Fifty Two Books. One Year.

Literature moves my soul in a way nothing else can. To say that I love to read barely scratches the surface of my obsession with books... I rarely have less than 15 books sitting in a pile waiting to be read. Even though I have a stack of unread books on my shelf, that does not stop me from heading down to Powell's Books to pick up new (and slightly worn) reads (which I will be doing today with my  lovely Emily thanks to a gift card from my cousin). There is a list of about 25 books that I reread each year. I have books stacked on top of pretty much every piece of furniture in my room at this moment and I tend to stash at least two or three books at my desk at work. Also, my best friend is also a book lover, which only fuels my obsession even more and spurs many a discussion about books whenever we are together. 

Okay, maybe I have a problem... :)

But it's my thing. For others it may be hiking, cooking, musical instruments, riding bikes, photography, cycling, or painting. I enjoy other things like baking, writing, and music...  but for me, books are my obsession.

So, at the end of 2011, when everyone else was making resolutions to save money, lose weight, be nicer to people, etc, my friend Mandy and I (being the book lovers we are) decided to make a resolution to start a book challenge for 2012. My goal was to read 52 new books - one book a week. No rereading allowed. I shared my idea with a couple of my other book-loving friends, and they also decided to join us in similar challenges. Emily's goal was to read only new books in 2012, and I am proud of her for finishing this goal (and extremely proud of her for finally reading and finishing "The Hobbit"! Check out her blog post here). Brenda flew past our goal and I believe finished 2012 with a list of almost 100 titles (she's my hero!). 

I am proud to say I also completed the challenge. I ended 2012 having read over 20,000 pages with a grand total of 54 new books. 

It was a great year of books. I didn't branch out to other genres as much as I would have liked (sticking mainly to YA, Fantasy/Science Fiction, and Fiction), but I am pleased with the books I chose. 

Instead of boring you with a long list of books on here, you can visit my GoodReads page to see the complete list and my ratings (should you ever need a book suggestion). But there are a few authors/books I want to highlight here...

Dan Brown

I read "The DaVinci Code" many years ago, but hadn't touched any of his other novels. Thanks to my friend Mandy, I was able to read all of his other books and LOVED them all. I think if I absolutely had to choose a favorite, it would be "Angels and Demons" followed closely by "Digital Fortress". 

Michael Crichton

I love the Jurassic Park movies. I didn't find out until recently that they were based on books! So I had to read them. I flew through "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World" only to discover he had also written "Timeline" - which is another movie I like! So, I had to add that to the list. I enjoyed all three of the books and highly recommend them. I love all the detail in his books (his writing reminds me a lot of Dan Brown). In fact, I just added two more of his novels to my "to-read" stack on my nightstand this week and I have my eye on several more to be added soon. 

Rick Riordan

I read Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series a couple of years ago and loved it. I love Greek mythology and it was a lot of fun to read about the group of demigods led by Percy on several adventures, ending with saving the world. This year I tackled his "Heroes of Olympus" series, which starts not long after the end of the Percy Jackson series and includes both Greek and Roman mythology and a handful of new characters. I am anxiously waiting for the next book to come out sometime later this year. 

I also read his "Kane Chronicles" series (I wrote a short review for the first book here) which is about Carter and Sadie, descendants of two pharoahs from Ancient Egypt. This series has a lot of Egyptian mythology (another subject I am fascinated with!). I read all three books and LOVED them.

While his books are for kids, they are incredibly well written and entertaining. I know several adults who also enjoy these books and have been able to share them with both kids and adults this year. I just read a blog post by Riordan on this very subject on GoodReads. I would like to check out his "39 Clues" series this year. If you (or your child) are looking for a good series to read, I suggest checking out any of his books!!

Non-fiction

I am not a huge fan of non-fiction. I think it stems from the fact that I had to read several non-fiction books when I was younger that were incredibly boring, so it just turned me off of them. But there were two I read this year that I enjoyed immensely. 

"Choosing to SEE"

Mary Beth Chapman

A truly excellent book about the life of Mary Beth from her childhood to marrying Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, from the birth of their children, to adopting their two daughters from China, and ends with  the months after the loss of her adopted daughter Maria after an accident involving one of her sons. One of my favorite books of the year. The desire to adopt a child has always been heavy on my heart, and this book solidified that desire even more. The Chapman family have started a great organization called Show Hope that helps families who want to adopt internationally. They opened an orphanage in China in honor of their daughter. It's an amazing book that will speak to your heart and bring tears to your eyes!

"Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?"

Mindy Kaling

I am a huge fan of the show "The Office" and Mindy Kaling is hilarious as Kelly on that show. So, I saw her book and thought "Why not?". I'm so glad I picked it up. Mindy (after reading this book, I feel she would be okay with me using her first name) is a person I would really like to meet. She's honest, hilarious, and (mostly) happy to be who she is. This was a fun and easy read and gave a good insight into the making of Mindy. I highly recommend it. 

Started, but not finished.

There were three books that I started, but did not finish before the end of the year. Not because I didn't like them, but I just ran out of time.

"World War Z"

Max Brooks

I love all things zombie. Which is weird because no one else in my family enjoys things like that. I'm not a fan of horror movies at all (stemmed from an obsession with them in high school that may have resulted in me starting to "see" things in the shadows at night due to an over-active imagination and too many late nights full of horror flicks), but I enjoy anything about vampires, werewolves, many other supernatural/fairy tale creatures... and now zombies. This book chronicles a zombie outbreak through interviews with many people throughout the timeline of the outbreak. It's fascinating - but a slow read (at least for me). I bought after my friend Emily and her husband read it and gave it a raving review. It's now going to be a movie and yes, I will probably still go see it (even if it has Brad Pitt in it. **gag**). If you like zombies, definitely check this book out. I will be finishing it up in the next couple of months. 

"11/22/63"

Stephen King

My first Stephen King novel! I was super excited to add this book to my 52 book challenge, but started it too late in the year. December was busy, and I just didn't have time to finish the 850 page book. On New Years Eve, I sat on my couch and read all the way up to midnight trying to finish it before the end of the 2012. I still had 250 pages left when the clock struck twelve. It's a great book layered with American history and time travel. I have about 150 pages left, and I can't wait to see how it ends. 

"P.S. I Love You"

Cecelia Ahern

I love the movie that is based on this book. I started the book earlier this year... but had a hard time getting into it and was easily distracted by the many other books I had waiting for me. So I put it down, and regretfully, never picked it up again. It's back on my list of "to-read" for 2013 though, because I know it will be a great book. :) 

 The Lonely Books of 2012

There were so many books I didn't get to this year, and I am a bit disappointed. Here are a few that I hope to get to in 2013:

• "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• "The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone" by Sophocles
• "The Bourne Identity" by Robert Ludlum
• "House Rules", "Salem Falls", "The Pact", and "Handle With Care" by Jodi Piccoult
• "Wildwood" and "Under Wildwood" by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis

~~~

I am going to end this very long blog post with a quote my friend Paul wrote in the book he gave me for Christmas (which might have made me tear up a little bit when I read it)...

52 Book Challenge - Book Four: Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel is the first book of “The Infernal Devices” series by Cassandra Clare. This book follows Tessa as she travels by boat from New York to London at the request of her brother Nathaniel, only to be taken captive by The Dark Sisters as soon as she arrives. It is under their horrible instruction, Tessa discovers that she has the ability to Change into a person just by holding on to something that they owned. She is finally told by the Sisters that her training was to prepare her to marry a man they call the Magister. When she refuses, they threaten to kill her brother whom they are holding captive.

Will and Jem are Shadowhunters. They have been trained to use magic which is accessed through runes that are tattooed on their skin to hunt down demons. Will and Jem find Tess while they are investigating the murder of a young girl, and take her back to the Institute which is run by Charlotte and Henry Branwell. As Tessa grows closer to both boys, she discovers that she is drawn to both Will and Jem, and finds that her feelings are stronger than she expects.

As Tess works with the Shadowhunters to help track down her brother and find the Magister, she discovers secrets about her parents that cause her to question who she is and a betrayal by one she holds dear.

It has been years since I have read something by Cassandra Clare, but as soon as I started Clockwork Angel I remembered why I liked her books. I become attached to her characters very quickly. She has a way of making you like them (or hate them) and drawing you in to their world. Of course, there’s the cool characters like vampires and fairies, which I love. I was also very excited to see a character from her original series “The Mortal Instruments” appear in this book. It was a good read, and I can’t wait to get the second one!

Rating: 5 Stars.

52 Book Challenge - Book Three: Deception Point

One morning, out of the blue, Intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton is asked to meet with the President of the United States. Before she knows it, she is on a jet to Antarctica to bear witness to an amazing discovery NASA has made: a meteorite under the ice with fossils of extraterrestrial life forms in it. This could not come at a better time. With an election looming over the country, Rachel’s father, Senator Sexton, is running for the presidential seat against President Herney. The main focus of the Senator’s campaign against the President has been NASA and the billions of dollars spent on research – approved by the President – with no results. This discovery would validate not only the President’s faith and support of NASA, but would cause the American people to put their faith in NASA. Unfortunately, not is all as it seems, and  Rachel soon finds she is stuck in a web of deceit that is threatening her very life. It is up to her, Michael Tolland (an oceanographer), and Corky Marlinson (an astrophysicist) to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

This was the second Dan Brown book I have read. The first one was The Da Vinci Code  - which I loved. I was very excited to read another book by Brown – and my friend Mandy graciously lent me this one. I will admit that it was very slow getting into. The first half of the book is spent setting things up with the election, NASA’s history, and providing information about the meteorite. The exciting stuff didn’t start until easily 300 pages into the book. Luckily, I stuck it through to the end and was pleasantly surprised by the twist in the plot (I literally said “What the heck!?!” when I read it!). In the end, it was worth the read, and I would recommend this book to others, just make sure you push through those first 300 pages – it will be worth it!

Rating: 4 Stars

52 Book Challenge - Book Two: The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid is the first book of The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. This series follows siblings Carter and Sadie Kane, who find out that they are direct descendants from two Pharaohs of ancient Egypt after their father disappears from the British Museum after he tries to summon the Egyptian god, Osiris. Unfortunately this act not only releases Osiris (and traps him in their father’s body), but also releases several other gods, as well as Set, the god of storms, who then entombs their father in a tomb. This thrusts Carter and Sadie into an adventure like no other as they discover the power they have inside of them. Not only do they have to defend themselves against the minions of the evil god Set, but they also have to avoid The House of Life, which is a group of magicians that believe that the Egyptian gods should not interact with magicians. With the help of the cat goddess Bast, their uncle Amos, an unlikely friend from the House of Life, and seeking assistance from Set’s brothers and sisters, Carter and Sadie travel around the world, searching for a way to stop Set as he builds his Red Pyramid, intending to rule the world.

If you have read and enjoyed the Percy Jackson series by Riordan, then you will enjoy the Kane Chronicles. It’s full of ancient history, battles, romance (well, as much romance as 12 and 14 year olds can get!), and humor. The book bounces back and forth between the views of Carter and Sadie, so you get to hear from both of them throughout the book. I am very excited to see where this series go. The second book,The Red Throne, was released in December of 2011, and the third (and final) book will be released in May 2012, so I won’t have to wait very long! J

Rating: 5 Stars

52 Book Challenge: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is written from the point of view of Thomas, a boy who wakes up in an elevator with no idea of who he is and where he is. The elevator takes him to the “Glade”,  the central area of a large Maze where he meets a group of boys who have lived in the Glade, trying to find a way out of it by sending runners into the maze during the day to map it’s twists and turns. A new boy is delivered once every month, but the day after Thomas arrives, the elevator brings another person: a girl. Her arrival sets things in motion that cause Thomas, and the rest of the boys, to question why they were sent to the Maze and whether or not they can ever escape from it. 

Rating: Four Stars 

While this was a very good read (I couldn't put it down), I wasn't thrilled about the how the characters spoke. They created some of their own words, which they used like swear words (for example, "shuck" was one of them). I think the reason the author had the characters do this, was because they could remember some words/images from their past, and I think the words they created were based on those words (Shuck would be sh** and f*** combined together). While I understand WHY the characters may have done that, I did find it a little irritating.

Next Week's book:

The 52 Book Challenge

A friend and I were discussing our desire to read more in 2012. We both love to read, but haven't read as much as we like in the past. She wanted to set a goal to read x-amount of books in one year. After talking about it, we finally decided to do one book a week, so 52 books for the whole year, and blog about each book that we read.

The one rule is that it has to be a NEW book - one that you have never read before.

It can be an genre, any size, any shape, any color. :)

My first book is 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner