50 in 2012

#32- A Study in Scarlet

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:34:43 -0400

HOW COULD I HAVE WAITED THIS LONG TO READ THIS BOOK?!?! I fell in love with Sherlock in the first pages.

Technically, the book is a treasury of Sherlock Holmes, but I’ll record the two novels separately, and then all the short stories as one book. I have stocked up on Holmes books, so there will be more to follow.

My one suggestion is this: if you have not read Sherlock Holmes, read it. If you enjoy the BBC show Sherlock, read the books yesterday.

#31- Invasion

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:06:52 -0400

I haven’t done a lot of reading over the summer, unfortunately, because I was trying to force myself to read another book (which I hope to have finished by December 31). After a month and a half of not finishing that book, I started this one.

It’s not bad but, once again, I found it a bit young for my tastes. I listened to it on audiobook from my library via Overdrive. I didn’t mind listening to it, but it’s not really my style. I don’t think I’ll bother with the others if there are more in the series.

It’s about some teens who find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion, caught up in the fray with C.H.A.O.S., a secret agency that protects Earth from hostile aliens and does other science fiction-y things. It would be one of those books that I would recommend to a young teen who has a hard time getting into books.

#30- Fever Crumb

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 21:03:30 -0400

I’m not normally one for steampunk anything, but I liked this enough to keep reading the series. It’s not bad, just not my normal style.

Honestly, my mind kept going back to one thing: when Clara from The Guild was at Comic-Con and was having tea at the steam punk booth. Still, it’s good enough to read, just not going to obsess over it.

#29- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:35:26 -0400

I own Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in paperback, but since I’m doing the audiobook thing right now, I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Unfortunately, it was the Americanized version.

Now, I don’t have a problem with America, but I’m so used to British slang (thanks to my obsession with BBC and British literature) that I found it distracting to hear “scotch tape” instead of “stellotape” and “soccer” instead of “football,” among other minor changes.

I have a lot of other books piling up around me, so I’m taking a break from Harry Potter to get them done. I might get back to Harry Potter by the end of the year.

#28- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:59:28 -0400

Once again, this is a re-read, only on audiobook. I admit, one of the down sides to listening to audiobooks at bedtime (when I usually read a little) is that they relax me so much that I tend to fall asleep with the book still playing. Maybe three or four times I woke up at 2:00 am and had no recollection of the last 3 chapters. I started bookmarking more often.

This may be my favourite early book in the series (because the last three all blur together a bit to me. I have favourite moments out of them that top my love of this book in its entirety, so yeah.) Sirius always makes me cry.

#27- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:46:03 -0400

Like most people, this is not my first read-through of Harry Potter, but it is the first time I’ve gone through the whole series on audiobook (read by Jim Dale, presented by Pottermore).

I started with Chamber of Secrets because it was the first one available through the library’s online lending program.

Not much to say about the book, since most people are familiar with it. It’s just a fun read, really.

Sherlock Holmes

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 23:13:31 -0400

So, I want to read Sherlock Holmes sometime, maybe before the end of the summer. Problem is, I’m not sure which one to start with. Is there a definite first book to read, or are they all fairly independent of each other as far as plot and character development?

#26- The MasterHarper of Pern

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:13:30 -0400

More than halfway there!! I wonder if I can go over my goal.

I can’t believe I have never read about Pern before!!! My dad has read about the dragonriders for years, but this is the first book of Anne McCaffrey’s that I have ever read. Her style is so unique. I will definitely be reading more about the dragonriders in the next year.

#25- Forbidden

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:05:00 -0400

I accidently left my laptop power cord at my parents’ house, which is two hours away, on Father’s Day. I got it back this week and this is the first time that I’ve had time to actually get on the computer to update.

I’ll try not to fan-girl over Ted Dekker again, although I will say that this book is, yet again, fantastic. Dekker, now teamed up with Tosca Lee, does not disappoint. I eagerly await the next book in the series, Mortal.

Briefly and without spoilers, the story is about Rom, a young man, who lives in a future where emotion no longer exists. The only emotion anyone can feel is fear. Quite suddenly, Rom comes into possession of ancient blood and is set on a course to save the world from a living death. He is accompanied by friends, and pursued by the world government in his quest.

#24- Immanuel's Veins

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:09:15 -0400

Ted Dekker again! This book started off a bit slow for me (it also didn’t help that I was finishing classes for the summer, starting a new job, and spending altogether too much time not reading). I finally curled up with a blanket today and finished 3/4 of the book in one sitting.

I am never disappointed by Ted Dekker’s work. It always leaves me wanting more. This book is set in 1772 in Moldavia. I won’t say too much about it, because I really don’t like spoiling books for others. Read it. It’s awesome. Power through until you hit the suspenseful parts!

#23- Mockingjay

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:01:04 -0400

No, I did not wait until just recently to read this. I read it about a week after I finished Catching Fire, but I forgot to post it.

Awesome book, brings a satisfying end to the series. I won’t say anything else for fear of spoilers! Suzanne Collins is still a bit of a hero to me.

#22- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:56:09 -0400

Ok, so I’ll apologize yet again for not updating for a few weeks. not much has happened.

There isn’t much I can say about this book except that, like the other Chronicles of Narnia books, I have read it so many times that I have lost count. This time through, I found myself sympathizing with Eustace more than I have before. It was a refreshing change.

After I read the book, I re-watched the movie. The movie doesn’t even come close in comparison to the book (as movies rarely do). It’s more a transition book than anything else, preparing the reader for the next book. And it’s a fun journey to take on a boat with awesome characters.

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Sat, 02 Jun 2012 18:26:09 -0400

#21- Prince Caspian

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:38:15 -0400

I mentioned with my last book that I love The Chronicles of Narnia. This is one of my favourite books in the series, although with the movie that came out, I’m a bit distracted while reading it. I can’t help but think “This part should have been in the movie. They could have taken this other scene out.” and so on. The movie based on this book is my least favourite movie made of Narnia so far.

If your only experience with Narnia has only been The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I urge you to read the other books. I’ll be starting Voyage of the Dawntreader in a few minutes.

#20- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:59:06 -0400

I don’t think words are needed to describe this book. I’ve read the series as a whole maybe seven or eight times (my breaks between reading the books gets longer each time) and it is still in my all-time favourites.

This time through, though, I have decided to do something a bit different. Instead of reading them in chronological order according to the plot, I’m reading them in publishing order.

I would like to note that this reading of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first time I have identified with Edmund. It had never happened to me before and I must say that I like him more as a character now.

#19- Black and Blue

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:16:30 -0400

I tried to read Quindlen’s One True Thing a couple of years ago and I couldn’t get through it before I had to return it to the library. This time, I found Black and Blue for sale from the library collection and I figured that I would at least have time to read it.

I found the book hard to follow at first, simply because of Quindlen’s writing style. She tends to start out on one line of action for the plot, then the main character gets lost in her own thoughts and about five pages later, she comes back to the present. Once I figured that out, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It’s a look inside the mind of a mother who flees her abusive husband with their son. It nearly brought me to tears. A beautiful piece of art. Highly recommended.

#18- Coraline

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:19:00 -0400

I don’t think that I need to explain this book a lot. I saw the movie, and I found the graphic novel at the library. I didn’t know it was the graphic novel until after I’d gotten excited about reading it. I decided to count it anyway, and I’d love to get my hands on the novel. Neil Gaiman is amazing.

#17- Saving Zasha

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:02:00 -0400

Ok, so I haven’t been reading a whole lot lately, and I would like to blame the work placement I’m finishing next week or the end of the school semester, but the truth is that I simply spend too much time on the internet, and not enough time updating my blog.

I listened to this book on overdrive, my favourite method of playing audiobooks, through my local library. It’s about a young boy who finds a german shepherd dog in Russia right after the second world war. It’s based on the true story of the Russians’ mission to reintroduce dogs to Russian society, after most of them had been killed in the war.

It’s a beautiful story. The parts about the dogs and the war are the only true stories in the novel and pretty much everything else is fiction. There’s a bit written at the back of the book about the true story.

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Sat, 12 May 2012 07:31:07 -0400

"Then the Roush took a deep breath and began to read from the Book of Histories."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:37:01 -0400

“Then the Roush took a deep breath and began to read from the Book of Histories.”

- Ted Dekker, from White: The Great Pursuit (thanks, hornswaggler)