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.

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

Neverwhere

Book #78
Book #20 in 2009

Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman

"Richard Mayhew is a plain man with a good heart---and an ordinary life that is changed forever on a day he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. From that moment forward he is propelled into a world he never dreamed existed---a dark subculture flourishing in abandoned subway stations and sewer tunnels below the city---a world far stranger and more dangerous than the only one he has ever known..."

June 8th (around 6PM) to June 10th (9PM) - 2 1/2 days - 370 pages

Notes:
This book is fucking amazing.
I fell in love with it by page 40.

Castle in the Air

Book #77
Book #19 in 2009

Castle in the Air
by Diana Wynne Jones

"Having long indulged himself in daydreams more exciting than his mundane life as a carpet merchant, Abdullah unexpectedly purchases a magic carpet and his life changes dramatically as his daydreams come true and dangerous adventures become daily fare."

May 17th to May 19th - 3 days - 298 pages

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

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

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

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

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

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