The First Five

I finished three books today. I was halfway through two, and then read a whole book in between. I'm well on track for the 50 book challenge. I read on Good Reads that people are trying to read 12 books a month. While that may be completely plausible for people who don't have two jobs and are starting grad school, it just isn't possible for me. I like my 50 book challenge, and if I see that it will be too easy to accomplish, then I'll push it to 75. But 144 books in a year? That's absolutely mad.

This year so far I've completed:

The Lovely Bones - Sebold

Handle With Care - Picoult

In The Woods - French

Nothing Like You - Strasnick

Goth Girl Rising - Lyga

Besides that last one, it's almost like I've advanced to adult literature. But just you wait, that YA will come creeping back in in no time!

I really enjoyed In The Woods. It was another train station book, but it sounded familiar, like I'd heard about it somewhere, so I picked it up. It takes place in Ireland and has a really cool sort of intertwining plot revolving around a detective, Rob Ryan. I didn't really like how it ended though, because I loved how he and his partner on the murder squad, Cassie, worked and played off each other and I thought it would be nice if he hadn't screwed that up. Also, I still really want to know what happened to his friends when they were young. But alas.

Handle With Care was another typical, emotional Jodi Picoult novel, so it was enjoyable, but not very different from her other books. I did like it and I learned a lot from it, which is always good. I hate when you take nothing away from a book.

The Lovely Bones was very good to reread. I read it back when it first came out so I wanted to reread it and get familiar with it before going to see the movie. I haven't seen the movie yet but I hope it doesn't spoil the book. I love Susie's father, sister, and grandmother in particular in the book and I hope they are portrayed well.

I figure I should be able to finish two more books this month. Not definite though, because I start class on Monday and I have no idea what the work load will be like. Although I will be on trains quite a bit so maybe I can just read then. We'll have to wait and see.

Next up I plan on starting Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan and I still have to finish Lolita which I have been reading on and off for about three years. Ridiculous, I know.

More updates coming soon.

The 50 book challenge

I definitely read more than 50 books in 2009. I think it was around 60 at the final total. My numbers were always a little off because I didn't keep track of them until June. So for about 6 months I could only tally up about 12 books that I had read, though I am sure there must be more. But even so, I made up for my slow start during the Summer and Fall and then rounded out the fifty books with the Harry Potter series. And I did NaNoWriMo in November which took a lot of time away from reading and into writing.

Since this seems to be the only New Years resolution I can manage to keep, then I shall make it again, officially, here.

In 2010 I will read at least 50 books. I will only count re-reads if I haven't read them since high school. (so "Speak" and "The Lovely Bones" will count, but "The Truth About Forever" and "The Nature of Jade" won't). Is it sad that I already know what books I am going to re-read this year? Oh well.

I am currently reading Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga and I also started Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult because I was stuck at a train station with nothing to do except buy a random book and start reading it! I might hold off on finishing it right away though because I want to re-read The Lovely Bones before I see the movie when it's out.

After those books I am not sure what's in store. I still want to read The Chronicles of Narnia and I have a lot of random books I bought last year that never made the cut.

2009, The Best Parts:

My boyfriend asked me to marry him

I got accepted to Grad school

I went on a road trip with my best friend for 10 days

I read Harry Potter, and know I would be in Gryffindor

I won NaNoWriMo

I saw one of my favorite bands, AAR, twice

Mike and I made it through our first year of living together

I learned that there are still people out there who will help a stranger

I discovered I am brave