Posted on 2 Comments on Weekly Recap 11/28/10

Weekly Recap 11/28/10

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

Books Read:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff – This was really good.  I really liked the world it was set in – very creepy and interesting.  There were times when the book confused me a bit, but overall I found it really enjoyable.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I can’t believe I let this sit on my shelf for 18 months without reading it!  It was soooo good!  It sucked me in right from the beginning.  I think I drove my family crazy on Thanksgiving/the day after because I was constantly walking around with the book because I just couldn’t put it down!  I definitely recommend this to anyone, though I seem to be one of the last people on the planet to read it. :)

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle – This was cute.  I really liked John Green’s story.  Maureen Johnson’s story was cute and really funny.  I didn’t love Lauren Myracle’s story, but I am not a huge fan of hers, so that wasn’t unexpected.  Overall it was a quick fun wintry read.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Books Received:

  • NONE!

Books Mailed:

  • The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Posted on No Comments on Weekly Recap 11/21/10

Weekly Recap 11/21/10

So I missed a week again!  I have a good excuse again – I was in Nashville for my sister’s birthday!  Also, I am still in my reading funk, so I haven’t been thinking about books all that much.  Barely reading for a month is definitely making finishing my 2010 Challenges difficult, but I am still pretty confident in several categories.  It at least got me to read things I might not have read on my own this year.

My “books read” is kind of depressing right now…

Books Read:

Queen Geek Social Club by Laura Preble – I didn’t really like this.  The main character was annoying and it just felt like the book was random and a bit pointless.  I finished it because I needed a ‘q’ for my alphabet challenge. :)

Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith – I recently started watching the TV show The Vampire Diaries and like it a lot!  It is interesting and a lot of fun.  I bought the first season DVDs, which came with the audiobook of the first book in the original series.  I had a 4 hour car ride each way to Nashville, so I decided to listen to this.  It was awful!  Elena in the book was so unlikable.  I have issues with audiobooks anyway, so that could have been part of the problem, but the book just didn’t have the same charm the show has for me.

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts – This was fun.  I really liked the 3rd book in this series and this one didn’t live up to that one, but it was still a good read.

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher – I didn’t like this nearly as much as I liked Incarceron.  I felt like I had to force myself to stay engaged with this and I was pretty bored through a lot of the book.  After loving this world in Incarceron, I really thought I would like this more.  I also was disappointed by the lack of answers in this book.  Some of them I kind of understand why they weren’t answered, but it was still a bit frustrating.

Paper Towns by John Green – Finally one I really liked!  I always seem to really like John Green’s books.  This one wasn’t quite as amazing as An Abundance of Katherines, but it was still really good – thought provoking, moving, and funny.  It makes me a little sad that I am pretty close to be caught up on John Green’s work. (though that was my challenge for the year…)

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Books Received:

  • Ruined by Simone Elkeles (PBS Game)
  • Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diaries: Origins (PBS Friend)
  • Monster High by Lisi Harrison (Borders)
  • Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts (Borders)
  • Moloka’i by Alan Brennert (PBS FIFO)
  • Keep Sweet by Michele Dominguez Greene (PBS FIFO)
  • The Miracle Stealer by Neil Connelly (PBS FIFO)
  • Plain Kate by Erin Bow (PBS Game)

Books Mailed:

  • Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts (PBS Friend)
  • Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer (PBS Game)
Posted on No Comments on Weekly Recap 11/7/10

Weekly Recap 11/7/10

I missed two weeks in a row!  Oops. :)  In my defense, it’s been a busy couple weeks with the end of baseball season, a couple football games, Halloween, and my grandmother’s birthday thrown in.  I haven’t been in front of the computer much recently!

I am excited that I have been mailing out a lot more books than I am getting in!  I’m trying to not buy books right now because I have so many to read that I really want to read.  It’s hard because there’s always good stuff coming out, but I am learning to be more patient.  Now I just need to get out of my reading semi-funk and read more!

Books Read:

The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel – This didn’t really work for me.  I have a big family and am still stuck at the Kid Table despite being close to 30 so I thought I would relate, but I didn’t.  The family wasn’t very likable and didn’t seem to like each other all that much.  The sections of the book were weird, like an issue comes up, then it’s resolved… the next issue comes up, then it is resolved.

The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Bk 1) by Rick Riordan – I LOVED this!  I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and I liked that this was back in that world with new characters.  I really liked all three of the main characters.  I am sad that we have to wait another year for the next installment!

Eleventh Grade Burns (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Bk 4) by Heather Brewer – Still loving this series.  I really like Vlad and his friends and family.  This book was really good!  I’m a little sad that I am so close to the end of the series!

Jane by April Lindner – This was really good!  It wasn’t as good as Jane Eyre, but it was a good modernization.  There were times I really liked Jane, but I was really frustrated with her for the 3rd 4th of the book.

Feed by M.T. Anderson – This was good.  Weird, but good.  The language took a bit to get in to.  The concept was really really interesting and it made me keep reading because I just wanted to find out what would happen next.

Twelfth Grade Kills (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Bk 5) by Heather Brewer – I am kind of sad that this series is over!  I really liked Vlad.  The last book was really good – lots of action and twists.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Books Received:

  • My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day (PBS Game)
  • Jane by April Lindner (PBS Game)
  • Annexed by Sharon Dogar (Borders)
  • The Compound by S.A. Bodeen (Borders)
  • Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green (PBS FIFO)

Books Mailed:

  • Intertwined by Gena Showalter (PBS FIFO)
  • Hemingway in Love and War by Agnes Von Kurowsky (PBS FIFO)
  • The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez (PBS FIFO)
  • Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson (PBS FIFO)
  • Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer (PBS FIFO)
  • Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill (PBS FIFO)
  • Betrayal in Death by J.D. Robb (PBS FIFO)
  • Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb (PBS FIFO)
  • Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (PBS FIFO)
  • Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti (PBS FIFO)
  • Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer (PBS FIFO)
  • Jane by April Lindner (PBS Game)
  • Swim the Fly by Don Calame (PBS FIFO)
  • Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (PBS FIFO)
  • The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel (PBS FIFO)
  • Feed by M.T. Anderson (PBS Game)
  • Shadowland by Alyson Noel (PBS FIFO)
  • Switch by Carol Snow (PBS FIFO)
  • Close Quarters by Emma Harrison (PBS FIFO)