2010 Goals!
Yeah, I didn't do too magnificent last year. Ah, well. This year me and my little sister, Melanie, are having a contest to see who can read the most books by the end of the year. Basically I'm going to dominate (or at least try really really hard, she is a crazy fast reader). So, yes. I also want to knit 12 items this year, but I may only document them on Facebook. . .
ONWARD!
Books I've Read in 2010!!
1. The Vampire Diaries 1: The Awakening by L. J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/11/2010)
- So, I decided to pick this book up because I started watching the TV show. The show is so much better. This book is a predictable young adult vampire romance, and is a very easy read. I'm going to finish the series, just for the sake of finishing it. Elena only gets on my nerves 40% of the time, so that's not to bad. And Stefan is interesting (while being overly brooding - but would it be a vampire novel is he didn't?). Everyone else in the book is pretty generic, unfortunately.
2. The Vampire Diaries 2: The Struggle by L.J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/21/2010)
- This one was way worse with the Elena whining. Ugh, I just wanted to slap her so many time throughout the whole thing. I used to think Bella was bad, dang, this chick is psycho. Although, the ending was very intense and cliffhanger-y. So, yeah, that sorta made up for my complete and utter annoyance with Elena and kept it three stars instead of two. Ugh.
3. The Vampire Diaries 3: The Fury by L.J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/30/2010)
- I've decided that this is the last one I'm going to read for now. These were the original three books, and it's good enough for me. Maybe I'll read the the rest of them later, but I need a break. As for how the book was, it wasn't bad, it wasn't good. I feel very neutral towards it. Truthfully, Elena was less annoying in this book, but it was kinda boring.
4. Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison - *1/2 (Finished 2/1/2010)
- Well, this was pretty disappointing. Was expecting more. Got way less. The end. (At least she ended up with Dave - even though it was at the very last second of the book.)
5. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - ***1/2 (Finished 2/10/2010)
- After reading all these young adult novels I was ready to dive into something more grownup. I did get it with this book, but I can't say that I wasn't expecting something more than what I got. I found it very difficult to care at all what happened to the characters and felt sort of cheated by the end. Although, I honestly couldn't stop reading it, for some unknown reason. It was good, but not as good as I was hoping for.
6. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb - * (Finished 2/18/2010)
- This book was just boring. I felt absolutely no connection with any character and the book just felt as if it dragged on and on. I wanted to finish it so badly, just so I could say I read another book, but I almost quit several time. The main character, Helen, felt so monotone throughout the entire book. I also got annoyed with James and Helen's relationship. I'm not really sure why, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm glad I never have to look at this book again.
7. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen - **** (Finished 3/3/2010)
- When I first started this book I wasn't getting my hopes up to high about enjoying it. I haven't really enjoyed any of the books I have read this year thus far, so I was allowing myself to be slightly pessimistic about this one. I will admit that it was kind of a slow start, and a barely faster paced middle, but by the end I was actually very engaged and was surprised when it ended (I listened to it on my iPod). I really want to know more. The characters were fairly boring and one dimensional in the beginning, but I really started to love them by the end. Henry and Diana were developed very well, I think. And I was pleased with how Elizabeth ended up and I ended up disliking Penelope as much as I think the author wanted. All in all, much better than I was expecting!
8. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - ***** (Finished 3/25/2010)
- Basically, this book is absolutely epic. The writing was fantastic, the character were believable and amazing! It was a complete and utter joy to read and live these characters lives along with them. I read this book only because my dad said it was way good. When I picked it up for the first time, I won't lie, I was intimidated. It was huge! And I took forever to read it. . . I started August, 2009. :\ Oh, well, better late than never I suppose. But this was a fantastic read!
9. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - ***** (Finished 4/8/2010)
- Epic. Amazing. Devastating. Wonderful. This is by far the best book I've read in a long, long time. This was just incredible! I can't believe how long I waited to actually get around to this one, goodness. I can't stand characters that whine and whine, but felt so connected with Scarlett that I didn't mind at all! And Rhett was just fantastically charming! I really can't say anything bad, I can't even complain about the length. It's about the same as Pillars of the Earth and that took me months! This took me just over a week. I adored this book!
10. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - **** (Finished 4/17/2010)
- I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. I started it this morning and finished it just now. I thought it was good enough, it's not the happiest story, but it was well put together. It's very easy to see why it's so classic. I found it moderately enjoyable.
11. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - **** (Finished 4/19/2010)
- This is not going to be one of my favorite books, but I liked it well enough. I really don't have much to say about it.
12. Emma by Jane Austen - ****1/2 (Finished 5/10/2010)
- This book was hard to get into at first, but about half way through, I ended up loving it! I'm actually kinda dying to read Mr. Knightley's Diary now . . . man. The characters in this book were so vivid! I had such an easy time envisioning Ms. Bates and Mrs. Elton, even though the former made me want to kill myself every time she spoke. Ugh. I literally had to just blank out every time she would go on and on and on and on and on . . . I mean goodness gracious! It was ridiculous. I though Emma was wonderful and Mr. Knightley was great too! I loved this book!
13. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - *** (Finished 5/20/2010)
- While this is beautifully written, I hated Emma so much that I had a hard time even paying attention to the words. Emma is the type of person that no matter what life brings her, she will never be happy. Whining and whining. Her delusions of grandeur were the most frustrating part of the entire novel. And through all of her psychosis Charles was so nice and loving! I know it wasn't in the way that she felt she needed to be loved, but she was loved by him all the same. Beautifully worded book, obnoxious heroine.
14. Mr. Knightley's Diary by Amanda Grange - ***1/2 (Finished 5/24/2010)
- I think this book is a great companion to the original Jane Austen novel. Obviously different, but I still enjoyed it.
15. The Real Benjamin Franklin by Andrew M. Allison - ***** (Finished 6/14/2010)
- Oh, this book was so good! So educational! The way it was written was very easy to understand and just plain fun, without it being to light of a read to get flimsy and childish.
16. Dracula by Bram Stoker - **** (Finished 7/2/2010)
- This book was much much better than I was expecting! I was thinking it was more along the lines of Frankenstein (which I hated every second of reading) since it was in the same sort of genre. But, oh no, this was so much better! Number one, Dracula could actually be a scary monster! Whereas Frankenstein was just green and stupid. Dracula can control the hearts and minds of almost anyone! Frankenstein just ran around the forest sad. If Dracula and Frankenstein got into a wrestling match, Dracula would be the obvious victor. Needless to say, I really like this book.
17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - ****1/2 (Finished 11/4/2010)
-Um, it was awesome. I don't know what made it so dang cool. Maybe I could identify with Katniss to a certain extent. But, yeah, I can't wait to read the next book! :)
18. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - ***** (Finished 11/11/2010)
-WOW! I thought The Hunger Games was really good, but this book was just amazing! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The storyline was so unpredictable at every turn, ohmygoodness. I couldn't put it down this whole afternoon! Great addition to the first book! Love, love, love, love, love. <3
19. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - **** (Finished 12/18/2010)
- I had to wait till the semester was over to even start this book, given the huge gap in between readings. But I thought that this was a great way to wrap to all up! It wasn't as good as the first or second book, which I'm okay with. It wasn't as good, I thought, because it was lacking in the action department, at least compared with the first two. All in all, I am very pleased with the ending, very well done and a really enjoyable read.
20. Looking For Alaska by John Green - **** (Finished 12/21/2010)
-I won't say that I truly enjoyed this book, but it did stir up a lot of emotions for me. I really liked Miles as a character (he reminded me a hecka lot of myself) and the writing was really well done. I also really liked Alaska, until she died, then I couldn't stand her. By the end of the book, I really hated that girl. I couldn't tell you why, I don't even know. . .
ONWARD!
Books I've Read in 2010!!
1. The Vampire Diaries 1: The Awakening by L. J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/11/2010)
- So, I decided to pick this book up because I started watching the TV show. The show is so much better. This book is a predictable young adult vampire romance, and is a very easy read. I'm going to finish the series, just for the sake of finishing it. Elena only gets on my nerves 40% of the time, so that's not to bad. And Stefan is interesting (while being overly brooding - but would it be a vampire novel is he didn't?). Everyone else in the book is pretty generic, unfortunately.
2. The Vampire Diaries 2: The Struggle by L.J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/21/2010)
- This one was way worse with the Elena whining. Ugh, I just wanted to slap her so many time throughout the whole thing. I used to think Bella was bad, dang, this chick is psycho. Although, the ending was very intense and cliffhanger-y. So, yeah, that sorta made up for my complete and utter annoyance with Elena and kept it three stars instead of two. Ugh.
3. The Vampire Diaries 3: The Fury by L.J. Smith - *** (Finished 1/30/2010)
- I've decided that this is the last one I'm going to read for now. These were the original three books, and it's good enough for me. Maybe I'll read the the rest of them later, but I need a break. As for how the book was, it wasn't bad, it wasn't good. I feel very neutral towards it. Truthfully, Elena was less annoying in this book, but it was kinda boring.
4. Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison - *1/2 (Finished 2/1/2010)
- Well, this was pretty disappointing. Was expecting more. Got way less. The end. (At least she ended up with Dave - even though it was at the very last second of the book.)
5. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - ***1/2 (Finished 2/10/2010)
- After reading all these young adult novels I was ready to dive into something more grownup. I did get it with this book, but I can't say that I wasn't expecting something more than what I got. I found it very difficult to care at all what happened to the characters and felt sort of cheated by the end. Although, I honestly couldn't stop reading it, for some unknown reason. It was good, but not as good as I was hoping for.
6. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb - * (Finished 2/18/2010)
- This book was just boring. I felt absolutely no connection with any character and the book just felt as if it dragged on and on. I wanted to finish it so badly, just so I could say I read another book, but I almost quit several time. The main character, Helen, felt so monotone throughout the entire book. I also got annoyed with James and Helen's relationship. I'm not really sure why, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm glad I never have to look at this book again.
7. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen - **** (Finished 3/3/2010)
- When I first started this book I wasn't getting my hopes up to high about enjoying it. I haven't really enjoyed any of the books I have read this year thus far, so I was allowing myself to be slightly pessimistic about this one. I will admit that it was kind of a slow start, and a barely faster paced middle, but by the end I was actually very engaged and was surprised when it ended (I listened to it on my iPod). I really want to know more. The characters were fairly boring and one dimensional in the beginning, but I really started to love them by the end. Henry and Diana were developed very well, I think. And I was pleased with how Elizabeth ended up and I ended up disliking Penelope as much as I think the author wanted. All in all, much better than I was expecting!
8. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - ***** (Finished 3/25/2010)
- Basically, this book is absolutely epic. The writing was fantastic, the character were believable and amazing! It was a complete and utter joy to read and live these characters lives along with them. I read this book only because my dad said it was way good. When I picked it up for the first time, I won't lie, I was intimidated. It was huge! And I took forever to read it. . . I started August, 2009. :\ Oh, well, better late than never I suppose. But this was a fantastic read!
9. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - ***** (Finished 4/8/2010)
- Epic. Amazing. Devastating. Wonderful. This is by far the best book I've read in a long, long time. This was just incredible! I can't believe how long I waited to actually get around to this one, goodness. I can't stand characters that whine and whine, but felt so connected with Scarlett that I didn't mind at all! And Rhett was just fantastically charming! I really can't say anything bad, I can't even complain about the length. It's about the same as Pillars of the Earth and that took me months! This took me just over a week. I adored this book!
10. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - **** (Finished 4/17/2010)
- I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. I started it this morning and finished it just now. I thought it was good enough, it's not the happiest story, but it was well put together. It's very easy to see why it's so classic. I found it moderately enjoyable.
11. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - **** (Finished 4/19/2010)
- This is not going to be one of my favorite books, but I liked it well enough. I really don't have much to say about it.
12. Emma by Jane Austen - ****1/2 (Finished 5/10/2010)
- This book was hard to get into at first, but about half way through, I ended up loving it! I'm actually kinda dying to read Mr. Knightley's Diary now . . . man. The characters in this book were so vivid! I had such an easy time envisioning Ms. Bates and Mrs. Elton, even though the former made me want to kill myself every time she spoke. Ugh. I literally had to just blank out every time she would go on and on and on and on and on . . . I mean goodness gracious! It was ridiculous. I though Emma was wonderful and Mr. Knightley was great too! I loved this book!
13. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - *** (Finished 5/20/2010)
- While this is beautifully written, I hated Emma so much that I had a hard time even paying attention to the words. Emma is the type of person that no matter what life brings her, she will never be happy. Whining and whining. Her delusions of grandeur were the most frustrating part of the entire novel. And through all of her psychosis Charles was so nice and loving! I know it wasn't in the way that she felt she needed to be loved, but she was loved by him all the same. Beautifully worded book, obnoxious heroine.
14. Mr. Knightley's Diary by Amanda Grange - ***1/2 (Finished 5/24/2010)
- I think this book is a great companion to the original Jane Austen novel. Obviously different, but I still enjoyed it.
15. The Real Benjamin Franklin by Andrew M. Allison - ***** (Finished 6/14/2010)
- Oh, this book was so good! So educational! The way it was written was very easy to understand and just plain fun, without it being to light of a read to get flimsy and childish.
16. Dracula by Bram Stoker - **** (Finished 7/2/2010)
- This book was much much better than I was expecting! I was thinking it was more along the lines of Frankenstein (which I hated every second of reading) since it was in the same sort of genre. But, oh no, this was so much better! Number one, Dracula could actually be a scary monster! Whereas Frankenstein was just green and stupid. Dracula can control the hearts and minds of almost anyone! Frankenstein just ran around the forest sad. If Dracula and Frankenstein got into a wrestling match, Dracula would be the obvious victor. Needless to say, I really like this book.
17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - ****1/2 (Finished 11/4/2010)
-Um, it was awesome. I don't know what made it so dang cool. Maybe I could identify with Katniss to a certain extent. But, yeah, I can't wait to read the next book! :)
18. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - ***** (Finished 11/11/2010)
-WOW! I thought The Hunger Games was really good, but this book was just amazing! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The storyline was so unpredictable at every turn, ohmygoodness. I couldn't put it down this whole afternoon! Great addition to the first book! Love, love, love, love, love. <3
19. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - **** (Finished 12/18/2010)
- I had to wait till the semester was over to even start this book, given the huge gap in between readings. But I thought that this was a great way to wrap to all up! It wasn't as good as the first or second book, which I'm okay with. It wasn't as good, I thought, because it was lacking in the action department, at least compared with the first two. All in all, I am very pleased with the ending, very well done and a really enjoyable read.
20. Looking For Alaska by John Green - **** (Finished 12/21/2010)
-I won't say that I truly enjoyed this book, but it did stir up a lot of emotions for me. I really liked Miles as a character (he reminded me a hecka lot of myself) and the writing was really well done. I also really liked Alaska, until she died, then I couldn't stand her. By the end of the book, I really hated that girl. I couldn't tell you why, I don't even know. . .