Light Boxes

Book #182 (Unique books)
Book #38 in 2012

 Light Boxes

by Shane Jones

 "In Light Boxes, the inhabitants of one closely-knit town are experiencing perpetual February. It turns out that a god-like spirit who lives in the sky, named February, is punishing the town for flying, and bans flight of all kind, including hot air balloons and even children's kites. It's February who makes the sun nothing but a faint memory, who blankets the ground with snow, who freezes the rivers and the lakes. As endless February continues, children go missing and more and more adults become nearly catatonic with depression. But others find the strength to fight back, waging war on February."

October 27th to 29th - 3 days - 149 pages

Watchmen

Book #181 (Unique books)
Book #37 in 2012

 Watchmen

by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

"This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.
One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series."

October 19th to 26th -  1 week - 408 pages

Notes:

I do not like this book and I do not understand why it is such a big deal and so popular and apparently influential. This is not my type of book. I don't even know why I finished it, but there you go. At least now I am only 3 books behind.

The Catcher in the Rye

Book #180 (Unique books)
Book #36 in 2012

 The Catcher in the Rye

by J. D. Salinger

 "The hero-narrator of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult voices, underground voices-but Holden's voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep."

October 14th to 19th -  6 days - 277 pages

Notes:

I loved this book.

John Green talks about The Catcher in the Rye:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfThmVIIAc&feature=fvwp&NR=1

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=QUnQ-wOPGUE

M is for Magic

Book #179 (Unique books)
Book #35 in 2012

 M is for Magic

by Neil Gaiman

"Stories to delight, enchant, and surprise you.

Bestselling author and master storyteller Neil Gaiman here presents a breathtaking collection of tales that may chill or amuse readers—but always embrace the unexpected."

October 10th to 14th - 4 1/2 days - 260 pages

Notes:

Favorite stories:

The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Troll Bridge

Chivalry

Instructions

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Book #178 (Unique books)
Book #34 in 2012

 The Mysterious Benedict Society

by Trenton Lee Stewart

 "'Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?'

When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society."

September 29th to October 9th -  11 days - 485 pages

Messenger

Book #177 (Unique books)
Book #33 in 2012

 Messenger

by Lois Lowry

 "For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man, known for his special sight. Village was a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself."

September 26th to September 29th -  4 days - 169 pages

Tree of Codes

Book #176 (Unique books)
Book #32 in 2012

 Tree of Codes

by Jonathan Safran Foer

 "Tree of Codes is a haunting new story by best-selling American writer, Jonathan Safran Foer. With a different die-cut on every page, Tree of Codes explores previously unchartered literary territory. Initially deemed impossible to make, the book is a first — as much a sculptural object as it is a work of masterful storytelling. Tree of Codes is the story of an enormous last day of life — as one character's life is chased to extinction, Foer multi-layers the story with immense, anxious, at times disorientating imagery, crossing both a sense of time and place, making the story of one person’s last day everyone’s story. Inspired to exhume a new story from an existing text, Jonathan Safran Foer has taken his "favorite" book, The Street of Crocodiles by Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz, and used it as a canvas, cutting into and out of the pages, to arrive at an original new story told in Jonathan Safran Foer's own acclaimed voice."

September 24th - a few hours - 139 pages

Notes:

I am now obsessed with this book and everything published by this company.

SO FUCKING COOL. 

I love this.

The Night Circus

Book #175 (Unique books)
Book #31 in 2012

 The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

 "The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance."

July 27th to September 20th - 1 month, 3 weeks - 516 pages

Notes:

sagklfasdfhas I love this book so much.

I only spent about a week with the actual reading of this because I went to camp right in the middle.

The Name of the Star

Book #174 (Unique books)
Book #30 in 2012

The Name of the Star

by Maureen Johnson

 "The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon 'Rippermania' takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities."

September 13th to September 17th - 5 days - 372 pages

Here Be Monsters!

Book #173 (Unique books)
Book #29 in 2012

Here Be Monsters!

by Alan Snow

 "Skulduggery is afoot!

Welcome to Ratbridge. But beware -- for there is skulduggery afoot. Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed. Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over -- and destroy -- the entire town. With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher's evil plans -- and find his way home?"

June 23rd to July 17th -  25 days - 529 pages