June Books Read: Part 1

Still reading around here! Here is my finished book list so far for June. I love summer because I have time to read.:)

1. The Naming by Alison Croggon (good Tolkienesque fantasy for young adults; the library only had the first one in the series so I am going to have to track down the rest)
2. Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (love, love, love this book!)
3. Body Surfing by Anita Shreve (good!)
4. Testimony by Anita Shreve (good)
5. Blindness by Jose Saramoga (I have not seen the movie but the book was fantastic. It is very, very dark. It is interesting how none of the characters have names; they are only referred to as the doctor, the doctor's wife, the girl with the sunglasses, etc. Definitely recommend this one but it is not a light read.)
6. Lock and Key by Sarah Dressen (enjoyed this one/ young adult)
7. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (I started this way back in February and finally finished. Interesting book but not my favorite.)
   

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

I just finished Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen this morning. It is a fun YA book that delves into how people keep themselves hidden and separated from other people. The main character, Ruby, is abandoned by her mother and was living alone for two months when her plight is discovered by social workers, and she is sent to live with her sister who she hasn't seen in ten years. She has to learn how to trust people to help her and learn how to be open to helping others as well. Although it delves into issues like abuse and alcoholism, it does not go in-depth with graphic scenes. It is a good summer read for young adults .

Books I have read in 2009

Here is where I am going to keep track of all the books I read in 2009!

1. The Favored Child by Phillippa Gregory 1/2009
   
2. Meridion by Phillippa Gregory 1/2009
   
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver 1/2009
   
4. The House on Tradd Street by Karen White 1/2009
   
5. House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo 1/2009
   
6. Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo 1/2009
   
7. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire 1/2009
   
8. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb 2/7
9. Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier 2/17
10. Testimony by Anita Shreve 6/2009
    
11. The Naming by Alison Croggon 6/2009
    
12. Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 6/2009
    
13. Body Surfing by Anita Shreve 6/2009
    
14. Blindness by Jose Saramago 6/2009
    
15. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen 6/15
    

I also have a master list of books to read over the following year that I compiled from several greatest lists:

Pulitzer Prize
Pen/Faulkner
Oprah's Book List
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
National Book Award
Nobel Prize for Literature

My goal is to read a combination of fifty books from those lists over the year. I have started my list but have not nailed down the fifty books yet.;)
Check out that list here! The highlighted books on the list I am reading along with APA. She has her own 50 book list that you can find on her blog. Want to join along with us?

House of Dark Shadows: Review

Title: House of Dark Shadows
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Thomas Nelson


I recently finished House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo published by Thomas Nelson.
The protagonist of the novel is a fifteen year old boy named Xander. He is not happy about moving from L.A. where he and his friends are budding film directors, to a sleepy small town with his family. His father has just found a new job as a principal at a local school which precipitated the move. They settle in a hotel and start looking for houses. They immediately find one they like, an old Victorian that is well below their price range. The only problem is that someone was murdered there thirty years before! Of course, now there will be ghosts and bumps in the night, right? Well, in the house there are passages that lead to other places like the linen closet that leads to the school, but there is also an attic with a long hallway of doors that lead to other times and places like the Colosseum in ancient Rome.

This is a very enjoyable, quick read that is spooky and a little bit scary. I finished it in a night because I did get so wrapped up in the story and wanted to find out what was going to happen. There is a cliffhanger at the end which drives me a little crazy. It is nice to see some kind of resolution even it there is a sequel to the book. I did go out and buy the sequel so the cliffhanger did work. It is perfect for the middle school crowd; of course, I am an adult who thoroughly enjoyed it too!

Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I finished Luxe by Anna Godbersen this past weekend and found it quite enjoyable. It is set in Manhattan in 1899 and follows Elizabeth Holland and her sister, Diana, through their tromps in the world of high society. It is a love story and murder mystery mixed into one.

At the beginning of the story, the reader is at Elizabeth's funeral on the day that her wedding was to take place to the playboy of the town, Henry Schoonmaker. She is cast as New York's darling with the manners and dress of the upper elite who died before her time. Was it murder or just a mistake? The story then goes back to the beginning and takes the reader along on the journey to her engagement with Henry (when she is actually in love with the stable boy), her best friend Penelope's involvement with Henry, and then to the end of the story where we see her little sister, Diana, come running into Elizabeth's funeral late which makes a nice cyclical effect. We get to see why and how her funeral comes to pass.

It is a nice, light young adult read. One does not have to think about it much or analyze, but it is a good story. I finished it in about 4 hours, so it is a quick read too. I enjoyed the historical details of New York at the turn of the century when upper elite girls would come out at debutante balls and spend their early teens learning how to behave in "proper" society. Of course, there are always the ones who refuse to follow the rules like Penelope, Elizabeth's best friend or her little sister, Diana.

There are two sequels coming out in January: Rumors in paperback and Envy in hardback. Rumors is already published in hardback. The series is very similar to gossip girl (from what I have heard-I haven't read or seen Gossip Girl) but set back a hundred years or so.

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die: 2008 Version

So when I began to do some research, I realized that I had found the older list of a book that was published under the name 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. They came out with a new edition this past year with ~268 titles removed and updated. I think I will just do both lists and will eventually combine the two.

I created an google docs spreadsheet here with my progress so far. I still have the original so if you would like you own copy, I can add you as a collaborator and you can edit and start your own version.

Check out my progress here!

Books I have read in 2008...

As I try to look back and reflect upon what I have read this year, this is the best approximation of books that I have read this past year. I know I am missing some and will add those as they occur to me. Plus, I will read some more in the coming weeks that will be added too! My original goal was 100 books, but I don't think I am going to make it. I spent too much time playing with fabric...

The list so far!
Books I have read this year:

1. Luxe by Anna Godbersen
   
2. Knit Two by Kate Jacobs December 2008
   
3. A Veiled Journey by Nell Brien December 2008
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Nov-Dec 2008
5. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs November 2008
   
6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain November 2008
7. In the Shadow of the Sun King by Golden Keyes Parson October 2008
8. Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast October 2008
9. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast October 2008
10. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast October 2008
11. Untamed by P.C. Cast and Krisitn Cast October 2008
12. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak September 2008
    
13. The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien September 2008
14. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee September 2008
15. Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner August 2008
16. Enders Game by Orson Scott Card 8/14/2008
17. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer 8/16
18. The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillapa Gregory July 2008
19. Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank July 2008
20. Plainsong by Kent Haruf June 2008
    
21. Eventide by Kent Haruf June 2008
    
22. prep by Curtis Sittenfeld June 2008
    
23. gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson June 2008
    
24. The Work of Wolves by Kent Meyer June 2008
25. American Woman by Susan Choi June 2008
26. Lord of the Flies by William Golding May 2008
27. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue 4/19
28. The Sister by Poppy Adams April 2008
29. Trading Up by Candace Bushnell 3/23
30. 2012: The War for Souls by Whitley Strieber 3/15
31. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Feb. 2008
32. Twilight by Stephanie Mayer January 2008
33. New Moon by Stephanie Mayer January 2008
    
34. Eclipse by Stephanie Mayer January 2008