Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Book Challenge: February and March Recap


Thank goodness they don't deactivate Blogger accounts for inactivity. ;-)

Since I lost the post-it that had been pulling double duty as my bookmark and as my scratch paper for keeping track of what I've read, this list might be a little incomplete. Oh well.

12. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray -- This is the first book in a trilogy about British schoolgirl Gemma Doyle and the magical power that she possesses. I had a hard time getting into this one, but by the end I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

13. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray -- The second book in the Gemma Doyle series, this was my favorite one.

14. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray -- The finale to Gemma Doyle's story. I wish I liked it more. The first half was so slow and plodding. While the second half picked up considerably, there was a twist that I just could not get on board with. I left the series feeling disappointed.

15. Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes on a Marriage by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher -- A memoir by two Wall St. Journal writers who fell in love with each other as well as wine. I loved this book. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you have some wine on hand while you read it. I didn't and it was torture!

16. The Help by Kathryn Stockett -- Set in the south, in the early to mid 1960s, this novel explores race relations and societal expectations from the perspective of maids and their employers. I couldn't put this book down once I started.

17. Glass by Ellen Hopkins -- This picks up where Crank left off. In this installment, Kristina relapses hard.

18. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby -- I really wanted to like this book, but didn't. I haven't given up on reading Nick Hornby though.

19. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory -- This was another book I had a hard time getting into. Is there any point in reading Philippa Gregory's books if you can't picture Jonathan Rhys Myers as King Henry while you read? I need to cast my own eye candy in the royal roles before the next book is released.

20. A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates -- This was a seriously fucked up story. Like really, really fucked up. *shudder*

I know that I'm missing a couple. I hope my post-it will turn up eventually.

On a book-related note, I recently joined Goodreads. If you'd like to add me as a friend, you can search for me under starlily313@yahoo.com.