What I'm reading: January

Last year, I set a goal for myself to read 40 books in 2013, and I ended up reading 49. It became a sort of competition (with myself) to see how many books I could actually read. It was an awesome feeling to look at my Goodreads profile, and see how many different books I'd read, and how many pages I'd read over the past year. I've set a goal for myself this year, of 50 books (or 18,000 pages if I read long books). Yes, it's probably a little ambitious but I love reading so I'm excited to see how far I get. You can always follow along on my Goodreads page.

I have a pretty good sense of what I'm going to be reading for at least a little while - I have a lot of books i"m on a wait list for with my library's (awesome) ebook system. With so much time off for the holidays, I've read three books so far this month: The Longest Ride, The Lowland, and The Fault in Our Stars.

All were completely different styles - but I did enjoy John Green's book the most - it is so sad, but wonderful. I'm glad I read it before seeing the new movie this spring. Read that one first, it wont disappoint.

I'm currently reading the Beautiful & the Damned; a presidential biography on LBJ, and Elizabeth Gilbert's newest book. Again, all completely different, but all wonderful in their own way.

Any must reads for me? I'm trying to branch out from what's "current" on the bestsellers lists (hence, the F. Scott Fitzgerald), so lay it on me! I'll read almost anything.

Currently reading: White Teeth

I'm not one to give up on a book once I start it, I convince myself it will get better, that I'll start to enjoy it, the plot will suddenly change.. anything to force myself to finish it. This is one reason I love love love Goodreads - its such a great little site full of avid readers like me, who love to share their reviews. Plus if you're OCD about lists, like I am, I thoroughly enjoy being able to track all the books I've read over the year, how many pages I've read, authors I read the most, etc. It's just a great site for readers. In fact, I just converted my 14 year old cousin (who is an avid reader, which I LOVE), to the site during our family dinner. Highly recommend it.

Part of my mission during my "summer vacation" is to just read. I picked up White Teeth, by Zadie Smith, which some pretty mixed reviews; but I downloaded it to my Kindle via my library anyways. Sadly, it's a book I cannot wait to finish - I find myself skimming pages just to hurry it up. I know I'm being stubborn, but I won't let myself put it down. I'm about 80% done, and I can't wait for it to be over. It's all about religion, cultural differences, generational differences, which on the surface is something that really interests me. But, I just can't get into it.

Does anyone else feel guilty when they start a book and don't end up liking it? I just want to like every book I read, and then feel bad when I do not. 

Finally reading...

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Its been on my "to-read" list for ages, but I'm finally getting to it. I'm quite excited. Anyone else read it?

I came across these beautiful leather-bound books, and fell in love. I have two of my own - a complete set of Jane Austen's books, and the Bronte sisters. I don't even read them for fear of ruining them, but keep them on display in my living room. They're gorgeous. I want more to collect. 

Anyone else collect books?

Image source

Book #1: One Day

 "Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance." - One Day - David Nicholls

What: One Day

By: David Nicholls

My thoughts: This was my first book I read in 2011; and what an excellent book it was. Basically, the book follows two people, Emma and Dexter, from high school graduation until adulthood. The catch? The book only covers one day each year, giving you just a glimpse into their lives. Maybe it was interesting to me, because the day each year is one day before my birthday. I loved this book; that it went from 1988- 2005; that you could catch the pop culture references as the years changed; that you could kind of use your imagination to fill in what happened in between. Emma and Dexter both grew tremendously as the book went out, and it was interesting to see how much they changed in a one year period. Both characters were extremely well-developed and the book was heart breaking at times.

The book has been made into a movie, starring Anne Hathaway. It will be out next year; and while books are always better than their movie counterparts, I will probably still go see it. I can definitely see Anne as Emma!

Rating: 5 stars!

What's next: For once, I'm not 100% sure! My goal is to finish Decision Points.

What are you reading?

Book #20 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

"Friendship is probably the most common form of love." — Stieg Larsson (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest)

What: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
By: Steig Larson
My thoughts: I started this immediately after finishing The Girl who Played with Fire (my thoughts), and this one was by FAR my favorite out of the series. It picked up right where The Girl who Played with Fire left off, wasting no time getting into the thick of the plot. It was fascinating to have this struggle between the government and the legal system, and the consistent theme of how far someone will go to protect themselves, even if it means breaking the law. It made me think of the power of a government, and what they truly are capable of doing, without anyone ever knowing they're doing it. 


Again, this book was violent and dark at times, so if that's not your thing, you may  not want to read. The book was unpredictable, in that you never knew what would happen next, and if Lisbeth, Blomkvist, or any of the other characters were going to find themselves in danger yet again. The character of Lisbeth is so well-done, she has so many layers to her and she's definitely not a cookie-cutter character. Even when the book ends, you still don't know how to feel about her. You feel bad for her for all she's been through, but she can hold her own. She's tough, unique, insanely smart but socially awkward, hard to understand and to love, but you love her all the same- which is exactly how Blomkvist and others feel.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Perhaps its the political science major dork in me, but I was extremely interested in the book and highly recommend it. I'm starting to want to read more books in the mystery genre; I've never liked them before but these books are making me question that!

I wont be seeing the movies, however. They're bound to be violent and dark, and thats definitely not my type of movie!

What's next: Currently reading (dont judge) Decision Points by George Bush.. I kind of want to start reading a book about every President.. stay tuned!

Readings: The Girl Who Played With Fire

One thing I love about vacation time, is that I get time to finally read books again! I'm raiding my Mom's bookshelf and Kindle and it's fabulous. Between my plane ride home and some pre-dinner reading, I was able to finally finish the 2nd book to Steig Larson's series. I found the first one a bit hard to get through, but his second book left me pleasantly surprised.

What: The Girl Who Played With Fire
By: Steig Larson
My thoughts: I'm not normally one for mystery (or violent) books, but with everyone talking about this series, I've been giving it a try. The first book didnt live up to the hype; I read it months ago. With all the excitement over both the books and the upcoming movies (and the fact that I had already paid for the book!) I started The Girl Who Played With Fire last week. First thought: Wow. What an intense, violent, fast paced book.

There were so many twists and turns throughout the novel that left me second guessing what would happen next, trying to solve the murder mystery and figuring out all the characters connected to one another. The character Lisabeth Salander is so fascinating, Larson gave her so much depth and mysteriousness that you never quite have her figured out but you're invested in her character still. I loved that. The book ended at such a suspenseful moment that I immediately picked up my Mom's Kindle to start reading the third!

I will forewarn, the book is extremely violent; and at times graphic. I for one will NOT be seeing the movies, because I don't think I can handle that.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars. If you didnt like the first one, I'd give the 2nd a shot. I'm already eager to read what happens to Lisabeth and Blomkvist.
What's next: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larson and Decision Points - George Bush (I love political books regardless of political parties involved).

What are you reading? Have you read the Stieg Larson books? Did they live up to your expectations?

The Gurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

What: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By: Marry Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows

My thoughts: I finished reading this last night; and stayed up past my "bedtime" to finish it. What an amazing book. I've always enjoyed books that have some sort of historical reference, and this one takes place in London/the island of Guernsey post-World War II. It took me awhile to finish this book but last night I couldnt stop; I read the last 1/3 of it in one sitting. One thing that freaked me out, was thinking about how I'd react if something that devastating and horrendous ever were to happen to me - I'm not sure I'd be as strong as the people who survived WWII and concentration camps. 

The entire book is a series of telegrams/letters, and despite the fact that its not a "traditional" book, you still become extremely connected to Juliet, the main character, as well as Kit, Sidney, Elizabeth, Remy and all the islanders. The book is sad, particularly in hearing about families and lives torn apart by the war, and the concentration camps. But, its also inspirational to hear about the strength these people had living during such a horrible time period of total devastation, and how they began to rebuild their lives.

I want to read/learn more about Guernsey; I've never heard much about this island before and now am extremely curious.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I'd highly recommend reading this book.

What's next: The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larson

What are you reading?

Bookshelf Porn

I found this popular Tumblr a while ago; its become one of my favorites. I love the idea of having rooms of books in all shapes, sizes and colors, old books and new books. In the age of the Kindle, sometimes it feels like the era of the bookshelf may come to an end. I, however, think I will always treasure my hard copy books, will require a bookshelf in my home.

Below are a few of my favorite recent photos that were posted on the blog. I suggest you'd check it out!

Nanny Returns

I chose to use my short time between jobs, when I wasn't driving across the country for a trip to my home state and back, to read. Every Jane Austen book I've read, I loved, but for some reason, I just could not get into Mansfield Park. I still feel bad that I abandoned it a mere 12% in (got to love Kindle's lack of page numbers, instead providing you with the percentage you've completed). I decided to switch genres completely by reading Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus.

Yes, the  movie starring Scarlet Johannson was horrible, but the book? As far as chick-lit goes, I enjoyed it. I read the first book years ago, chose to read it last night on a whim. For some reason the character Nan sticks out to me, because even though she gets involved in these asinine situations with powerful, wealthy people, she still follows her heart in the end. It makes me question if mothers in New York City really treat their children that way, however. I read the book in one sitting, and was definitely engrossed. Sure, it's no Mansfield Park, but it was definitely the type of book I needed right now in my efforts to unwind before ramping things up to start my new job! I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, when comparing it to other books that are similar in genre. Jane Austen, I'll come back to your book someday, when my brain is further rejuvenated.

What should I read next?