Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death

Book #253 (Unique books)
Book #33 in 2014

Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death

by Chris Riddell

"Preparations for the Ghastly-Gorm Garden Party and bake-off are under way. Celebrity cooks are arriving at the hall for the big event and, true to form, Maltravers, the indoor gamekeeper, is acting suspiciously. Elsewhere at Ghastly-Gorm Ada's wardrobe-dwelling lady's maid Marylebone has received a marriage proposal. Ada vows to aid the course of true love and find out what Maltravers is up to, but amidst all this activity, everyone, including her father, appears to have forgotten her birthday! "

October 29th to 30th - 1 1/2 days - 224 pages (plus Marylebone's book)

Notes:

I got to meet Chris Riddell on Halloween! He was lovely and drew me a picture of Ishmael.

Percy Jackson: The Titan's Curse

Book #252 (Unique books)
Book #32 in 2014

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse

by Rick Riordan

"IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive..."

October 19th to 28th - 10 days - kindle version

Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters

Book #251 (Unique books)
Book #31 in 2014

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

by Rick Riordan

" In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come."

October 15th to 18th - 3 1/2 days - kindle version

Notes:

Read in Edinburghhhh.

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

Book #250(!) (Unique books)
Book #30(!) in 2014

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

by Chris Riddell

"Ada Goth is the only child of Lord Goth. The two live together in the enormous Ghastly-Gorm Hall. Lord Goth believes that children should be heard and not seen, so Ada has to wear large clumpy boots so that he can always hear her coming. This makes it hard for her to make friends and, if she's honest, she's rather lonely. 

Then one day William and Emily Cabbage come to stay at the house, and together with a ghostly mouse called Ishmael they and Ada begin to unravel a dastardly plot that Maltravers, the mysterious indoor gamekeeper, is hatching. 

Ada and her friends must work together to foil Maltravers - before it's too late!"

October 8th to 9th - about 24 hours - 219 pages (plus Memoirs of a Mouse)

Notes:

I enjoyed this so much. The story and the art. Reminded me of a cross between A Series of Unfortunate Events and A House Called Awful End. Maybe I'll have to check out Chris Riddell's other books, hmm...

The Sherlock Files: The 100-Year-Old Secret

Book #249 (Unique books)
Book #29 in 2014

The Sherlock Files: The 100-Year-Old-Secret

by Tracy Barrett

"Xena and Xander Holmes think living in London will be boring. But one afternoon they’re handed a cryptic note that leads them to a hidden room—and a secret society. When they discover they’re related to Sherlock Holmes and inherit his unsolved casebook, life becomes so much more exciting. The siblings set out to solve the cases their famous ancestor couldn’t, starting with the mystery of a prized painting that vanished more than a hundred years ago. Can two smart twenty-first century kids succeed where Sherlock Holmes could not?"

October 6th to 8th - 3 days - 176 pages

Notes:

Yet another book I am impatiently waiting for the sequel to. Sapphire thinks she's lent that one out... We found #3 and #4.

Cool idea, fun and fast read.

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (re-read)

Book #28 in 2014

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

"Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves."

October 1st to 4th - 4 days - kindle version

Notes:

We watched the second Percy Jackson movie and I decided that now I must read every Percy Jackson book. I re-read this one because I remembered none of it and now I am impatiently waiting for the library kindle version of the second one to come in. I JUST WANT TO READ EVERY PERCY JACKSON BOOK what pffft like other people should be allowed to check them out of course not

Attachments

Book #248 (Unique books)
Book #27 in 2014

Attachments

by Rainbow Rowell

"'Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . '

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?"

September 21st to 29th - 9 days - kindle version

Notes:

4 for 4 I am in love with Rainbow Rowell's books and writing style.

The Iron Man

Book #247 (Unique books)
Book #26 in 2014

The Iron Man

by Ted Hughes

"Mankind must put a stop to the dreadful destruction caused by the Iron Man. A trap is set for him, but he cannot be kept down. Then, when a terrible monster from outer space threatens to lay waste to the planet, it is the Iron Man who finds a way to save the world."

September 25th - a couple hours - 80 pages

Notes:

Read aloud to Orin, 5.

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Book #246 (Unique books)
Book #25 in 2014

Isla and the Happily Ever After

by Stephanie Perkins

"Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. "

September 16th to 20th - 5(ish) days - kindle version

Notes:

I LOVE STEPHANIE PERKINS. I think this is my favourite of her books.

Started on the plane from Portland to Dublin, and then finished at Barbara's house.

Odd and the Frost Giants (re-read) (audiobook)

Book #24 in 2014

Odd and the Frost Giants

by Neil Gaiman

"After the death of his father, Odd's life has been stuck in a downward spiral. However, his luck begins to change after he frees a trapped bear in the woods. Discovering that the bear is actually a Norse god, twelve-year-old Odd embarks on a perilous quest to save the other gods from evil frost giants."

August 11th - a few hours - audiobook

Notes:

Listened to on Boltbus on the way up to Chloe's.

I just looked at the first time I read this and apparently I read it on August 11th 3 years earlier??

Landline

Book #245 (Unique books)
Book #23 in 2014

 Landline

by Rainbow Rowell

 "Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?"

July 22nd(?) to 27th - 6ish days - 308 pages

Notes:

Iii loooove Raaainbowww Rowellll

Are We There Yet?

Book #244 (Unique books)
Book #22 in 2014

 Are We There Yet?

by David Levithan

 "Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-year-old brother Danny is completely not, so it’s no wonder they can barely tolerate one another. So what better way to repair their broken relationship than to trick them into taking a trip to Italy together? Soon, though, their parents’ perfect solution has become Danny and Elijah’s nightmare as they’re forced to spend countless hours together. But then Elijah meets Julia, and soon the brothers aren’t together nearly as much. And then Julia meets Danny and soon all three of them are in a mixed-up, turned-around, never-what-you-expect world of brothers, Italy, and love."

July 9th to 19th -  11 days - 215 pages

This Is What Happy Looks Like

Book #243 (Unique books)
Book #21 in 2014

This Is What Happy Looks Like

by Jennifer E. Smith

"If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?"

July 2nd to 7th -  6 days - 404 pages

Smiles To Go

Book #242 (Unique books)
Book #20 in 2014

Smiles To Go

by Jerry Spinelli

"What is stargazer, skateboarder, chess champ, pepperoni pizza eater, older brother, sister hater, best friend, first kisser, science geek, control freak Will Tuppence so afraid of in this great big universe?

Jerry Spinelli knows."

June 3rd to 5th - 3 days - 248 pages 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (re-read)

Book #19 in 2014

 Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green and David Levithan

 "One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical."

May 20th to 28th - 9 days - 310 pages

Blubber

Book #241 (Unique books)
Book #18 in 2014

 Blubber

by Judy Blume

 "Blubber is a good name for her, the note from Wendy says about Linda. Jill crumples it up and leaves it on the corner of her desk. She doesn't want to think about Linda or her dumb report on the whale just now. Jill wants to think about Halloween.

But Robby grabs the note, and before Linda stops talking it has gone halfway around the room.

That's where it all starts. There's something about Linda that makes a lot of kids in her fifth-grade class want to see how far they can go -- but nobody, least of all Jill, expects the fun to end where it does."

May13th to 17th - 5 days - 153 pages

Forever...

Book #240 (Unique books)
Book #17 in 2014

 Forever...

by Judy Blume

 "Katherine and Michael meet at a New Year's Eve party. They're attracted to each other, they grow to love each other. And once they've decided their love is forever, they make love.

It's the beginning of an intense and exclusive relationship, with a future all planned. Until Katherine's parents insist that she and Michael put their love to the test with a summer apart..."

May 12th - 1 day - 192 pages

Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret.

Book #239 (Unique books)
Book #16 in 2014

 Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret.

by Judy Blume

 "Margaret Simon, almost twelve, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she's anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she's asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she's normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she's got someone else to confide in... someone who always listens."

May 8th to 11th - 4 days - 149 pages

Notes:

I read this one when I was about 11 and I remember it being really important for me. Rereading it now it reminds me so much of exactly what I was feeling at that age, and it's also made me amazed that I made it through and glad that I am no longer 11.

Deenie

Book #238 (Unique books)
Book #15 in 2014

 Deenie

by Judy Blume

 "When Deenie finds out that she has scoliosis, she’s scared. When she sees the brace for the first time, she wants to scream.

But the words won’t come out. And Deenie, beautiful Deenie, who everyone says should be a model, is stuck wearing a brace from her neck to her hips. For four years—or longer. She never worried about how she looked before—how will she ever face the hard times ahead?"

May 5th to 7th - 3 days - 159 pages


Notes:
Somehow I missed reading this when I was a teenager which is unfortunate because Judy Blume is the best at writing meaningful books for young girls. I am now on a Judy Blume kick.

The Scorch Trials

Book #237 (Unique books)
Book #14 in 2014

 The Scorch Trials

by James Dashner

 "Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive."

April 30th to May 2nd -  3 days - 360 pages

Notes:

AHHHH 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Book #236 (Unique books)
Book #13 in 2014

 Daughter of Smoke & Bone

by Laini Taylor

 "Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

April 18th to 27th - 10 days - 418 pages

The Night Bookmobile

Book #235 (Unique books)
Book #12 in 2014

The Night Bookmobile

by Audrey Niffenegger

"First serialised in the Guardian, The Night Bookmobile tells the story of a young woman who one night encounters a mysterious disappearing mobile library that happens to stock every book she has ever read. Seeing her history and her most intimate self in this library, she embarks on a search for the bookmobile. Over time, her search turns into an obsession as she longs to be reunited with her own collection and her memories."

April 17th

Running Out Of Time

Book #234 (Unique books)
Book #11 in 2014

 Running Out Of Time

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 "Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840 -- or so she believes. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother reveals a shocking secret -- it's actually 1996, and they are living in a reconstructed village that serves as a tourist site. In the world outside, medicine exists that can cure the dread disease, and Jessie's mother is sending her on a dangerous mission to bring back help.
But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?"

April 16th - 1 day - 184 pages

Notes:

I've been wanting to read this again for a long time. We read it when I was a kid and it was one of those books that stuck with me like Gathering Blue.

All The Wrong Questions: "When Did You See Her Last?"

Book #233 (Unique books)
Book #10 in 2014

 All The Wrong Questions: When Did You See Her Last?

by Lemony Snicket

 "I should have asked the question "How could someone who was missing be in two places at once?" Instead, I asked the wrong question -- four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the second.

In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl. Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business? These are All The Wrong Questions"

April 15th - 1 day - 277 pages

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Book #232 (Unique books)
Book #9 in 2014

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E. Smith

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it."

April 14th to 15th (slightly) - 1 1/8 days - 236 pages

Notes:

Not as great as I was hoping, but still fun. I enjoyed this. 

The Maze Runner

Book #231 (Unique books)
Book #8 in 2014

 The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying."

April 10th to 11th - 1 1/2 days - 375 pages

Notes:

ahhhHHHH I just wanna read the second one but I don't havE IT

I loved this book so much

I have bee zipping through books but I couldn't put this down for 2 days, it's rare when that happens

The Willoughbys

Book #230 (Unique books)
Book #7 in 2014

 The Willoughbys

by Lois Lowry

 "Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children’s literature."

April 9th to 10th - 2 days - 174 pages

Notes:

I love Lois Lowry a lot.

Gossamer

Book #229 (Unique books)
Book #6 in 2014

 Gossamer

by Lois Lowry

 "Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people—a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy—face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see."

April 8th - a few hours - 140 pages

Allegiant

Book #228 (Unique books)
Book #5 in 2014

 Allegiant

by Veronia Roth

 "The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. "

March 25th to April 8th - 2 weeks - 526 pages

Notes:

feeling like this right now. what the fuck did I just read. eeeaaauuughhghsdvuio

Human Relations (textbook)

Book #227 (Unique books)
Book #4 in 2014

Human Relations: A Game Plan For Improving Personal Adjustment

by Loren Ford

Winter Term, January to March 2014

Notes:

One time I went to school and then I read this. It's a textbook but it's still a book I'm counting it okay.

Fangirl

Book #226 (Unique books)
Book #3 in 2014

 Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

 "Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?"

February 6th to 21st -  2 weeks - 434 pages

Notes:

RAINBOW ROWELL UNDERSTANDS MY LIFE

this book is perfect and everything is wonderful and I may have cried

also the aRT IS GINGERHAZE

Water For Elephants

Book #225 (Unique books)
Book #2 in 2014

 Water For Elephants

by Sara Gruen

 "Orphaned, penniless, Jacob Jankowski jumps a freight train in the dark, and in that instant, transforms his future.

By morning, he's landed a job with the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love.

In an America made colourless by prohibition and the Depression, the circus is a refuge of sequins and sensuality. But behind the glamour lies a darker world, where both animals and men are dispensable. Where falling in love is the most dangerous act of all..."


January 19th (late) to January 22nd - 3ish days - 335 pages

Notes:
Finished this literally 10 minutes before book club, like a champ.
A+ procrastinator.

I enjoyed this much, though.

Warm Bodies

Book #224 (Unique books)
Book #1 in 2014

 Warm Bodies

by Isaac Marion

 "R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight."

January 5th to 18th - 2 weeks - 241 pages

Notes:

I literally did not have time to read in the last couple weeks it was awful. Only about 2 actual days spent reading.

Hardcore crushing on Isaac Marion right now ngl