BtVS: How I Survived My Summer Vacation Vol. 1

Book #58

How I Survived My Summer Vacation Vol. 1
A collection of short stories by Cameron Dokey, Nancy Holder,
Yvonne Navarro, Paul Ruditis, and Michelle West

"When sophomore year ended with Buffy's defeat -- just barely -- of the Master, she headed off to spend the summer with her father in L.A. The theme was R&R, parties, and an occasional shopping spree. But things that go bump in the night don't take vacation. So Buffy's trying desperately to keep a lid on things in L.A. -- and to keep her secret identity from her father. Meanwhile, back in Sunnydale, trouble keeps popping up in the darnedest places. Giles wants Willow and Xander to have a "normal" summer, so he and Jenny Calendar, whose budding romance is progressing to full bloom, attempt to stave off the forces of darkness sans Slayer and Slayerettes. And Angel, grappling with Buffy's brush with death, must decide: Does he want to be a more permanent member of the Scooby Gang? Concerts. Picnics. The resurrection of an ancient monster or two. Just your typical fun in the sun."

December 10th to December 22nd - 12 days - 276 pages

Flora Segunda

Book #57

Flora Segunda
by Ysabeau S. Wilce

"Fourteen-year-old Flora Fyrdraaca, whose mother is the Warlord's Commanding General and whose father is mad, kindly helps her house's magical--and long-banished--butler, unaware that he draws strength from the Fyrdraaca will."

November 15th to December 9th - 25 days - 431 pages

God's Debris: A Thought Experiment

Book #56

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."

November 13th to November 14th - 1 1/2 days - 132 pages

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox

Book #55

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox
by Eoin Colfer

"Artemis's mother has contracted a deadly disease -- and the only cure lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years ago. Now he must enlist the aid of his fairy friends to travel back in time and save them. Not only that, but he must face his deadliest foe yet...his younger self."

October 12th to November 13th - 33 days - 391 pages

Gathering Blue

Book #54 (I think. I actually forgot to blog this when I read it.)

Gathering Blue
by Lois Lowry

"Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians."

215 pages.

Elsewhere (Audiobook)

***Originally posted 7/9/09, but moved so it could be in the proper month/year I listened to it***

I listened to Elsewhere on the first part of the James roadtrip in 2008, and now decided to blog it because I just starting putting audiobooks down.

Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin

"After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to 'live.' "

Sometime in September? (September 30th, I think) 2008.

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

The Da Vinci Code

Book #53

The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown

"While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter."

5 stars

August 16th to September 25th - 40 days - 489 pages

Notes:
Went to Camp and didn't have too much time to read, then went to Canada and didn't have too much time to read.

The Castle Corona

Book #52

The Castle Corona
by Sharon Creech

"Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives may be transformed forever."

2 1/2 stars

July 8th to August 16th - 40 days - 320 pages

Notes:
Stopped reading for a bit, because Breaking Dawn came out. :D

Breaking Dawn

Book #51

Breaking Dawn
by Stephenie Meyer

"In the fourth and final book in the #1 bestselling teen vampire Twilight Saga, questions will be answered and the fate of Bella and Edward will be revealed."

4 1/2 stars

August 2nd to August 4th - 3 days - 756 pages

Notes:
Waited in line at midnight to get this :D

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird

Book #50

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird
by Vivian Vande Velde

"Presents thirteen twisted versions of such familiar fairy tales as Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff."

4 stars

July 8th - 1 sitting - 128 pages