Monday, December 26, 2011

Let It Snow

Book #146 (Unique books)
Book #25 in 2011
Let It Snow: Three holiday romances
by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
"In three intertwining short stories, several high school couples experience the trials and tribulations along with the joys of romance during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town."

December 11th to December 25th - 15 days - 352 pages

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Re-read)

Book #24 in 2011
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. "

December 10th to December 11th - 2 days - 213 pages

Notes:
♥ ♥ ♥
Love this book so much.

Friday, December 9, 2011

InterWorld

Book #145 (Unique books)
Book #23 in 2011
InterWorld
by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
"At nearly fifteen years of age, Joey Harker learns that he is a Walker, able to travel between dimensions, and soon joins a team of different versions of himself, each from another dimension, to fight the evil forces striving to conquer all the worlds."

November 22nd to December 9th - 18 days - 239 pages

Monday, November 21, 2011

Ender's Game

Book #144 (Unique books)
Book #22 in 2011
Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is."

October 18th to November 21st - 35 days - 324 pages

Monday, October 17, 2011

An Abundance of Katherines

Book #143 (Unique books)
Book #21 in 2011
An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
"Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships."

October 14th to October 17th - 4 days - 227 pages

Friday, October 14, 2011

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Book #142 (Unique books)
Book #20 in 2011

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

"According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon--both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle--are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist..."

August 12th to October 14th - 60 days (2 months) - 398 pages

Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Great Gatsby

Book #141 (Unique books)
Book #19 in 2011
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach...Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby - young, handsome, fabulously rich - always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel."

July 13th to August 20th - 33 days - 154 pages

Friday, August 12, 2011

Odd and the Frost Giants

Book #140 (Unique books)
Book #18 in 2011
Odd and the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
"Odd’s father perished in a Viking expedition, a tree shattered his leg, and the endless winter is making his neighbors dangerously grumpy. But perhaps Odd’s luck will change when he meets a bear, an eagle, and a fox who are more than what they seem to be."

August 11th - 1 day - 117 pages

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Flush

Book #139 (Unique books)
Book #17 in 2011
Flush
by Carl Hiaasen
"With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home."

August 1st to August 10th - 10 days - 263 pages

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The BFG

Book #138 (Unique books)
Book #16 in 2011
The BFG
by Roald Dahl
"Kidsnatched from her orphange by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants."

July 26th to August 1st - 7 days - 206 pages

Notes:
Chloe and I took turns reading chapters for half the book, and then I finished it. :3

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Re-read)

Book #15 in 2011
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling
"Harry Potter, a fourth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, longs to escape his hateful relatives, the Dursleys, and live as a normal fourteen-year-old wizard, but what Harry does not yet realize is that he is not a normal wizard, and in his case, different can be deadly."

June 28th to July 12th - 15 days - 734 pages

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

Book #138 (Unique books*)
Book #14 in 2011
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
by Lemony Snicket
"Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
"



June 4th to June 5th - 1 1/2 days - 162 pages

Notes:
*I have read these lots of times but I'm counting it in my total because it's never been published here.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Re-read)

Book #13 in 2011
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling
"During his third year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter must confront the devious and dangerous wizard responsible for his parents' deaths."

June 24th to June 27th - 4 days - 435 pages

Friday, June 24, 2011

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Re-read)

Book #12 in 2011
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling
"When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school."


June 22nd to June 24th - 2 1/2 days - 341 pages

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Re-read)

Book #11 in 2011

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
"Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches."

June 20th to June 21st - 2 days - 309 pages

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Tenth Circle

Book #137 (Unique books)
Book #10 in 2011
The Tenth Circle
by Jodi Picoult

"..............."

May 21st to June 10th - 21 days - 387 pages

Notes:
“Nothing is easier than self deceit for what each man wishes that he also believes to be true.”
– DEMOSTHENES

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Book #136 (Unique books)
Book #9 in 2011
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
"Told in the alternating voices of Dash and Lily, two sixteen-year-olds carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what--or who--they will find."

April 2nd to May 20th - 29 days - 260 pages

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Looking For Alaska

Book #135 (Unique books)
Book #8 in 2011
Looking For Alaska
by John Green
"Miles halter is fascinated by famous last words--and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps."

April 6th to April 15th - 10 days - 221 pages

Notes:
♥ ♥ ♥
That moment when you finish Looking For Alaska at 2 am and you are crying partly because of the book and partly because you don't know how any book you read again could ever be this amazing.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Anna and the French Kiss

Book #134 (Unique books)
Book #7 in 2011
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
"When Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly goes, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend, in spite of the fact that they both want something more."

March 31st to April 5th - 6 days - 372 pages

Notes:

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

James and the Giant Peach

Book #133 (Unique books)
Book #6 in 2011
James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
"A little magic can take you a long way...

When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start happening. The peach at the very tip of the tree starts growing, and growing, and growing... until it's as big as a house! When James crawls inside, he meets a houseful of oversized friends-- Grasshopper, Centipede, Earthworm, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the adventure begins!"

March 3rd to March 30th - 28 days - 126 pages

Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Red Pony

Book #132 (Unique books)
Book #5 in 2011
The Red Pony
by John Steinbeck
"Tells a story of a young boy and life on his father's California ranch, raising a sorrel colt."

February 23rd to March 3rd - 9 days - 120 pages

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Witches

Book #131 (Unique books)
Book #4 in 2011
The Witches
by Roald Dahl

" 'A REAL WITCH is easily the most dangerous of all the living creatures on earth.'

That's a pretty horrifying thought. More horrifying still is that real witches don't even look like witches. They don't ride around on broomsticks. They don't even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, despicable, scheming harridans who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies.

So how can you tell when you're face to face with one? Read this story and you'll find out all you need to know. You'll also meet a real hero, a wise old grandmother and the most gruesome, grotesque gang of witches imaginable!"

February 21st to February 22nd - 2 days - 208 pages

Notes:
♥ ♥ ♥
Love this book.

Haven't read it since I was little. In probably about ten years. Mommy read it to me last in about one sitting when I was super sick. First time I've ever read it on my own.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

One Bloody Thing After Another

Book #130 (Unique books)
Book #3 in 2011
One Bloody Thing After Another
by Joey Comeau
"Jackie has a map of the city on the wall of her bedroom, with a green pin for each of her trees. She has a first-kiss tree and a broken-arm tree. She has a car-accident tree. There is a tree at the hospital where Jackie’s mother passed away into the long good night. When one of them gets cut down, Jackie doesn’t know what to do but she doesn’t let that stop her. She picks up the biggest rock she can carry and puts it through the window of a car. Smash. She intends to leave before the police arrive, but they’re early.

Ann is Jackie’s best friend, but she’s got problems of her own. Her mother is chained up in the basement. How do you bring that up in casual conversation? “Oh, sorry I’ve been so distant, Jackie. My mother has more teeth than she’s supposed to, and she won’t eat anything that’s already dead.” Ann and her sister Margaret don’t have much of a choice here. Their mother needs to be fed. It isn’t easy but this is family. It’s not supposed to be easy. It’ll be okay as long as Margaret and Ann still have each other.

Add in a cantankerous old man, his powerfully stupid dog, a headless ghost, a lesbian crush and a few unsettling visits from Jackie’s own dead mother, and you’ll find that One Bloody Thing After Another is a different sort of horror novel from the ones you’re used to."

February 17th to February 19th - 3 days - 165 pages

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Book #129 (Unique books)
Book #2 in 2011
Me Talk Pretty One Day
by David Sedaris
"Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, is a bestselling collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. The book is separated into two parts. The first consists of essays about Sedaris’ life before his move to Normandy, France including his upbringing in suburban Raleigh, North Carolina, his time working odd jobs in New York City, and a visit to New York from a childhood friend and her rather bumpkinish girlfriend. The second section, "Deux" tells of Sedaris’ move to Normandy with his partner Hugh, often drawing humor from his efforts to live in France without speaking the French language and his frustrated attempts to learn it. Prior to publication, several of the essays were read by the author on the Public Radio International program, This American Life."

January 13th to February 17th - 36 days - 272 pages

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Book #128 (Unique books)
Book #1 in 2011
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
by John Green and David Levithan
"When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both."

January 2nd to January 13th - 12 days - 310 pages