The last book of the year....made it more than halfway to 50, so woooo!!! Thanks Candy, this is fun :)


Title: Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul
Author: St. Therese, translated by John Beevers
Copyright date: 1957
Publisher: Image Books
How many pages: 166
How long it took me to read: About 2 weeks

The Good:
It was interesting to read about a saint's life through their own eyes, even though it wasn't so much an autobiography as it was a journal...well, when it came to the writing style, anyway. It was very humbling, and helped to change my view on things, and honestly...improved my life somewhat.

The bad:
The only bad thing is that it's reeeeally hard for me to stay focused on non-fiction. That's my only problem.

The Verdict: Simple, but inspiring.

Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Author: Ken Kesey
Copyright date: 1962
Publisher: Signet
How many pages: 325
How long it took me to read: Uhhh like a month and a half....whooooops!

Category: Really messed up fiction
I learned about this book from: Idk, high school???
This book was purchased at: Borders
Other books by this author: Sometimes a Great Notion, Demon Box

Main characters: McMurphy, the Chief, other patients.
Favorite characters: I really liked McMurphy...and the Chief
When and Where the story takes place: A mental hospital...in the 60's I guess?
Plot in a nutshell: Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the seminal novel of the 1960s that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.
What I liked best: The humorous moments
What I liked least: All the loss....


Overall Rating: Hard to follow at times, but good!

Title: King Dork
Author: Frank Portman
Copyright date: 2006
Publisher: Delacorte Press
How many pages: 344
How long it took me to read: A week

Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: Looking at Target
This book was purchased at: Target
Other books by this author: Andromeda Klein

Main characters: Tom Henderson
Favorite characters: Tom was pretty interesting
When and Where the story takes place: Tom's home/school/neighborhood
Plot in a nutshell: Tom has an assignment to read Catcher in the Rye for the hundredth time, and he's not a fan of the story. One day he goes to do an assignment and realizes that he left his copy of it at school, so he looks in the basement to see if there's another copy laying around. He stumbles upon his deceased father's copy of the book, it unlocks a bunch of conspiracies and mysteries that pretty much change his life.
What I liked best: The book was hilarious, and I liked the language of it. The glossary in the back was pretty sweet too, hehe.
What I liked least: Umm there was a certain mystery that I wish would have been given a solution, that wasn't.

What parts could you relate to: The possibility of reading into everything
Would this book make a good movie?: It COULD....not sure though.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: I liked the reviewer he called this "Catcher in the Rye for the Myspace generation". I think that was pretty accurate. It was a great story, and a fun read!

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Rodrick Rules
Author: Jeff Kinney
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Amulet Books
How many pages: 217
How long it took me to read: About a day

Category: Children's fiction
I learned about this book from: Chels
This book was purchased at: Borrowed from Chelsea!
Other books by this author: The other books in the series

Main characters: Greg and Rodrick
Favorite characters: ehhh....idk
When and Where the story takes place: Greg's journal?
Plot in a nutshell: This one centered on Greg's relationship with his brother
What I liked best: The illustrations are funny!
What I liked least: TNo complaints.

What parts could you relate to: Diary-keeping
Would this book make a good movie?: Sure!
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: I liked the first one better, but this was still cute!

Title: The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones
Author: Rick Riordan
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Scholastic
How many pages: 220
How long it took me to read: About a day

Category: Children's fiction
I learned about this book from: Target, and Chelsea talking about it
This book was purchased at: Chels got it for me from the library lol
Other books by this author: n/a

Main characters: Amy and Dan
Favorite characters: The kitty :D
When and Where the story takes place: Umm...the US, and Paris...I think.
Plot in a nutshell: Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her descendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.
What I liked best: This was actually a fun and interesting story. And I actually got interested in the historical side of things. ME!!
What I liked least: Their family nemesis people....they were annoying.

What parts could you relate to: Well since I was a kid I always WISHED I could go on an adventure like this.
Would this book make a good movie?: Umm it'd probably be too much like Spy Kids, I think the book idea is much better.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: Even though this is a story for kids, I actually found it to be interesting, and a lot of fun!

Title: Breaking Dawn
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Co.
How many pages: 754
How long it took me to read: 9 glorious days!

Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: Please.
This book was purchased at: Barnes & Noble
Other books by this author: The other books in the series.

Main characters: The Cullens, Jacob
Favorite characters: The Cullens, Jacob, some of the randoms
When and Where the story takes place: Forks
Plot in a nutshell: That would be....a major spoiler that I do not want to type out lol :)
What I liked best: What DIDN'T I like? This book was hands down my favorite. EASILY my favorite. I loved all of it. Except that it ended.
What I liked least: I want more....and none of this "From Edward's perspective" nonsense...I want more of now :D

What parts could you relate to: That Bella has everything I wish I did. Ferreal.
Would this book make a good movie?: I think it would be hard but I'm assuming it'll be done.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: Rarely am I able to point out something as a stand-out favorite. This book is a favorite of mine. I loved it. I'm sad that it's over and I demand more!!

Title: Must Love Black
Author: Kelly McClymer
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Simon Pulse
How many pages: 167
How long it took me to read: 1 day!

Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: Looking at Barnes & Noble
This book was purchased at: B&N
Other books by this author: The Salem Witch Tryouts, Competition's a Witch

Main characters: Philippa, the twins
Favorite characters: See above, and Geoff
When and Where the story takes place: A mansion in Maine
Plot in a nutshell: NANNY FOR 10-YR-OLD TWINS. MAINE COAST. OWN ROOM & GENEROUS SALARY. MUST LOVE BLACK. "Must love black?" Sounds like a coffee-loving, seclusion-seeking goth girl's dream job. Philippa isn't fazed by the fog-enshrouded mansion on a cliff, the weirdest twins on the planet, or even the rumors about ghosts, "cause when she meets the estate's hot gardener, Philippa's pretty sure she's found her dream boy, too. Too bad Geoff's already taken by a girl whose wardrobe is head-to-toe pink. Still, Philippa can't get Geoff out of her head. What will it take to lure him to the dark side? --BN.com
What I liked best: Probably the butterfly thing
What I liked least: How quickly it ended I guess..plus there were some questions and characters I thought could be delved into a little deeper.

What parts could you relate to: I'm not sure...
Would this book make a good movie?: If there was more to it
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: Really short, but I enjoyed it a lot

Title: The Night Villa
Author: Carol Goodman
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Ballantine Books
How many pages: 392, not counting the reader's guide
How long it took me to read: Ummm 1-2 weeks I think..

Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: She's one of my fave authors :)
This book was purchased at: B&N
Other books by this author: The Drowning Tree, Lake of Dead Languages, The Ghost Orchid

Main characters: Sophie, Lyros, Elgin, Agnes
Favorite characters: Hmmm I really didn't have a favorite, or non-favorite....Iusta was interesting though.
When and Where the story takes place: Present day Texas and Italy
Plot in a nutshell: An evocative tale of intrigue, romance, and treachery, Carol Goodman’s spellbinding new novel, The Night Villa, follows the fascinating lives of two remarkable women centuries apart. --BN.com
What I liked best: Hmmm....I guess I liked who the "bad guy" ended up being.
What I liked least: It was hard to get into at first, but once I did I was hooked :) ....oh and all those crazy Latin names.

What parts could you relate to: Uhh....my life is NOTHING like anything in the book....how bout umm...I dated, and so have the characters? lol
Would this book make a good movie?: I think so.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: Most excellent, and the cover art is beautiful as well :)

Title: Gossip Girl: I Like it Like That
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Copyright date: 2004
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
How many pages: 202
How long it took me to read: 3 or 4 days

Category: Teen fiction

Overall Rating: I couldn't get into this one at all, perhaps I need a break from Gossip Girl?

Title: Gossip Girl: Because I'm Worth It
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Copyright date: 2003
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
How many pages: 234
How long it took me to read: 5 Days

Category: Teen fiction

Overall Rating: I actually really enjoyed this one :)

Title: Eclipse
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Copyright date: 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
How many pages: 629
How long it took me to read: 9 Days

Category: Teen fiction/horror/suspense
I learned about this book from: Hmmm.
This book was purchased at: Borrowed from Molly :)
Other books by this author: Twilight, New Moon, Breaking Dawn, The Host

Main characters: Bella, Edward, Jacob
Favorite characters: All the Cullens, especially Alice and Edward, Bella
Least favorite Characters: None really... oh that Jane chick.
When and Where the story takes place: Forks
Plot in a nutshell: Basically, it was Jacob vs. Edward while the pack and the Cullens united, and Bella trying to figure out what she wanted.
What I liked best: I liked the alliance between wolves and vampires.
What I liked least: I guess the pain Jacob had to go through, and the mushy love stuff that got ridiculous at times.

What parts could you relate to: Some of the lovey stuff lol
Would this book make a good movie?: yes it would.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: It was good but not my fave. I'd still read it again though lol

Title: Zombie Blondes
Author: Brian James
Copyright date: 2008
Publisher: Feiwel And Friends
How many pages: 232
How long it took me to read: I read this in a 24-hour time span

Category: Teen fiction/horror
I learned about this book from: Perusing the shelves at B&N, attracted to it because I recognized the cover art, and it had an intriguing title.

This book was purchased at: Barnes & Noble

Other books by this author: I think this is the only one so far.

Main characters: Hannah, the cheerleaders
Favorite characters: Hannah, Lukas
Least favorite Characters: The zombie peeps haha
When and Where the story takes place: A small town called Maplecrest
Plot in a nutshell: Hannah moves to a small town where aaaaall the popular people look alike, and Lukas warns her that they are zombies, but despite the warning she still tries out for the cheerleading squad....
What I liked best: The cover design is awesome, and I like the idea behind it.
What I liked least: The ending, I hated it, and I disliked the pessimistic quality of the whole thing.

What parts could you relate to: I was a cheerleader once lol....but GUESS WHAT FOLKS, in grade school, the cheerleaders were all the UN-popular ones :)
Would this book make a good movie?: yes it would.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: The whole point behind this book is "Conformity is death, and non-conformists shall be killed by conformity". The whole book reeks of that, down to all the cheerleaders changing their names to all begin with "M"...which pissed me off cuz I could barely remember who was who (yeah yeah that was the point, I get it). Also, it bothered me that you never got an explanation as to how this all started in the first place.

This started out promising, and it kept the foreboding feeling all the way through, but there still wasn't enough there for me.

3 mangled body parts out of 5 :)

Title: New Moon
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Copyright date: 2006
Publisher: Little, Brown & co.
How many pages: 563
How long it took me to read: 2 Days, about

Category: Teen fiction/horror & suspense
I learned about this book from: Uhh Twilight lol
This book was purchased at: Borrowed from Molly :)
Other books by this author: Duh lol

Main characters: Bella, Edward, Jacob
Favorite characters: Edward, Alice, Bella, the Cullens
*Least favorite Characters: Ummm Jake after the transformation lol
When and Where the story takes place: Forks, La Push, Italy
*Plot in a nutshell: Bella and Edward break-up, she makes a bff out of Jacob, and we see a return of an old enemy... Oooo intrigue :)
*What I liked best: Though I enjoyed Twilight, "New Moon" was 1000x better than that which came before it. Twilight was very indulgent to me, and had a tendency to drag a bit. "New Moon" added sustenance to the series, made it more than just a love story. Meyers made the pain that Bella went through REAL, whereas stories such as Prozac Nation merely describe what something is like, in "New Moon" you could FEEL it. You could feel your own heart breaking, could feel it slowly begin to mend, and everything in-between. Kudos to Meyer for pulling that off.
What I liked least: Uhhhh....that I'm stuck in such a normal existence and have been wanting what Bella has since before I even knew the series existed lol. But that's on me, not on Meyer.

*What parts could you relate to: Everything minus the stuff that "couldn't really happen"...because to my knowledge, I've never met a vamp or wolfie.
Would this book make a good movie?: God, I hope so.
Quote from the book that sums it up:
Once you cared about a person, it was impossible to be logical about them anymore. --Bella, pg 304.

It was heaven--right smack in the middle of hell. --Bella, pg 491

Overall Rating: I can't even think of a cutesy way of saying it... this book was simply PHENOMENAL.

Title: Gossip Girl: All I Want is Everything
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Copyright date: 2003
Publisher: Little, Brown & co.
How many pages: 215
How long it took me to read: 3 Days

Category: Young Adult fiction
I learned about this book from: the other ones :P
This book was purchased at: Borrowed from Laura
Other books by this author: Gossip Girl series

Main characters: Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, Jenny, Aaron
Favorite characters: Aaron, Jenny, Vanessa
Least favorite Characters: a lot lol
When and Where the story takes place: NYC
Plot in a nutshell: It's Christmastime and Blair and Serena are best friends again and up to their old tricks -- partying hard and breaking hearts from Park Avenue to the Caribbean. -BN.com
What I liked best: The GG blogs
What I liked least: That everyone is so wrapped up in themselves that it wasn't completely obvious to them that Blair's mom was pregnant :P

What parts could you relate to: Uhhh one of the writer's block exercises Dan did I've done.... and something else but Idr lol
Would this book make a good movie?: Tv show :P
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a

Overall Rating: Same as always :)

Title: Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
Author: Elizabeth Wurtzel
Copyright date: 1994
Publisher: Riverhead Books
How many pages: 362
How long it took me to read: Almost 2 weeks

Category: Non-Fiction
I learned about this book from: Not sure.
This book was purchased at: Borrowed from Laura
Other books by this author: Bitch and More, Now, Again

Main characters: Elizabeth
Favorite characters: Didn't really have one.
Least favorite Characters: n/a
When and Where the story takes place: Cambridge in the 80's, I think
Plot in a nutshell: A young girl with promise turns into a depressed shell of who she could be.
What I liked best: The few moments where you could actually feel the depression, I suppose. And the recovery.
What I liked least:I didn't like that I felt like I was reading a text book the whole time, that this was an outsider looking into the world of depression. I know she really went through this, but how it feels and how this book reads are 2 completely different things. The ideas come across, but not the true blackness of the disease.

What parts could you relate to: Most of it. I've been depressed and our experiences are different. While she would fall to the ground screaming and making a scene, I never did that...but maybe it's just 2 different personality issues.
Would this book make a good movie?: Probably..
Quote from the book that sums it up: Eh.... Idk.

As I found myself saying to not a few people who would tell me they found the book angering and annoying to read: Good. Very good: That means I did what I had set out to do. That means you'd felt a frustration and fury reading the book that might even be akin to the sense of futility experienced by most people who try to deal in real life with an actual depressive.

Overall Rating: 2.5 (very mild) happy pills out of 5.

Title: It
Author: Stephen King
Copyright date: 1980
Publisher: Signet
How many pages: 1090
How long it took me to read: A month!!

Category: Horror
I learned about this book from: Who knows, I've known about it foreverrrr.
This book was purchased at: B&N
Other books by this author: The Shining, The Green Mile, The Stand, Misery, Carrie, etc. etc.

Main characters: Mike, Bill, Bev, Eddie, Richie, Stan, Ben
Favorite characters: All of the above, especially Eddie, Richie and Bill
Least favorite Characters: Henry and Tom, ew.
When and Where the story takes place: Derry, Maine; Int 1958 and 1985
Plot in a nutshell: From B&N:

It's a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.......

They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they were grown-up men and women who had gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But none of them could withstand the force that drew them back to Derry to face the nightmare without an end, and the evil without a name.

What I liked best: This book was AWESOME. It was sooo intricate and so incredibly thought-out with the cycles and tie-ins, and the way the past and present merged together... amazing.
What I liked least: I hate hate haaaate the memory loss thing. I REALLY hate it, but I won't go into much detail about that, in case anyone here wants to read it. I rarely like the way SK ends his stories, but oh well. Also, the losses (I can't handle it, I tell you lol) and the run-on sentences that were hard to follow at times.

What parts could you relate to: Certain thought processes...I'm glad I'm not the only one those thoughts happen to lol; And feelings.
Would this book make a good movie?: It is a movie, but I don't see it being anywhere NEAR as good as its written form. But I'm gonna watch it and see....
Quote from the book that sums it up: Well I don't know about that, but I REALLY liked these 2 quotes:

"...with George gone, there was nothing for him...and all of that had happened at random, for no reason at all. And if you put your ear to that door, you could hear the winds of madness blowing outside." --pg 317

"Not all boats which sail away into darkness never find the sun again, or the hand of another child; if life teaches anything at all, it teaches that there are so many happy endings that the man who believes there is no God needs his rationality called into serious question."


Overall Rating: 4 floating balloons out of 5 >:)

Title: Catalyst
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Copyright date: 2002
Publisher: The Penguin Group
How many pages: 231
How long it took me to read: 3 days

Category: Teen Fiction
I learned about this book from: Laura recommended I read it
This book was purchased at: I borrowed it from Laura
Other books by this author: Speak, Fever 1793

Main characters: Katie
Favorite characters: Mickey
Least favorite Characters: Teri, through most of it.
When and Where the story takes place: present day, some city
Plot in a nutshell: Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher's daughter, finds herself losing control in her senior year as she faces difficult neighbors, the possibility that she may not be accepted by the college of her choice, and an unexpected death.

What I liked best: I guess relating the whole thing to chemistry was cool, but I didn't understand any of that.
What I liked least: The death that occurs. I hated it, and completely shut-down after it.

What parts could you relate to: idk
Would this book make a good movie?: Nope, and I wouldn't see it.
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a


Overall Rating: Good story, well written, underlying meaning... but I'd never read it again, too sad for me thanks.

Title: Twilight
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Copyright date: 2005
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
How many pages: 498
How long it took me to read: 3 days

Category: Teen Fiction
I learned about this book from: Ummm I saw it on the shelves at stores allllllll the time, but Molly was the first to recommend it :)
This book was purchased at: I borrowed it from Erica :)
Other books by this author: New Moon, Eclipse

Main characters: Edward and Bella
Favorite characters: Edward, Bella, Alice, and the rest of the Cullens
Least favorite Characters: ehhh Jacob bugs me, but perhaps I've been brainwashed lol Oh oh! The cover, don't like it :P
When and Where the story takes place: City of Forks, I can't remember the state though
Plot in a nutshell: Vampire-Human love story. I don't think I have to explain, everyone knows about it lol

What I liked best: I liked the tweaking of the vampire legend, that's always interesting. I also like the Cullens, how they came to be and such.
What I liked least: Um I guess... I didn't really have any problems, but Erica pointed out that this story is taken at face value, there's no underlying meaning, which would have been cool. But I'm not complaining, it's a great story.

What parts could you relate to: Falling down a lot lol
Would this book make a good movie?: hope so :)
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a


Overall Rating: Innovative, interesting, romantic and suspenseful.... 2 thumbs up :)

Title: Gossip Girl: You Know You Love Me
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Copyright date: 2002
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
How many pages: 227
How long it took me to read: 2 days

Category: Teen Fiction
I learned about this book from: I guess the first one...
This book was purchased at: dunno, it's Laura's :)
Other books by this author: A bunch of other GG books

Main characters: Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, Jenny
Favorite characters: Serena, Jenny, and actually Nate this time around... also Aaron and Tyler lol
Least favorite Characters: Almost everybody else lol
When and Where the story takes place: NYC, present day
Plot in a nutshell: It's basically all about the relationships between people developing and changing while they apply to colleges.

What I liked best: Again, the blogs are still my favorite part. And I like the relationship forming between Nate and Jenny.
What I liked least: Blair being a spoiled bitch, and Dan turning into a creepy creepy dude.

What parts could you relate to: I've applied to college before lol
Did you learn anything from this book: Nah.
Would you read it again, or give it away: Probably wouldn't read it again, I rarely do when it's a whole series like this is.
Would this book make a good movie?: tv showwww
Quote from the book that sums it up: n/a


Overall Rating: Still going with Publishers Weekly: "A nasty, guilty pleasure. The book has the effect of gossip itself -- once you enter, it's hard to extract yourself."