Hey, there.

I'll be shooting for at least fifty books this year. In 2007, I read about ten, and that's sad. Especially considering I spent my youth behind nearly a thousand books. Anyway, I'm looking to bolster my average.

I have a swell assortment of classic and contemporary works I plan to get through this year, most of which have been sitting on my bookshelves for a while.

So, this should be fun, and this seems like a dandy way to stimulate reading through internet addiction. ;)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
A Memoir

288 pages

5/5 Stars

Well-written and paced for a quick read, Jeannette Walls presents an unforgettable life story about family and making the best out of life, even when life seems to be at its worst.

1/50 in 2008

"this should be fun, and this seems like a dandy way to stimulate reading through internet addiction."

It's so true! I actually really enjoy setting and meeting my reading goals in an organized fashion. It adds a lot of pleasure to the process, I think.

Magical Thinking: True Stories by Augusten Burroughs

304 pages

5/5 Stars

Augusten Burroughs gives us, yet another, tour of his life, a life not that far from or own. So many times, he is the voice that says what we've always wanted to say, the guy who will tell someone to go f*** themselves right to their face.

2/50 in 2008

Timeline by Michael Crichton

512 pages

3.5/5 Stars

Entertaining overall, while slow in parts. I love a good time-travel story, and Crichton seems to do well in explaining the how's and why's of this particular mode of travel. Then again, I know nothing about quantum physics. But, there was enough happening to keep me interested through all 500 plus pages.

3/50 in 2008

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

320 pages

4/5 Stars

I really only read the title story and scanned through the remainder of the book. I Am Legends is a fun and frightening apocalypse tale, similar to its latest film counterpart only in its most basic premise. The other shorts were not as engaging, although I do plan to go back and give them another try. Matheson penned several scripts of the Twilight Zone, so he can't be all bad, eh?

4/50 in 2008

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich

272 pages

4/5 Stars

I've been wanting to read this book for at least four years, ever since I saw a documentary about the MIT team. This book was no kind of disappointment after the lengthy wait. Ben Mezrich brings us the story of the MIT blackjack team (well, one of them), particularly the induction of one member, and walks us through the world of high roller card counting. Mezrich explains the game to anyone who might not know the basics without becoming tiresome to those of use who do. A fun, true life adventure about giving the House its due.

5/50 in 2008

Cell by Stephen King

384 pages

4 Stars

Fast paced and easy to consume, the master of horror gives us another tale of the apocalypse, this time through the convention of every day technology.

Some have pegged Cell as a redux of The Stand, but that alone speaks volumes. There's another writer who often retold his own stories: William Shakespeare.

Others have complained that the ending left more to be desired. But the ambiguity works. It's not about the details outside of the lives of the survivors. Rather, this is a story about their survival.

6/50 in 2008