The Eyre Affair

Book #28

The Eyre Affair
by Jasper Fforde

"Fforde spins his wildly imaginative crime caper in language every bit as ingenious as the madcap plot; his devilishly clever turns of phrase take the form of verbal puzzles, anagrams, and literary and cinematic in-jokes. Long involved in the movie-making business, Fforde gives a starring role to Thursday Next, a captivating sleuth whose respect for literature matches that of her creator. The essence of Thursday's quest is the capture of Acheron Hades, a wily cad whose dastardly crime is murder of characters from the classics."

3 1/2 stars

December 10th(11:30 PM) to December 31st(12:17 AM) - 21 days - 374 pages

What You Don't Know About Mysterious Places

Book #27

What you don't know about Mysterious Places
by Ryder Windham

"What lurks behind the mysterious Keep Out signs at Area 51? Did the spooky stone heads at Easter Island walk to their places? What does the far side of the moon look like? Is there a Loch Ness Monster? Could aliens have landed in Roswell, New Mexico? Who really built Stonehenge? Can you figure out these mysteries? You'll get the information you need to know and much, much more inside this book."

2 1/2 stars

Read in between other books when I didn't feel like reading a long chapter. Didn't keep track of starting point. Finished December 30th - 89 pages

Love, Stargirl

Book #26

Love, Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli

"Still moping months after being dumped by her Arizona boyfriend Leo, fifteen-year-old Stargirl, a home-schooled free spirit, writes "the world's longest letter" to Leo, describing her new life in Pennsylvania."

5 stars

December 5th (12:30 PM) to December 10th (11:12 AM) - 5 days - 274 pages

The Golden Compass

Book #25

The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman

"Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North."

3 1/2 stars

November 11th (10:50 PM) to December 5th (1:11 AM) - 24 days - 399 pages - GOAL REACHED!!!

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony

Book #24

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
by Eoin Colfer

"When demons begin appearing on Earth unpredictably, foreshadowing a cataclysmic breakdown of their magic, Artemis and his friends face a new foe--a twelve-year-old girl whose intellect just might match Artemis's own--as they try to prevent catastrophe."

4 stars

October 26th to November 11th - 16 days - 385 pages

Freddy's Final Quest: Book Five in the Golden Hamster Saga

Book #23

Freddy's Final Quest: Book Five in the Golden hamster Saga

by Dietlof Reiche"Freddy the golden hamster and his animal cohorts, along with a computerized, robotic golden hamster, travel back in time to Assyria, where some of them are captured by crusaders and Freddy gets a taste of undomesticated living."

3 1/2 stars

September 18th to October 25th - 37 days - 297 pages

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Book #22

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

"Don't leave Earth without this hilarious international bestseller about the end of the world and the happy-go-lucky days that follow...about the worst Thursday that ever happened and why the Universe is a lot safer if you bring a towel."

4 stars

August 6th to August 10th - 4 days - 143 pages

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Book # 21

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling

"Burdened with the dark, dangerous, and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldermort's remaining Horcruxes, Harry, feeling alone and uncertain about his future, struggles to find the inner strength he needs to follow the path set out before him."

4 3/4 stars

July 21st to July 23rd - 3 days - 759 pages

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Book #20

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince brings us Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Lord Voldemort becomes ever more powerful with his followers increasing day by day in this continuing battle between good and evil. Harry searches for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort, and thereby finds what may be his only vulnerability."

4 1/2 stars

July 13th to July 20th - 7 days - 652 pages

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Book #19

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

by J.K. Rowling

"Harry Potter, now a fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, struggles with a threatening teacher, problematic house elf, the dread of upcoming final exams, and haunting dreams that hint toward his mysterious past."

4 1/2 stars

July 1st to July 13th - 13 days - 870 pages

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Book # 18

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."

4 stars

June 25th to June 30th - 5 days - 734 pages

Harry Potter and the Prinsoner of Azkaban

Book # 17

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling

"During his third year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter must confront the devious and dangerous wizard responsible for his parents' deaths."

4 stars

June 22nd to June 24th - 2 days

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Book #16

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling

"When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school."

4 stars

June 20th to June 22nd - 2 1/2 days

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

Book #15

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
by J.K. Rowling

"Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches."

4 stars

June 19th to June 20th - 1 1/2 days - 309 pages

The Twenty-One Balloons

Book #14

The Twenty-One Balloons

by William Pène Du Bois

"The incredible adventures of Professor William Waterman Sherman who in 1883 sets off in a giant balloon across the Pacific, survives the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, and is eventually picked up in the Atlantic."

3 1/2 stars

June 11th to June 18th - 7 Days

Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge

Book #13

Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge
by Kathryn Reiss

"Just before her mother is to remarry and her stepfamily is set to move in, twelve-year-old Zibby gradually realizes that her antique dollhouse is haunted by ghosts, one of whom is out for revenge."

4 stars

May 31st to June 10th - 11 Days

PaperQuake

Book #12

PaperQuake
by Kathryn Reiss

"Certain that she is being drawn by more than coincidences into the lives of people living nearly 100 years ago, Violet, who feels like the odd sister in a set of triplets, searches for clues to help her avert an imminent tragedy."

3 1/2 stars

May 20th to May 30th - 10 Days

Paint by Magic

Book #11

Paint by Magic
by Kathryn Reiss

"After his mom suddenly starts acting old-fashioned, eleven-year-old Conner is transported back to 1926, where he must discover and break the mysterious hold an obsessed artist has on his mom that is trapping her between times."

3 1/2 stars

May 5th to May 19th - 14 days

The Tale of Despereaux

Book #10

The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo

"The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin."

2 1/2 stars

May 3rd to May 5th - 3 Days

Terrier - Beka Cooper

Book #9

Terrier - Beka Cooper
by Tamora Pierce

"Hundreds of years before Alanna first drew her sword in Tamora Pierce’s memorable debut, Alanna: The First Adventure, Tortall had a heroine named Beka Cooper–a fierce young woman who fights crime in a world of magic. This is the beginning of her story, her legend, and her legacy. . . ."

4 stars

April 5th to May 3rd - 28 days

The Haunting of Freddy: Book Four in the Golden Hamster Saga

Book #8

The Haunting of Freddy: Book Four in the Golden Hamster Saga
by Dietlof Reiche"The characters in Freddy's latest novel, an evil fifteenth-century poacher and his ferrets, mysteriously come to life, endangering Freddy and his friends and drawing them to an English castle near where the poacher once lived."

3 stars

March 2007 - 7 days

Freddy to the Rescue: Book Three in the Golden Hamster Saga

Book #7

Freddy to the Rescue: Book Three in the Golden Hamster Saga
by Dietlof Reiche

"In his continuing adventures, Freddy, a golden hamster who can read and write, joins his animal and human friends to save a colony of endangered field hamsters from being killed when an automobile plant is constructed on their land."

3 stars

March 2007 - 2 days

Freddy in Peril: Book Two in the Golden Hamster Saga

Book #6

Freddy in Peril: Book Two in the Golden Hamster Saga
By Dietlof Reiche"A cat, two guinea pigs, and a colony of brave sewer rats band together in order to save Freddy, a golden hamster, from an evil scientist who's discovered that Freddy can read and write, and plans to hamster-nap him in order to dissect his brain."

3 stars

March 2007 - 2 days

I, Freddy: Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga

Book #5

I, Freddy: Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga
By Dietlof Reiche

"Freddy, a remarkably intelligent golden hamster, learns how to read and how to write on a computer and escapes captivity to become an independent and civilized creature."


3 stars

March 2007 - 2 days

Crash

Book #4

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

"Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family."

3 stars

March 2007 - 3 days