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 :)

Practical Demonkeeping: Wrap up! And a new puppy.

Just finished Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore about twenty minutes ago. It was great! Exactly what I expected. I actually think this is probably one of Moore's best. I believe Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is a follow up story, but don't quote me on that. If you have never read anything by Christopher Moore, this would be a good start.
Rating: 10/10
Wow! Three great books in a row...never happens :)

Yesterday we got a puppy!

His name is Chewbacca. He is getting along great with our two Doxies Sonic and Nova. He is already the size of Nova, so we are thinking he is going to get pretty big! Chewy was a shelter puppy, so we aren't exactly sure what breeds he is. We were told Border Collie, Yorkie and Chinese Crested. Border Collie is definitely right, but the other two probably aren't. His favorite things are chewing rawhides, getting things under blankets and walking :)

Room: Wrap Up! And Practical Demonkeeping.

Yesterday I finished Room. Such a great novel! I feel really lucky to have read two awesome books in a row. Room is a novel I think anyone could enjoy. There is nothing I would change about it. I don't have a lot more to say about it. Just read it!

Next up is Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore. I started it last night, and am loving it. Christopher Moore is an excellent writer and all his work is hilarious... except for Fluke. This is Moore's first novel. It was published in 1992. Like most most of his novels, it includes characters that are in his other books. Practical Demonkeeping is set in Pine Cove, so I'm sure I will be familiar with many of the characters. A fan fact? Disney owns the movie rights to this.

Today is another day where blogging just seems incredibly tedious and annoying. That is why this one is also so short :) Hopefully soon I will be back in the swing of doing longer blogs. Oh well!

Very Interesting

I am sick. This morning I woke up only to discover that I have a bad cold. It is very annoying, especially because I have work almost every day this week. At least I was able to stay healthy for my vacation. Speaking of vacations, I am going on another tiny, two day vacation next weekend. October is my lucky month :) Kind of.

This afternoon, while eating apples and feeling like I was in a dream, I read about 80 more pages of Room. It is getting really super good. It is so interesting and one of a kind. I never would have guessed it, but I am enjoying this one as much as Still Missing, just in a different way.

Short blogs when I'm sick. Blogging is not one of my habbits yet. My wonderful boyfriend is getting me some apples and Halloween cookies right now. I am very excited. Too excited to sit here typing away.

Back to Reality :(

I just returned from vacation! It was awesome. My mom and I went to Ely, MN to go hiking and stuff. We had so much fun :) It's always a bummer getting back to real life though. This morning I totally forgot what time I work and woke up an hour early and couldn't figure out why my mom wasn't here yet. We work together, by the way. It was a 'DOH!!!' kind of morning. Also, when I got home my laptop charger was broken, so I am on my boyfriends computer and I have to go to Best Buy today for a new charger. Not exactly the funnest thing to do.

I am a little bit into Room. About 50 pages, give or take. So far it is really an interesting and imaginative read. A five year old and his mom are -I think- being held hostage in a room by a man known as Old Nick. The story is told by the five year old, so you don't know what to take literally and what is just little kid talk. So far, I think I can say that if you are looking for something refreshing to read, this may be a good choice.