2010's Year In Books

As this year is winding down, I thought it would be a good time for my final entry of 2010. This year has been hands down the year of change.I'm expecting next year to be similar in that way, but probably in a happier way. In 2010 me and my boyfriend bought a house and moved in together. I was in severe kidney failure for a few days. My parents are getting divorced. We got a new dog. And a whole lot more. 

My original plan was for this blog to be my New Years resolution. That is no longer the case, because I am so used to it already. I still want to push myself to read more than this year and to expand what I read. On top of that though, I would like to just be a better me. I want to do more. Try more things. Grow. My mom suggested instead of a resolution, pick a word to represent 2011. I think my word is grow. If 2010 has taught me anything, it is that nothing is concrete. So live the best you can while you can. Take everything in and appreciate it. If something is wrong, change it. 

And now on to the point of this blog... books!!!

I read 55 novels in 2010 and they are:

1.Twilight-Stephenie Meyer
2.New Moon-Stephenie Meyer
3.Eclipse-Stephenie Meyer
4.Breaking Dawn-Stephenie Meyer
5.A Dirty Job-Christopher Moore
6.Bloodsucking Fiends-Christopher Moore
7.Ring-Koji Suzuki
8.World War Z-Max Brooks
9.Norwegian Wood-Haruki Murakami
10.Molokai-Alan Brennert
11.The Dolphin People-Torsten Krol
12.Mathilda Savitch-Victor Lotado
13.Beatrice and Virgil-Yann Martel
14.Shutter Island-Dennis Lehane
15.The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart-Mathias Malzieu
16.Blaze-Stephen King
17.Notes on a Scandal-Zoe Heller
18.Insomnia-Stephen King
19.The Killer Inside Me-Jim Thompson
20.Veronica-Nicholas Christopher
21.1984-George Orwell
22.Island of the Sequined Love Nun-Christopher Moore
23.The Wind in the Willows-Kenneth Grahame
24.Asleep-Banana Yoshimoto
25.A Stir of Echoes-Richard Matheson
26.What Dreams May Come-Richard Matheson
27.The Most Dangerous Game-Richard Connell
28.You Suck: a love story-Christopher Moore
29.Bite Me: a love story-Christopher Moore
30.The Stupidest Angel-Christopher Moore
31.Committed-Elizabeth Gilbert
32.The Princess Bride-William Goldman
33.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-Stieg Larsson
34.Fluke-Christopher Moore
35.Coraline-Neil Gaiman
36.Thirteen Reasons Why-Jay Asher
37.Kafka on the Shore-Haruki Murakami
38.Bad Things Happen-Harry Dolan

39.Salem's Lot-Stephen King 

40.The Moon Is Down-John Steinbeck 

41.Divine Misfortune-A. Lee Martinez 

42.The Andromeda Strain-Michael Crichton 

43.Still Missing-Chevy Stevens 

44.Room-Emma Donoghue 

45.Practical Demonkeeping-Christopher Moore 

46.The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove-Christopher Moore 

47.Coyote Blue-Christopher Moore 

48.Into the Wild-John Krakauer 

49.Good Omens-Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett 

50.The Golden Compass-Phillip Pullman 

51.The Subtle Knife-Phillip Pullman 

52.The Amber Spyglass-Phillip Pullman 

53.Horns-Joe Hill 

54.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-F. Scott Fitzgerald 

55.Misery-Stephen King

Out of those I have some favorites and some that I really hated. Here they are in no particular order:

Best

• Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
• Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
• Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
• What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
• Bite Me: A Love Story by Christoper Moore
• The Stupidest Angel by Christoper Moore
• Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
• Room by Emma Donoghue
• Into the Wild by John Krakauer
• Practical Demonkeeping by Christoper Moore
• Horns by Joe Hill

Worst

• Molokai by Alan Brennert
• The Dolphin People by Torsten Krol
• Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lotado
• The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu
• Veronica by Nicholas Christoper
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Fluke by Christoper Moore
• Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• Coyote Blue by Christoper Moore

I'm really looking forward to everything 2011 has to bring. I hope it is filled with peace, relaxation, love, fun and good health. 

Happy New Year!!!

Fireworks=Extravaganza!!!

Misery: Wrap Up!

Yesterday I finished Misery. I have to say, the movie is way better. Don't get me wrong, the novel was pretty good, but if you have already seen the movie you will like that better. The novel is much more gory and has a few different bits, but the movie follows it pretty close. As you can probably tell, I have a really hard time talking about the book by itself. It is really overshadowed by the film and I think that is part of why I didn't love it. If you are wondering whether or not you should read it I would say this: If you love the movie skip the novel. If you have never seen the movie then go ahead and read it.
Rating: 6/10

Random, but true.

HE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE COCKADOODIE CAR!!!

I am pretty sure that I won't be able to finish another novel in 2010, so this is it for the year folks. 55 books in 12 months. That is about 4.5 books per month. Not too shabby : )
My next entry will be my 2010 year wrap up extravaganza! It's a big deal!

Happy Xmas!!!

This is real. YUCK.

Hard to believe it's Christmas already...but it is. It definitely doesn't feel like it to me! I got some really great presents and gave some great ones too. I think the fact that I worked yesterday and work tomorrow makes today feel a little less Christmassy. Oh well. It will still be fun! We are going to see my boyfriends side of the family all day.
Here are some fun Xmas links:

Xmas Facts

Xmas Creeps

Bizarre Xmas
This Xmas is kind of sad with what has happened with my parents. I thought I would be able to ignore that fact and just have nonstop fun. It didn't turn out that way. Instead, I am just hoping that next year things will be back to being as normal as can be expected. Or at least less hostile.

I am about half way done with Misery and I like it a lot. I have to say though, this may be one of the novels with a movie adaptation that is better. I'm hoping to finish it today. That would be nice :)

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Xmas.

Snowy Afternoon

Where to begin...
The past couple days have been very interesting. Too much is going on that I can't even touch on. This is definitely a time of contemplation and deep thinking. Unfortunately, everyday life makes that difficult sometimes. My parents situation is a soap opera. Trying to get my ducks in a row for school is overwhelming. Maintaining normalcy is a challenge. I have started doing tarot cards to try to sort through the muck. For the most part it is astonishing how accurate they are, but that could just be chance. Either way, it makes me feel better and gives me long term perspective instead of just focusing on the now.

I hate how reading has taken such a backseat in all of this. I am only about 50 pages in to Misery. It is really enjoyable, but I have my mind on so many other things. I sit down to read and minutes later I find myself wondering about life's problems. Hopefully I can figure out a way to manage things better.

Double Feature

It's been a while since I blogged last. I don't have too many new and interesting things to say. There is still way too much happening in my life and all that kind of stuff. This weekend will be a nice break from work and stupid errands. It will also be extremely bittersweet. My family is celebrating Christmas early, and it will be the first time we are doing it as a broken family. Saturday for mom, Sunday for dad. I'm sure both days will be fun, but obviously in the back of my mind will be sadness. This is the first time in my life I have wanted the holidays to just be over already!

Yesterday I finished Horns by Joe Hill. It was awesome! I think it is one of those rare novels that basically anyone can enjoy. Joe Hill is a great writer. He is nothing like his dad (Stephen King, who I adore). This is not a scary or suspenseful novel. It is more so an examination of life. It is at times sad, but always humorous. I give it a big fat 10/10.

I also read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald yesterday. I was a big fan of the movie. It kind of cracks me up that the movie was based on this short story. They are nothing alike. The story is a silly little narration of a totally different Benjamin Button than the one you get to know in the movie. It is an interesting little read and the writing is very good and neat. No denying that F. Scott Fitzgerald was a brilliant writer. If you have ever has a curiosity about reading this, go for it. It will take you an hour max and it is fun. 7/10.

I think I will be reading Misery by Stephen King next. I need to read something gripping and scary and something that is detached from my life. Stephen King is usually a good way to go for that sort of thing :) Looks like this year I will have read 55 novels. Not bad, if I say so myself. I have a pretty neat blog in store for New Years and I am excited to start working on it. Hopefully it turns out the way I'm picturing it! Before that though, you will see a review of Misery!

Horns

I didn't finish The Amber Spyglass. I just wasn't into it. I was told how it ends and everything, so I know what happens. I don't think the ending was even that great. It's too bad the last book in the trilogy wasn't that great. His Dark Materials are worth reading if you have a good imagination, a lot of patience and some extra time. I wish so much that The Amber Spyglass would have been better. Oh well.
Rating: 5/10

Up next is Horns by Joe Hill. Mr. Hill is Stephen King's son, so this should be interesting. The novel is about a man who wakes up and is the devil. I don't know more than that. I don't believe it is supposed to be scary or anything.

I might not be blogging for a while. Just small updates now and then. I also have a big entry planned for New Years...considering that is why I started this blog to begin with. There is just so much going on right now in my life. And to be honest, I feel kind of lazy. Stress is weighing me down.

If you still have people to buy gifts for this holiday season and are sort of lost, I want to recommend Heifer.org
You can change so many peoples lives with the smallest amount of money. I think a great gift would be to give a donation in someones name. There are gifts for thousands of dollars and gifts such as a flock of ducks for only $20.00. That may not seem like much, but the website explains how a little flock of ducks could literally change these peoples world. So if you are someone who has everything, or know someone like that, consider a donation to Heifer.org

Update!

I'm hoping to finish The Amber Spyglass sometime tomorrow. I am so incredibly unfocused, it is nearly impossible to read for a long period of time like I usually do. Not to mention that I am bored to death with this novel. It is nowhere near as fun and interesting as The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I just want it to be over!

:)

The reason I am so unfocused is a mix between being stressed out by my parents divorce and stress of the holidays and other things. I also am working a lot more than normal and have a lot on my plate. I'm going back to school this summer and figuring out the financial aid stuff is insane. It's a really frustrating time in my life. I have to pretty much force myself to read. And to do anything other than sleeping and watching T.V. for that matter. Stress is a plague. I feel like coping with all this shit should be easier than it is. It's not though.

We got a Wii Fit and it is a ton of fun! I actually feel like I am getting a pretty good workout. I am trying to do it at least half an hour a day. I like that I can do it on my own time and change up the activities. Hopefully it isn't just some fad thing :)


Here are some fun links:
Controversial Apocalyptic Theories
Funny Photoshop
Embarrassing Ice Skating Moments

Blah.

My dad was served divorce papers yesterday. So now life is sort of crazy. Lots of emotions and everything. I think a divorce will make a lot of things better, but that doesn't make it any easier. Best Buy has my computer for the next few weeks too, so that is a big pain. I have no idea how I got a virus, but I did. The temperature outside is dropping like crazy and it is snowing. That seems really fitting for everything going on right now.

So I am officially about half done with The Amber Spyglass...finally. I think certain parts of this last book are kind of slow. But hopefully I am past them now. I don't want to give anything away, so I can't say too much :) What I really need right now is some good Stephen King or Michael Crichton or something. Basically anything intense and fast paced. Hopefully I can get a lot of reading time in today.

I have work for five hours today, but I am sort of dreading it. I just want to be home. I feel drained. Five hours isn't a lot, but if it's really dead time will go so slow.

Meh

I have kind of dropped the ball on blogging and reading lately. I am still not even half way done with The Amber Spyglass. I just cannot concentrate. Not to mention that I am working more than usual and have a lot going on with the holidays and stuff. So it's annoying.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. Usually this day is super fun and full of family. This year it is kind of different though for my family. My parents are separated and I will only be seeing my mom. My boyfriend, his sister and I are all going over to my mom's house to play games, eat and watch Friends. It should be a really great time, but it's also kind of bittersweet. I have never had a holiday without my dad.
I have an unbelievable amount of things to be thankful for. The main thing being my life. Just a few months ago I was in the hospital with severe kidney failure. Only a couple years ago I had a cancer scare. Right now I am feeling healthy and well. I don't think I will ever take that feeling for granted again. Another very important thing I am thankful for is my family. Even though right now my parents are going through their thing, I still feel very stable, surrounded by love. My mom is my best friend. My boyfriend is amazing and patient and keeps me sane. My dad is a buddy and has helped me out of a lot of tough spots. And then my pets. Sonic, Nova, Chewie and Scout. I have always said I like animals better than most people. They are always there. They care about you no matter what. They are funny. They take naps with me. They are like my children. I try really hard to not take my family for granted. Sometimes I do though. When they are consistently there for me, it's hard not to. I love my family so much. I can't even begin to explain it.
I'm also thankful for a billion other things, but I don't feel like listing them all here :)

Now on to the reading thing! I am about a third done with The Amber Spyglass. It is taking me an insane amount of time to finish it for some reason. I suppose I'm just busy and tired. It's really good and whenever I get the chance to read I am enjoying it. The Nooks just got a new update and it is pretty awesome. The pages turn way faster and I can make lists of books, instead of just one huge list. If you don't have an ereader those probably sound like really stupid things, but they make a lot of difference!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ice!

My Doxie Nova testing her boundaries.

Overnight the area of Minnesota I live in had really bad ice rain. Now there is a layer of glare ice on everything. I tried walking down our outside steps with the three dogs...not an easy task. Once we made it down, it was hilarious watching them try to walk. And I'm sure it was fun for the neighbors if they got to see me trying to walk. You literally can't! I had to walk on our front bushes to get back up to the driveway. I guess there were some 300 car accidents last night. Yikes!

I haven't been reading a ton in the past couple days. I have had a constant headache for the past week. Today I was lucky and woke up with only a dull ache.


I wanted to share this link. It's pretty awesome.

The Subtle Knife: Wrap Up!

The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman is the second in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I think it is definitely better than The Golden Compass. The story clips along a lot faster and the story is set up perfectly. I cannot wait to read The Amber Spyglass. I think Pullman did a great job ending The Subtle Knife. I need to know what happens next :)
Rating: 10/10

This is an awesome article! If you want something creepy.

Half Through

I am half done with The Subtle Knife, the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. So far I like it a lot, definitely more than The Golden Compass. This one gets into the action a lot quicker and the characters are a lot more fun. I am excited to see where it is going to go :) I am puzzled that these books are considered 'young adult'. They aren't. At least, I probably wouldn't want my young child reading these unless they were very mature. I think just because a novel has kids as main characters and animals as characters, people are quick to label it 'young adult'. That's a mistake.

I might read The Beach by Alex Garland next. Don't hold me to it. I'm pretty sure that is going to be a very dark book, and the way things are right now with my parents separation, I'm not sure if I want to deal with dark topics. I always have a hard time picking what to read next. I think it's because I have way too many books to choose from. At the moment I have about 200 books on my Nook. I also have about double that in paper and a bunch of eBooks that aren't on my Nook. Too many choices!!!

Here are funny exam answers
&
People who faked their deaths


The pictures in this entry are some of the covers I thought were odd for The Subtle Knife.

SNOW!!!

It is snowing very hard outside! The weather people are saying we might get 10 inches. Exciting stuff! It looks like Christmas :)

 Here, this is fun!!!

The Golden Compass: Wrap Up! & Stuff

This entry marks my 50th novel read this year and 1,000 views to my blog :) Two very good things. 

Today I finished The Golden Compass. It was awesome! I'm not sure why I hated it so much the first time I tried to read it. The characters are a lot of fun and it is really different as far as young adult novels go. I would say it blurs the line between adult fiction and young adult. I'm going to finish the trilogy, The Subtle Knife being next.
Rating: 8/10

I wanted this entry to be really awesome, but I don't feel like saying much. My back hurts and I feel very complain-y. Things are extremely odd right now in life.

This is an awesome website! Seriously. It is something that will make you think and hopefully consider what is and is not important. It reminds me a lot of the Post Secret books... which I love.

Hopefully everyone has a really nice rest of the week. Take time to take care of yourselves. Or if you are self-centered, take time to take care of loved ones :)

Here are some hilarious lol cats:

Good Quote

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Interesting

Here is an article called 6 Books Everyone (Including Your English Teacher) Got Wrong


I love it, because I am always bothered by people who try to explain 'what the author was trying to say'. Especially when the author they are talking about is dead. No one truly knows what novels are a metaphor for or what they are trying to say, unless the author addresses this. And sometimes books are not a metaphor for anything. Things sometimes are just what they are. I think this is the problem I often ran into in school. Both k-12 and college. In English classes you always had to discuss what was really going on. I hate that. I hate picking apart books and making them more or less than what they actually are. It is one of my pet peeves. I haven't read any books on the list I posted, but it is still really interesting because of all the books I have read, where people try to explain what they are really about. Ugh!!!


I am about a third of the way through The Golden Compass and I am definitely liking it more the second time around. I don't remember much of it, either. So it seems new and fresh. I'm so happy it's good, because life sure is insane right now. My parents separation is in full swing and I am having issues. I feel so bad for all my friends who had to deal with this in high school and earlier. I am 22 and having huge troubles with it. No wonder my generation is so messed up. There is no way a teenager could deal with this and just get over it.

Here are some interesting facts.

Good Omens: Wrap Up! & The Golden Compass

I finished up Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman yesterday. I didn't like it very much. I thought it was kind of slow with weird humor to begin with and then the end just dragged. I read a few reviews other people wrote and while the majority seemed to love this book, the ones who didn't like it had the same complaints as me. Something just felt really off about it. I even resorted to skimming some parts, just to see if maybe something was going to happen. I love Neil Gaiman, so I'm definitely disappointed.

Rating: 2/10

Next up is The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. This is a part of the His Dark Materials trilogy. It is one of my boyfriends favorite series of novels and I promised him about three years ago I would read them. I tried to read The Golden Compass then, but stopped near the end because I couldn't get into it. Hopefully now I can. Sometimes that happens with me. When people tell me to read something I can't, but a little later when I decide to, I can. I watched part of the movie, starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, and I was put off by how different it seemed than  the novel. And by the voice of Lyra's daemon.My boyfriend has said a couple times that because I am an atheist, I might be able to appreciate it quite a bit. That is intriguing to me.

Banned Books

This is a list of 50 banned books that should be read. 

I think it must be a rule that at some point, all amazing books be banned. Just a quick glance at that list will show you tons of familiar titles. That is because the majority of these novels are considered classics. It absolutely blows my mind that people go all crazy trying to get books censored and banned. I thought I would share the books that appear on that list that I have read. I will let you all know how old I was when I read them and what my thoughts are.

• Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger- This is one of my all time favorites. I was 16 when I read it for the first time. I related with it on some level then, but I didn't appreciate it until I reread it when I was 18 and out of school. I don't understand why it would be banned. If anything it was nice knowing that everyone feels angst.
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding- I was 19 when I read this and honestly, it did bother me. I thought it was just so real. I think it is probably one of the most disturbing things I have ever read, and I have read some messed up stuff. I wouldn't ban this however. Not everyone feels the same way I do. Most highschoolers would probably be bored to death reading this.
• The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling- I read this when I was 20. If you are against fun, adventure and whimsy then you would probably want to ban the Harry Potter series. It is insane that this would be banned.
• The Giver by Lois Lowery- I must have been 11 when I read this. It was the first time I ever remember connecting to a novel. It really makes you think about life and the world we live in. I think this more so would bother adults than kids, so banning it is pretty stupid.
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck- I was 21 when I read this and see no reason for it to be banned. It is an honest portrayal of the great depression and it incredibly relevant to today. I think everyone needs to read this. Even if you think Steinbeck is super boring.
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown- Ultra-religious people need to calm down. They are the ones who ban this, right? It is a fun, fictional adventure. I read this when I was 16 and thought it was exciting and interesting.
• 1984 by George Orwell-This is a depressing one. I read this just this year. So I was 22. I liked it a lot and don't really get why it would be banned. Like Grapes of Wrath, everyone should read it. It's probably where are world is headed.
• Animal Farm by George Orwell- I was 21 when I read this. It's great and shouldn't be banned. Calm down, banners.
• The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald-Okay, I honestly have no freaking idea why this book should be banned. It is an all time favorite of mine. I read it once when I was 16 and again when I was 18. I don't remember anything ban-worthy.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley- I was 21 when I read this and I was luke warm on it. It is kind of like 1984, where it's a look at a terrible world future.
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini-Another all time favorite, I was 18 when I read The Kite Runner. With how touchy Afghanistan seems to be, I'm not surprised this was banned. It's really good and everyone needs to read it. It's a look into a culture many don't know about.
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes- I love this novel. One of my favorites. I first read the censored version when I was 12 and then the real version when I was 16 and then again when I was 18. I think it is the only novel I have read three times. I'm not too sure about why this would be banned. There is an odd bedroom scene, but that is basically it.
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck-I read this when I was 14. Great book. I'm not sure why this is a controversial book.
• Native Son by Richard Wright-I read this when I was 21. For a while I considered it a very favorite, but it didn't stick like how I think favorites should stick. I can definitely see why people would want this banned. In this country people are down right freaked out about talking slavery and what black people had to deal with in this country until very recently. This is such an honest and amazing book. People should be literally forced to read it. It's one of those books where you have to read it to understand what I mean. It is a very important work.
• Beloved by Toni Morrison-I was 20 when I read this. It's good. It has some really graphic stuff. Nothing ban-worthy, but I can see what people were thinking when they thought it should be off shelves.
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote-This must have been banned just for being graphic. I was 21 when I read it and I thought it was great! You would see and hear much more graphic things just watching T.V.
• Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut-Love it! I was 20 when I read this and don't get why it would be banned.

So, as it turns out, I don't understand banning at all. It is pretty crazy and hair brained. From the novels on this list that I have read, I just think the most honest books are banned. Ones that make you take a good look at each other and the world we live in. 

Winter

I am almost half done with Good Omens. It is not my favorite so far. I like it and it is starting to get interesting, but I think the humor is a little too dry and I feel like I am missing out on some of the comedy because I don't get the religious jokes. I have pretty much zero background in Christianity... or any religion for that matter. I love Neil Gaiman, so I feel like the problem I must be having with this novel is the Terry Pratchett part. That makes me reconsider reading the Discworld series.

This is the 49th novel I have read this year. When I started this site, it was to track my year long goal to read 50 novels... well, turns out I can easily read 50 novels in less than a year. I would say there was probably over a month of time that I didn't read this year too. So next year I will definitely need to change the goal if I want a challenge. I have super high hopes for 2011, so I want to make my goals something to be proud of. 2010 was probably one of the strangest, darkest and confusing years of my life. And it's not even over. I don't want to say it has been a bad year, because it hasn't. A lot of awesome and amazing things have happened. But this year a ton of horrible things have happened too. Life altering things. 2011 needs to kick ass!

It smells like winter outside this morning. I love winter. Hate driving in it, but love it in general. I want some snow! It's like 20 degrees out :)

Here is an article about hilarious plants! 

It's a Windy Day

It is really cold and windy out all of a sudden. I can also tell the pressure is changing based on the insane headache I am getting. I read a bit of Good Omens earlier and so far all I can say is: Very British. That isn't a bad thing, jut something to get used to. I am also reading the book of this. Not the eBook. Since getting my Nook in March I have only read a handful of paper books. It feels weird having to actually turn pages. Pretty silly.
Here are some fun cartoons by Dr. Seuss that he did during WWII. If you do a search for Dr. Seuss war propaganda a bunch of these show up. I think they are neat.

I also found some great articles today.
10 Well Known People and Their Phobias
5 Mind-Blowing Coincidences

I wish Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore and all the other authors I love would be releasing new novels soon. I need something exciting to read. If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

Good Omens :)

I changed my mind about reading A Scanner Darkly. I read about 30 pages of it and was not a huge fan. I thought the content was kind of depressing and the writing was kind of funky for what I want right now. I am way more into fantasy than science fiction. anyways. Picking out what to read is proving harder than normal because of all the turmoil of what is happening with my parents marriage. It is a really painful and stressful thing to deal with. I need stuff tor read that is fun and somewhat easy. Nothing that will make me think too much or anything.

So, I decided on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I was going to read The Colour Of Magic (the first Discworld novel) but decided for some reason that I didn't want to yet. I love Neil Gaiman, so hopefully I will love this. It gets good ratings on amazon and B&N, which is usually a good sign, although sometimes very deceiving. Good Omens, as far as I know, is about Armageddon and stuff. But in a funny way :)

Here is a funny link about Vegas.

A List!

60 Ways To Make Your Life Simple Again

Great list.

A Scanner Darkly & Stuff

Last night was not the Halloween I expected. We had three trick or treaters and everyone was a little bummed. My parents separating earlier in the day was the main reason for being bummed out. My dad just moved out that afternoon. Happy Halloween! But not super happy.  My parents are two of my best friends, so this sucks.

I am reading A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K. Dick next. I have never read any of his stuff and I don't know anything about this novel. It's science fiction though and it was also made into a movie that I never saw. I remember in high school my philosophy teacher really liked this movie or novel- I don't remember which. I never really read full out science fiction, but in my attempt to be removed from real life while I read, I figured scifi might be good.


I found out about a website called You Are What You Read and I want to recommend it. Celebrities and normal people post their five top favorite books. I love that idea! It will get kids to read things other than manga and Twilight.
My top five are:

• Life Of Pi
• Stardust
• The Great Gatsby
• Watership Down
• What Dreams May Come

What are yours?

Halloween Extravaganza!!!

Tomorrow is Halloween. It is an excellent holiday, which I unfortunately have to work. I love creepy stuff and being kind of freaked out. Aliens, paranormal and just plain weird things are intriguing to me. So I wanted to share some of the creepiest books I have read and some awesome links :)

First off, here are the scariest books I can think of off hand.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Duma Key by Stephen King

The Regulators by Stephen King

A Stir Of Echoes by Richard Matheson

A few awesome links I have to share are:

Creepiest Places

Creepiest Places #2

Scary Museums

Zombies!

Urban Legends

Everyone have a safe and fun Halloween weekend!

Into the Wild: Wrap Up!

I loved Into the Wild. Loved it. It was something that I connected with on a strange level. It really struck a cord. While I think Chris McCandless definitely had a screw or two loose, I understand what he was going for. I think it is something almost everyone would like to do on some level... get away, live in nature. I mean, Chris had a lot more going on than just that, but it's an easy example. If you can't tell, I am having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around my feelings. I am feeling quite passionate about Into the Wild, but I am not sure why. It' pretty baffling. I would say you just need to read it and form your own opinion. It is definitely a very unique and thought provoking book. And just as a side note, the movie is not very good at all compared to the book.

Rating: 10/10

I would like to recommend also reading Christopher McCandless just for fun. He is an interesting guy. Wikipedia has some good info on him, but www.christophermccandless.net has the best stuff. Especially pictures.

The Last photo taken of Chris. Very close to death.

Coyote Blue: Wrap Up! And Into the Wild!!!

So, I just finished Coyote Blue. It wasn't great. I would compare it to how I felt about Moore's novel Fluke. It was just not up to par with his other stuff. It wasn't super funny and it didn't have excellent characters. This doesn't put me off of Christopher Moore in any way. I still have to read his books Fool and Lamb. He is an awesome writer, and I have confidence those novels will be fun!

Up next is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. It is about a young guy who decides to travel and ends up living in a bus in the Alaskan wilderness. I think most people know the story and how it ends. Krakauer based his book off of journals found in the bus and by talking to people who knew the guy. I am super excited to read this! It is a book I have had for a long time and have always been interested in. I saw the movie and was underwhelmed. I can't wait to start Into the Wild tonight!

If you didn't know, I live in Minnesota. I would say winter is definitely here. Today it snowed. Our barometric pressure dropped to level three hurricane lows. The wind has been blowing at 40 miles per hour. And lucky me, I have three dogs. One is a puppy who needs to go out every hour. I love the winter, but it seems too early for cold like this. I have a feeling we are going to pay big time for our lovely summer and fall.

Here are 10 common misconceptions. Such a fun article!

What This Blog Is

This blog has really turned into something totally different than I originally planned on it being. A Year In Books was supposed to be my 2011 reading goal tracker and my opinion on those books while reading them. Instead, I have found that it is difficult for me to write a lot about what I am reading while reading it. I have also turned to blogging for a couple little life events and just thoughts in general. It's kind of nice to be able to air out thoughts to everyone, without having to deal with anyone. I expect in the next few months I will start doing that more. Which isn't to say this blog will turn into a blog about my life... I will still be reviewing books and dealing with my reading goal. I just think sharing my feelings on things is therapeutic in some way and maybe that should be part of my resolution as well.

2011 is going to be hands down the most chaotic year of my life so far. I don't feel like disclosing why exactly just yet. There will certainly be a lot of changes though. I am a person who thrives on consistency, so it should be an interesting thing, trying to sort through 2011. And it's not even here yet! Man...

This afternoon I am going to read a bunch, so tomorrow or the next day I will probably have a review for Coyote Blue posted. To be honest, even though it's a good book, I will be glad when it's over. It's not my favorite Moore book in any way. Also, if you live by a Target and have some extra money, they are doing huge clearances on lots of great stuff!!!

Life

I have been reading super slow lately. What can ya do? Maybe I will finish Coyote Blue tomorrow. It's just one of those times when I have a lot going on in life and reading takes a backseat. Looks like I am easily going to make my 50 novels in 2010 goal. Coyote Blue is the 47th.

It's really lame when life throws too much at a person at one time. But maybe it' better than if life threw a constant little stream of crap at you. Just get it all over at once, so the good times can be better. It's a tough call. And usually what seems so terrible isn't all that bad once you are in the clear. Everything always works out. If you are having a hard time in life right now or if things just aren't going your way, here are some fun links that might help... or at least make you smile :)

Mysteries solved by photos. Very cool.

Super weird facts!

Vintage tech ads.

Creepy Victorian stuff.

A brief guide to life.


I want to live here, by the way.

Copy

Remember when I read Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez and thought it was a rip off of Christopher Moore's style? Well, it turns out it is a much bigger Christopher Moore rip off. Divine Misfortune is very similar to Coyote Blue. Coyote Blue was written long before. Divine Misfortune is almost like some disgusting spin off novel. I am about half done with Coyote Blue, so I think I am at the point where I can compare. Obviously Coyote Blue is a million times better than Divine Misfortune. I am having fun reading it. So far, not Moore's best, but it's good!


I was looking on a blog that I love, and found THIS link. It is about the 30 books you should read before you turn 30. Looks like I have read seven of them. I am only 22, so I would say I have a good jump start on the list.

Here is a funny article about clowns.


Real cold weather is on its way! The weather people are saying it might get snowy by next Thursday!!! Time to stock up on good books, get a big comfy blanket and hunker down for the next few months. I love winter.

Glee!

Lately life has been very weird. I decided I am not in a great position to be reading less than uplifting novels, so I am going to be reading Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore next instead of The Believers. Also I have been obsessed the past couple days with watching Glee. I am on the second disk of season one. Good stuff.

The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove: Wrap Up! And The Believers.

I just finished The Lust Lizard on the way home from our weekend trip to Duluth. It was great! The perfect Christopher Moore novel. It makes me want to read Coyote Blue next.... but I won't. I have to save some of his novels to read after a terrible book.
I read all the Pine Cove books backwards and I loved them. My suggestion is if you haven't read them yet, read them in order :) You will get more from the characters. I cannot recommend Moore's stuff enough!!!

Rating: 10/10

Next up I am going to read The Believers by Zoe Heller. It is about a family. That is pretty much all I know. Her novel Notes On a Scandal is one of my all time favorite books. I have been meaning to read this one for a while. Heller is a very original author from what I have read. Her characters are super real and creative. I am excited!


Here are some pictures from the Duluth trip (we brought Chewie. Sonic and Nova stayed home):

All packed up and ready to go!

Chewie loved going in the water and hopping across rocks.

Walking

Today has been semi-miserable due to allergies, work and a puppy that wont let me take a nap. After reading for a while I decided to take a walk with Chewie so he would hopefully get worn out. What I discovered is amazing. He is only three months old and can already walk like a trained dog. We went for a really long walk and he was by my side the whole time... and he didn't even get tired!!! I am going to lose a lot of weight with this little guy! I can't imagine how much he will be able to walk when he has grown.

I am about half done with The Lust Lizard. I am enjoying it a lot and plan on reading a bunch more tonight. So far I think Practical Demonkeeping and The Stupidest Angel are the best Pine Cove books. I love the Pine Cove novels. They are fun and it's so nice to get to know all the characters. Hopefully Moore's next novel will be set there. They are better than the San Fransisco series.

Here is a great post about the worlds biggest animals! I like the picture of the horses :)

The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove

This is awesome: Tree Houses Around the World

I started reading The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove last night. It is the only Pine Cove novel of Christopher Moore's I haven't read. So far I am enjoying it. Like basically any Moore book. When a lot is going on in life there is nothing better than his stuff. It is easy to read, yet intelligent. It is fun. It is entertaining. You get to know all the characters because stories intertwine from other novels. All those things make his books unputdownable.


Our puppy is very cute :) He is getting along great with Sonic and Nova and it seems like every day he is learning so many new things! We found out he is half Border Collie and half Scotty. He is a cute boy! Our little Chewie. We are taking him on a little overnight vacation this weekend :)