100 Books 2016: January Reads

This year I set a goal to read 100 books. I didn't quite make it last year, but I'm off to a good start in January! I finished 8 books last month, and I'm on my 3rd for February so far. I'm going to try and do a little round up every month of what I read and what I liked. If you use good reads, add me as a friend! I love seeing what other people are reading, and find lots of stuff for my "Want to Read" list that way!

1. Red Moon by Benjamin Percy //  It is well documented that I love supernatural fiction. This book is a wonderful werewolf book that treats the infection like a disease that turns into a civil rights issue. In the future people infected are required to take a drug that keeps them from changing with the full moon. There is a war brewing, and you see it from a few different sides. I really loved it, a werewolf tale told in a new way. Looking it back up on good reads, I think I added this to my list because Stephen King highly recommended it. I wish he was still using his good reads account!

2. The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan Beautifully written, this book deals with selkie folklore or women called forth from the sea, their seal skins hidden so they can't return to the ocean. I was familiar with this idea, because as a child I loved the movie "The Secret of the Roan Inish" and more recently, the gorgeous film "The Song of the Sea" but maybe it isn't lore that everyone is familiar with. The story is told from many different points of view, one voice per chapter, and I don't think any of the narrators repeat. It makes for a great read where you are constantly learning different facets of the story, and changing ideas you might have held before. I also felt betrayed by characters I loved more than once, like shockingly betrayed. The first few chapters are a little confusing, but just because it takes a little bit to put all the pieces together. It is worth it. I wish the cover didn't look like so much of a romance novel, because there is definitely no romance in this book.

 

3. Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia Travis is a sleep talker, and at one point he was having night terrors and sleep walking pretty often. Thankfully we figured out what was going on (eating weird stuff too late usually) so it stopped. But during that time, I saw the movie Mike Birbiglia made about this book and it FREAKED me out. He is a sleepwalker who has done things like jumped out of a second story hotel room while asleep. Holy moly! This book is like a series of essays, and doesn't deal just with the sleepwalking. I found it engaging and funny, and I like Birbiglia's voice.

4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed I saw a list of Emma Watson Approved Reading and added most of them to my too read list. She loved Cheryl Strayed so I gave Wild a shot first. I had seen the movie and liked it, and the book was a great read. It alternates between hiking the Pacific Coast Trail being the best thing you could ever do, and the worst thing you could ever do. I loved her writing style, the way she worked in memories of her past with her experiences on the trail. A really wonderful book, and I think the film did a great job bringing it to life. I added the rest of her books to my to-read list after this.

5. Among Others by Jo Walton My friend Brittany recommended this to me, and we have very similar taste in books so I checked it out right away.  I read a review that said this story starts after the climax, and the protagonist has to live with the consequences, and I think that sums it up really well. Mori is a twin, who is now living with a disability and without her twin sister. She loves reading, especially science fiction, and she has been sent off to a boarding school by a father she hardly knows, after escaping her mother who is an unstable, power hungry witch. I love the way that the book is set in the 1970's, and in a pretty normal world situation. The magic in it fits into the world perfectly and not many people know about it. The narrator Mori feels really different to me from other characters I loved it because she isn't super into the magic she can do, seems to see it more as a fact of life she must deal with. The book is less to do with magic, and more to do with her learning how to cope with having her life change so suddenly and violently. I found her really likable and look forward to more from the author!

6. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Life and Love From Someone Who's Been There by Cheryl Strayed This is a collection of advice columns that Cheryl Strayed wrote under the pseudonym "Dear Sugar." This book has the same beautiful language as wild, and I loved her advice. It often started with an anecdote about her own life, included some tough love for her readers, and was all around a good read. If she was still doing the column, I would be a regular reader for sure.

7. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Another Emma Watson recommendation! This book reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (an all time favorite) probably because it is written in letters from one narrator, Laurel. She gets an assignment in school to write a letter to someone who is dead. She picks Kurt Cobain, because her sister loved him, and you quickly learn that her older sister died in the past year. You get little hints about what happened but don't get the full picture until late in the book. Laurel writes letters to many different dead people, for all kinds of reasons, using it as a way to work through the trauma of her sister's death, the aftermath, and her own issues growing up and starting high school. The voice felt authentically teenage to me, and I fell in love with Laurel as the book went on. 

8. Troublemaker by Leah Remini I'm super interested in extremist religions so I was excited to read Remini's tell all about Scientology. I read another Scientology memoir last year, Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill, which I highly recommend if you are interested in Scientology. Hill grows up in the church, in a Sea Org family so it gives you lots of information on the inner workings. Leah Remini's story is more from a family that joins when the kids are teenagers, and the experience she had as a celebrity in Scientology. I found it completely fascinating, and do think it is really brave of her to come out like this against a religion that is famous for destroying the lives and careers of people that leave the church, and forcing families to stop communicating with members that leave. Also, who doesn't love to read real celebrity behinds the scene stuff? 

Are you reading anything really good right now? 

Reading Challenge 2015: Series!

I'm making more progress on my book goal. I'm on #43 out of 75 right now. I've read a couple of underwhelming books in a row which is a bummer. Here are some of the books I read earlier in the year. These are three series I started this year.

The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness  A friend from work has been obsessed with these books so I thought I would give them a try. The writing reminded me of fan faction a lot of the time, but good for me, I like fan fiction. The series follows a woman who was born into a family of witches but has been repressing her magic since she was young and her parents were killed. She is a historian who is interested in alchemy and opening a certain book for her research starts her on a path that she can't ignore. If you like super natural stuff I bet you will love this. In this world witches, vampires and daemons are  everywhere and live under a shaky truce. I like the mythology she creates and even though something the romance is INSANE all there were a good read. Especially number 2 when they go back in time.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer The first book, Cinder, has been on my list for a long time. Jen recommended on her blog back in 2013! I'm almost glad I waited so long because almost the whole series is out so I could read them one after the other! Cinder is a futuristic retelling of Cinderella on post world war Earth where humans, androids, and cyborgs coexist. There is a sinister race of humans who have lived on the surface of the moon for generations, there are girls trapped in satellites, space ships, identity chips, a mysterious plague... It is so good and feels fresh and different from a lot of the young adult fantasy I've read. I can't wait for the last book to come out in Novemeber. I really thought it was going to be a trilogy so imagine my dismay when I got to the end of Cress and it was just climaxing. Ahhh! Fairest is a prequel that explains some of the motivations of the evil Moon queen and it is just as good as the main series.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater "Four private school boys. One psychic’s daughter. A Welsh legend sleeping under the mountains near a sleepy Virginia town." Do you sense a theme here? Yep, more supernatural stuff. This series was recommended by my friend Ashley  Rocketship (post more on your blog!) and I looooooove it. This one isn't about witches and vampires like you might be expecting, it is more about ancient power and magical places. The main character Blue is the daughter of a physic and lives in a house full of them. She befriends a group of private school boys and together they are looking for a legendary king that should be located along a ley line, or an ancient line of power that runs across the country/world. I was just kind of into it until about halfway through the first book they discovered this magical forest and then I was HOOKED and couldn't put it down until I was through the third book. I even BOUGHT it instead of waiting for it at the library because I just couldn't wait! The characters are so complex and there are sad parts and funny parts and shocking parts. ALSO it is a book with a girl protagonist that isn't completely about her finding a boyfriend. Also the books get better and better, weirder and weirder. The last book comes out early next year, and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

Have you been reading anything good lately?

Reading Challenge 2015: Half the year is gone

I challenged myself to read 100 books again this year. I made it last year by reading 106 total! You can see the whole lot of them here. I don't think I'll be even close this year. As we head into July I'm only at 37 for the year so far. Ah well. Since I have gotten so far without posting about them, I'm not going to go back and talk about every single one, but I thought I would tell you about the ones I really loved. So here is part one of that!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews This one has been on my list forever but when I saw the movie coming out I knew I had to get on it. It is a wonderful example of good Young Adult Fiction. It was funny and original and I kind of loved that the main story wasn't about two people falling in love. Because that doesn't happen at all! It is more about friendship and growing up and self confidence. The main character is a senior in high school who has gotten through his entire academic career by not making enemies, while at the same time making no friends. He hangs out with this guy Earl and they remake movies that they love "but more stupid." We went to see the movie last week and I LOVED it! It really captured the feeling of the book. //

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead I finished this book yesterday and the conclusion was so GOOD and satisfying that I got chills! The story is told from the point of view of a young girl who finds a mysterious note. You don't really know where it is going for most of the book, but it didn't bother me. I love the way everything is revealed and I know I'll read this book again.  It also isn't very long, I read it in two days. Highly recommend! //

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson This one is a collection of Noelle's weekly online comic Nimona. I started reading it online a while ago but once I saw that it was going to come out collected in a book I decided to wait. I'm so glad I did, I devoured it in one sitting and have been trying to get Travis to read it ever since! The love Noelle's drawing style and the story is so funny and cool and touching. Nimona is a shape shifter who shows up at the layer of villain Ballister Blackheart and wants to be his sidekick. They have battles with his nemesis Sir Goldenloin and things aren't as they seem. Since doing this webcomic Noelle has gone on to much success in the comics world, I've been following her on tumblr forever and am happy she is doing so well. I hope she draws a follow up to Nimona some day. //

Uprooted by Naomi Novik If you are a fan of fantasy and books with magic, you have got to read this! The story is about a valley where one girl is taken every ten years to live with "The Dragon", a wizard. As you can probably guess the main girl gets picked and goes to the Dragon's tower. It starts like this: “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” I loved the mythology of this book and the characters and was kind of disappointed that it is a stand alone and not part of a series.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins This book is super popular right now. I was 275th on the list at the library! I finally got to check it out and it was a great summer read. Lots of build up and mystery and several plot twists I didn't see coming. Really fun if you are into that kind of thing.

And those are some I've read but not going to talk about. The only REAL duds were Sugarbabe and Oogy.

Challenge Completed! 100 Books in 2014!

I did it! My book goal this year was 100 new books and I made it, with some time to spare. I ended up reading 106 books total. Here is a crazy giant image of them all together. If you click my 100 books tag you can see what I thought of most of them, or add me on good reads! I'm doing it again for 2015, upping the goal a little to 110.

Travis and I wanted to do a goal together this year, so we're going to try and see 50 movies in the theater in a year, starting on Christmas. We're already four in, I don't think it's going to be a problem. Do you make goals like this? Do you think I'm crazy for reading this much? When people ask me how I have that much time, I have an hour to read at work each day (two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch) and I read 15 minutes to an hour while falling asleep at night. It is one of my favorite things to do.

100 Books 2014: 69-92

So obviously I got behind sharing the books I've been reading as part of my 100 books in 2014 goal. So I'm just going to share the ones I really liked and think you should check out. I've read a few duds this year, but mostly great stuff. I'm so close to my goal too!

69. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See For some reason I love reading books about ancient China. The most interesting parts of this book to me were all the parts about foot binding. It is fascinating and horrifying! I couldn't put this book down. //

70. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld Nova recommend this book on her blog and I loved it. It is told from the point of view of a death row inmate. He is an unreliable narrator and you never get the full story, which is a little disappointing, but I enjoyed how it was written. It was a perfect mix of realistic and surreal //
71. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt I had to wait FOREVER for this to be available at the library. It is really popular right now and it deserves it! The cover looks boring but the writing is wonderful. We catch up with the narrator at different ages and the author does a great job making his voice seem authentic and change just enough with age. It is long, but it felt like it flew by and I wasn't ready for it to be over. I recommend this one for sure. //
72. Saga: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan The third volume of this awesome still running comic series. Just as good as the first two, beautiful artwork, compelling characters, lots of surprises. Volume Four comes out really soon and I can't wait to read it! //

The Chrestomanci Series by Diana Wynne Jones: I read some of Jones books earlier in the year and loved them. She wrote Howl's Moving Castle among others. This series takes place in an alternate universe where magic is an everyday thing. The Chrestomanci is a title and is given to a powerful enchanter who can travel between alternate worlds and makes sure people with magic are misusing it to rule non magical people. I love the way Jones writes and Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant were great and I could see myself reading them over and over again when I was a kid. The series isn't really liner and each book stands alone and has different characters. Witch Week takes place in another world where witchcraft is outlawed and they are still burning witches at the stake in modern times. The Magicians of Caprona is about magical families in Italy and was my least favorite. There are two more in the series, I might end my year with those.
73. Charmed Life //
74. The Lives of Christopher Chant //
75. Witch Week // 
76. The Magicians of Caprona //

77. Breakfast and Tiffany's and Three Short Stories by Truman Capote I have always liked the movie and I loved In Cold Blood so I gave this a try. The titular story is good, but the other three at the end of the book were amazing! They left me wishing they were all full books, but they didn't feel incomplete. The rest of Capote's work is on my to read list now. //
78. Carsick by John Waters You might have heard about John Waters hitchhiking across America a few summers ago. This is his book about the experience. Most of it is comprised of things that MIGHT happen, then the end of the book is what actually did. It was honestly ok. The actual trip wasn't super eventful so I guess he had to dress it up with the maybes at the beginning. Worth a read if you're a fan. Crackpot is still his best book! //

79. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro //
80. The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro //
81. The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro This series started out really great and interesting but really lost it by the end. // 
82. Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall //
83. China Dolls by Lisa See //
84. For Today I am a Boy by Kim Fu //
85. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan //
86. One Thousand White Woman: The Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus

87. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King I promised Travis I would read this book because he loves it. I barely made it through! About 200 of the 800+ pages are interesting. Sorry Stephen King. //
88. Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican //
89. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien I'm not usually into war stories, but this book is great. It starts out talking about the different things soldiers carried and how much they weighed. I really liked this book. It probably should have been up near the top of this list. //
90. Popular :Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen //
91. Just Between Us by J. H. Trumble //
92. Role Models by John Waters Some of essays in here about John Waters' role models are great, like his essay about the Manson family, some are just too indulgent and boring if you aren't versed in the topic he is talking about (the fashion chapter) My least favorite of his books. //
93. 20th Century Ghost Stories by Joe Hill The last Joe Hill book I hadn't read. Lots of short stores, some scary. I liked it.

I'm getting there! Unless something unforeseen happens, I think I'll make my 100 book goal with some time to spare! If I make it, I think I'll reread all the Harry Potter books as a treat. Because I am a nerd.

Have you read anything good lately? Are you on Good Reads? Are we friends on there yet? Let's talk about books!

100 Books 2014: 63-68

More books! I'm getting so close to 100!

63. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie This novel is about a teenage American Indian who lives on a reservation and has to make choices about his future.  He is an artist and likes comics so there are drawings scattered through the book, which I really liked. It was funny and sad and interesting. I don't think I've ever read anything about modern reservation life, it was a point of view that was new to me. Sherman Alexie has written quite a few books about reservation life, I'm going to try and pick up a few more.
64. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki My digital library lone expired while I was reading this, but it was so interesting I got back on the waiting list and finished it about 6 weeks later. The story is told by two narrators, a young Japanese girl who is writing in a diary, and a woman on an isolated island in the Pacific Northwest who finds the diary washed up on shore. The young girl, Nao, has decided to kill herself to escape bullying and her seemingly hopeless life but wants to document the life of her Buddist monk Grandmother first. The woman who finds the diary is a writer herself and is stuck on her own book. She reads the diary one day at a time and by about halfway through I was DYING for her to speed it up because I really wanted to know what happened. There are many twists and turns this book takes, the story ends up in a totally different place that you expect. I recommend this one if you like inventive fiction.
65. These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer This author was recommended to me because I like historical fiction and (interesting) love stories. I don't know if I just picked a bad one, but I wasn't into it at all. I'm not sure why I even finished it, it took me a long time. The protagonist is a foppish gentleman who is sharp tongued and it looking to get revenge on someone who wronged him a long time ago. Which sounds like something I could be into. But the wrong wasn't that bad, the punishment was way worse, and the love story was AWFUL. Basically he takes over a young girl in his charge who worships him and is a total idiot. Bleh.

66. White Oleander by Janet Fitch This book is beautifully written and very sad. Which is kind of my thing. It is about a young girl who gets shuffled through the foster system after her mother (a strange, beautiful artist) murders her boyfriend and ends up in jail. This is one I will probably reread sometime in the future.

67. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline The premise of this was very intriguing. Orphan children from the big cities put on trains to more rural areas in hopes of getting families. And it isn't like there were background checks, the children were just lined up and people picked them out like puppies. The people picking them out could make them part of the family or use them as free labor. Some parts of it were interesting, but it is bummer that the prologue gives you an overview of the woman's life so you know what is going to happen long before you are introduced to the characters the prologue is talking about. I would like to read more about the actual orphan trains in the future. I kind of can't believe that actually happened!

68. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer This book is a non fiction look at fundamentalist Mormon culture and history. I mentioned earlier in the year that I am completely fascinated by fundamentalist Mormons and have read several memoirs of women who have escaped the lifestyle. I recommend Escape by Carolyn Jessop if you are interested. This book is meticulously researched and I learned a lot about the roots of Mormonism, and the way the fundamentalists veered from the main church. I'm not a huge non fiction reader but this was written in a way that kept me interested (and sometimes shocked!) Jon Krakauer is most known for Into the Wild. I have added his book Into Thin Air to my want to read list.

100 Books 2014: 57-62

Somehow all of the John Green books I had on hold at the library because available all at once. So I had a little John Green marathon! I ordered them by how much I liked them, starting with...
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green This is the first John Green book I've haven't liked very much. Its the story of a math obsessed boy who has just been dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. He goes on a road trip with his best friend to forget about it. Which sounds pretty great, but the road trip is over within a few pages and the rest of the story was just boring to me. Meh.
Paper Towns by John Green I really enjoyed this book. It is a mystery and I loved the way the story unfolds and the twists along the way. It also made me really excited to plan our fall roadtrip, even though it really only mentions roadside America attractions for a few pages. It's the story of a boy about to graduate high school and the girl he has been into since they were children. It isn't the typical story though. At times sad, scary, tense, sweet and surprising. I thought it was great.
Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan This is my favorite of the bunch! It is told in alternating chapters by two late teen boys, both named Will Grayson. A coming of age story, a "coming out of the closet" story, and a musical written by a high school kind named Tiny called "Tiny Dancer" is featured prominently. A lot of the story focused on the (friend) relationship between Will and Tiny and it felt really authentic to me. This was one of those books where I was having such a good time reading it I was a little sad when it was over.

Before my John Green/Young Adult Fiction marathon I had a little bit of an unintentional dark subject marathon. All three of these books were great, but DARK and all three put me in a weird head space while I was reading them.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn I read Flynn's book Gone Girl earlier in the year and loved it. Her other books are just as good! Dark Places is the story of a woman who's brother murdered their mother and two sisters when she was seven years old. This story is what happens when she starts to think that he might not have done it. Just like Gone Girl I was surprised by a LOT in this novel and couldn't have predicted what was going to happen. It was interesting to think of what happens to a kid who grows up in the spot light for something so awful.
Child of God by Cormac McCarthy I couldn't think of a good way to describe this book, so here is what it says on Good Reads:"In this taut, chilling novel, Lester Ballard--a violent, dispossessed man falsely accused of rape--haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail.  While telling his story, Cormac McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with dignity, humor, and characteristic lyrical brilliance". This book is disturbing, bleak  and beautifully written. There are so many passages that I had to read over a few times because the descriptions were so lovely. Even when it was something twisted and awful. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie that James Franco made of this story recently. 
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn This story is about a reporter who gets sent back to her hometown to write a story about some chilling murders that are happening. They involve the disappearance of preteen girls who show up strangled with all of their teeth pulled out. Like her other books, Flynn tells a mystery story but it is far from the conventional storyline. I thought I had it figured out by the end but I totally didn't. It was an answer I hadn't even thought of, but thinking back over the story she had been pointing to it the whole time. I read it in two days, one of those I couldn't put down!

100 Books 2014: 49 to 56

A little break in the vacation photos to update you on my reading challenge! I've gotten really behind in posting these. I'm actually reading my 70th book right now! But here are eight more of the books I've read this year. Starting with some YA stuff: 

Looking for Alaska by John Green I'm not 100% sure I haven't read this book before, a few years ago. It seemed so familiar yet I couldn't remember what happened at all. I'm still going to count it. Alaska is a classic manic pixie dream girl who our hero meets when he goes away to a boarding school in the american south. A coming of age story, and a pretty good one. I enjoy John Green's writing even though his books aren't ones I want to read over and over.
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell A charming love story about an IT guy whose job it is to read the emails sent by people in his company and flag them for inappropriate content. He starts to fall in love with one of the women in the office through her emails with a friend. This was a pretty light read, a break I really needed. I have been reading lots of dark books this year and sometimes a light romantic book is just what you need. It isn't totally predictable though.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Someone must have recommended this book to me because I went into it not knowing much about it except it was about well to do teenagers who spend their summers on a private island. There is an unreliable narrator which keeps things interesting, and this book made me cry! Which of course I love. This is kind of a thriller, lots of secrets and slow reveals. If you read it, I would go into it not knowing more than that. You don't want to spoil it!
Elenor & Park by Rainbow Rowell I LOVED this. Absolutely loved it. I read it in two days. I felt like Rainbow Rowell captured what it feels like to fall in love for the first time (as a teenager) in such a perfect way. I became really attached to Elenor and Park and was sad when the book was over and I had to let them go. I liked this book just as much as I liked Fangirl earlier in the year. I'm going to buy myself a copy so I can read it again.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah This book was on a feature table at the downtown library and I had to check it out. It is intense, as you can imagine. The memoir of a boy recruited at age 13 to be a child soldier in Sierra Leon. It is grim and shocking and a little unbelievable that this was happening not even 20 years ago. The book is pretty riveting, thought I wish there was a little more closure at the end. Ishmael obviously makes it out and to safety in America but that part of his life isn't really explained.
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant I really liked the other books I've read by Dunant (The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan) but this one was just ok. It takes place in the 1500's in Spain. Then dowries were so expensive lots of wealthy families would put their daughters into convents because it was cheaper. I found that fascinating and want to read more about it. The story itself was just ok. It took me a while to get through the book, it wasn't one that kept me up at night reading.
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill This is the third Joe Hill book I've read this year and I think it was the most terrifying. One morning I was home alone and reading it and got so freaked out I didn't want to walk into our hall to get the dogs! It is the story of aging rock star Judas Coyne who has an interest in the occult. He buys a haunted suit on eBay and it starts a horrifying sequence of events. I don't want to give anything away, but I loved it!
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth I checked this out because I loved the tv series so much! All the stories are represented in the show and are worth a read. You don't get much more info than you got in the show but I enjoyed reading the book. If you haven't seen it, it's about a young midwife in training in the slums of England's East End in the 1950's. The conditions people live in are sometimes shocking and the stories range from sad to heart warming.

There you go! I'll share some more soon!

100 Books 2014: 45-48

I'm trying to catch up to where I really am on this reading challenge! Lately I've read a few bummer books in a row, I need to get back to some young adult fiction soon I think. Here are 8 more of the books I've read this year:

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure: I REALLY loved the little house books as a kid, I read Little House in the Big Woods and On the Shores of Silver Lake so many times! Somehow I never knew that Laura Ingalls was a real person and the Laura stories were based on her life. This book was super fascinating to me. Wendy McClure rediscovered the books as an adult and went on a journey to visit all of the "Laura sites" in a year. There is a whole world of Little House enthusiasts, many of them go on the same pilgrimage that McClure goes on. Even if I've not in a fandom, I really like reading about other people who get super into things. After reading this I bought a vintage set of the books at the flea market and I plan to read them this summer.

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See: A few years ago I read and loved Lisa See's book Shanghai Girls. This book is a sequel that focuses mainly on the daughter of the women in the first book. At the beginning of the book Joy leaves home in California because she thinks things will be better in Red China. I didn't know much about this period in China before reading this book and I was completely enthralled! It is pretty bleak at times but the storytelling is wonderful.

Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence by Ross Mathews: You probably know Ross Matthews as Ross the Intern on late night tv. I have always thought he was really funny and Travis checked this audiobook out for us when we went to Atlanta last month. I don't know if I would have liked reading the book as much, because Ross's signature shrill voice makes this book! It is full of stories from his childhood and gossipy Hollywood stories. I totally recommend the audiobook!

Austinland by Shannon Hale: This book was made into a movie last year and I couldn't WAIT to see it. I love anything Jane Austen of course, and Bret McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords) was starring in it. The movie was cute and when I found out it was based on a book I put it right on my library hold list. The story is of a woman who loves Pride and Prejudice and is too hard on men because she is waiting for that perfect "Darcy." Austenland is a vacation destination where woman are immersed in a Regency England experience with promises of romance! It is definitely light reading, but never crosses into romance novel territory. If you've seen the movie you aren't in for any surprises, but it was just different enough and I liked the protagonists voice. I'll probably read the second one if I can get my hands on it.

We're going to the beach in just a few weeks and I'm making a little list of books too take. Do you have any recommendations for some light-ish books to read? I've recently been reading about child soldiers and the FLDS and serial killers and I need something a little more fun!

100 Books 2014: 36-44

We're about halfway through the year and I'm a little past the halfway point with my reading goal! I'm pretty sure I'll make it! Here are some of the books I read in May and June!

35. Horns by Joe Hill I'm working my way through all of his books this year and this one starts off really strong.The protagonist wakes up with horns sprouting out of his head and finds that whoever he is around starts telling him their darkest thoughts and desires. It is creepy and a little terrifying! There is a murder mystery throughout that takes the whole book to solve. I didn't feel like the ending was a good as the beginning, but I still really enjoyed it.
36. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson The parents of the Fang Family are performance artists that have included their children in their work from the moment they are born. The book focuses on the kids as grown ups and how they have had trouble in "normal life" after living in the public eye as children. Their parents are planning one last piece and the kidshave to decide if they will participate. I loved the way the story unfolded and it goes places I wasn't expecting.
37. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause I love YA supernatural stuff, I'm not going to lie. This is the story werewolf girl coming of age and is all about growing up and star crossed love and finding your place. I love how powerful Vivian is while she is finding herself. Totally recommend if you like that kind of thing.
38. Sold by Patricia McCormick "Each year, nearly 12,000 Nepali girls are sold by their families, intentionally or unwittingly, into a life of sexual slavery in the brothels of India." I picked up this book after seeing it on a summer reading shelf at a local bookshop. It is the story of a 13 year old girl taken to the city because she thinks she will get work as a maid but really she is sold into a brothel. It is told is little vignettes, which was interesting. It is pretty bleak, obviously, but the kind of story that should be told because it happens everyday. 
39. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green I can't believe I waited so long to pick up a John Green book.I loved this book and read it in just two days. The way he writes about disability and young people with a fatal diagnosis is really interesting. It isn't all inspiring moments and seeing the best in every moment. Augustus (the boy) can be a little MUCH, a little too perfect, but if I was a teenager reading this I would have eaten that up! The ending is so sad, which you expect about 5 minutes into reading it. I thought it was better than the movie (every book is) and I'm looking forward to reading more of his books this summer.
40. Stolen Innocence:My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall I am very fascinated by Warren Jeffs and his cult so I devour any book about it I can find. I didn't like this one as much as Escape by Carolyn Jessop but it is still a very interesting look into a world I can't even imagine. Elissa Wall turned out to be  the woman who testified against Jeffs and was instrumental in getting him in prison.
41. By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan This is the last in Glen Duncan's trilogy that started with The Last Werewolf. I LOVE these books. They are grown up versions of that YA supernatural stuff that we all love. This book switches back and forth between a werewolf and vampire werewolf and takes place in modern times where the supernatural element is becoming more visible and humans are reacting. I love Glen Duncan's storytelling and kind of hate that this is the last one in the series.
42.Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat I kept wanting this book to get good so I finished it. It is the story of people in Haiti and every time a story line would start to get interesting the narrator would switch. I was actually the most interested in Claire, the titular character, but she was barely in the book.
43. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block This book is so stupid. I have been wanting to read it for a long long time and I think if I had read it during high school I would have been obsessed. Weetzie Bat is this beautiful damaged weirdo who lives in a cool house and everyone has weird names and there is a witch baby and a baby with three dads and I don't know, I hated it. If it hadn't been so short I probably wouldn't have finished it.
44. Longbourn by Jo Baker Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time so I couldn't wait to read this book. It is the same story but from the point of view of the servants at Longbourn. A lot of the reviews I read didn't like the way this book treated the characters from Pride and Prejudice, but I found it fascinating to know what it was like to be a servant in regency England and fell in love with these new characters.

There you go! Ten more books to check out! You can always see what I'm currently reading on my Good Reads page! Add me if you are on there! I love looking through other peoples lists for recommendations!

100 Books 2014: 27-35

I'm still chugging along with my book goal! I have really liked almost every I've read so far this year, which is weird and awesome! Here are some recent ones I added to my list. I was able to get a kindle with some trade in credit at our local used book store so I've been reading everything on there lately. 

Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones: I picked up the first one because I LOVE the Studio Ghibli film version. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for! The book was wonderful, and different enough that it was fun to read. The last half is actually pretty different from the movie. The two sequels are interesting because they don't focus on the characters you met in the first book. The House of Many Ways was probably my favorite. It reminded me of something I would have read and become obsessed with as a child. I'm going to pick up some more books by Diana Wynne Jones this year for sure!

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat by Hal Herzog: This one is on lots of vegetarian/vegan reading lists all though it isn't written by a vegetarian and it doesn't try to convince you one way or another on the issue. It reminded me of a Mary Roach book. Each chapter/section focused on a different way we think of animals. I found the animal research chapter especially fascinting. This book challenges you to think about WHY we think about certain animals, certain ways.
Loteria: A Novel by Mario Alberto Zambrano: It's hard to tell from this screen capture but the actual book is really beautiful! The paper is thick, the illustrations are vibrant, and the covers are imprinted. I picked it up from a table at the library based solely on looks. The story starts with a young woman in a shelter and the social worker wants her to write her story using the Loteria deck to jog her memory. The story unfolds in a really interesting way and I enjoyed it.
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf: I have always been uncomfortable with the glorification of serial killers so I wasn't interested in reading this at first. But Travis really liked it and convinced me to give it a try. The graphic novel takes place before Dahmer commited his famous string of murders. Backderf went to high school with him and the story is an interesting portrait of what he was like.

Saga: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan: Like I said earlier this year, this is the best comic series going on right now in my completely uneducated opinion. I'm waiting for the volumes because I can't stand to be done reading after five minutes like you are if you go issue by issue. Again, it's the story about two aliens from waring races running across the universe to keep their child safe. But it's so much better than it sounds! I can't wait for volume 3!
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip: I've seen Moomin online before and always thought the characters were so cute! But I didn't know anything about the comics they came from. The stories are so strange and wonderful and the illustration style is killer! I'm looking for the next volume to read now!
Wet Moon 6 by Ross Campbell: I've been reading Wet Moon books since early college and I love how Ross Campbell draws. His women are so varied and beautiful. I was bummed about this book though. They take FOREVER to come up (over a year!) and book 5 ended on a huge cliff hanger. This one is all waiting around a hospital. Don't get me wrong, I"m still happy to see the characters, it just feels like, that's ALL you are going to give us after so long?

100 Books 2014: 22-26

I'm still chipping away at my book goal for the year! Travis took some books to McKay's and used the credit to get me a Kindle (An old used one, but it still works great!) It makes it even easier to check out books from the library! But here is a batch of books I read on old fashioned paper: 

22. Stardust by Neil Gaiman It has been well established that I love Neil Gaiman and his storytelling. I liked Stardust, but didn't LOVE it. It is a beautiful fairy tale, but it didn't pull me in like the other novels of his I have read.
23. Today Is The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Ulli Lust This is a graphic novel about Ulli Lust's travels through Europe as a teenager. It was interested and at times made me wish I had done more exploring once I got out of high school, and made me glad I stayed home. It kind of reminded me of Off The Map, a book I got from a zine distro that I have probably read 10 times!
24. Redefining Realness; My Path to Womanhood, Identity, and Love by Janet Mock I have been following all the stories in the news lately about transwomen, especially Carmen Carrera, who was on Drag Race a few years ago and is now a pretty visible trans fashion model. I noticed Janet Mock was often on the same news shows as Carmen so when I saw she had an autobiography I knew I had to read it. It is very good, a really honest and brave story of how she grew up and what she went through to become the woman she knew she was when she was small. I have always considered myself an ally but didn't have a lot of understanding about trans issues and this book taught me a LOT and was a great read.
25. The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams This book has been in my amazon cart for a few years but I never pulled the trigger. I wish I had! It is one of the best autobiographies I've ever read! You get all kinds of dirt on stars of the 40's and Esther Williams doesn't shy away from the less seemly portions of her life. It makes me want to spend a weekend watching all her movies, just for the elaborate swimming scenes! I totally recommend this to my fellow vintage lovers!
26. Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs The only thing I don't like about the Miss Peregrine's books is they always end on a total cliff hanger and you have to wait a few years to find out what happens! I knew I would into these when I saw the first one used found vintage photos as part of the story telling. Ransom Riggs has collected images, gotten some on loan from collectors, and has a few manipulated one. You know I'm into that! And the stories are great too. It is about a collection of strange children with abilities like invisibility, seeing the future, and making fire in their hands. The world is full of magic and strange happenings and danger and sometimes I would stay up late just to see what happened! Another one I highly recommend.

100 Books: 14-21

So my reading goal has gone from 25, to 50, and now to 100. I guess I didn't realize how much I read when I set it. Someone asked me how I found time to read so much and mostly I just read on my breaks at work (1 hour a day) and then for about an hour before I go to bed. When it is my day off and I don't have anywhere to go I love to lay in bed for an hour and read. It feels indulgent to me. 

Here is an update on what I've been reading lately! As you can see I'm sticking to my library goal, too! We've been going every weekend to drop of a bag of books and pick up new ones. 

14. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: I feel like I've seen this book on every blog and instagram over the last year. Probably because the cover art is so cute! Thankfully it lives up to the hype. I loved the way the story was told through different emails/letters/phone transcripts instead of a traditional narrative.
15-16. Soulless Vol. 1 & 2 by Gail Carriger: These are the manga versions of the Parasol Protectorate series that I read earlier in the year. It was fun to see someone else's interpretation of the characters I have been imagining for a few years. The actual novels are better, but that is what I expected. I'll look for the rest of these when they come out, even if they make Lord Macconn WAY less manly than I have been imagining him.
17. Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: Another one with a great cover I've been seeing everywhere. And again it didn't disappoint. A coming of age story with an interesting plot and an original narrator. It was one of those books I wanted to keep going once it was over.
18. Special Exits by Joyce Farmer: This is a graphic novel. Travis and I look through the graphic novel section every time we're in the library. He goes for action/zombie/superhero stuff, and I go for the more "boring" ones. I prefer mostly graphic novels about everyday life (I LOVE the Snakepit books, and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home). This is about a woman taking care of her father and his second wife as they age. It is really sweet and sad and poignant.

19. Saga Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan: This is a comic series that is ongoing. I usually get into things way after they are over so it is a little frusterating waiting for the new ones to come out! Haha, I want it now! All the copies of the second volume are checked out so I'm on the waiting list.  A friend's husband recommended this series and it is wonderful so far! The first volume introduces you to a little baby alien born to two different species that are on opposite sides of a interplanetary war. The art is beautiful and the character design is really creative and creepy and amazing!
20. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: This is the book I read on my snow day from work, cover to cover in one sitting. I absolutely loved it! I'm a little bit of a fangirl (not nearly as into fandom as I used to be) and I related so much to the main character and her love of Simon Snow. I also might be a bit of a closeted fan fiction reader. Maybe.
21. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman : Like everyone else I loved the show on Netflix so I wanted to check the book out. I alternated between loving it and hating it. A certain points Piper is insufferable (she brings a freaking foi gras sandwich to eat in the waiting room on the day she self surrenders. for some reason that was REALLY annoying to me) and endearing. By the end of the book I liked her and the story she told. It is different from the show, obviously, in the narrative structure and almost all the characters are just mentioned for a few pages. It is an interesting look at what life is like in a minimum security prison and worth a read.

100 Books 2014: 9-13

I've made some more progress on my reading Goal for 2014! I might actually have to make it a little higher. We'll see. This edition is a little heavy on the YA. Travis told me he always checks out the teen recommendations table for me. Haha, isn't that sweet? 

9. Timeless by Gail Carriger: This is the 5th and final book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I used to borrow lots of supernatural books from my friend Brittany and she introduced me to this series. I LOVE it! It has werewolves and vampires and romance and Victorian technology without being cheesy, which is hard to do! I'm a little sad the series is done, and I actually cried real tears while reading it on my lunch break at work! I'm going to keep an eye out for more by Gail Carriger. She has a YA series now, as you can see by entries 12-13! I highly recommend this series!

10. Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause: Travis picked this one for me. It is the story of a boy whose parents are "freaks" and he grows up in a sideshow. At the beginning of the book he strikes out on his own to make a name for himself in the world. This was a fun read. There is a weird/unnecessary love story which is the worst part of the story. Thankfully it isn't a huge part. It was great to read about characters based on real human oddities. If you like that kind of thing, check out Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It is WEIRD and amazing!

11. Swamplandia by Karen Russell: This was the first big disappointment of the year. Karen Russell's first book, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves is one of my all time favorites. Read that one! The actual story is so interesting and the characters are really original but the book just draaaaaaaags. I don't usually read more than one book at a time, but I finished three more while I read this. It finally gets good about 150 pages in, but then something terrible happens and the way it is handled (or not handled) is just so bleh. Not a satisfying read at all. Don't even bother.

12. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger: Like I said, I like how Gail Carriger writes and I'm glad I picked up her YA books even though I was a little embarrassed to carry them around at work. They are in the same vein as the Parasol Protectorate but take place in a boarding/finishing school for young women who will become spies/assassins. They actually end up being  a sort of prequel to her other series. 

13. Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger: Book 2 of this series, even better than the first! I have high hopes for the rest! 

There you go! As always, tell me some books to read! I've got all the ones you suggested last time in my too read this! I've gotten a little library happy and have a stack of a about 12 books next to the bed! 

100 Books 2014: 1-8

I didn't make a resolution this year, but I thought it would be fun to give myself a goal. My goal for 2014 is to read 100 new to me books! And part of that goal is to get most of them from the library instead of spending tons of money on books. So here we go, here is MOST of what I read in January. I had already taken one book back, and since I took these photos I finished 1 more. So I'm up to 9/100. I might have made this goal a little too easy for myself!
Are any of you big readers? I would love some recommendations! I like to read pretty much anything. You can check out my goodreads page here. Are you a member? Let's be friends! I really enjoy that site.

1. The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption by Kathryn Joice: I don't read much non fiction but this was a really interesting look at international adoption. I read a blurb about it somewhere online and found the topic really fascinating. It gets a little repetitive but I learned quite a bit.
2. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan: This one was a Christmas present from Travis because he knows I love Amy Tan. I have read most of her books multiple times. This one is just ok, which was a disappointment. I found myself wanting to skip ahead a few times. It is a story about mothers and daughters, China and America, her usual themes, but it isn't quite as engaging and it didn't make me want to stay up all night reading.
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: This book was all over the place last year, and I've had it on my to read list forever! I wish I hadn't waited so long! It is amazing! Thrilling and surprising and not like anything else I've read in a long time. The story starts with a man coming home to find his wife gone and the house in disarray. I don't want to give anything away, because the story really did shock me multiple times! I would definitely recommend it!
4. The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle: This was recommended by a fellow blogger and for the life of me I can't figure out who! I thought it was Jen, a fellow Nashvillian, but now I can't find it on her blog. Anyway, I guess it doesn't matter. This is the story of a teacher/student affair told from both points of view. A good quick read, and I really liked the way the author wrote the characters.
5. Redshirts by John Scalzi: Another gift from Travis. This is a science fiction book I guess, based around the idea of anyone in a red shirt with a small backstory on Star Trek is destined to die! I loved this one! A blurb on the back said "pee your pants funny!" and while I don't think that is accurate, the story was fun and I loved all the little Star Trek references. I think any science fiction fan would like it, even if you aren't a trekker.
6. In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunnant: This one has been sitting on the pile of books next to my bed for a few years! The cover makes it look like a historic fiction romance but it isn't really. It is by the same author of The Birth of Venus, which I loved! This is the story of a famous, successful courtesan who has to flee Rome and re-establish herself in Renaissance Italy. It is told from the point of view of her faithful servant/friend a dwarf. It is more a story about loyalty, friendship, and betrayal than sex like you would expect. I was actually sad when it was over, I wanted to stay in that world a little longer.
7. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut: I LOVE Kurt Vonnegut and there are  a few of his books on our shelves that I haven't read yet. This one was good, if a little fatalistic and dark. I love his sense of humor and wit and I can't wait to make it through all of his books! I think I'll read Sirens of Titan next.
8. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill: The best book of the month is this one! I would NEVER have picked it up just seeing it or reading the blurb, but I read a great description of it on a book critics personal top ten of last year. This book is almost 700 pages and I read it in three days, I couldn't put it down! The story is so CREEPY at one point I was walking around my house at night and had to RUN back to bed because I was scared. That hasn't happened in a long time! Joe Hill is a wonderful writer and I'll probably try to read all of his novels this year.