100+ Reading Challenge

My Overstuffed Bookshelf is hosting this challenge. 

I haven't done to well in the amount of book read this year. I wanted to read over 100, so now I'm going to make it a goal for 2011.

DETAILS:

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good enough.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.

3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2011. Books started before the 1st do not count. You can join at anytime.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

Blogging goals for 2010

These aren't any any particular order.

1) Interview more authors.
I've only done one interview, period. Next year I'd like to have an interview or guest post on my blog at least once a month.

2) Read more
I only read about 50 books this year. I know I can read a lot more books then that in 2011 (a lot more!!)!

3) Participate in more weekly memes
They're so fun, why not!

4) Comment more on other blogs
It's not that I don't read other people's blogs, I just hardly ever comment. I'd like to change that.

5) Post something at least every other day if not everyday
I did a terrible job of making sure my blog was "fresh" with new content. I definitely need to do better!!

6) Do more contest
I didn't do anywhere near the number of contest I wanted to do in 2010. I'm making up for it in 2011

7) Reply more to people's comments on my blog
Pretty self-explanatory

Top 10 books read in 2010

This aren't in any particular order.

Paper towns by John Green

I started this year off with Paper towns, and now it’s one of my favorite books of all time. I learned about life, laughed, participated in an awesome road trip, and got into Walt Whitman poems.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

It’s a quick read, but it was packed full of enough 

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

Everybody seemed to really like Lament, but I just thought it was ok. But then I won a contest, and Maggie sent me a copy of Ballad. I’m so glad I read it; because it was everything I’d wanted Lament to be. It was dark and sarcastically humorous, which is my kind of book.

Shadowkiss by Richelle Mead

I loved all of the books, but this (to me) is the climax of the series. I lot of things happen in this one, some good, some bad.

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

I never thought any other book in the series could take the place of the first book, Wicked Lovely, but it kind of did…. I guess I’ll call it a tie.  

The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty

I’ve never read ANYTHING like this. It actually took finishing this to realize how great it was. It was funny, and deep, and quirky, and weird. This book taught me that there are ghosts everywhere, that people can be ghosts of their former self. 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Despite there being parts I didn’t like, it was still the end of a great story.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

I love mythology, so I had to read this. Who knew this would blow my mind! The writing is an amazing. Everything is like a puzzle; with pieces that fit perfectly. Plus, Nahadoth is sexiness personified.

Please ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King

Ok, so I haven’t actually finished this, but I’m almost done (just a few pages left) and I already know how great it is, extremely sad, but great none the less. 

Lover mine by J. R. Ward

I never thought anyone would take the place of Zsadist as my top brother, but John has surpassed him (in a way, because Zsadist will always have a special place in my heart).

Best of What I Read 2010

This best of what I read list/survey was started over at  ThePerpetualPageturner

1) Best book of 2010?
It's a tie between the first book I read and the last. Paper Towns by John Green and Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King.

2) Worst book of 2010?
Um... there weren't any real bad books this year, just books I wish I had like more than I did. The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike was a book I wish I'd like more than I did.

3) Most disappointing book of 2010?
Fallen by Lauren Kate. It wasn't bad, but I was disappointed that I didn't like it anymore than I did (I am liking Torment a lot better though).


4) Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2010?
The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty . I've never read anything like it!

5) Book you recommended to people most in 2010?
It's a tie between The Ghosts of Ashbury High and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

6) Best series you discovered in 2010?
Definitely Vampire Academy (so good)!!

7) Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010?
John Green, Richelle Mead, Jaclyn Moriarty, and N. K. Jemisin,

8) Most hilarious read of 2010?
Vampire Crush by A. M. Robinson

9) Most thrilling unputdownable book in 2010?
Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

10) Book you most anticipated in 2010?
Mockingjay of course!


11) Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010?

The 10 p.m. Question review

Description: Twelve-year-old Frankie Parsons is a talented kid with a quirky family, a best friend named Gigs, and a voice of anxiety constantly nibbling in his head: Could that kidney-shaped spot on his chest be a galloping cancer? Are the smoke alarm batteries flat? Has his cat, The Fat Controller, given them all worms? Only Ma, who never leaves home, takes Frankie’s worries seriously. But then, it is Ma who is the cause of the most troubling question of all, the one Frankie can never bring himself to ask. When a new girl arrives at school--a daring free spirit with unavoidable questions of her own--Frankie’s carefully guarded world begins to unravel, leading him to a painful confrontation with the ultimate 10 p.m. question. Deftly told with humor, poignancy, and an endearing cast of characters, THE 10 P.M. QUESTION will touch everyone who has ever felt set apart. Worry-prone Frankie keeps his family secret under control--until a bold, inquisitive girl enters his life--in this warm, witty, and captivating YA novel.

My thoughts: This is not what I expected. I thought this book was about how the new girl shakes up everything, and she does but not in the way I thought. She helps change important issues that aren’t often explored in young children’s books. The wonderful thing about this book’s message is that it isn’t forced; it shows up silently half way through the book and refuses to leave. 

What made the message stick is that you won’t be pounded with not so subliminal subliminal messages.  The story was packed full with other quirky aspects, like a secret language, four obese but really interesting aunts, and a main character who can name more birds than some ornithologist could. May favorite part was the way people were compared to birds. It was so surprising how easily the characters seemed to fit the characteristics of birds. It made me wonder what kind of bird I am. Overall, it was a sweet and quick read full of relatable topics that shows why it deserved to be a finalist in the Montana book awards.

New Year's Contest - Vampire Crush ARC

I've been wanting to throw a contest for a while now, so I thought I'd start with Vampire Crush since it was released yesterday. You'll have to fill out this FORM, but here are the rules:

You MUST leave your email address, name, and check the box saying whether you're either an old or new follower, or not a follower at all.

Extra Entries:
+3 - old follower
+2 - new follower

Advertise contest:
+2 - link giveaway on sidebar and/or Tweet
+4 - blog post about contest

Contest ends on January 12.
Contest for people living in US and Canada only.

Top Tenish Books I wanted to read in 2010

These aren't in any particular order:

1. Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien
Why: A lot of bloggers I like really liked it, plus it's dystopic.

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Why: Anybody who knows me well knows that France (or just Europe overall) is my favorite place in the world.

3. Matched by Ally Condie
Why: I love dystopic romances.

4. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
Why: I love superheroes (& bad guys), plus it reminds me of Kick Ass.

5. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Why: It sounds unique and I just finished a class that involved reading a lot of Edgar Allan Poe's works.

6. Sea by Heidi r. Kling
Why: People love this book! I mean really LOVE it!

7. The first two books in the Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Bracken
Why: I really enjoyed the 3rd book, now I need to read the first two.

8. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Harvey
Why: Curses, wizards, and kingdoms sound like my kind of book.

9. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Why: I've been wanting to read this forever, and everyone seems to love it.

10. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Why: Vampire academy is one of my favorite YA series.

11. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Why: I love R&R (romance and road trips).

Looking Foward to...

Description: Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old--when in actuality, he's twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he's hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power--plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish--to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

My thoughts: It had Kara written all over it, plus did you see the guy on the cover, he's pretty hot (even hotter on the cover of the second book)!

Vampire Crush

Description:

I swear, my life was always totally normal.

Normal house, normal family, normal school. My looks are average, I don't have any superpowers, no one's showing up to tell me I'm a princess—you get the picture. But when my junior year started, something not normal happened. There were new kids at school . . . new kids with a wardrobe straight out of a 19th-century romance novel, and an inexplicable desire to stay at school until sundown.

And on top of that, James Hallowell showed up. James, who stole my sandwiches in fourth grade and teased me mercilessly through middle school. James, who now seems to have the power to make my heart race any time he comes near.

But something weird is going on. Because James rarely goes out during the day. And he seems stronger than your typical guy. And he knows the new kids, all of whom seem to be harboring some kind of deep secret. . . .

My thoughts:

This book had the potential to go really bad. A group of mysterious vampires at school, Twilight anyone? Not that I don’t like Twilight, I just didn’t want to read another version of it. I am glad to say that it is not Twilight all over again. The reason Vampire Crush stood out from other vampire stories is because it didn’t avoid vampire clichés or the typical plotline of a YA vampire novel; it seemed to include them while making fun of them at the same time. I enjoyed the fun lines that were created from the fact that the group of vampires seemed to be stuck in the 19^th century, along with the way they talked and dressed. But that isn’t the only thing that’s funny. The main character, Sophie is sarcastically funny throughout the whole book, both out loud and in her head (her thoughts are hilarious). There was a point in the book (where she’s in the woods with a friend) that had me bent over with tears in my eyes laughing. (Note to reader: my sense of humor is very unique, meaning that you might read the whole novel and still have no clue what line or scene I found to be so funny that I was bent over with tears in my eyes. note to self: It was 3 in the morning, so you might have found it funnier than it was.) My other favorite part was the romance in the book. I loved the interaction between Sophie and James. Long lost friends that meet up again and find out that they like each other romances are my favorite! This was such a fun and enjoyable read, and it came at the right time! I don’t know if this book is a stand alone or part of a series, because it could go either way but I look forward to reading more books by A. M. Robinson.

Vampire Crush was just released yesterday, so I've decided to give away and advanced copy. Look for the contest rules later today.

What are you reading on Mondays?

Book(s) read last week:
Spray by Harry Edge
Vampire Crush by A. M. Robinson

Currently reading:
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Possible upcoming read(s):
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by a.s. king

In My Mailbox 47

This meme was started by TheStorySiren

1. Hunger by Michael Grant:

I've been wanting to continue reading the series for a while now

2. The Jumper Chronicles: Quest for Merlin’s Map by W.C. Peever:

I love anything that could possibly be related to King Arthur and Merlin

3. The Scar-Crow Men by Mark Chadbourn:

It sounded really interesting from the looks of the description

4. Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey:

I've heard great things about the Drake Chronicles

5. Vampire Crush by A. M. Robinson:

I just finished reading this and loved it, so I'm hoping to give this extra copy away.