March 2012 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (12 books)

1. The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
2. Evermore by Alyson Noel
3. Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
4. Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean
5. Rise Again by Ben Tripp
6. Eat, Slay, Love by Jesse Petersen
7. Timeless by Gail Carriger
8. The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
9. Henry V by Shakespeare
10. Readings on Shakespeare’s Histories
11. Doctor Who: The Forgotten
12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:  3739 pages
Pages Remaining: 929,298 pages

Current Read

?  I have a list of things to read, but don’t know where to start.

Books Won (0)

There were two but somehow I packed them away before notating..  Crap.

Books I Gave Up On (1)

Shadowland by Alyson Noel (Immortals #3) — I’m done with this series.  I just couldn’t get over the totally immature and ridiculous nature of the characters and storyline.

Comments

March wasn’t the best reading month, but I did knock out quite a few library books.  Since we’re moving at the end of April, I really need to get library books read and returned and pack the rest of my books. 

Next Month’s TBR

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
• Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare
• Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
• Ill Wind (Weather Warden series) by Rachel Caine
• The Radleys by Matt Haig
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
• Bad Doings and Big Ideas
• Snow Crash
• The Girl from Jungchow by Kate Furnivall

 

February 2012 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (15 books)

1. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
2. Fables: Super Team
3. American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout
4. Night of the Necromancer by Kyle West and Jelani Sims
5. Zombie Blondes by Brian James
6. A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp
7. An Affair without End by Candace Camp
8. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
9. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
10. MacBeth by Shakespeare
11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
12. Doctor Who: Through Time and Space
13. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
14. You are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay
15. Undead Much by Stacey Jay

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 4712  pages
Pages Remaining: 933,037 pages

Current Read

Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready

The Long Weekend by Salita Kalhan

Books Won (0)

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Challenges Completed (0)

Comments

I thought I would hit a reading rut this month.  So thankful that it didn’t happen.  I have some great plans to keep this reading streak going. 

Next Month’s TBR

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
• Henry V by Shakespeare
• Immortals series by Alyson Noel
• The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
• Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean
• Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
• Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield
• First Days by Rhiannon Frater
• Rise Again by Ben Tripp
• Pure by Julianna Baggott
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

 

January 2012 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (25 books)

1. Jack of Fables: The End
2. Fables: Witches
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
4. The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks
5. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
6. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
7. The Boys: The Big Ride
8. Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker
9. Fables: Rose Red
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
11. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
12. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
13. Hatter M Volume 1
14. Hatter M Volume 2
15. Hatter M Volume 3
16. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
17. A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
18. Autumn: Purification by David Moody
19. Autumn: Disintegration by David Moody
20. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
21. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare
22. A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Manga Edition
23. Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster
24. Harry Potter Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley
25. The Joy of Scrapbooking by Lisa Bearnson

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 7005  pages
Pages Remaining: 937,749 pages

Current Read

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs — Won in a giveaway before Christmas.  Really been wanting to get to this one!

Books Won (3)

• Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens from Laura Ashlee at Owl Tell You About It
• Triangles by Ellen Hopkins from Cindy at Oodles of Books
• The Long Weekend by Saviat Kalhan from Michelle at The True Book Addict (A Winter’s Respite Readathon)

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Challenges Completed (2)

Two readathons, A Winter’s Respite from The True Book Addict and Bout of Books 3.0.  I thought I did well on both of those readathons.  I think I might be getting better and focusing my reading time.

Comments

What an awesome start to the reading year!  I am so excited about my progress so far.  Check out those reading challenge progress bars; I’ve made headways into many of those.  Plus, I read some really great books this month, specifically The Hunger Games trilogy.  Hope I can keep the momentum up next month.

Next Month’s TBR

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
• MacBeth by Shakespeare
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman
• A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp
• Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
• The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
• The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
• Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean
• American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout
• The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
• The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
• Rise Again by Ben Tripp
• First Days by Rhiannon Frater
• Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• Night of the Necromancer by Kyle West
• Sunshine by Robin McKinley
• Zombie Blondes by Brian James
• An Affair Without End by Candace Camp

 

December Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (9 books)

1. Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham 
2. Fables: Sons of Empire
3. Fables: The Good Prince
4. Fables: War and Pieces
5. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
6. Fables: The Dark Ages
7. Fables: The Great Fables Crossover
8. Jack of Fables: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack
9. Jack of Fables: The Fulminate Blade

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:  2247  pages
Pages Remaining: 944,364 pages

Current Read

None — taking a bit of a break before diving into 2012 reads.

Books Won (1)

A Game of Thrones by George Martin from Angela
Books I Gave Up On (0)

Challenges Completed (2)

2011 — Finally done!  It took me forever to get through all the categories.  I finished Inkheart, which counted for the Bablefish category.

Fables Series — I absolutely adore this series.  Can’t wait to read more next year.

Comments

I think I finished the year off on a strong note.  I didn’t read as many books I would have liked this month, but I think 9 is respectable given all the events going on.  I’m taking a bit of a reading break to grear up for next year’s reading.

Next Month’s TBR

See the new 2012 Reading Challenges Page… There’s just too many to list right here.

 

November Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (7 books)

1. Blameless by Gail Carriger
2. Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell
3. The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall
4. Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days)
5. Heartless by Gail Carriger
6. The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent
7. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:   2600 pages
Pages Remaining: 946,611 pages

Current Read

Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham and Steve Leialoha — I adore the Fables comic series and this novel is just as good…  Can’t wait to finish it!  Now if only I could find the time.

Books Won (1)

Switched by Amanda Hocking from LibraryThing

Books I Gave Up On (0)

It was a good selection of  books.  All 7 of my attempted reads were good enough to finish.

Challenges Completed (1)

Contemporary Romance

Comments

This month was a dismal failure.  I got so busy at work, at home, and traveling that I just didn’t get much read.  I’ve been averaging 15 books a month, so 7 is bad.  I have about 30 books to read for December if I’m going to finish my main reading challenges.  I have given up completely on three of them, but I really want to cross the finish line for the others.  Hopefully!  I have some reading time blocked out in December so I can tackle some of those. 

Other than that, November was a full month.  I got most of my Christmas cards made.  That’s right, I’m making homemade Christmas cards this year.  I had a great Stampin’ Up class with some new ideas to try out.  But the big event was traveling back to Indiana for Thanksgiving.  I finished a book on the plane going there and a book on the plane coming back.  The rest of the time was spent hanging with my boys, friends, and family.  We had packed days with activities and reconnecting with friends.  I was a bit disappointed with some of the people I thought were friends.  But I did get to see many others and we had a great time. 

Next Month’s TBR

• ~7 Fables volumes
• Contact by Carl Sagan
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
• Boneshaker and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
• Heart of Iron by Ekaterine Sedia
• The Girl from Jungchow by Kate Furnivall
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• The Dress Lodger by Holman

 

October Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (24 books)

1. Soulless by Gail Carriger
2. The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy
3. Jack of Fables: Americana
4. Fables: Wolves
5. The Elephant Mountains by Scott Ely
6. The Boys: The Name of the Game
7. The Boys: Get Some
8. Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy
9. The Boys: Good for the Soul
10. The Boys: We Gotta Go Now
11. The Boys: Herogasm
12. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
13. The Walking Dead: Book 3
14. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
15. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
16. The Boys: The Self Preservation Society
17. Night World Vol. 1 by L.J. Smith
18. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
19. The Boys: The Innocents
20. The Boys: Highland Laddie
21. Night World Vol. 2 by L.J. Smith
22. Changeless by Gail Carriger
23. Jack of Fables: Turning Pages
24. Jack of Fables: The Big Book of War

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 6034 pages
Pages Remaining: 949,211 pages

Current Read

Blameless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate #3) – Absolutely in love with this series right now.  I’m blowing through Blameless and should be starting Heartless very soon.  Unfortunately I have to wait a few months for Timeless.

Books Won (7)

Thank you all for hosting some great giveaways!  I can’t wait to dig into this spooky pile.

• Awaking by Madeline Freeman from The Wormhole.
• Feed by Mira Grant  from Julie at My Book Retreat.
• Zombie Apocalypse, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Zombie Blondes from Michelle at Castle Macabre.
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs from Lori at Pure Imagination.
• Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay (personalized and signed!!!)  from Kelly at Reading the Paranormal.

Series I Gave Up On

Night World — It became much too formulaic for my tastes.  I had to call it quits.

Challenges Completed (6)

Frightful Fall Readathon.  Dewey 24-Hour Readathon.  Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.  Bout of Books Readathon.  Page to Screen Reading Challenge.  Vampire Challenge.

Three readathons and three reading challenges completed.  I am very happy with my success from this past month. Also I am getting closer and closer to my 2011 reading goals (over 80% done!).

Comments

I knew this month would be a transition time.  Settling into my full time position meant I had to reexamine my reading habits and time.  Hence the abundance of graphic novels in my reading list.  They are easier to stop and start than full length novels.  Plus I can finish one of them in a day.  They helped me smooth over the transition.  I already have my TBR list for next month.  It’s full of historical fiction to wrap up that and some other yearly challenges.  I am certain the Fables series will be continued once those books come off hold at the library.  And J just told me today that the next The Boys volume comes out towards the end of the month…  You know we will be getting and devouring that.

 

September Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (12 books)

1. Warrior by Zoe Archer
2. Fables: Homelands
3. Scoundrel by Zoe Archer
4. Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape
5. Rebel by Zoe Archer
6. Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts
7. Stranger by Zoe Archer
8. Jack of Fables: The Bad Prince
9. Just a Little White Lie by Lynnette Hallberg
10. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
11. Staying at Daisy’s by Jill Mansell
12. The Walking Dead: Book Two

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:  3490 pages
Pages Remaining: 955,245 pages

Current Read

Soulless by Gail Carriger — Loving it so far!

Challenges Completed (1.5)

A movie challenge completed… Well almost.  We tried to watch one movie for every letter of the alphabet from our collection.  We have a few letters left.  Specifically Q, V, W, X, Y, and Z.  We have at least two movies for each of those letters, but we ran out of days.  I figured we wouldn’t watch one movie a night.  The new fall seasons started two weeks ago.  Plus some nights we spent time talking or reading or blogging.  Therefore we are a bit behind.  But we have recommitted to finish out those letters in the next two weeks.

And the Summer Romance Challenge! I committed myself to reading 24 books for the challenge (8 historical romance, 8 contemporary romance, and 8 paranormal romance).  At the start of September, I was a bit scared.  I still had 7 books to read and four of those were from contemporary romance.  Thankfully I found some good books and finished the challenge out.

Comments

A new life challenge started.  The Day Zero Project: 101 things in 1001 days.  I am really excited to make some tangible goals for myself for the next 2.75 years.  I’ve already made some good progress.  I hit a snag this past week, but I know have a better laid out plan.

I am a bit disappointed with my reading this week.  The total is lower than I would like, but I have a good excuse: I got a job!  I’m so excited to start a new job, and not just because that means an influx of money.  It’s a small, but integral position at a great social service organization focused on kids.  Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful.  I’ve eased into the organization and atmosphere easily.  I’m even out of the training portion of the job and have claimed my area and responsibilities.  It feels great.

Hopefully next month I’ll be able to up my reading back to its usual numbers.  Plus I have two reading challenges coming up: Fall Frightful Reading Challenge and the Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon (first attempt!).  Looking forward to it!

 

August Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (28  books)

1. Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss
2. Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes
3. Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Romance
4. Tall, Dark, and Dead by Tate Hallaway
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
6. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
7. At the King’s Command by Susan Wiggs
8. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
9. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
10. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
11. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
12. Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham
13. The Eternal Kiss
14. The Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble
15. Fables: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
16. Ringworld by Larry Niven
17. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
18. Lucky Girl by Cate Lord 
19. The Walking Dead: Book One
20. Men in Kilts by Katie MacAlister 
21. Greek Street: Blood Calls for Blood 
22. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
23. The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance
24. Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell
25. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
26. Miranda’s Big Mistake by Jill Mansell
27. Greek Street: Cassandra Complex
28. The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather by Alexandra Potter

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:  8603 pages
Pages Remaining: 958,735 pages

Current Read

Warrior (Blades of the Rose #1) by Zoe Archer — If the story keeps up, I found a new favorite series!

Challenges Completed (2)

I finished the Fantasy Challenge from Darlyn’s Fantasy Reading Challenge.  You can read my wrap-up post here. I also finished the Support Your Local Library Challenge.  I read 100 books from the library.  Unfortunately, the Omaha library can’t hold a candle to Allen County’s.  Oh well!  Now I really have to get moving on some of the other challenges (*cough* Amazon and SciFi *cough*).

Books I Gave Up On (3 books)

The Perfect Bride by Eileen Putman — Just couldn’t get over the arrogance of the male lead.  He pissed me off within the first 30 pages and I just couldn’t get over it.

When in Rome by Gemma Townley — I felt like I was reading Bridget Jones’ Diary… and not in a good way.  Gave it 50 pages, but just couldn’t seem to enjoy it.

Love’s First Bloom by Delia Parr — Wasn’t feeling the Christian historical fiction

Comments

Twenty-right books read and reviewed.  Two readalongs sorta done.  (I finished the Sense and Sensibility, but lost steam for the Harry Potter one.)  Two challenges completed.  Another challenge started (Fables Series).   A Stampin’ Up club joined.  A whole month of meals planned, cooked, and documented.

Wow!  It’s been a huge month.  I’ve done so much.  Now I need to get moving on next month.

 

July Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (10  books)

1. Have Spacesuit-Will Travel by Robert Heinlein
2. A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
3. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
4. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
5. My Lord Scandal by Emma Wildes
6. One Wicked Mistake by Emma Wildes
7. His Sinful Secret by Emma Wildes
8. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
9. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
10. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total:  3294 pages
Pages Remaining: 967,338 pages

Current Read

Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss

Books I Gave Up On (0 books)

Light reading month, but some good books in there.

Comments

So this month didn’t go exactly as planned.  I only read 10!!!! books.  That’s just crazy for me.  But it’s okay, I got a lot of other stuff done.  Moving really took it out of me motivation wise.  And the boys and I have been trying to see the sights of our new town.

On the good side, I did participate in a readathon.  And I read a lot of blogs.  And I cleaned out my Google Reader.  Finally, the books that I read were very good.  Nothing got less than 4 out of 5 stars.  Hopefully my reading amps up in the next month.  I have high hopes!

 

June Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (19 books)

1. The Maverick’s Bride by Catherine Palmer
2. Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier
3. Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff Vandemeer
4. Faeries Gone Wild
5. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
6. Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry
7. The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron
8. The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer
9. Autumn: The City by David Moody
10. The Outlaw’s Bride by Catherine Palmer
11. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 5
12. Wake by Lisa McMann
13. Fade by Lisa McMann
14. Gone by Lisa McMann
15. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
16. Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale
17. Zombies vs. Unicorns
18. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 6
19. Buffy Omnibus Vol. 7

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 5602 pages
Pages Remaining: 970,632 pages

Current Read

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Books I Won!!!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees

Books I Gave Up On (0 books)

Had some good selections this month, so no DNFs.

Comments

A light reading month.  But that’s okay.  I’ve been busy with other things in my life:

• End of the school year
• Disney World vacation
• Move to Omaha

That is what I originally wrote, but it’s not really true.  Yes, the school year came to an end.  The boys were busy packing up, wrappimg up.  Yes, we went to Disney World on vacation.  It was awesome.  And stressful.  But that’s part of the fun, right?  Yes, we moved to Omaha.  I’ve spent the last three days furiously unpacking (mostly because I really want to this to look like a house and not a hotel room.  Mostly, we have unpacked.  The rooms are actually looking like real rooms.  (I’ll post some pictures soon.)  Things are really coming together.

So, it was a very busy month, but I somehow still managed to read 19 books (with only a few graphic novels).  This was definitely a respectable total for June.  Onward to July…  Now I have to unpack my books to actually get some reading done.  Decisions, decisions.