Friday, May 15, 2009

Howl's Moving Castle

Book #76
Book #18 in 2009
Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
"Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl."

May 5th to May 15th - 11 days - 302 pages

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Game

Book #75
Book #17 in 2009
The Game
by Diana Wynne Jones
"Sent to a boisterous family gathering in Ireland by her overly strict grandmother, orphaned Hayley feels out of place until her unruly cousins include her in a special game involving travel through the mythosphere, the place where all the world's stories can be found, and where some secrets of her past are revealed."

May 3rd to May 5th - 3 days - 179 pages

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Book #74
Book #16 in 2009

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael Scott
"While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life."

April 19th to May 3rd - 15 days - 375 pages

Friday, April 17, 2009

Pretties

Book #73
Book #15 in 2009
Pretties
by Scott Westerfeld
"Tally's transformation to perfect and popular including her totally hot boyfriend is everything she always wanted. But beneath the fun and freedom something is wrong and now Tally has to fight for her life because what she knows has put her in danger with the authorities."

April 9th to April 16th - 8 days - 370 pages

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The Lovely Bones

Book #72
Book#14 in 2009
The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
"When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope. In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life on Earth continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone. And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it-except the thing she most wants: to be back with the people she loved on Earth. With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event."

March 31st to April 9th - 10 days - 328 pages

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Meditations in an Emergency

Book #71
Book #13 in 2009
Meditations in an Emergency
by Frank O'Hara
"Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

The country is grey and
brown and white in trees,
snows and skies of laughter
always diminishing, less funny
not just darker, not just grey.

It may be the coldest day of
the year, what does he think of
that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,
perhaps I am myself again.

--
Excerpt from Mayakovsky, by Frank O'Hara"

March 27th to April 6th - 11 days - 52 pages

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Book #70
Book #12 in 2009
Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
by Lewis Carroll
"'Alice laughed, 'There's no use trying,' she said, 'one can't believe impossible things.'
'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen.
'When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'"

March 21st to March 30th (31st technically) - 10 days - 110 pages

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Book #69
Book #11 in 2009
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
"'But I don’t want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can’t help that,' said the Cat. 'We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.'
'How do you know I’m mad?' said Alice.
'You must be,' said the Cat. 'or you wouldn’t have come here.'"

March 15th to March 21st - 7 days - 99 pages

Notes:

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Book #68
Book #10 in 2009
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
"It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date."

March 13th to March 14th - 2 days - 183 pages

Notes:
♥

Friday, March 13, 2009

Uglies

Book #67
Book #9 in 2009
Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
"Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever."

4 stars
February 27th to March 12th - 14 days (2 weeks) - 425 pages