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.