Fredanria's 2009 Challenge :)

Well, I'm starting a little late, so here's numbers 1-5
1. Sammy Keyes and the Cold, Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen
2.Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
3. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
4. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
5. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (I can't wait for the movie - I want to see how it turns out, though I can already tell it'll have quite a few new plot points added)
Now I just need to get cracking at reading! I've started waaaay too many books (at last count, I think it was 8. At least), and if I'm not careful I'll start to forget what's going on in the story before I get a chance to finish it, what with all the sidetracks that the others cause.
I'll might start the 999 challenge soon, so those books might pop up here as well (we'll see how that goes; I haven't even been able to come up with the categories yet, so who knows if I'll even start)

What did you think of Peeps? I'm in the midst of the Uglies books, and am curious to know what his other writings are like...

Welcome to the group!

>2 dk_phoenix: I really enjoyed it, even more than the Uglies books. There was something about Uglies...I don't know what it was, but it kind of bugged me, and I felt a little off with it (I think it might've had to do with me not liking Tally much as a character), and with Peeps I had no problems like that. Plus, I loved his little chapters on the parasites - I found them really fascinating.
> 3 Thanks!

I'm looking forward to the film as well

6. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
I have to admit, I loved these books when I was in 3rd through 5th grade. This one definitely disappointed me however (its predecessor did as well). Is it just my having grown up, or do the plots seem a lot worse? I can't tell. All I know is that this book's plot fell short of what I was hoping for (though frankly, not of what I was expecting).
(I mean, really? Lemur brain fluid?)

I am currently reading book 3 in the series, but it will be interesting when I get to the book you are on to see if I have the same reaction.

Oh dear... that's the most recent Artemis Fowl, yes? It's the only one I haven't read yet, but it's on my shelf. I've enjoyed them all so far, though Lost Colony had its bizarre moments... I'll probably plug through this one anyway, but how disappointing to know it'll likely underwhelm...

>8 dk_phoenix: Well, there were definitely things I didn't enjoy in The Lost Colony and I think it was the lack of Butler and Foaly that did it for me in both of them. There was so much of the demon world in The Lost Colony and in The Time Paradox, with the time-traveling, you didn't get to see much of either of them again.

7. Lady Friday by Garth Nix - I was rereading this one, so I can read the newest in the series, Superior Saturday. I've already started it, and it's definitely grabbed my attention. I'm looking forward to the resolution of this series, simply because I know it should resolve happily, but I can't figure out how yet...(I tend to find it annoying when I can see straight through the plot from the very beginning; possibly why I used to enjoy Artemis Fowl and no longer do?)

8. The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima - YES! Finally finished the series!

9. Aaaaand Superior Saturday by Garth Nix was finished last night. Like I said, I'm curious as to how this series will be resolved, since there's a lot that needs to happen in only one more book. I wonder if maybe the Architect will come back? Hmmm...that really would solve quite a few problems... I'm sure the Old One will end up playing some part in this too, and obviously Arthur can still call the Mariner. And I bet his elephant will end up reminding him who he is or something like that. We'll see though.

Is Superior Saturday out in paperback yet? I've been collecting the series too, but refuse to buy the hardbacks.

I ended up with the hardbacks in the Cinda Williams Chima series because I got the first two as hardbacks in wonderful condition through PaperBackSwap.com, so went ahead and bought the last to complete the series. What did you think of the conclusion here?

>11 ronincats:. I don't know about the status of Superior Saturday in paperback yet, but I would guess the answer to be no, since it just came out last summer. (and I just checked, and Amazon doesn't seem to have it...)
In terms of the Heir trilogy, I enjoyed it enough to continue reading it, but I don't know if I'd buy it...it was one of those series I read to see the outcome of, not because I get a happy feeling from reading it, or because I really enjoy the characters or the world or the words. And in fact, I found the conclusion (and generally the third book) a little unsatisfying; I'm not totally sure what it was, but the whole book just didn't sit well with me. I think it was that all the double-crossings and hidden motives (which weren't really hidden from the reader) annoyed me; I kept wanting to shout at Leesha and Jason and Madison for being stupid and not telling people their little secrets. And everyone seemed unhappy and suspicious and tense throughout the entire book; it felt like the book was all climax, and nothing else (though that feeling was mainly just the result of how I read it, all chopped up at different times). It also didn't help that I didn't feel like I knew the characters from the first two anymore. I know that each book sort of focused on different people, but Jack obviously changes in some ways (they even say it in the book!) and so does Seph, and I didn't like how I couldn't/didn't really see those changes happening slowly and steadily; it seemed very sudden.
In any case, I would recommend reading the series, but I don't think I personally would reread it or buy it (with the exception of maybe the first one).

(Whew that was long!)

>11 ronincats:: Superior Saturday is not yet out in paperback. In a way, that might be good for you. Unlike the first five, which completed their particular adventure, it ended half-way through the story in a cliffhanger. It might be better to have Lord Sunday out and available in case you have to know what happens. :-)

1. Dragons in the Waters by Madeleine L'Engle - I FINALLY FINISHED IT, THANK GOD. I don't think I have it in me to start the other book of hers I checked out...they're all just too much! I always get stuck somewhere, and for some reason I can't go any further. It's happened to me in this book, An Acceptable Time, Troubling a Star, and The Moon by Night. Also, I need to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay anyway for English.

(for details on why this is numbered the way it is, see message 23)

10. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint
This was...a disappointment. There were so many things I didn't like.
My main problem was that it had so much potential at the end! If the story had started there, and then gone on, I think it would have been much more interesting. I also would have loved to see more of the fairies; a book about Elizabeth's introduction into their world, and then (Spoiler!) the consequences of her wish, with maybe a little bit of how Jan was dealing with things would have been infinitely better I think. (/Spoiler)
My other problem was that things got a little preachy at some points, like the victim thing with Geoff...I mean, I would understand if the book focused on that, but really, it was more of a minor thing...and also all the things about racism/money-ism (does someone know the word for that? I am a lazybutt and don't feel like googling it)/differences was poorly concealed. And not very well written.
ALSO: everything with TJ was wrapped up way too neatly. Her parents are totally JUST THAT NICE. And her brother's sudden transformation added in with the preachiness...bleh. In general in fact, TJ was whiny. (I GET THAT YOU MISS YOUR HORSE, MOVE ON PLEASE.)
In general, this was one of those books that could have been better, but wasn't. And now I wish I could write that story about Elizabeth and fairies.

Oh my, good to know. I've looked at this book a few times and thought about reading it, but after your review... guess I can pass it up :)

#15: I read the deLint story as part of an anthology, Firebirds Rising, recently and I agree. It is definitely not one of his better tales, although granted, my knowledge of his works is limited.

>17 alcottacre:. I know, that's where I had first heard of it too...though I didn't realize that when I checked it out. I was sitting there reading the first chapter, going, "Why does this seem so familiar...?" I finally figured it out though.

11. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Most definitely worth a read.

12. Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary by Wendelin Van Draanen Another Sammy Keyes; this one's a re-read, and one of the mysteries I really like. There are some Sammy Keyes that have lame, see-through mysteries, but this one had one that was actually hard, and I still enjoy rereading it.

13. Wild Orchid: A Retelling of the Ballad of Mulan by Cameron Dokey
It was fine; not really a reread, and frankly, I'd rather watch the Disney movie, as this was a very "meh" type of book.

14. Triskellion by Will Peterson
I was disappointed in this book; I was expecting a lot more mystery to it, and a treasure hunt, and that wasn't a very big part of this book, at least not to me. I really enjoy reading books that have treasure hunts, but at the same time scare the crap out of you; the ones that make it seem like someone's watching the main character through the window, or from the trees. This book didn't really have that sense of creepiness, and it didn't have a treasure hunt either, not one with multiple clues and things. I also thought the ending was really uninspired; I was expecting some sort of twist, and instead it felt like they needed to wrap stuff up, but they weren't completely sure how they were going to do it, so they jumped on the first idea that came along, when it wasn't necessarily the best.
(Look!: "...the first of a planned fantasy trilogy." Maybe it gets better...?)

2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (see message 23 for details on why this is numbered this way)

3. How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski
From now on, I think I'm going to number the books that are on my 999 Challenge list differently; I'd like to try to read 75 books NOT on that list. Not sure how well this'll all work out, and I might not be able to do it, but we'll see.

15. Stargazer by Patrick Carman
I started reading this series not even realizing it was a series; but I had loved the first book, so I kept reading them as they came out, even after Into the Mist was published and I had no idea if there was an end in sight. This looks to be the last of the series, and I have this to say: I love Patrick Carman's worlds. I think maybe it has mostly to do with the covers to his books/the inside drawings, but either way, I can picture eveything that goes on in them as vividly as if I'd been there, and I love that aspect of the books. That being said, I don't always like his writing style; it gets a little sloppy sometimes, and things start to sound like they would if I were writing the story, which usually isn't a good sign.
Still, Carman's worlds make up for that fault enough that I'm willing reread his books.

I quite enjoy Patrick Carman's worlds too... really liking his new Atherton series.

>25 dk_phoenix:. Is it good? I only read the first one, and I gave up on it after the ending, and realizing the next one wasn't coming out soon.

16. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
This book will always strangely remind me of summer, because that's when I first started it: last summer, over camp, after I managed to somehow get a corneal ulcer and had to stay in the nurse's cabin for two days. This was the book I picked up to read, and I recently bought it, only really starting it again (I reread all of it) recently, as the weather has turned nicer here...

>26 fredanria:: I've only read the first one too! I'm waiting for the second to come out in paperback (which I think it finally is now)... admittedly, I thought the ending of the first book was a bit predictable, but I'm interested enough to see how it turns out!

>28 dk_phoenix:: I don't know...the fact that there was a website, and it was confusing, and there were going to be other books, just didn't appeal to me...I also didn't find that world...well, it wasn't uninteresting, because from what I remember, it was a cool concept, but it didn't have the same feel that The Land of Elyon had.

17. Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves
Not the greatest book I've ever read, but not the worst; I really felt like it should have been longer. That there should be more to come, or that the book itself should have had more at the beginning.

18. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
I officially like Scott Westerfeld as an author now. After reading the Uglies series, I wasn't a fan really, and after Peeps I was borderline, but after this one...I definitely like it. I guess that the main reason why was because I liked the little facts he had interspersed throughout...because really, the plot was fairly predictable after reading Peeps, and I wasn't the happiest with the ending, so it was mainly those facts that I found so fascinating.

4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
It took me a month or two, but I finished it, and I'm so happy I did. It really is a pretty good book, though I was expecting more from the end after having read all the criticism on it for English...I don't know what I was expecting, but just...more. Some unseen plot twist or something.

5. The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
I'm almost done with his books for now - I'm just going to read Extras and then I'm done for a while.
Again, I really liked this one, though it didn't have the facts about bacteria that I enjoyed so much in the first one. Still, an interesting ending, and I enjoyed it.

19. Taken by Edward Bloor
The story behind the reading of this one: I had read one of his other books, Story Time because my stand partner in band was reading it for a week or two, and I would read over her shoulder whenever band got too boring. I finally checked it out and actually finished it, and it was an okay book, not spectacular, and maybe aimed at a slightly younger audience, but still a fine read. This book was pretty much the same, though it did have an interesting little twist at the end.

20. The Order of Odd Fish by James Kennedy
It took me a little bit to get through it, but in the end, I enjoyed it. It also took me a little bit to enjoy the actual Order of the Odd-Fish as it is in this book, but again, I grew to love it in the end.
The book starts off slow, but by the time you get to the fantastic world of Eldritch City, its pace has quickened - and from there, things are good. That was my only complaint about the book: the slow beginning. Everything else was really good - great descriptions, and some really interesting details. Also, the plot was fairly unexpected - though with this book, it's actually really hard to figure out what to expect in the first place.

21. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dobner
A reread, this is still an interesting book - it's one of those books I like for their interesting facts and realizations (recall Peeps and So Yesterday).

6. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

22. Extras by Scott Westerfeld

23. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marshall Frady
This one was for a history paper.

How did you like Memoirs of a Geisha? I was actually quite disappointed in the ending. I haven't seen the film yet either, though it's on my list of things to watch.

>37 dk_phoenix:. I have to say, I enjoyed for the most part, though I do agree on the ending - I was expecting something more, I guess. All in all though, it was definitely a book that I enjoyed, though I really don't know why. I tend to really dislike sad books, and this one wasn't a happy book for sure; but I liked it all the same, which I take to be a testament that it must be pretty well-written.
I need to see this too. It's a little funny, because I can remember when my parents watched it when I was younger, and I thought it looked sad and I'd never want to read the book.

7. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

8. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
Not as interesting as I had hoped it would be, and a lot more confusing - but ultimately worth it.
24. Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon
I have to admit that in this one I got a little lost in some of the essays since I had no idea what he was talking about (the ones about the books/comics; i.e. American Flagg)

I hope your next reads are better for you!

I agree with you on Maps and Legends. I guess that happens sometimes when I buy a book because I like the cover.

>41 alcottacre:. Well, Chalice is being read right now...so...yeah. It's good, I like Robin McKinley.
>42 jmaloney17:. I did love that cover. It was really really pretty...and shiny!

25. Chalice by Robin McKinley
Wonderful, as I believed it would be. This is yet another one of her books I would love to see a sequel too, though I doubt there ever will be one; I can hope though right?

26. Bliss by Lauren Myracle
Scary. And it did NOT have the ending I expected at all. In any way. Which was disappointing, but did make the book...more...just more somehow for the lack of a better word.

27. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnero

#44: I have Chalice somewhere at my house. I need to find it very soon!

#45: How was A House on Mango Street? I have seen it several times but never picked it up.

I really enjoyed Chalice as well. I thought it got her back in the groove after Dragonhaven. I enjoyed Mirasol's character a lot.

>46 alcottacre:. Mango was read for English, and it was surprisingly good. It was mainly just little snapshot-like chapters, so if you're not into that type of thing, it probably wouldn't appeal...but I enjoyed it. And better yet, it was one of those books we can actually have an interesting discussion about as a class.

9. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
This was a wonderful book! I really really enjoyed it, though I can't pinpoint exactly why. It'd be a book I'd be willing to buy though.

28. Medicine River by Thomas King
Yet another book for English! It was fine, but I like Mango better.

29. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
It is about ZOMBIES! Which was interesting, but mainly just terrifying to think about, although the book itself actually didn't scare me too much...anyway, I was not satisfied by that ending. It was probably very realistic, and all that, but personally, I like my post-apocalyptic stories with a little more hope than this one had at the end.

#48: Thanks for the additional info. I will pick up The House on Mango Street the next time I see it.

I am glad to see that you enjoyed Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I have that one home from the library now.

>50 alcottacre:. No problem!

10. Fall of a Kingdom (or, as my version was called, Flame) by Hilari Bell
I really love Hilari Bell; I read The Goblin Wood, and since then, I pretty much read any book of hers I come across. There have been some disppointments, but those are usually when the book is too short for my taste - I feel like there should have been more to it.
This book would have had that feeling, except for it's a trilogy - though I will predict now that the entire series probably could/should have been one book. For sure this first one could have used a little more plot; it seemed like it ended right where the "rising action" part was (English term!)
Still, it was a good beginning, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

can u give me any info.

>52 tayl1096:. About...?

My friend is reading Peeps, and she has said it is (was?) really good.

>54 lauren97224:. It was! Kinda funny, that knowledge about all the parasites actually proved useful in science the other day - we learned about one of the parasites mentioned.

weird how those things work out

11. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
I'd already seen the movie, but this made me cry anyway - a really good book.

12. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Again, had already seen the movie, but the book was much better; the characters were more realistic I think, and there wasn't a second storyline involving finding the drunk friend.

13. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
A fine book that was really interesting, and especially at first, because of how the world is set-up.

30. Rise of a Hero by Hilari Bell
Yay! Am now reading the third book.
I still think they all should have been one book.

31. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I've already read every book she's written, because this was the first book of hers I ever read, and I ADORED it. It's all tattered and taped and gross now, but I still love the story. SO much better than the movie.
This time I read it to my sister. It's taken a long time, but we finished, and she liked it too! Yay! I'm thinking she'll probably end up reading Dave at Night, since when I told her what that was about she seemed intrigued (not so much with The Two Princesses of Bamarre).

#58: I have not read Ella Enchanted although I have seen the movie. I will give the book a go. Thanks for the recommendation!

I remember the first time I read Bridge to Terabithia... I was in grade 6, very skeptical because I'd heard it was "a sad book"... and then cried myself to sleep that night when I finished reading it. Eeeee. It was very good, however. Can't say I've bothered to watch the film yet, as I'm afraid it'll spoil the book's magic.

>59 alcottacre:: Stasia, you won't regret it! The book is excellent, far better than the movie, even though I loved the movie version too.

#60: I will try and get it on my next library trip! Who can resist with these great recommendations?

>60 dk_phoenix: I was SOBBING at the movie- it was the wake he attended, with the mom and dad, that set me off there, but in the book it was the whole heaven/hell thing that really made me start crying.

>59 alcottacre: I was a little surprised, since I realized this time reading it that when I was younger, I couldn't have had a clue as to what some of the words used in it meant; I'm surprised I managed to get through it, considering I hated Artemis Fowl originally because I didn't understand some of the vocabulary.

32. Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell
A good trilogy all around, though I do have to admit I was disappointed there was no love angle in it at all - although, when I think of it, none of her books have that angle.
Still, its a good trilogy for those who are fans of books like Tamora Pierce's; with adventure and strategy and multiple characters. However, these are slightly better written, and the characters don't all have amazing skills at nearly everything.

33. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
This one caught my eye, and since I'd just finished and enjoyed Nick and Norah, I figured I'd try it. Another good book; I have to say, the varying viewpoints was an unexpected and nice aspect.

34. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Another of McKinley's books; this one was more bittersweet than the others, though I still really enjoyed. I feel as though I should've read The Blue Sword first though, since it does seem as though this was written for those who'd already read it; I think there was a reference to it at one point that I missed, because I haven't read it.

>64 fredanria:: I think there was a reference to it at one point that I missed, because I haven't read it.

Maybe. But The Blue Sword takes places after The Hero and the Crown in time, so I'd be surprised unless it was in some kind of retrospection at the end.

>65 TadAD:. Actually, what made me think that it was a reference was because she was sleeping right after (SPOILER) defeating Agsded, and, well, a. she had accidentally gone forward in time by hundreds of years and b. it was very specific visions.
However to settle it once and for all: did The Blue Sword have anyone named Tommy or Leo in it? Because those were the names of two of the three men from part of her vision.

>66 fredanria:: I don't recall those names. There were Corlath, Jack, Richard, Mathin. Don't really remember a Tommy or Leo, but it's been a while and maybe they were minor characters.

I couldn't remember either, so pulled my copy to look. There were three specific pictures described in the visions, and only one of those was from The Blue Sword. But it was so brief as to not really constitute a specific reference--that is, if you then read The Blue Sword, you will recognize the reference in that scene when you come to it, which you would not have done had you not already read The HEro and the Crown. And I hope you will!

>68 ronincats:. Thanks! I'm definitely going to read The Blue Sword, so hopefully I'll catch it.

14. Emma by Jane Austen
There were quite a few times I despaired with this book. I knew the beginning because I had seen part of the movie, and throughout the entire middle I was just itching for the happy endings to start...I was pretty much impatient while I was reading the entire book.

35. Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
Another lovely book by Mrs. Jones, though it was weird reading it after I had read The Merlin Conspiracy, which takes place later...still, I really enjoyed it, though now I'm going to have to go back and read The Merlin Conspiracy all over again.

36. Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguié
While I love the idea of a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, this version left me wanting more...it seemed too short, and not nearly dark enough. If anyone's seen the movie The Brothers Grimm, I'd love a book styled similarly.

37. Second Nature by Alice Hoffman
I was led to believe this would be a retelling of Beauty & the Beast, and while I can see how someone might say that at the beginning, it's definitely not at the end, which was very different. A good story, but I would've liked a happier ending...
(that's mainly due to the fact that I thought it was a retelling...I assumed it must have a happy ending therefore, and it does in a way, but not the kind you expect.)

38. Aquamarine And Indigo - Water Tales by Alice Hoffman
This was just a quick rereading of the two stories since I decided to try reading Alice Hoffman's other books (I really want to read Practical Magic after seeing the movie, but while our library has it listed, I don't think it's available for check-out)

15. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I was pleasantly surprised by the ending in this one. I was expecting a sad-ish endng, in terms of his past memories, but it wasn't - it all ended a lot happier than I expected. Come to think of it, the present part of it also ended a lot happier too...
Maybe it's just because of that that I liked it - but I think I would have liked it even if it'd ended differently.

Glad you enjoyed Water for Elephants. It was on my memorable reads list for last year. Maybe it is time for a re-read . . .

39. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
Again, an fairly good story, with an okay ending. I'm not sure how much I'm liking Alice Hoffman...I'm on to Here on Earth, but I'm not sold on her really...we'll see, but from the book description I'm not feeling too hopeful.
(Frankly, I'm in need of a happy ending)

40. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
This ended exactly how you'd think it would. No happy ending. Which is disappointing, but since I wasn't expecting it...not, at the same time.

(my lord, that was a confusing little review)

41. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
My sister convinced me to read this one. Pretty good; I'm on to the second book, which is, according to her, better.
This one is about four kids who have to infiltrate an evil school; not the most original plot, but still fun to read for the details; it reminds me of The Order of Odd Fish in some ways.

42. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
I have to say, I concur. I liked this one better. It had more of a treasure hunt style to it, which I I LOVED.

43. Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
I've already read this one, but I'd completely forgotten the plot, so the rereading was similar to the first time I'd read it, and it was very very good of course.

44. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I enjoyed it quite a bit, SPOILER but saw the whole Valentine-is-her-father part coming a long way off though. /SPOILER Now I just need to read the rest of the trilogy.

45. Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
I got this one a while back as an ARC, but never got around to reading it. It was interesting, especially since it seemed like what I've termed the "bad part" (generally the climax; in any relationship/discovery novel, it is when the big catastrophe/fight happens) was at the very beginning.

46. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
A reread to refresh my memory as to what happened; this is my third time, but I'd completely forgotten about half of it.

47. Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
I reread this as a refresher for...

16. Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
:) I really like reading graphic novels. Though I'm confused as to what exactly went on with the cheerleader and the valentine...?

17. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
I read this and couldn't stop telling my family all the interesting facts in it. They actually got a little peeved at me for it. This book was so interesting not only because of the main over-arching point, but also because of all the smaller stories used to prove the point.

48. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
A reread, I love this book. The plot is fun on its own, but the cameos by the characters from Howl's Moving Castle are also part of what make it so great.

18. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
I really enjoyed reading this, which surprised me because I never wanted to read it when I was younger, and I was expecting it to be boring, quite frankly. However, I liked it, and I was really satisfied with the ending, despite the sadness of it.

Anne is a big favorite of mine--such a character! I also just finished reading HP and the Deathly Hallows--I had to re-read HP and the Half-Blood Prince after seeing the movie, and then had to move into this one since I only had the vaguest memory of it. And I want to re-read House of Many Ways soon. I read it quickly and sent it off to my sister when I first got it, and need a nice slow re-read to truly appreciate it.

>82 ronincats:. I did the same thing with Harry Potter - saw the movie, and had to reread. Unfortunately, our copy of Half-Blood Prince fell apart at the seams pretty much, and is now missing a large chunk of the middle section.
I actually read House of Many Ways mainly because I was going to read Howl and then realized I'd lent it to a friend. House of Many Ways is the next best thing, and was due for a reread anyway.

19. Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
A really interesting book; Scott Westerfeld comes up with some really cool concepts, and while this may not be the most unique, it's certainly good. Still, I really like this book for its storyline; not for little details or for the unique world. Simply because it's a really captivating, fast-paced book.
(I use the word really a lot don't I?)

#84: I have heard good things about Westerfeld's books. One of these days, I may actually get around to reading one :)

Just posting to remind myself I liked the look of your thread....I doubt I shall ever catch up, but I will try and start reading from hereonin.

>85 alcottacre:. They're actually pretty good!
>86 lunacat:. Thanks! Hope you like it!

20. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
This book was so much fun to read - I could remember some of the stories from the show, and it was just a funny book really. I really loved how Pooh would always call himself A Bear of Very Little Brain, it always makes me laugh when I think of it.

49. Midnighters:Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
I'm still likin' it; especially the fact that Madeleine was added into the plot. I'm hoping we'll see more from Dess's projects, with the other places that might have Midnighters as well.

I loved the Midnighters series, it gets quite dark and I like how the series ended. He has a just published the first in a new series Leviathan, which I hope to read fairly soon. Have you read anything by his wife, Justine Larbalestier?

>89 avatiakh:. Yes I have! I read How to Ditch Your Fairy and the first two in the Magic or Madness series. I still need to read the third.

#90

Are they any good? They sound fun!

>91 lunacat:. How to Ditch Your Fairy was good; it was an interestingly set-up world, though the plot was a little predictable. I don't fully remember the series, but I know it was okay as well. I don't think I've ever been blown away by her books per se, but they're still fairly good. Liar is her next book, coming out in October, so I'll probably get that, as it looks pretty interesting.

50. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I'm rereading the first two so I can read the third one.

21. Yes Man by Danny Wallace
More interesting than the movie in some ways, less in others. I can't beleive he actually did a lot of it, but I guess it's not so far off.

51. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
(Why's it showing up on my Touchstones as Finding Cassie Crazy? Is that another title?)
I'm going to be reading The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie (also showing up with an alternate title...hmm...) so I wanted a refresher on who's who.
I like this book because it's funny and has a fairly good plot, but mainly because of the happy-happy-shiny ROMANCE. :)

p.s. Wikipedia has informed me that these other titles are the title in other countries. That is just confusing!
p.p.s. Aparently when I try to type arrows like this:

As I understand it, those " symbols. between these symbols insert "i" for italics or "b" for bold. To close the italics or bold use "" again and insert either "/i" or "/b".

I'm just thinking that if you type the arrow with a hyphen, maybe it's a wipeout???

Somewhere on the board, there's a thread of basic HTML code that might have more relevant info.

Don't know if that helps.

>93 fredanria:: If there's a specific set of characters you want to type that HTML insists on treating as a tag (that's what's happening to you), you can use an escape sequence to get the angle bracket.

The escape sequence for the left angle bracket is: <

So, if you type: <-

You'll get: <-

>94 tymfos: & >95 TadAD: Thank you!

52. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
I was satisfied, though not completely surprised; I did enjoy how the Downworlders and Shadowhunters were brought together with the new Mark, and that she managed to kill off one of the characters, though...well, actually, I think it's kind of silly. I mean, if you're going to kill someone off make it a central character; go big or go home, you know? She killed off a character, and it just wasn't really memorable or impacting.

53. House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
Lovely as the first.

22. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
I actually liked this book, and I kind of would have liked for it to be something we read in English class; I feel like it would have been interesting to have a discussion about.

23. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I did find it odd at first that Goldman pretended the entire thing was written by someone else, and it took me a little bit to figure out what was going on in the introduction, but in the end I liked it; it was funny, and added the extra something that I, as a watcher of the movie first, needed. There's no fun in reading a book that is, in many cases, line-for-line the same as a movie.

54. Midnighters: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this ending at all; it seems a little sad, but at the same time I think it's pretty fitting.

55. Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
I liked this book a lot, especially the letters Elizabeth gets from places like "The Cold Hard Truth Association", because that's exactly how I talk in my head. I'm all happy, la-di-da-di-da, I like my friends, and then something like that will pop in my head, where it's like, "But you're annoying! They don't like you!" and it goes back and forth, just like hers does.

24. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
From what I remember of the movie, Disney made Mary Poppins a lot nicer. But that might just be me imagining things, because I never really liked the movie and haven't seen it in a while.
I did find the book interesting though, and I want to read some of the others.

56. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
I'm rereading this one because I am finally getting around to reading the next one. I like Tamora Pierce, but you have to admit her books tend to have extremely similar chracters...and maybe plots too. I mean, we always have the girl who's either magic or strong (...I don't know, strong doesn't seem like the right word, but I really can't think of a better one) and they have special abilities. They try to hide their abilities, and but are still recognized as someone special right from the get-go. And they have or make lots of friends who are pretty powerful, like kings, or future kings, or really great mages or warriors...
(I still like them.)

57. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
This book was my favorite of the three that was in this "series" of sorts. I loved the fact that she was actually being murdered. It made the story much MUCH more exciting.

25. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

58. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Wow. This was...intense reading. The style is very flow-of-consciousness, and can make the story really confusing. Sometimes it was hard to follow the story, and it was definitely intended to sound like the person writing it really didn't know how to write the story so it would make more sense to the reader, and didn't go back and edit what they wrote. Which fits with the story, but can make for a bit of a headache while reading.

#103: I will look for that one. I am trying to broaden my reading horizons in the fantasy and science fiction genres.

59. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
It was amazing, as expected. And I can't wait to read the next one, though the whole love triangle thing is going to bother me.
I think I remember reading some article about this book being chilling because the kids in it are so young, and I think maybe it was compared to Lord of the Flies....but it really wasn't as bad as you'd think. And I don't know, maybe that's a generational thing, or maybe I'm desensitized to violence because of all those video games I play(...yeah, sure....). After reading His Dark Materials, and the Bartimaeus trilogy, and all sorts of other lovely books (actually, I mean that. They really are good), it just doesn't seem as bad as I thought it would be.
I really did like how the world was set up. It was interesting. I was trying to figure out exactly how the districts are set up though; do they form a sort of half-circle to the Capitol or something, with each district getting bigger, or are they each a circle of their own...?

#103 - I gave up on Dragonhaven so kudos for you for persevering. And I agree with you on the ending of the Midnighters series.
#93 - Those alternative titles are the orginal titles from when the books were first published in Australia. I talked to a friend, a writer's agent, recently and she told me that many books with interesting titles, when sold to the US market are republished with more literal titles there.
I was asking her in particular about The Loblolly Boy, a great children's book, the title doesn't give anything away and yet it is being published in the US next year as The Invisble Boy.

>106 avatiakh:. The sane, rational part of me that lives in the real world thinks that makes sense that titles might be changed, while the rest of me thinks it's silly and slightly confusing.

60. Cathy's Book and 61. Cathy's Key by Sean Stewart
I don't necessarily love these books, but they are interesting enough that reading them is fun, and I do like the extra elements that they come with (not only the "evidence", but also all the websites and phone numbers you can call, which I did call the first time I read this).

I liked Dragonhaven okay, but it's not a typical McKinley book, and probably not the place to start with her. Much more of a YA feel to it (which is NOT bad) than most of her others.Of course, it's also SF and almost everything else is fantasy, too.

>108 ronincats:. I would definitely agree. This is the first of her books that's set in any sort of world somewhat like ours.

26. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
I liked the book, as much as I possibly can considering I don't like Peter Pan at all.
As a character...he just annoys me. I never liked him in the animated Disney movie, though in the real people version I found him less annoying. The book's Peter was closer to the animated version.
He's misogynistic, self-centered, and cocky. And I'm pretty sure the book nails it on the head when they say he's heartless. And even if all these things are what make him Peter Pan - that is, he'd be too grown up if he was kinder, or more generous - I still find it annoying.
He combines the things that are the bad parts of childhood - the traits listed above - with some very grown-up ones. He has no problem killing? Really?
Add to this the fact that these kids don't miss their parents at all, and in fact begin to forget about them (yuh-huh. Suuuurrre. That's sooo realistic) is...well, silly. The book makes a point about how heartless children are, and how they leave without a backward glance...well, I don't know about anyone else, but that would not have been me as a kid. There would've been homesickness after a day.
So maybe that's why I have this problem with the book: I wasn't a fearless kid who wanted to explore new places...I wanted mommy and daddy. I was afraid of everything. Me and Peter....we just don't have that in common. So I can't imagine finding it fun to pretend to kill people and be in constant danger and not eat meals sometimes. And consequently, I can't imagine enjoying being in Neverland.

I read Cathy's Book this year and found it ok, but also enjoyed the bits n' pieces that came with it. Another one I enjoyed that used online video clips in a really interesting way was Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman - it's a mystery.

>110 avatiakh:. Have you read the Atherton series? It's also by Patrick Carman - also involves the web site and online videos. I only read the first though.

27. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
I liked it, actually, quite a bit, but there were places where I got a bit stuck and it took me a while to read.

63. Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

64. Cathy's Ring by Sean Stewart

You are getting very close to 75! Good going.

65. Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Sequel to Prom Dates from Hell, as you'd expect....and I'm reading the third one now.

66. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
AHHHH!!! IT WAS AMAZING!!!
I cannot wait for the next book.

#114: I refuse to read Catching Fire, which I have had since it was published, until book 3 is out! Drat those publishers making me wait another year.

#115, that's probably a good choice, alcottacre. Immediately after finishing it I realized that while I only had to wait a few months for Catching Fire after reading The Hunger Games, it would be a *whole year* til the third book, and I couldn't take it! In other words, fredanria, I understand how you feel completely.

>114 fredanria: & 115: I debated doing that, alcottacre, but I just couldn't! I have no self-control at all. The only plus would be there's nothing to fear from spoilers now I guess...

67. Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
I have to say, this wasn't a bad series - nice supernatural mystery-type stuff.

Getting close to 75!

>119 alcottacre: I know! Though it depends on how you're counting I guess.

28. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
I actually really liked this one - a lot more than her Twilight series. Though we'll have to see - I also really liked the first one of that series at first reading, but by the time I read the third one, I was much less thrilled by them. In fact, I pretty much only read the fourth one because after reading the reviews on Amazon, I kind of had to.
So, we'll see if this holds up to the tests of time and rereadings.

29. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
Good; I'm surprisingly excited for the third one.
I would like Beka to have a solid love interest as well. That was definitely one thing that bugged me throughout this one; the fact that SPOILER Dale was never going to stay with her was a bit of a given, as she had to go back to Corus eventually; there was no way Pierce was going to permanently assign her to Port Caynn, and no way that those two were going to keep up a long distance relationship. So it was a bit doomed to fial, if not in this book, then in the next, which just made it a bit annoying to me. /SPOILER

68. Valiant by Holly Black
A reread; I've always liked this one best of the three, probably because something about Roiben just doesn't sit well with me, so the other two don't hold so much appeal. Also, to me this one has always been a bit of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, in a way, and we all know how much I love that story. ;)

69. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
There were always excerpts of this book in our "Reading" books for school, and for some reason I thought it was a biography. This is not the case, as I found out. I really liked the stories, though in some ways I didn't feel like there was a real ending to a couple of them (i.e., Lena and Waverly). I mean, there was an ending, and at the same time, there wasn't.
I have to say, my favorite story was An-mei's second story about her mother.

70. The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip
I'm going to be honest: I really didn't understand most of this book. In fact, pretty much all the parts with conversation flew right over my head. I have a vague awareness of what was going on, but the predictions and the riddles...it all just didn't make sense to me. And it didn't help that the ending wasn't conclusive, as this was the first of...was it a trilogy? I don't know. I was confused, and I just didn't really enjoy it too much.

71. The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Read it for English class, can't say I enjoyed it particularly, though it was a better than some things I've read in class. Part of me finds it annoying that the author is writing about himself, about how he was so important as to be saved by the Virgin Mary and all sorts of other saints...it'd be nice if he were perhaps a bit humbler in all this.

Happy New Year, Anri!

A Happy New Year to everyone!
So, the total numbers are:
71 books, non-999
29 books from the 999 list
18 rereads
Total of 100 books read this year, with 17 books in my TBR pile at home to start out the new year with.