In June (of 2010), I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books and challenged myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year. Well, as it is now the end of the year, I thought I should look at my progress, or lack of progress. I only read three. Yes, only three. I've decided to give myself another year to finish this challenge. Last time, I only had a few books actually in my possession, now I have more than ten. Hopefully this year will go a bit better than the last six months. Here's the list: Previously On my TBR List 100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike* 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman* 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles* 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine* 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate* 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann* 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain* 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson* 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield* 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia* 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead* 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry* 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee* * — Currently on my bookshelf What do you think? Can I do it?
Last week I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books. Now I'm going to challenge myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year.
Here's the list:
Previously On my TBR List
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike* 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles* 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate* 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain* 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield* 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
I'd like to read all of these by December 31st, 2010. * — Currently on my bookshelf
I had starred this post awhile ago — like in April at Good Books and Good Wine and have been meaning to put together a post. I can now cross this off my endless To Do list!
I did okay (read 24/100) — but I'd like to have done much better. I look forward to reevaluating where I stand later on in the year!
Read On my TBR List
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix 98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly 97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix 96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus 95. Forever by Judy Blume 94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 93. Tithe by Holly Black 92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike 90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison 88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast 87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson 86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak 83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli 82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot 81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen 80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin 79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen 77. Evernight by Claudia Gray 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman 75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer 74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman 69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech 68. Paper Towns by John Green 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles 66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith 65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon 63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz 61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous 60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen 57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate 53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett 52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot 51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke 50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry 49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares 46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong 44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann 39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 37. Looking For Alaska by John Green 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray 34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan 28. Holes by Louis Sacher 27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton 26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger 25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia 20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder 19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak 18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead 16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry 12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis 9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle 8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore 7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan 6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer 2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling 1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Release Date: 2006 Publisher: NAL Jam Challenges: YA Challenge, Audiobook Challenge, iChallenge, Off the Shelf, 100+ Reading Challenge
"Welcome to Morganville, Texas. Just don't stay out after dark.College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood."
I apologize for my rant/rave. I'm sure this book wasn't as bad as I am recollecting now, but I'm just needing to get this all off my chest. If you stick with me through this review there is a "light at the end of the tunnel" in the form of a funny "while I was listening" story. I know it's "unprofessional" to write super negative reviews and I mean no disrespect to the author, but this book at it's essence just did not float my boat. For a different perspective please look at these reviews: Love Vampires, Book Briefs, and Books from the Addict.
I chose to pick this series up because it was on my Top YA List Challenge and, I won't lie, I'm a "sucker" for vampire books. Unfortunately, this book didn't suck me in... at all. First of all, I found all of the characters to be so entirely cliche, shallow, and extreme that I couldn't take ANY of them seriously. In the first chapter you're introduced to Jenn, Gina, Monica, and Erica — the mean girls. I mean, really? Perhaps the purpose of the similar syllables was to indicate that they were really of one personality, but it really only confused me more.
I understand the element of fiction, but how mean these girls were was just two extreme for me to even handle. I mean, pushing a girl down the stairs in a dorm and leaving her there to potentially die? I understand the whole laundry thing because I've seen that kind of bullying, but jumping the girl!? I'm serious, at one point (spoiler) all of the girls in the dorm kidnapped Claire by shoving a bag over her head and throwing her into a van and beating her and then there was the time when they took her to the basement of the dorms and held her down while she was beaten. That's just too ridiculous for me to handle.
Speaking of Claire, I am so sick of hearing how intelligent she is! Every chapter I was reminded of the fact that she was only sixteen but smart for her age and that she was in college early. It was almost like listening to how clutzy/ditzy Bella is every other page. Then the parent issue: it seems like in most YA books there's a lack of strong parents (because how else would these kids be getting away with all they are getting away with?). In this book, apparently two extremely good parents let their sixteen year old go to this far away small-town university rather than let her go to a large, ivy-league near by. Then after a hospital incident (because Claire apparently can't go anywhere without needing to be rescued) her parents finally get worried and only then does Claire become a REAL sixteen year old.
But it's not really Claire's fault — all of the characters acted (LOTS) older than they really were. I just can't wrap my mind around a bunch of eighteen year olds hanging out in a house (and paying for it) and being as mature as they were. With the alcohol references and the maturity of the characters, it felt like they were more in their mid-twenties rather than the end of the teens.
Whew. Still reading?
Those are basically the notes I had typed down while listening. Forgetting the characters and the plot, the narrator alone didn't really sell me on this book either. I purchased a hard copy of Volume One, the first two stories, months ago but I won't be reading the last part of it. I just can't stomach it.
I know as a "fair" reviewer I should mention something that I enjoyed about this audiobook, but there really wasn't anything (other than the fact that at least the vampire society was intriguing and even believable). I do have a funny "while I was listening story" though to lighten the mood of this review.
While I was listening to this audiobook to and from work my neighborhood underwent some major road construction. At one point I was in my car stopped at one of those signs held by a worker (one side said stop and the other side says "slowly"). I was in the front of the line and this particular worker was sort of staring at me funny. Then all of a sudden a more "racy" part of the book was narrated and I could just feel the judgement of this worker staring me down. I started to get really embarrassed and even blushed. I'm hoping he couldn't hear me, but I do have to have my radio on pretty loud to hear the audiobooks. Awkward.
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To the FTC, with love: Library Loan Audiobook and Bought hard copy
June 2011 Wrap Up Well I feel like I'm slowly but surely climbing my way out of the "reading funk." I'm adjusting to married life and home ownership as well as finishing up Summer School. I'm rediscovering audio books and am really excited to see what July holds for me. Huge thanks to all my readers who are being patient and hanging in there with me. I promise that eventually my life will "level out" and reading will once again climb my priority list. Books Read:
Spellbound
Summer's Crossing
Eragon
Challenge Updates Dystopian Challen ge — 7 of 15 (-) Audiobook Challenge — 3 of 12 (+1) iChallenge — 7 of 10 (+2) Off the Shelf Challenge — 10 of 76 (+1) 100+ Reading Challenge — 28 of 100 (+3) eBook Challenge — 13 of 20 (+2) Top YA Challenge — 5 of 25+ (-) Debut Author Challenge — 3 of 12 (-)
