Wrapping Up 2010

Another year coming to an end.  Ugh.  I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to 2010.  I had a lot I wanted to accomplish.  Now I'm going to have to set my goals high for 2011.  I think it would be nice to occasionally meet goals before the New Year starts and then don't set anymore!  They only lead to heartache. . . But enough of that.

2010 was a good year for reading!  I read 64 books this year which is a new record!  Well, actually I think it is.  I've only kept track for the last five years or so.  I can safely say that my numbers have improved every year since 2006.  I met two of the challenge goals that I set for myself last January so that's good.  

The highlights of 2010:

* The Hunger Games trilogy!  I discovered the series in 2010 and read all three books.  I am so glad that I did.  They are full of action and great characters.
* The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves:  Again, two books in a series that I seriously loved.  I can't wait for the third book.
* Under the Dome:  I fussed about how long the book took me to finish but I still think about it all the time.  It's good.
*  The Help:  Another book that will stay with me.  I read a few books about the horrors that humans can inflict on others just based on religion or race or color of skin.  It's not right and this book sheds light on that.
* The Book Thief:  Wow.  Just an amazing book again, focusing on human horrors - this time the Holocaust.  The difference in this book is that the book centers on a different view, one of the German people, innocent and yet still living in fear.
* Infinite Days:  Another vampire book, yet so different.  It was nice to read something so very different. 
* The Passage:  Another long book that took me FOREVER to read but it was worth it.  Very good book about survival.

The low-lights of 2010

* Going Overboard:  The more I think about this one, the more I think it was a waste of time. 
* Out of Eden:  A very boring romance.
* Briar Rose:  Very disappointing to me.  I didn't enjoy the story and I really expected something different.
* The Dangerous Days of Daniel X:  Pointless read.  Good thing it was quick.
* Witch and Wizard:  Another pointless Patterson book.  I didn't enjoy it at all.

The good news is that I enjoyed more books than I disliked.  That's always a positive!  I'm really looking forward to 2011 and the wonderful books that it will bring!

New Author Challenge Wrap Up 2010

My goal for the New Author Challenge was to read 25 new authors for 2010.  I am happy to say that I completed that goal with a few extras.  I read 33 new authors in 2010.  Please note that these are new authors to me, not necessarily new authors to the industry.   The links are attached to the reviews here on my blog.

1. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
2.  Lauren Kate
3. Jeffrey Stepakoff
4. Suzanne Collins
5. Aprilynne Pike
6. Kieran Scott
7. Rick Riordan
8. Christina Skye
9. Kathi Appelt
10. Kathryn Stockett
11. Beth Ciotta
12. Jane Yolen
13. Sarah Dessen
14. Markus Zusak
15. Anna Quindlen
16. Robin Benway
17. Shannon Hale
18. Rebecca Maizel
19. Barbara Freethy
20. David Nicholls
21. Cathie Beck
22. Dona Van Liere
23. Maureen Johnson
24. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
25. Lucy Dawson
26. Carrie Ryan
27. Linda Urban
28. Margaret Peterson Haddix
29. Lauren Oliver
30. James Manos Jr. 
31 Eva Ibbotson
32. James Cronin
33. Joanne Fluke

A to Z Challenge Wrap Up 2010

Way back in January of 2010, I committed to read a book by an author for every letter of the alphabet.  Not long into the year, I thought that I might as well do the title challenge as well.  Oops.  I soon realized that I had lost the joy in reading.  It had become a chore to find the book, read the book, and review the book. Back in July, I made the decision to stop pursuing the title portion of the challenge. 

I'm happy to report that I did read a book by an author for every letter of the alphabet!  I completed the goal that I set for myself in January so I'm satisfied with my reading for the year.  And yes, I cheated for "X"

Here is my completed list for the A to Z Challenge!

A = Appelt, Kathi  (Keeper)
B = Barry, Brunonia (The Map of True Places)
C = Collins, Suzanne (The Hunger Games)
D = Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee (One Amazing Thing)
E = Evanovich, Janet (Hot Six)
F = Freethy, Barbara (On Shadow Beach)
G = Giffin, Emily (Heart of the Matter)
H = Harris, Charlaine (Club Dead)
I = Ibbotson, Eva (Journey to the River Sea)
J = Johnson, Maureen (13 Little Blue Envelopes)
K = Kate, Lauren (Fallen)
L = Lancaster, Jen (My Fair Lazy)
M = Maizel, Rebecca (Infinite Days)
N = Noel, Alyson (Evermore)
O = Oliver, Lauren (Before I Fall)
P = Pike, Aprilynne (Wings)
Q = Quindlen, Anna (Blessings)
R = Roberts, Nora (Bed of Roses)
S = Stepakoff, Jeffrey (Fireworks over Toccoa)
T = Trigiani, Adriana (Big Stone Gap)
U = Urban, Linda (A Crooked Kind of Perfect)
V = Van Liere, Donna (The Angels of Morgan Hill)
W = Wickham, Madeleine (A Desirable Residence)
X = Haddix, Margaret Peterson (Found)
Y = Yolen, Jane (Briar Rose)
Z = Zusak, Markus (The Book Thief)

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

I was reluctant to jump back into the world of Twilight with an unfamiliar character so it took me a long time to read this book.  I enjoyed it quite a bit!  The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a short little book about a minor character in Eclipse.  Bree is one of the newborn army sent to distract the Cullens while Victoria went after Bella.

Because I've read Eclipse, and have seen the movie, I know how Bree's story ends so that made the whole thing a little difficult.  She's a smart little vampire who thinks about more than her next meal.  I also liked the character of Freaky Fred and would like to know more about where he went and how his story continued.

If you've read the Twilight saga, you might as well read this one.  It fits in nicely and gives a different perspective.

2 Quick Reviews

Almost done with my reviews for 2010. . . Just a few more.

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich is the seventh book in the Stephanie Plum series.  I do enjoy coming back to this series and hanging out with the characters for a few days.  In Seven Up, Stephanie is on the hunt for old Eddie DeChooch.  He's a slippery old guy who likes to shoot at Stephanie.  While looking for him, she has to locate her missing friends Dougie and Mooner.

It's a fun book, with a ton of humor and ridiculous situations.  It's exactly the kind of book to read when you just need to be entertained.  Plus there is the whole triangle between Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger.  It just gets more intriguing.

Sugar Cookie Murder, by Joanne Fluke is part of a series but unfortunately I haven't read any of the other books.  I don't think I will either.  While I found parts of the book to be fun, the rest was just a little boring and didn't hold my interest. I was also surprised that the whole second half of the book was recipes!  They do look good so I'm going to keep the book!

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

I'm just so sad that this series is over.  Maybe Ms. Roberts can write a book about Mrs. G!  She's due a wedding of her own.  Anyway. . . Happy Ever After is the fourth book in the Bride Quartet.  It isn't my favorite of the series but I still enjoyed it very much.  It was nice to read just a good romance with very little conflict, just love.

I've grown to care for the gals at Vows and it was nice to at least get one wedding (Mac and Carter's) in this book.  I want one more book so that I can read about the other weddings!  In Happy Ever After, Parker continues to be grumpy at Mal and Mal continues to pursue Parker.  It's a match made in heaven.  If you've read the other books in the series, you've already met Mal and probably already figured out that he's perfect for the extremely organized Parker.  He messes with her life just enough to make it interesting.

The whole series is just romantic and fluffy.  If you like Nora Roberts, you've probably already picked up this series, but if not, I do recommend it.  They make you want a happy ever after of your own.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Have you ever picked up a book, started reading, enjoyed it, but still didn't know if you could finish it?  The Passage, by Justin Cronin, was like that for me.  So, if you are considering reading this really great book, just plug through.  You'll be glad you did.

The focus of the story is Amy, a young child who is just a little different and very brilliant.  When her desperate mother leaves her at an orphanage, the government swoops in.  The government is creating super weapons - vampire like creatures - to combat terrorism.  Of course, nothing quite works out the way they planned and after a mass escape, the creatures invade and infect at least the United States.  It's never clear how far it spreads. 

The next part of the book is about a pocket of survivors who are living on borrowed time and old batteries, with a system of walls and bright lights to protect them from the "virals".  When Amy arrives at their village, they discover a secret and a few set out to bring Amy back to where it all started.

Mr. Cronin crafted a very well detailed story with many surprises.  It is long and epic, spanning many, many years, but it's gripping and disturbing.  While it may be a vampire story, these are not your typical vampires.  They are not charming, that's for sure.  They are scary and not terribly human at all.  If I have any minor complaint it's the transitions between "sections" of the book.  I felt like so much was left hanging and all of a sudden I was one hundred years in the future trying to get to know a new group of characters.  Once I figured things out, the story began to flow again.  That's minor and it might not bother other people - I have a very linear mind, time-lines are very important to me in the books I read.  I do highly recommend this novel.  Just set aside a good chunk of time.