Thursday, May 19, 2011

50 books for 2011

I made a goal mid January that perhaps, looking back, wasn't the brightest idea. I decided that I would push myself and read 50 books this year.

I did it because I have become consumed by TV. I watch, religiously, at least five shows. Then there's Netflix with its ever tempting list of complete series like "Party Down" or "Arrested Development." And suddenly, it's 3:00 am and I still am not caught up.


So I decided that I would read read read, read read, read read, read........read.


Aaaaaaaaand it's been 5 months since then and I'm up to my 10th book! Whoo! Thank God I have a Kindle and don't ever have to leave my house to buy books or I would be in troub a dub dub.

So, what have I read in 5 months? (Which is about 2 books a month, which would be great!if my goal had been half of what it is.)

1. Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey.
Verdict: When I got to the end I loved it. I was mildly confused the entire time by his story telling because it was so different from his first two books which actually were not his first two books because this one was his first, but those were the first two books I read. ANYWAY. I liked it because it was different.
Uh, ps, this book is $4.99 on the kindle! Do yourself a favor and buy it.

2. Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan.
Verdict: Recommendation from Jamie. I have about 50 kazillion notes and underlinings if that says anything at all.


3-5. The Hunger Games Series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins.
Verdict: My life was almost complete after reading this. No, I will not watch the movies. They're going to butcher them. Also, I read these in approx 3 days.
 

6. Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult.
Verdict: Jodi Picoult may very well be my soul mate; however I wasn't a big fan of this one. I have loved her writing in every single book I've read, but the story in this one wasn't that strong.


7. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon.
Verdict: Easily one of the worst books I've ever read. I hated it so much I wrote a review on Amazon. This is the kind of crap I'd have to read in hell. (No offense if you loved it.)


8. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen.
Verdict: Love love love. Especially the ending. I cannot wait for the movie to come out on video because I have heard nothing but great things about it BUT I am not going to pay $25 to see it in the theaters.


9. House Rules by Jodi Picoult.
Verdict: I saw Erin was reading this last week and she said she loved it so I snagged it. Favorite J.P. book yet. I could not put it down and read over half of it in one day. I'll probably read it again soon I loved it that much. (I don't reread books.)


And currently reading: 

The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards.
Verdict: Yes, when I decided to read 50 books this is the book that inspired that. Yes, that means I'm still reading it five months later. It's soooo good but it's kind of dry. I can only handle so much of these people's problems in one sitting. I'm over halfway done with it so I'm on the home stretch. My goal is to finish it this month.


The Help by Kathryn Stockette.
Verdict: Holy. Moly. Obsessed. The only reason I stopped reading was because Evan came home and made me eat something. Also, it's being made into a movie (with Emma Stone who. I. love.), but you know the movie won't be as good as the book so just read it. Do yourself two favors today!


Also, I've tried twice now to read a book in a day. I realize it's rather silly. I should enjoy the book and have something to look forward to each day, but I'm gonna do it. Before I get a job and perhaps while I'm holed up in bed with my tonsils chopped out of my throat.

Ps. If you have any book recommendations for me, I would lalalove them! (As long as their good. I saw Island of Lost Girls on a blog, so I thought, "All things blog are good, so this book must be good." ERRRRRRR! Wrong! So, in review, do not give me any bad books to read or I will be forced to read them all the way through because I will feel bad. Thank you.) But seriously. Book recommendationssss....GO!

13 loves:

  1. Ooooh I just bought "The Hunger Games" a few weeks ago!! I also made myself a promise that I would REAAAAAAAD. I've been so busy with school that I haven't had time, but I finally have a month off. I love to read, but I find that I occupy my time with other things. :( :(

    Anyway, I am going to read "The Hunger Games," and I probably won't watch the movie, either. I tend to get pretty disappointed with movies that are made off of books.

    THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENT! I think you get the most epic blog comment award... hahaha. Thanks for reading :)

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  2. haha I was like, my comment is longer than her post. I win? haha I hope you love Hunger Games! It was a super easy to read but I still loved it!

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  3. Loooooooooooooooved The Help. Even it is not my usual style of read. But, I mean, seriously, love it.
    I've heard good things about Hunger Games, but I haven't picked them up yet.
    Have you tried the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers? The historical aspect of it is awesome. Just about every woman who sees me reading them has to stop me to tell me how fantastic they are. I've read two out of three, and look forward to reading the third. :]

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  4. I had never even heard of it until I browsed the suggestions on my Kindle. It was number 23 out of 24 or something and it should have been number 1. Seriously, it is so good. Evan actually suggested the Mark of the Lion series to me because his mom read it, loved it, then he read it and loved it. I will definitely check it out. I am starting to enjoy series because of the drama and suspense.

    Definitely check out the Hunger Games! They are simply fantastic!

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  5. I HAVE to read Bright and Shiny Morning. The cover alone is perfect. I also want to re read Love in the Present Tense. I kind of forgot about it's amazingness.

    I'm very impressed with the amount of books you've read so far. I have been on the same book for about five months now. I suck. haha. How do i rekindle my passion and love for reading?!

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  6. @Jamie. I loved it so so so much. James Frey is a genius. Also, the book is more pages than the Bible. Which I love. I love books that never end. (Usually.) Also, I typically read two books at once to have a break from the ones I cannot get through. See: Memory Keepers Daughter. If I break it up then I can usually come back to it and power through it. My Kindle has also been a lifesaver. I like reading on it way more than a normal book. It's so much easier to read, like it doesn't make my eyes hurt and I don't get as tired as fast. Plus I can underline and write notes all over. The only bad thing is you can't borrow books, but you don't like to do that anyway. haha

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  7. Jamie made me read it to. It was wonderful. Also I started The Help last week. I haven't had much time to get into it yet, but I like what I've read. Which is like two pages. And I am also impressed with your amount of books. Do you own House Rules or just on your Kindle?

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  8. I think I'm probably one of four people in the universe who hasn't read the hunger games series...

    but let's still be friends, mmkay? ;)

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  9. There have got to be at least 5 of you =] haha yes, let's still be friends <3

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  10. Oh, and Britta, just on my kindle. Get one so we can share!!!

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  11. Hunger Games = brilliant. I cannot wait for the movie to come out! When I was in Greece, I read Bossy Pants by Tina Fey, and Orange is the New Black. Liked both of them!

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  12. Thanks for the recommendations, Ashlee!! I have the preview for Bossy Pants on my Kindle and I think Tina Fey and I might be the same person. It's definitely on my "to read" list. But I will also check out Orange is the new Black! Thanks =]

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