Readathon Hour 10

Hey guys so as most of you know, I started my 24 hour readathon at midnight and have therefore been going for about ten hours now. I admit I drifted off to sleep several times from around 6-8am, but I'm keeping with the reading after these breaks. I'm very excited due to the fact that I passed the nine hour mark, which is where I dropped out last time. So far I've been semi-productive and have finished two books: Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen and One Night by Marsha Qualey. On the readathon website they asked everyone to answer questions about themselves and link to our blog, so here goes:
1) Where in the world are you reading from?  My couch/chair/bed (I like to move around from time to time) in the Midwest.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (sequel to The Name of the Star)
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Coconut Greek Yogurt
4) Tell us a little about yourself. I am a an opinionated and currently exhausted high school junior trying to enjoy as many books in my lifetime as possible. As my mother always says: don't waste your time reading books you don't love. There are so many books available out in the world and only one lifetime in which to find the great ones. This is one of the mantras I repeat to myself when I'm considering quitting a book that I don't particularly like. Also it's kind of the reason why I started this blog in the first place: to find the books that were good enough to be added to "The List of 55". Yes, I'm picky, but not willing to settle for a book that I'm not enjoying.
5) If you participated in the last readathon, what's one thing you'll do different today? I didn't do it last year, but two years ago I did the April Readathon, or at least tried. I got to hour nine and gave up.  This time I plan to take it in via social media and blogging instead of having my nose completely immersed in a book all 24 hours. Also I'm going a little easier on myself about napping and breaks which I've realized are actually quite necessary. I'm going for a more laid back approach.
Well, I'm about to start Book 3: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber, as it was recommended by my friend/librarian. I'd better get back to it then!

Read-A-Thon Book Stack (in no particular order)

 

1. The Name of the Star--Maureen Johnson
2. The Madness Underneath--Maureen Johnson
3. Someone Like You--Sarah Dessen
4. That Summer--Sarah Dessen
5. Seventeenth Summer--Maureen Daly
6. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart--Deb Caletti
7. Glimmerglass--Jenna Black
8. The Whisperer--Donato Carrisi
9. Girl of Nightmares--Kendare Blake
10. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick--Joe Schreiber
11. Perry's Killer Playlist--Joe Schreiber
12. Blue Bloods--Melissa de la Cruz
13. Masquerade--Melissa de la Cruz
14. Bittersweet--Sarah Ockler
15. The Bermudez Triangle--Maureen Johnson
16. One Night--Marsha Qualey
17. For Darkness Shows the Stars--Diana Peterfreund

I realize this is quite a long list, but I want to have plenty of options on Saturday so that I can be picky!

the return...

alright, it's M here and i know i owe you guys a huge apology for essentially dropping off the face of the earth, but i've been super busy and haven't exactly had much time to read, let alone write about it. also, with finals and AP testing coming up i probably won't be posting much until June, but stick with me here, i'm trying! so, the main reason i wanted to post is because this saturday, April 27th, i'm once again participating in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon and am super excited. it was a last minute decision to participate (i decided this about an hour ago) so i'm not exactly organized and don't have nearly enough books in my house for saturday, so that means i'll be making a library run soon...i hope. Anyway, if you guys want any information about the Read-a-thon, like if perhaps you want to join me and 340 other crazy people, follow this link. Ok, now to review the past several months quickly:

• The Fault in Our Stars-- such a great, funny, witty book until the second half when i bawled my eyes out. i was not happy with the ending at all. and endings are everything in my book (hehe)
• Second Chance Summer-- awesome summer read about obviously second chances and trusting yourself and others. i loved it and it's getting added to The List
• Oh. My. Gods.--this was a book swap book from K and i really liked it, so much so that i begged her to give me the second one the day after i finished it. it was also decent, but not as good as the first.
• The Six Rules of Maybe--girl falls for her sister's fiancee...drama ensues....too much drama and just downright irritating
• The Kite Runner--required reading over winter break and was quite depressing. that being said, it was amazingly well written and easy for western readers to comprehend to some extent. such a sad story, but well done.
• The A Circuit-- competitive horse riding. drama ensues. eh, not really a fan...
• Anna Dressed in Blood-- this one was recommended to me by my librarian and friend H when i told her i was looking for something similar to Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star. about a teenage boy who "kills" ghosts all over the country and then ends up falling for one. eery and kind of frightening at points, but had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. i loved it. added to The List
• Paper Covers Rock-- i've read this book 3 times now i think and it's amazing each and every time. if you want a better review, i'm sure there's one in the archives somewhere.
• When Lightning Strikes series-- several years ago i started the series and only got through the first and second books because the library didn't have the other ones available at the time. so, i decided i would give the series another shot and i'm glad i did, because i loved Jess and her "IDGAF" attitude and Rob and his motorcycle ( that would be my Bender complex talking) anyway, i got through the whole series and loved them all, especially the ending of the final book, which i ended up rereading several times just because it made me so happy. job well done, miss cabot.
• Paranormalcy--the same librarian/friend suggested this book about Evie, a girl who works for a government agency to keep the peace between paranormal creatures. she's caught between a crafty fairy and a mysterious unknown species. i loved this book and just today found out that there are others in the series!! AHH! added to The List.
• The Next Thing on My List--a girl is giving a stranger a ride home and gets into a car crash that her passenger doesn't survive. she then finds a list that the stranger had of all the things she wanted to do before her next birthday, so she takes it upon herself to complete the list for this girl she knows nothing about. i liked the concept, but the execution, especially the ending, were severely lacking.
• Never Let Me Go--cloning.isolation.organ donors.art.coming of age. I hated it. and the movie was even worse
• As I Lay Dying--required for school. my friends and I, being the super nerdy people that we are, decided to let out our emotions about this book through a series of strongly worded haikus. needless to say, we all hated it. i don't understand why people raise Faulkner up on a pedestal.
• The Great Gatsby--required for school and the only novel i've been forced to read this year that was actually enjoyable. i loved this book and the narrative of Nick, who seems like the kind of guy i would get along well with. yes, there were characters that you love to hate, but the book as a whole is just so great. i and aforementioned nerdy friends are going to go see the movie in theaters May 10 and we are all very excited. also, the music in the trailer (Happy Together by Filter) is so haunting yet perfect that every time i hear it, it makes me shiver, but in the best possible way. added to The List
• This Lullaby--my second time reading it and i think i loved it even more this time than i did last time. Dexter is just so darn persistent that it's endearing.
• The Book of Luke--i thought the story was slow and dramatic and hated the ending how things just so happened to work out after a few rather weak apologies. not very realistic if you ask me.
• Safe Haven-- this was definitely Nicholas Sparks' most thrilling book to date. it had me on the edge of my seat and i loved it. not his normal thing, but it worked. i have yet to see the movie, but i'm sure i'll watch it sometime this summer when i have more time.
• The Host-- my friend is obsessed with this book. she reads it every year and therefore made a deal with me that if she read 3 Dessen books i had to read The Host. i thought it was a pretty fair deal. however, let me say that the first 250 pages are slightly confusing, slow, and drag. However, after that, things pick up and from then on i truly enjoyed the book. so, if you have any intention of reading it, just power throught the first 250 pages and stick it out, because it's definitely worth it. also another one that i would like to see the movie, but don't know how much the directors have screwed with the plot. added to The List.
• Death of a Salesman--required for school. hated the play and i hated the movie version with Dennis Hoffman. so sad and tragic with no real point. definitely not enjoyable as i always seemed to fall asleep when i was reading it.

So yeah, we're at 27 now on The List, which is very exciting for me :) I am about to start Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen, which i tried reading a couple years ago, but didn't like and put aside. However, i'm determined to finish it this time no matter what. We'll see how that goes....anyway, thanks so much if you've continued to follow our sporadic postings and keep an eye out for posts on saturday during the Read-a-thon, because i'm sure i'll have something to say :)
happy reading!
-M