Books read in 2010

I read 33 books in 2010. List exported from Goodreads. 

Not quite my goal of 50, but 2/3 of the way there at least. :)

Title		Author		My Rating	Average Goodreads Rating	Date Read
Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms, #1)		Kristin Cashore		5	4.15	1/2/2010
Fire (The Seven Kingdoms, #2)		Kristin Cashore		5	4.09	1/6/2010
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)		Becca Fitzpatrick		5	4.04	1/30/2010
The Iron King (Iron Fey, #1)		Julie Kagawa		5	4.1	2/27/2010
The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)		James Dashner		5	3.94	5/9/2010
The Dead-Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #2)		Carrie Ryan		5	3.96	5/25/2010
Winter's Passage (Iron Fey, #1.5)		Julie Kagawa		5	4.1	7/6/2010
Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)		Rachel Hawkins		5	4.06	7/7/2010
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)		Suzanne Collins		5	4.05	8/25/2010
The Vicious Dead: a zombie compendium		Key Publications		5	5	10/9/2010
Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)		Catherine Fisher		5	3.85	12/21/2010
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)		Kami Garcia		4	3.8	1/14/2010
The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine, #1)		Bree Despain		4	3.92	1/19/2010
Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice (Thirst, #1)		Christopher Pike		4	3.7	3/22/2010
Hourglass (Evernight, #3)		Claudia Gray		4	3.98	4/9/2010
Vacations from Hell		Libba Bray		4	3.52	4/24/2010
Shadowed Summer		Saundra Mitchell		4	3.55	6/1/2010
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella		Stephenie Meyer		4	3.53	6/22/2010
The Line (Line #1)		Teri Hall		4	3.38	6/30/2010
Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)		Maggie Stiefvater		4	4.03	8/5/2010
Uglies (Uglies, #1)		Scott Westerfeld		4	3.9	8/15/2010
Pretties (Uglies, #2)		Scott Westerfeld		4	3.83	8/17/2010
Specials (Uglies, #3)		Scott Westerfeld		4	3.75	8/18/2010
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)		Cassandra Clare		4	4.29	10/21/2010
Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2)		Becca Fitzpatrick		4	4.25	12/8/2010
Fallen (Fallen, #1)		Lauren Kate		3	3.81	2/20/2010
Gone  (Dream Catcher, #3)		Lisa McMann		3	3.61	4/30/2010
Burned (House of Night, #7)		P.C. Cast		3	4.04	6/16/2010
Extras (Uglies, #4)		Scott Westerfeld		3	3.6	9/11/2010
Runaway (Airhead, #3)		Meg Cabot		3	3.93	9/26/2010
The Golden Spiral (Hourglass Door Trilogy, #2)		Lisa Mangum		3	3.78	11/29/2010
Sabotaged (The Missing, #3)		Margaret Peterson Haddix		3	3.82	12/16/2010
Captivate (Need, #2)		Carrie Jones		2	3.94	3/11/2010

To Resolute or not to Resolute

I have an issue with Resolutions. It's this...I make them and as soon as I do, they become immediately unattainable. Doesn't matter how big or how small they are, it's as if by putting it in place, it can no longer be.

Last year, I made five resolutions, joined two reading challenges (in which I failed big time) and let's not even mention the 101 things in 1001 days challenge! I'm not sure what I was thinking except this: I keep trying to make myself do things I'm not truly prepared for. Ideally, these things sound great and I should try to attain them, but they aren't realistic. How could I possibly have achieved a 50 book reading challenge and a 12 book debut author challenge during 2010 AND ask myself to write 15K a month? And Nano too? Oh and yeah, I'm also a single mom of two boys who play sports and I work full time and yes, I'm social with actual human beings. ERG! I must have lost my damn mind.

So here's where I am. I'm making only one resolution to myself this year: Take it one day at a time. One challenge at a time. Don't plan out the entire year's ventures just because the previous year is coming to close. I think we've come into this idea that a calendar year rollover is the ultimate in pivotal changes, when its simply another day in the grand scheme of things. Why must we make such an issue over it?


On that note, my resolution of taking it one day at a time will be asking myself to assess where I am and what do I want to. What can I do today to help myself get there?

This is will be my motto for 2011.

What will yours be?

Fourth Quarter Reads and Book Recomendations

I haven't had a lot of time to read lately (due to my Buffy and Angel fixation) but I did manage to read six books between October and December. Here's a few thoughts:

Runaway (Airhead Series #3) by Meg Cabot

As the third book in the AIRHEAD series, you can expect for things to finally dull down a bit.  I'm not sure why I fell in love with this series, but I guess it had to do with it's fun soap-opera-like quality.  Brought me back to the days when I watched The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of our Lives.  In this book, Emerson Watts is still trapped in Nikki's body and being held hostage by the Starks heir, Brandon, who wants to control her as much date her. Nikki, who is stuck in Emerson's body, is determined to get her body back and is using Brandon Starks to do it. And when the prospect of being able to get her real body back, Emerson stumbles. Stumbles!  Something she's supposedly been wanting for the first 2 books!  This is what I don't like about Runaway.  Emerson becomes Nikki - the shallow part of her - and it compromises her character. As the story progressed, I wasn't as pleased as I was with the first two.  It also wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste.  A lot of built up without buster to fall back on.  But still, it's a 3 out of 5 for me.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Series #1) by Cassandra Clare

I was really excited to read this one. I preordered it months before its release and then I also won the audio CD's from Mundie Moms in a giveaway. And from all that, I think I gave into the hype too much. Expected more than I should have because once I got into the story, I didn't fall in love with it as much as I had expected.  Yes, I love the characters and while a lot of the explanations were repetitive due to reading TMI first, it was a nice, different approach to it. I think my favorite character of the whole story is Camille and of course Tessa's ability is quite interesting as well.  What I did realize by reading this book is that I'm not a fan of steampunk and clockworks nor of stories set in the 1800's.  However I am still looking forward to the Clockwork Prince.  It's a 4 out of 5 for me.

The Golden Spiral (Hourglass Door Trilogy #2) by Lisa Mangum

This book lost me from the first couple of pages.  The prologue was in a separate POV from the rest of the story and Abby is weak in this sequel. And unfortunately I can't appreciate the time ripples as presented. They seemed forced and I can't contrive how impossibly thought out they were. It just didn't work for me. Dante was too weak for me in this story too. It made me want to cheer for the bad guy. I did like the crazy friend though; she was interesting at least!  And for the love of goodness...why did this one have to end with someone walking through a door....again?!  It's frustrating to love the first in a trilogy and not love the second whatsoever.  2 out of 5 stars.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I'm not going to say much about Crescendo because I loved it, but I didn't. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars mainly for the ride. The plot twists and turns were fun, but I began to see how Patch is truly an abusive type to lust after and that doesn't strike me as something teens should see as a "Team Patch" literary figure. I'm not sure where or how I want these trilogy to end up, but I'll be excited to see where it goes.


Sabotaged (Missing Series #3) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I love this children's lit series. Not only does it have time travel and realistic 10-12 year characters, but the 3rd book in the series takes us to the time of Roanoke which is one of my favorite "missing" stories. Haddix does a fabulous job in setting up an entertaining story that is historically truth-based, but it's fair to warn you that this book is very slow. I can see how every detail was needed, but the action is not fast paced whatsoever. You'll have to have some endurance (and a lot of interest) to sit through this one.  3 out of 5 stars

Incarceron (Incarceron #1) by Catherine Fisher

FINALLY! I found book love again!  Incarceron is definitely a new favorite of mine. The idea of a prison that no one can enter and no one can leave, abandoned and yet monitored is fascinating to me. I'm currently reading the sequel, Sapphique, and when I get finished with it, I'll give my full opinion. 

Zombie Christmas - a safefy video

a must see...

Oh look....it's December...

How on Earth did this happen?  What happened to November?  Oh ya....Nano, Vacation, Thanksgiving, Buffy Reruns, Work...but the blog, not so much. And I hate to say it, but December is going to be a bad blogging month as well. This time of year is always busy busy busy!

Something I do want to celebrate though...today, my first born turned NINE years old! Caleb is an amazing kid. He's had to endure so much in the last few years between his MRI's, physical therapy, various tests and doctor appointments...and yet, he keeps on truckin' as if every kid has to go through it at his age. He's smart and talented too - already experimenting in cartooning and fiction writing.  He's going to turn out to be an even more amazing young man. Proud Mama, I am.

Happy Birthday Caleb!