kasia, I'm very baffled by your reaction, though. The book was undeniably romantic, but I didn't really think it had that "love conquers all" thing going on. A lot of really crappy stuff happened. And I also don't think having a more realistic and cynical view of life or love makes you an asshole at all.

I'll keep the book in mind as I need to fill slots this summer. If my Illinois books stinks, I think someone said this book qualifies for that category.