Friday, July 31, 2009

Where the Sidewalk Ends (Re-read)

Book #31 in 2009
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
by Shel Silverstein
"A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings."

July 30th - 1 day - 166(?) pages

91 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Stardust

Book #86 (Unique books)
Book #30 in 2009
Stardust
by Neil Gaiman
"Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined."

July 27th to July 28th - 2 days - 235 (8 with acknowledgments) pages

90 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Luna

Book #85 (Unique books)
Book #29 in 2009
Luna
by Julie Anne Peters
"Fifteen-year-old Regan's life, which has always revolved around keeping her older brother Liam's transsexuality a secret, changes when Liam decides to start the process of 'transitioning' by first telling his family and friends that he is a girl who was born in a boy's body."

July 24th to July 25th - 2 days - 248 pages

89 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Thursday, July 23, 2009

God's Debris: A Thought Experiment (Re-read)

Book #28 in 2009
God's Debris
by Scott Adams
"Imagine that you meet a very old man who -- you eventually realize -- knows literally everything. Imagine that he explains for you the great mysteries of life: quantum physics, evolution, God, gravity, light, psychic phenomenon, and probability -- in a way so simple, so novel and so compelling that it all fits together and makes perfect sense. What does it feel like to suddenly understand everything? God's Debris isn't the final answer to the Big Questions. But it might be the most compelling vision of reality you will ever read. The thought experiment is this: Try to figure out what's wrong with the old man's explanation of reality. Share the book with your smart friends then discuss it later while enjoying a beverage."

July 23rd (about 12:30 AM to about 8:10 PM) - 1 day - 132 pages

88 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Coraline

Book #84 (Unique books)
Book #27 in 2009
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
"Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others."

July 22nd - 1 day, about 6 hours - 162 pages

87 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Graveyard Book

Book #83 (Unique books)
Book #26 in 2009
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
"Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other."

July 19th to July 21st - 3 days - 312 pages

86 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Specials

Book #82 (Unique books)
Book #25 in 2009

84 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Specials
by Scott Westerfeld
" 'Special circumstances'--the words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a rumor...and now she's been turned into one of them--a superamped fighting machine engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more. It all come down to one last choice--listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same."

July 11th to July 19th(12:00 PM) - 9 days, though only 5 days spent reading - 372 pages

Friday, July 17, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Read to me)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince brings us Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Lord Voldemort becomes ever more powerful with his followers increasing day by day in this continuing battle between good and evil. Harry searches for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort, and thereby finds what may be his only vulnerability."

Sometime in the week of July 12th through 17th - 652 pages

83 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Notes:
MJ was reading aloud to Chloe, and at RU Fun I joined in listening. Started 200 pages in, MJ read 200 pages, then they left and I finished the last 200 pages myself. (Will eventually read the first 200 pages, once I find my copy of HBP.)

Edit 12/11/09: Never went back and read the first 200 pages. =P Does it still count? I guess I'll just leave it.

Edit 12/23/09: Decided to not count it toward my total count for the year. Numbers are updated accordingly.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Heartbeat (Re-read)

Book #24 in 2009

82 books read total (re-reads, audiobooks, etc. (since 2007))

Heartbeat
by Sharon Chreech
"Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant."

July 10th to July 11th(finished by 10AM) - 1 day, I suppose - 180 pages

Friday, July 10, 2009

Hate That Cat

Book #81
Book #23 in 2009
Hate That Cat
by Sharon Creech
"Jack is studying poetry again in school, and he continues to write poems reflecting his understanding of famous poems and how they relate to his life."

July 10th - 1 day, almost 1 sitting - 153 pages

Notes:
♥ :D

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Book #80
Book #22 in 2009
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
"Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up. "

July 8th(11:40ish PM) to July 10th (3:47 PM) - 2 days, really - 213 pages

Notes:

Loveylovelove.
I just wanted to keep reading forever.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

American Gods

Book #79
Book #21 in 2009
American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
"Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident. Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible. He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever he the same..."

June 11th to July 7th (8th technically, 12:30AM) - 27(8) days - 588 pages