Number Nineteen (Audiobook)

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Publication Year: 2010
Publishing Company: Dutton Juvenile
Number of Pages: 369
Part of a Series: Yes (Book One)
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Eighteen (Audiobook)

Title: Academ's Fury

Author: Jim Butcher
Publication Year: 2006
Publishing Company: Ace
Number of Pages: 704
Part of a Series: Yes (Book Two)
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Seventeen (Audiobook)

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher
Publication Year: 2007
Publishing Company: Razorbill
Number of Pages: 304
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Success and Failure

So currently I am sitting 4 books ahead of schedule to complete my 50 Book Challenge this year. Go me! Clearly this is my success, but I didn't just challenge myself to read 50 books. The second layer to my challenge was to read a certain number of books in the following categories.

Read 3 Classics

•  Lolita
•  
•  

Read 3 2013 Releases

•  Etiquette and Espionage
•  
•  

 Read 2 Non-fiction

•  
•  

Complete 3 Series

• Hush, Hush Saga
•  
•  

As you can see, in this regard, I am failing. Yes, yes, it is only the 4th month of the year, but that is almost halfway through. My fear is that the last few months of the year I will be suck trying to finish out these challenges and not getting the chance to read what I want at that moment.

Now is the time to kick it into gear. I am not worried about the 2013 releases, but the others I am going to try harder on. That will start today with the beginning of April.

Number Sixteen (Audiobook)

Title: Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Greenwillow Books
Number of Pages: 472
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe (To the right reader)
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Fifteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak
Publication Year: 2006
Publishing Company: Knopf Books
Number of Pages: 550
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Number Fourteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Publication Year: 2009
Publishing Company: Putnam
Number of Pages: 451
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Thirteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Doubleday
Number of Pages: 387
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Including Audiobooks

I have decided that I will include all the audiobooks I am listening to in my 50 Book Challenge.


Today I will add all of the audiobooks I have completed so far (there are three) to by book posts.

Sorry for the overload, I just made the decision.

Number Tweleve

Title: Etiquette and Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Publication Year: 2013
Publishing Company: Little, Brown Books
Number of Pages: 307
Part of a Series: Yes - book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Eleven

Title: Cellar Doors
Author: Lance LaCoax
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Morehouse Media Group
Number of Pages: 246
Part of a Series: Yes - book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Ten

Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publication Year: 1955
Publishing Company: Random House Inc.
Number of Pages: 317
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: School
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Nine

Title: Fledgling
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Publication Year: 2005
Publishing Company: Grand Central Publishing
Number of Pages: 310
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: School
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Number Eight

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
Publication Year: 2009
Publishing Company: Orbit
Number of Pages: 295
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe
Rating: 3 out of 5

Putting a Book Down

Personally one of my biggest weaknesses in life is motivation. Finding it, keeping it, etc. Sadly, I have to admit that reading is no different than any other aspect of my life... Motivation isn't always there. In fact, until I get into a book I have a really hard time making myself pick it up at all.

Usually when I finish a novel, I feel so accomplished, but that does not translate into wanting to repeat the action. Unless it is a novel I have been looking forward to reading, I don't desire to grab the next novel. It just seems so weird to be because I really do love to read. Plus I know what I like and what I don't like... It's not like I am buying books I should have any issues with reading, in fact I only buy books if I really know I am going to enjoy them. Even still I have to force myself to start reading that next book and get myself into the story.

Let's be honest though, no matter how great the book sounds or how many amazing reviews it's gotten, sometime there is just a novel I don't like. When it comes to those the motivation is no where to be found. I don't want to finish it, usually I don't even want to get to the next chapter. The problem with that is that some books just have a slow start. There have been numerous books that I have forced myself to read which started out slow, but I ended up really enjoying.

So here's the question, when reading four or five chapters takes an excruciating about of time and energy do you put the book down or force yourself to keep going. I used to be that I would force myself to continue on, but when I am trying to read 50 books in a year that's just not realistic. I can't spend 3 weeks putting a book down and trying to force myself to get into something I just don't enjoy. So for this year, I am going to just put books like that on hold. If I have time later in the year to pick them back up maybe I will try, or maybe next year I will give them another go. For now though, I just don't have the extra time to spare.

Number Seven

Title: Mothership
Author: Martin Leicht & Isla Neal
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 308
Part of a Series: Yes, book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Six

Title: Finale
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 454
Part of a Series: Yes, book 4
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Epic Fail/Get Excited for Comics

Basically this week has been the week from hell... So that's why this post didn't go up on Monday like it was supposed to. Yep, I suck. Sorry about that, but I guess it's better late than never. Right?

What sucks even worse than my lack of a post on Monday? Well, this delayed post isn't even going to have very much content. Good thing I am on the other side of the computer screen, otherwise you might try to throw things at me.

Now that you know I am a terribly awfully sucky person, let's get on with the point of this post. Ever since I brought my Youtube channel back to life and started this blog, I've been saying that I want to do something with comics. Now is that time. Every Monday for the next handful of weeks (at least 3, but probably more) I am going to look at a comic involving a female lead. Most of them will be female super heroes, but they don't necessarily have to be. In the hopes of equality, there will be some weeks that focus on Marvel and some on DC. Personally, my collection of comics is lacking in the independent publishers, but I will see if I can find some to include.

What will next Monday bring you? You can expect a look into The New 52 Batgirl Vol. One.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts. If you have a comic you want me to look at let me know. If you want me to focus on comics that also have male leads, I want to know that as well. Hell, if you hate comics and don't want me to focus on them every Monday, please tell me. The only way for me to develop this blog into something we all enjoy is if you tell me what you like and don't like. Thanks!


P.S. I finished Mothership a few days ago. I will probably the info about it tomorrow.

Library - Do or Do Not?

Here's my deal, I haven't been to a public library since I was a little kid. Probably about the time I was 11 or 12 I started buying most of my books. By the time I was spending my own money, I was buying all of my books. Now I go to my school library all the time, but even there I don't check out books. More often than not I am just using online databases or ebooks. But I think things are about to change.

Money is super tight right now and will be at least through graduation in May. After that maybe things will loosen up a bit, but we'll see. For now though, I just don't have the resources to spend all my money on books even if that's what I wish I could do. So I started to rethink my stance on the library.

What do I have against the library really? Well, mostly that I don't get to keep the books even if I love them. It's true that I could always go back and buy the books later if I really wanted to, but at that point I doubt I would read them again. Why buy the book if I know I won't read it? Basically it's to be vain and have it look pretty on my bookshelves... which I don't have right now. So I would want to the book to look pretty on my future bookshelves that I will have when I am finally settled in one place for more than a year. Even to me that sounds crazy. If I love the book and want to reread it then I can go buy it at that point, in which hopefully I will already have my bookshelves.

The benefit of the library? It's free, as long as you return the books on time. Getting to read more books for free, what an awesome idea.

For now things are looking up for the library. I just got a new library card and hopefully will get some use out it in the near future.

Maybe I will completely change my mind about the library, or maybe I will go back to buying books as soon as I have the funds to do so... I'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.

Number Five

Title: Silence
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 438
Part of a Series: Yes, book 3
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 3 out of 5