johanna414's 2013 reads

January:
1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
2. Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook
3. Godless by Pete Hautman
4. Maximum Ride: Nevermore by James Patterson
5. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn

February:
6. Kit's Wilderness by David Almond*
7. Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien
8. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. How to Save a Life by Sarah Zarr
11. The Bronte Sisters by Catherine Reef#
12. Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
13. The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman
14. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol - ROOT
15. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - ROOT
16. Persuasion by Jane Austen - ROOT
17. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

March:
18. Slog's Dad by David Almond & Dave McKean
19. My Name is Mina by David Almond
20. Kissed by Darkness by Shea Macleod
21. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - ROOT
22. Exile by R.A. Salvatore
23. The Color of Magic (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett - ROOT
24. Ghostopolis by Doug Tennapel
25. The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci*
26. The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland - For a Little While by Catherynne M. Valente
27. Wool - Part One by Hugh Howey
28. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrows - ROOT
29. Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore
30. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

April:
31. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
32. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
33. The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini
34. The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs
35. Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure#
36. Treading Water by Marie Force
37. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
38. Unfinished Business by Nora Roberts
39. Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos*#
40. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

May:
41. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
42. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
43. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
44. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
45. The Declaration by Gemma Mallery
46. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

June:
47. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
48. Stolen by Lucy Christopher*
49. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
50. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

* - Michael Printz books
# - Nonfiction (I have to force myself to read nonfiction... I'm trying for somewhere around 5-7 nonfiction titles this year)

I'm hoping that my final year of grad school won't get in the way of my pleasure reading too much... before too much longer I will be running a school library full of books demanding to be read! In preparation for that day I have been trying to make my way through the Michael Printz award winners and am about halfway through. Fortunately I am currently on vacation from school and work so I've already finished 2 books- one from the awards list and one just for fun.

1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
I enjoyed this novel, but was less impressed that I have been with some of his others. Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars are both excellent, but something about this story just didn't resonate with me in the same way. Still, a very enjoyable read and something I will recommend to my students.

2. Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook
A little bit of fluff reading, it wasn't awesome but was a cute story with some funny moments. A lot of the characters annoyed me, particularly the father...

This is also my first time joining a group on librarything so I'm pretty excited!

July:
51. A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
52. The Wanderer by Robyn Carr
53. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

August:
54. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
55. Olympus Heights by Kevin Munroe
56. Fire by Kristin Cashore
57. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
58. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
59. The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
60. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

September:
61. Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore
62. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bargudo
63. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
64. The Giver by Lois Lowry
65. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
66. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
67. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
68. Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

October:
69. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
70. Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan
71. The Coven by Cate Tiernan
72. Blood Witch by Cate Tiernan
73. Dark Magick by Cate Tiernan
74. Awakening by Cate Tiernan
75. Spellbound by Cate Tiernan

November:
76. The Calling by Cate Tiernan
77. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
78. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
79. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
80. The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
81. Midnighters: the Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
82. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
83. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
84. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

December:
85. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts
86. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

Hi Johanna, welcome and well done on already polishing off two books!
Your final year of grad school- sounds like you'll be busy...good luck with that and your reading goals.

Welcome! Nice start...

3. Godless by Pete Hautman
This is one I kept noticing on the shelves of the high school library in the school where I work and it sounded intriguing. I kept meaning to pick it up and then kept forgetting. The librarian (ok, she's my mom...) was kind enough to let me take home a huge stack of books over winter break so I finally brought it home. When I finally got around to reading it, I was very impressed. As a future school librarian, this is definitely something I would recommend to my students (and even the teachers!)

4. Maximum Ride: Nevermore by James Patteron

5. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

6. Kit's Wilderness by David Almond
First of all, I LOVE DAVID ALMOND!!!! I read Skellig in 5th or 6th grade and it has always been one of my favorites, but I never read any of Almond's other books. Since I've been trying to read all the Michael Printz winners, I decided to pick this up. I was warned that it was "really weird," and I guess it was... but in a very good way. One of the things I like about David Almond is his ability to deal with the issue of death in a way that young adults will be receptive to.

7. Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien
This was the third book in Caragh M. O'Brien's Birthmarked trilogy, and something of a disappointment. I really enjoyed the first book, but the second and third almost felt like they were from a completely different series. While I am glad that I finished the trilogy, I can't exactly say that I loved it.

8. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
This is one of my absolute favorite YA novels; I love everything about it. This is actually a reread, for one of my grad classes. I think Alexie does a wonderful job of capturing the unique voice of a 14 year old boy and Junior is one of the most endearingly awkward characters I've ever read. Much of this story is autobiographical, and that is largely what makes this novel ring so true.

10. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

11. The Bronte Sisters by Catherine Reef
Now that I am well into the semester, my reading will probably slow down to only about 1 a week... but I have been absolutely hooked on A Game of Thrones, and will hopefully finish it soon!

12. Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
13. The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman

14. Anya's Ghost by Vara Brosgol -absolutely adorable!!

I figure that if I'm going to reach 75 books by the end of the year, I need to read 6 or 7 books a month. In the past two months, I've read 14 (and I'm almost done with another 3) so I'm pretty confident in my ability to reach my goal. Especially considering that I read much more during the summer when I'm just waitressing part-time rather than working and going to school full-time, this should be pretty easy!

15. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower & L. Frank Baum

I just finished the graphic novel version put out by Marvel and absolutely loved it!! The art was beautiful and captured the mood of the story really well. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next installment!

16. Persuasion by Jane Austen

This is a reread, but it's one of my favorite stories. I love Pride and Prejudice, but Persuasion really does it for me. My mom is a big Austen fan and we used to watch the movie versions together when I was in high school. I started reading the books when I was about 17 and loved them. They're always a comforting thing to turn to when I get stressed about school or work. Is that a thing? Comfort Reading?

17. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
My cousin is a 2nd grade teacher and I work as a substitute in her class fairly often. She asked me to bring some of my favorite stories to read to the class for Read Across America Day, so I brought a few picture books and this. It is one of the only Roald Dahl books I have not read, but I've loved everything I've ever read by him and it seemed like a good 2nd grade book. The kids absolutely loved it, and I thought it was pretty darn cute as well.

18. Slog's Dad by David Almond & Dave McKean (ill.)
This is a short story told in words and pictures. Slog's dad has died, but promised that he would come back to visit him. Told from the perspective of Slog's best friend Davie, we learn how Slog's dad died and Davie tells what happens when Slog sees a man sittting in the park and believes he is his dad. Dave McKean's haunting and sometimes disturbing illustrations tell the story from Slog's perspective with images of the reunion between father and son. The father is shown as a superhero and an angel, as a paper doll and a balloon floating away into the sky. Although a very quick read, David Almond and Dave McKean manage to capture the longing of a young boy who wants to believe his father isn't gone forever. I am never disappointed when I pick up a book by David Almond!

19. My Name is Mina by David Almond
If you are looking for an action filled book, this is not the book for you; it is really much more character driven. A prequel to David Almond's famous Skellig, this novel takes a closer look at Mina, one of Almond's most beloved characters. I thought this book was beautifully written and while it was not as good as Skellig, I really enjoyed it.

20. Kissed by Darkness by Shea Macleod
I download this book for .99 cents on my Kindle, because it sounded like a straightforward vampire fighting tough chick story. It was a little more weird at first. The writing is pretty good, and I enjoyed most of the characters, particularly the supporting characters. Then the author brought Atlantis into the equation, which was a little weird but I could handle it... Then the Knights Templar entered the picture... I finished the book, mostly to see how she would bring everything together but it was just a little too much for my liking.

21. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
This is one that's been sitting on my shelves for awhile, and I just never got to it. Once I did start reading it though, I got hooked and I cannot emphasize enough how much I LOVED it! The characters were awesome, the writing was superb and the world Martin has created is just fantastic! Now I have to go read every other book in the series...

22. Exile by R.A. Salvatore
I have spent most of my life with the mistaken idea that I didn't like the fantasy genre. This is pretty much all my fiance reads, and he finally convinced me to try his favorite author. Surprisingly, I really liked the first book I read by Salvatore (Homeland) and have continued reading the series. The books are very well-written, exciting and I really like his characters. Drizzt is a character you want to see succeed. I've been adding more fantasy novels into my reading, and have been enjoying quite a few of them! So thank you Tony for making me expand my reading tastes!

23. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The first in Pratchett's well-known Discworld series, this is a very strange book. The random, jumpy style took me awhile to get used to, and I frequently felt like I had no idea what was going on in the story. Once I started to get a handle on Pratchett's writing style though, I started to really enjoy it and I will probably read more in the series.

24. Ghostopolis by Doug Tennapel
A short, fun read! Ghostopolis is the story of a living boy who is accidentally transported to the afterlife and is trying to get back home. He makes some friends, defeats a corrupt ruler and discovers he has a lot more power than he ever imagined. I really enjoyed this story!

25. The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
This story got to me emotionally in a way that hasn't happened in years. I really got sucked into the mystery and finished the book really quickly! I don't want to say too much about it, and risk giving away any spoilers, but I would definitely recommend it! It's one of those rare books I wish I could unread, just so I could go back and read it for the first time all over again...

26. The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland For a Little While by Catherynne M. Valente
A very cute little story... I didn't love it, but it was a nice morning's read while I was substitute teaching in a particularly boring classroom.

27. Wool by Hugh Howey
I almost feel guilty counting this as a book; it was really more of a short story. But it was enjoyable, and an interesting introduction to a post-apocalyptic world I am anxious to read more about!

28. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrows
Written in 1912, this is a seriouslycheesy science fiction novel! I was enjoying it at first, and embracing all the cheesiness... but was really struggling to get through it by the end. I think the only thing that got me through to the end was knowing I could count it as a ROOT challenge book!

29. Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore
This was a great conclusion to a trilogy I very much enjoyed. R.A. Salvatore has completely converted me into being a fan of the fantasy genre!

30. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
I read The Scorpio Races last year, and liked it so I bought this as a Kindle daily deal. It was only ok... not horrible enough that I put it down, but I can't really sat that I loved it.

31. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
I was having dinner at my fiance's parents' house and talking books with his mom. When I mentioned something about how I feel it's important for young girls to read about strong female characters, she gave me this to read thinking I would love it... Well, I just can't really relate to a fifty-something senator's wife, so it was pretty tough to get through. I am now a good future daughter-in-law, having read the whole book, and will probably lie when she asks if I liked it. It wasn't awful, it just wasn't really my thing.

32. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
This has been sitting on my Kindle for a really long time and I finally got around to reading it when I had a week off of work. Since I live in upstate NY, a week off in early April means bundling up and reading in front of the woodstove because it's still only 40 degrees F.) Anyways, the southern setting was fun and I plan on finishing the series over the summer. It's definitely a vacation type read.

33. The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini
Speaking of good vacation reads... This was a fun, heartfelt story about friendship, history and quilts that anyone would enjoy. It probably would resonate more deeply with those who make quilts or who just think quilts are beautiful. I needed a little inspiration to get going on a baby quilt for a friend, and thought this would be a good inspiration.

34. The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs

35. Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure
I don't know how much of this was fact, and how much was speculation, but it was an interesting story nonetheless.

I am extremely sleep-deprived after a long night dealing with a tense situation involving my fiance, his best friend, their drunken emotionally disturbed roommate, a loaded gun and a lot of state troopers. No one was hurt, thank god, but it was a long night. While waiting for news from my fiance, I managed to finish a couple books I had been working on, and not really enjoying, for awhile. Too freaked out to really pay attention to what I was reading, but needing a distraction anyways... Long story short, the roommate was arrested, fiance and bestie finally for to go to sleep after a long night and morning of making statements and investigating, and I got to go to work...

36. Treading Water by Marie Force
Seriously cliched and difficult to get through... I didn't particularly enjoy the characters, dialogue or even the storyline.

37. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Population getting too high? Too many dirty street urchins running through your city? Overrun with criminals? Swift has an answer for that-- just eat the babies! Totally logical plan of action... A very humorous read; I can't even imagine the kind of reaction it received when published in 1729!

38. Unfinished Business by Nora Roberts
I usually like Nora Roberts' stories when I'm in the mood for somthing light and romantic, but this one just didn't really catch my interest. I've probably been working on it since late 2012, but could only ever manage a few pages at a time. Maybe it was becasue of the story itself, maybe it was simply that I'm not feeling the romances right now...

Delurking to say I am glad that no one was hurt!

Thanks! It's scary how someone can go from being a really caring, considerate person to violent and scary with just a few drinks... Now we are dealing with the mess of trying to get him moved out... all of his belongings and his cat are still at the house and there's been no sign of him. My fiance, Tony, works with the guy's mom though, so he's hoping she will help make some arrangements. Especially since it was only as a favor to her that Tony let him move in in the first place!

39. Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
I've been proctoring state exams in the middle school for the past few days and needed something to read... I probably wouldn't have picked this up except that it's a Michael Printz honor book and I've been slacking off on my goal to read that list. I actually really enjoyed it; I've always liked Gantos' writing style (Joey Pigza is the best!) and it was a quick read. Basically it is a memoir of how Gantos got into some trouble smuggling drugs as a young man and ended up in prison. Even though he had always wanted to be a writer, it wasn't until he was in prison that he actually began to write and started to work towards those goals.

40. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Another quick read that I flew through while at work, this was a really cute story. For the most part, Hiaasen writes great environmental mysteries, and I think they provide a great way to get students thinking about the environment and the importance of protecting it. This story is about three middle school children who are trying to prevent a pancake restaurant from being built over the homes of a protected species of owls.

May has been a Harry Potter month... after talking HP with a 7th grade student, I was forced to revisit the series. I have all but the second book (made the mistake of breaking up with a guy while he had some of my books... whoops!) but haven't read them since the last book came out. I read the first in a day, had to immediately get the 2nd from the library, and was through the 3rd in less than a week.

41. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
42. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
43. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Hi Johanna!

I agree with you that comfort reading is definitely a thing! : )

(Sorry for the late response to your (probably rhetorical) question, as you mentioned comfort reading many posts ago, but I've only just now come across your thread).

I haven't read any Jane Austen yet but I have been meaning to for quite some time. Hopefully I'll get to one of her books this year. I have seen the tv and film adaptions, though. Would you recommend one of her books over any others to start with?

This is also my first time at being active in a group on LT too. It's been a great spur to my reading! I gotta say I'm really impressed with your reading achievements so far this year. You will definitely make the 75 target easily. Given you're in grad school I imagine much of your time is taken up with serious study/research reading, which makes your leisure reading achievements all the more impressive!

As for me, I'm on sabbatical this year so have no excuse for not meeting the target but sad to say I'm already lagging behind. : /

Although that said, I have probably already read this year my reading total from the last two or three years combined.

Happy reading!

Cheers,
Charles

Charles - my favorite Jane Austen novel is definitely Persuasion but the first of her books I fell in love with was Pride and Prejudice... Honestly Though, you can't go wrong with any of them!

So, I am currently vacationing with some cousins in the Outer Banks, North Carolina! This meant a 12 hour car ride from New York to the Carolina's and a lot of reading time. The weather hasn't been that great but when its sunny, I'm on the beach reading...

44. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
45. The Declaration by Gemma Mallery
46. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

47. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

I picked this up while working in a 6th grade classroom earlier in the week. Since it's the end of the school year, they have already taken their finals and it was raining, we watched a movie in class. I can only watch the same episode of Planet Earth so many times before wanting to rip my hair out so I needed a book to distract me for the day. I really, really enjoyed this book; it was beyond sweet, but it did have me crying in the middle of a class to 11 year olds... This is one of those books I would recommend to children and adults alike. Definitely worthy of the Newbery Prize!

I anticipate June being one of the months where I don't get much reading done, despite the fact that I am technically on summer vacation... It is the month when my regular job and my summer job overlap so I am often working 7 days a week, in addition to the fact that I have to get all of my certification tests taken care of this summer. Busy month!

48. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Really only read this because it was on the Michael Printz list... but I ended up really enjoying it!

49. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson

I loved the Maximum Ride series, so I assumed that I would enjoy Patterson's other YA series... couldn't have been more wrong. I finished it simply because it was so short, and I didn't have another book with me. But there were so many plot holes that I couldn't get interested in the story at all. Patterson also apparently has no idea how teenagers talk... it was really just annoying.

50. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

WooHoo!!! Two thirds done! I wasn't too thrilled with this book when I first started, but something made me keep reading it and I was surprised when I finished it two days later, to find that I had actually really enjoyed the story as a whole.

51. A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
52. The Wanderer by Robyn Carr

53. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
54. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
55. Olympus Heights by Kevin Munroe

56. Fire by Kristin Cashore
I started this book a few months ago after reading Graceling and loving it. For whatever reason, I couldn't get caught up in Fire until yesterday when I picked it up around 6pm and read until midnight despite a sinus headache that made it very painful to focus my eyes. I just couldn't stop! Now I'm super excited for Bitterblue!

Nothing like 2 weeks at a cottage on Cuba Lake with no internet or cell service for getting a little reading done! It was wonderful!!! Even though we chose not to travel too far from home for "vacation", and I still had to work a few days a week, it has been such a relaxing way to end the summer.

57. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
58. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
59. The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
60. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
We've still got a few more days before everyone has to return to reality, so lets see how much more reading I can accomplish!

61. Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore
62. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bargudo
63. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman

Only 12 books left to read this year... and to think I was worried about getting to 75!

64. The Giver by Lois Lowry
65. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
66. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

My summer job has ended, but I haven't started my student teaching yet, so I've found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands this week! The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a reread, but one that I found I understood much better at 24 than 16. I've joined a new book discussion group at my public library and this is our first book.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is one that I read for class, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. And considering it was about a teenage boy who checks himself into a hospital for stress and depression, I was shocked by how much I could relate to him... (Grad school is stressful!!)

The Giver is another reread, this one just for relaxation purposed. It was one of the first books I remember reading and getting excited about as a child, so it is always fun to revisit those titles.

67. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
68. Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

69. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Loved this book!

I decided to revisit an old favorite from high school and got a little caught up...

70. Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan
71. The Coven by Cate Tiernan
72. Blood Witch by Cate Tiernan
73. Dark Magick by Cate Tiernan
74. Awakening by Cate Tiernan
75. Spellbound by Cate Tiernan
76. The Calling by Cate Tiernan

77. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
78. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I don't know how it took me so long to get around to reading Ender's Game... it's been sitting there on my Kindle for about 2 years! Now that I've read it though, I want to go read everything Card has ever written! So good!!!

Congrats on blowing past 75!

#48 - Thanks! I am shocked when I look back at all the reading I've done this year! And still a month and a half to go!

79. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

I am so happy I discovered the Discworld books!!

80. The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
Another heartwarming story by Sharon Creech. She has been a favorite since I read Walk Two Moons as a child.

81.The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
Got about half way through this before realizing I had already read it in high school. I finished it anyways and still enjoyed it.

82. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
83. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
84. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This has been one of my favorite series ever since the first book came out. One of the perks of being raised by a librarian is that I was always just a little ahead on the book trends. After going to see the Catching Fire movie (which I was very happy with!) I felt the need to go back and reread all the books. They were as good as I remembered.

85. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

86. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
And this would be why I only managed to read 2 books this month... so worth it though! I am loving this series!