June 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (19 books)

1. The Maverick's Bride by Catherine Palmer
2. Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier
3. Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff Vandemeer
4. Faeries Gone Wild
5. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
6. Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry
7. The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron
8. The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer
9. Autumn: The City by David Moody
10. The Outlaw's Bride by Catherine Palmer
11. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 5
12. Wake by Lisa McMann
13. Fade by Lisa McMann
14. Gone by Lisa McMann
15. Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
16. Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale
17. Zombies vs. Unicorns
18. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 6
19. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 7

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 5602 pages Pages Remaining: 970,632 pages

Current Read

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Books I Won!!!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Books I Gave Up On (0 books)

Had some good selections this month, so no DNFs.

Comments

A light reading month.  But that's okay.  I've been busy with other things in my life:

• End of the school year
• Disney World vacation
• Move to Omaha

That is what I originally wrote, but it's not really true.  Yes, the school year came to an end.  The boys were busy packing up, wrappimg up.  Yes, we went to Disney World on vacation.  It was awesome.  And stressful.  But that's part of the fun, right?  Yes, we moved to Omaha.  I've spent the last three days furiously unpacking (mostly because I really want to this to look like a house and not a hotel room.  Mostly, we have unpacked.  The rooms are actually looking like real rooms.  (I'll post some pictures soon.)  Things are really coming together.

So, it was a very busy month, but I somehow still managed to read 19 books (with only a few graphic novels).  This was definitely a respectable total for June.  Onward to July...  Now I have to unpack my books to actually get some reading done.  Decisions, decisions.

May 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (books)

1. The Living Dead 2 edited by John Joseph Adams
2. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 1
3. Mr. Darcy's Decision by Juliette Shapiro
4. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 2
5. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 3
6. Once Bitten, Twice Dead by Bianca D'Arc
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Pale Reflections
8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
9. Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green
10. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: False Memories
12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Haunted
13. I am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
14. Today in History: Disney by Eve Zibart
15. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
16. Steampunk Prime edited by Mike Ashley
17. The Ultimate Disney Trivia Book by Kevin Neary and Dave Smith
18. Watchmen: The Film Companion
19. Watchmen: The Art of the Film
20. Zombie High Yearbook by Jeff Busch
21. The Mental Floss History of the World by Erik Sass and Steve Wiegand
22. The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 4273 pages Pages Remaining: 976,234 pages

Current Read

The Maverick's Bride by Catherine Palmer (back to my silly Christian historical romance)

Books I Won!!!

Rex Riders

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne -- Just couldn't connect to the 39 year old lead female.  Didn't catch me enough to finish the book.  Not a horrible book, but not great.

Books Bought (14 books)

Borders closing sale (I can't resist) $30:

1. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
2. The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
3. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
4. A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
5. Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland
6. Queen of Swords by Sara Donati
7. Dawn on a Distant Shore by Sara Donati
8. Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati

Village Books closing sale:

1. The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
2. Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett
3. Race of Scorpions by Dorothy Dunnett
4. Dark Angel / Lord Carew's Bride by Mary Balogh
5. Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn
6. Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Comments

Okay so I read lot of books read in May, but to be completely honest, some of those were more "flip through" types of books.  Still, I am happy with my progress this month.  I read some and put a huge dent in my library pile.  My favorite for the month has to be The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  That one is going to stay with me for a while.  And I'm still waiting on the third book, The Dark and Hollow places to come off hold at the library.

I have put myself on a library ban (except specific holds) until I move.  Yep that's right, I'm moving.  If all goes well, I'll be leaving Indiana for Omaha, Nebraska in June.  It's been almost a year in the making.  I predict that my June reading is going to be very light with all the changes.  In addition to moving, it's the end of the school year (always busy with kids) and my mom, the boys, and I am going to Disney World.  We are going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks.

April 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (20 books)

1. The Amaranth Enchantment - Julie Berry
2. Fables: Legends in Exile - Bill Willingham
3. Unusual Suspects
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After - Steven Hockensmith
5. Fables: Animal Farm - Bill Willingham
6. The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance
7. Bad Boys with Expensive Toys - Nancy Warren, MaryJanice Davidson, Karen Kelley
8. Fables: Storybook Love - Bill Willingham
9. Bad Boys with Red Roses - Janelle Denison, Sharon Cullars, Tina Donahue
10. Coraline: The Graphic Novel
11. Hungry for Your Love
12. No Rest for Witches
13. V for Vendetta -Alan Moore and David Lloyd
14. Death's Excellent Vacation
15. Love FInds You in Pendleton, Oregon - Melody Carlson
16. A Taste of True Blood - Leah Wilson
17. The Titanic Awards - Doug Lansky
18. Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon - Melody Carlson
19. Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
20. Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test - Mark White (review coming)

Current Read

The Living Dead edited by John Joseph Adams

Books I Won!!!

Night of the Necromancer by Kyle West and Jelani Sims- from vvb32

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Notes from  a Spinning Planet: Ireland - Melody Carlson

Books Bought (9 books)

Borders closing sale (I can't resist):

• Allison Hewitt is Trapped - Madeleine Roux
• Lost in Austen - Emma Campbell Webster
• The Secret History of the Pink Carnation - Lauren Willig
• The Masque of the Black Tulip - Lauren Willig
• North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
• Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
• Seducing an Angel - Mary Balogh
• This Side of the Grave - Jeaniene Frost
• Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost

Comments

What a month!  So much going on.  I finished my first Readathon.  Not a long or  a demanding one, but it definitely made me focus on my reading progress.  I've decided to try and do a readathon at least once a season.  Hopefully I can get to one in July.  We'll just have to see.  I hit the 20 books for a month mark and am really excited to keep the momentum up.

March 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (25 books)

• Autumn - David Moody
• A Zombie's History of the United States - Dr. Worm Miller
• Hello, Gorgeous! - MaryJanice Davidson
• Sex and the Single Vampire (Dark Ones novel) - Katie MacAlister
• Sleeping with the Fishes - MaryJanice Davidson
• Swimming without a Net - MaryJanice Davidson
• Fish Out of Water - MaryJanice Davidson
• Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex - Mary Roach
• Blue Bloods - Melissa de la Cruz
• Masquerade (Blue Bloods #2) - Melissa de la Cruz
• Revelations (Blue Bloods #3) - Melissa de la Cruz
• The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods #4) - Melissa de la Cruz
• Keys to the Repository (Blue Bloods novel) - Melissa de la Cruz
• The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
• The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) - Rick Riordan
• Under Cover - Mary Janice Davidson
• Perez Hilton's True Bloggywood Stories - Perez Hilton
• The Rough Guide to Blogging
• Surrender Bay - Denise Hunter
• Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods #5) - Melissa de la Cruz
• Bloody Valentine (Blue Bloods novel) - Melissa de la Cruz
• The Facebook Book: A Satirical Companion - Greg Atwan & Evan Lushing
• Really Unusual Bad Boys - MaryJanice Davidson
• Date with a Devil - Anne Stuart, Cherry Adair, and Muriel Jensen
• Steamed - Katie MacAlister

Current Read

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry -- so far interesting YA fantasy read

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Drop Dead, Gorgeous! by MaryJanice Davidson - liked the first one, but not the second.  Just couldn't get into it at all.

Books Bought (13 books)

Half Price Books (clearance sale, all books $1)

1. The Reader - Bernhard Schlink
2. The Smart One and the Pretty One - Claire LaZebbnik
3. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
4. Something Blue - Emily Giffin

Half Price Books (Spring Break sale)

1. Love the One You're With -Emily Giffin

Borders (Closing Sale)

1. Warrior (The Blades of the Rose #1) - Zoe Archer
2. Scoundrel (The Blades of the Rose #2) - Zoe Archer
3. Stranger (The Blades of the Rose #4) - Zoe Archer

Barnes and Noble (Birthday Gift Card)

1. Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
2. The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle #3) - Libba Bray
3. Pride and Prejudice: Dreadfully Ever After - Steven Hockensmith
4. The Mysterious Benedict Society (#1) - Trenton Lee Stewart
5. Rebel (The Blades of the Rose #3) - Zoe Archer

Comments

Wow! That's a lot of books.  A lot of middle of the road reads, a few not so good ones.  I would have to say that I my favorite for the month was Autumn by David Moody.  I just found the sequel (Autumn: The City) at the library.  It's moving up my TBR pile.

On my life besides books, it was a month of birthdays.  Mine, my dad's, J's, and the boys.  Lots of celebrations and craziness.  And now the house is filled with even more toys.  We really need to do a complete cleanout soon.

Now we're off to spring break! and beginning April's reading.

February 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (17 books)

• Bespelling Jane - Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, Janet Mullany
• Wildflower Brides: Four Romances Blossom Along the Oregon Trail - Andrea Boeshaar, Cathy Marie Hake, Sally Laity, Pamela Kaye Tracy
• Zombies for Zombies - David P. Murphy
• Valentine's Day is Killing Me - MaryJanice Davidson, Leslie Esdaile, and Susanna Carr
• At the Scent of Water - Linda Nichols
• Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen
• The Royal Mess - MaryJanice Davidson
• Cupid Cats - Katie MacAlister, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Connie Brockway
• Birnbaum Guides: Walt Disney World
• Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania - Loree Lough
• Heroes Vol. 1
• Don't Stop Believin' - Erin Balser and Suzanne Gardner
• A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
• Heroes Vol. 2
• Austenland  - Shannon Hale
• Twilight: The Graphic Novel - Stephenie Meyer
• The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Current Read

A Zombie's History of the United States by Dr. Worm Miller

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly -- Gave it 50 pages, but couldn't get into the story.  It's a mystery and I don't think those are my cup of tea.  Oh well, on to the next book.

Books Bought (24 books)

From Half Price Books (great coupon deal)

• * Mystery book for J's birthday
• * The Wedding Dress - Virginia Ellis
• * Chocolat - Joanne Harris
• * Weekend in Paris - Robyn Sisman
• * The Magicians - Lev Grossman (J's recommendation)
• * The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
• * Gossip Girl - Cecily von Ziegesar
• * Gossip Girl: You're the One that I Want (#6) - Cecily von Ziegesar
• * Gossip Girl: Nobody Does it Better (#7) - Cecily von Ziegesar

Village Books Fun

• * Nightworld Vol. 2
• * Nightworld Vol. 3
• * Contact - Carl Sagan
• * Year Zero - Jeff Long
• * Soulless - Gail Carriger
• * Changeless - Gail Carriger
• * Blameless - Gail Carriger

Library Sale (5 books for $1!)

• * Good Night, Mr. Holmes - Carole Nelson Douglas
• * Consider Lily - Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
• * All for Love - Amanda Elyot
• * Pleasing the Dead - Deborah Turrell Atkinson
• * The Serpent on the Crown - Elizabeth Peters

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Hatter M Vol. 1 (The Looking Glass Wars)

Hatter M Vol. 2 Mad with Wonder (The Looking Glass Wars)

Comments

17 books in the shortest month of the year!  That is definitely a great total.  Of course, many of the books this month were "easy" fun reads, but it's still reading.  I had fun getting into the "romantic" atmosphere for February.  As for my favorites, I am going to have to go with At the Scent of Water (very moving and sad, but happy too) and Flip This Zombie (fun, fun, and more fun).

Next month, the focus of the Year of Reading is Fantasy.  I've already got a stack of fantasy books sitting on my floor just waiting to be opened.  I think it will be a good month.  And it's my birthday month!  Extra fun!  On a related note, reviewing my reading challenges, I have decided to increase my fantasy challenge to the "addicted" level of 12 books.  I'm well on my way there.

January 2011 Wrap-Up

This wrap-up post will mainly deal with my reading challenges, but I might also discuss any big life developments and/or fun events.

Books Read and Reviewed (15 books)

The Lightkeeper's Daughter (A Mercy Falls Novel) -- Colleen Coble

The Lightkeeper's Bride (A Mercy Falls Novel) -- Colleen Coble

The Royal Treatment -- MaryJanice Davidson

The Royal Pain -- MaryJanice Davidson

A Girl's Guide to Vampires -- Katie MacAlister

Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float -- Sarah Schmelling

The Monsters of Templeton -- Lauren Groff

Bloodsucking Fiends -- Christopher Moore

You Suck -- Christopher Moore

Bite Me -- Christopher Moore

Archenemy -- Frank Beddor

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 -- Alan Moore

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2 -- Alan Moore

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Black Dossier -- Alan Moore

Current Read

Bespelling Jane - Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, Janet Mullany

Books I Gave Up On (2 books)

The Cat's Meow -- Melissa de la Cruz (just could not get into it at all)

The Everything Green Classroom Book -- Tessa Hill (boring, boring, and extra boring)

Books Bought (28 books)

A Girl's Guide to Vampires -- Katie MacAlister

Pride and Prejudice: The Graphic Novel

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

Half Price Books Selections (13 books for $20!):

* A Reliable Wife -- Robert Goolrick

* Nigh World Vol. 1 -- L.J. Smith

* Garden Spells -- Sarah Addison Allen

* Her Ladyship's Companion -- Evangeline Collins

* The Nanny Diaries --Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

* Inklings -- Melanie M. Jeschke

* Pope Joan -- Donna Woolfolk Cross

* Ender's Game -- Orson Scott Card

* The Spring of the Ram (House of Niccolo II) -- Dorothy Dunnett

* Scales of Gold (House of Niccolo IV) -- Dorothy Dunnett

* The Unicorn Hunt (House of Niccolo V) -- Dorothy Dunnett

* To Lie with Lions (House of Niccolo VI) -- Dorothy Dunnett

* Caprice and Romeo (House of Niccolo VII) -- Dorothy Dunnett

Book CloseOuts:

*Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander -- Ann Herendeen

*The Firemaster's Mistress -- Christie Dickason

*Introducing Vivian Leigh Reid: Daughter of te Diva -- Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

*Now Starring Vivian Leigh Reid: Diva in Training -- Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

*The New and Improved Vivian Leigh Reid: Diva in Control -- Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

*The Perfect Bride -- Eileen Putman

*13: The Story of the World's Most Notorious Superstition -- Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

*Earthly Pleasures -- Karen Neches

*Spirited Away -- Pamela Labud

*Abomination -- Colleen Coble

*In the Shadow of the Sun King -- Golden Keyes Parsons

*Austenland -- Shannon Hale

Comments

Overall I am happy with my reading progress.  I have tried to commit myself to reading at least an hour each day and have done fairly well.  Of course, some days I get busy with activities and boys and don't get to the reading part.  Others I have a good chunk of time to devote without sacrificing time the boys.  Hopefully I can keep up this pace through the rest of the year.  My reading challenges are going well, even with me adding a few more to my list.  I think the total is 15 different challenges (a few are month long ones for the entire year).  Thankfully I do have enough cross overs that the total number of books I need to read isn't out of control.  I did join The Centurions of 2011 on Facebook, so I am committed to at least 111 books in 2011... I think I can do it, just need to keep reading.

As to my book buying, I am done for the next few months.  I try not to buy books in the first place, knowing that I have limit funds and time.  Plus I already have a few (not going to count) boxes of books sitting in my dad's house awaiting moving.  I need to focus on getting through those and the library pile that seems to be multiplying.  So I am done buying, and hopefully I won't get derailed from that goal.  Yeah I'm thinking about you B!