40 Books Challenge
Yes, I have been on a children's lit reading binge. No, I am not in the least bit ashamed of myself for burying my nose in a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth everywhere I go.
22. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
=SPOILER ALERT=
Actually appreciated this a lot more this time around (my third time reading it), but I can't remember for the life of me why, since I read the seventh book right after and it pretty much blew my mind away (again).
D'oh.
Rating: 10/10
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
=SPOILER ALERT=
Otherwise known as Harry Potter and the Extended Camping Trip, I had only read this book once (shame!) since it came out. However, upon finishing, I concluded that a) everything seemed to make a lot more sense, especially the ending, and b) I still hate the epilogue. I was also pretty annoyed at all of them for being such hormonal teenagers (granted, going through a hell of a lot of crap) and the fact that they basically crammed the destruction of the darkest wizard of all time into a period of a few months, but I was still literally sweating as I read some of the chapters. I couldn't put it down until I finished in the early hours of the morning, even though I had to get up for work at 6.
One big thing that changed for me this time around was how I saw Dumbledore--I never noticed it the first time I read it, but all of the things they discover about him, even if they were justified, really changed the way I looked at him, especially his ambition for power as a teenager. Also, maybe it was just the fact that way too many people died at once the first time, but the casualties didn't seem quite as overwhelming once I knew who was snuffing it.
Favorite line: "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
Rating: 10/10
24. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room (Book 2), Lemony Snickett
Still can't read this book while eating; it gives me the chills and makes me lose my appetite. Lemony Snickett's descriptions make me shiver, and most of the time I can't believe these are children's books at all. Gruesome as always, and I think I might only finish it because, gosh darn it, I'm determined to get to the happy (or not-so-much-so) ending...
25. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
Possibly one of my favorite books of all time, along with my other favorite "nonsense"/"fantastical" children's book, Alice in Wonderland. Juster is the king of word play, twisting his words this way and that until they're so bent that only a mountain-sized crowbar could straighten it out. He takes the reader from a leap to the island of Conclusions all the way to the Castle in the Air where Milo, Tock (a watchdog who goes "Tick"), and the Humbug must travel to save the imprisoned Rhyme and Reason. A book for all ages and all who love to explore exotic new places of the imagination right inside their bedroom.
Rating: 10/10
22. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
=SPOILER ALERT=
Actually appreciated this a lot more this time around (my third time reading it), but I can't remember for the life of me why, since I read the seventh book right after and it pretty much blew my mind away (again).
D'oh.
Rating: 10/10
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
=SPOILER ALERT=
Otherwise known as Harry Potter and the Extended Camping Trip, I had only read this book once (shame!) since it came out. However, upon finishing, I concluded that a) everything seemed to make a lot more sense, especially the ending, and b) I still hate the epilogue. I was also pretty annoyed at all of them for being such hormonal teenagers (granted, going through a hell of a lot of crap) and the fact that they basically crammed the destruction of the darkest wizard of all time into a period of a few months, but I was still literally sweating as I read some of the chapters. I couldn't put it down until I finished in the early hours of the morning, even though I had to get up for work at 6.
One big thing that changed for me this time around was how I saw Dumbledore--I never noticed it the first time I read it, but all of the things they discover about him, even if they were justified, really changed the way I looked at him, especially his ambition for power as a teenager. Also, maybe it was just the fact that way too many people died at once the first time, but the casualties didn't seem quite as overwhelming once I knew who was snuffing it.
Favorite line: "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
Rating: 10/10
24. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room (Book 2), Lemony Snickett
Still can't read this book while eating; it gives me the chills and makes me lose my appetite. Lemony Snickett's descriptions make me shiver, and most of the time I can't believe these are children's books at all. Gruesome as always, and I think I might only finish it because, gosh darn it, I'm determined to get to the happy (or not-so-much-so) ending...
25. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
Possibly one of my favorite books of all time, along with my other favorite "nonsense"/"fantastical" children's book, Alice in Wonderland. Juster is the king of word play, twisting his words this way and that until they're so bent that only a mountain-sized crowbar could straighten it out. He takes the reader from a leap to the island of Conclusions all the way to the Castle in the Air where Milo, Tock (a watchdog who goes "Tick"), and the Humbug must travel to save the imprisoned Rhyme and Reason. A book for all ages and all who love to explore exotic new places of the imagination right inside their bedroom.
Rating: 10/10