2016 Reading Challenge: List

#1 A book based on a fairy tale : Peter Pan
#2 A National Book Award winner : Invisible Man
#3 A YA bestseller : The Perks of Being a Wallflower
#4 A book you haven't read since high school : The Great Gatsby
#5 A book set in your home state : The Help
#6 A book translated to English : The Catnerbury Tales
#7 A romance set in the future : Never Let Me Go
#8 A book set in Europe : Oliver Twist
#9 A book that's under 150 pages : The Story of Vampires
#10 A New York Times bestseller : Gone Girl
#11 A book that's becoming a movie this year : High-Rise
#12 A book recommended by someone you just met : The Knife of Never Letting Go
#13 A self-improvement book : Clutter Control: Useful Tips for Getting Rid of the Mess
#14 A book you can finish in a day : The First True Lie
#15 A book written by a celebrity : Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man
#16 A political memoir : I Am America (And So Can You!)
#17 A book at least 100 years older than you : Utopia
#18 A book that's more than 600 pages : A Game of Thrones
#19 A book from Oprah's Book Club : Night
#20 A science-fiction novel : The Martian
#21 A book recommended by a family member : Lamb
#22 A graphic novel : The Vampire Lestat
#23 A book that is published in 2016 : The Cracked Spine
#24 A book with a protagonist who has your occupation : I Work at a Public Library
#25 A book that takes place during Summer : Tender is the Night
#26 A book and it's prequel : Rosemary's Baby & Son of Rosemary
#27 A murder mystery : Death in Ecstasy
#28 A book written by a comedian : Dad Is Fat
#29 A dystopian novel : Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
#30 A book with a blue cover : Drowning Instinct
#31 A book of poetry : The Poetry of Doctor Zhivago
#32 The first book you see in a bookstore : The Good Neighbor
#33 A classic from the 20th century : The Bell Jar
#34 A book from the library : The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare
#35 A autobiography : Cloris
#36 A book about a road trip : Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
#37 A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with : Kite Runner
#38 A satirical book : President Taft is Stuck in the Bath
#39 A book that takes place on an island : The Tempest
#40 A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy : Diane Arbus

Date Started: January 1, 2016
Date completed: December 28, 2016
Books finished in challenge: 41 of 41
Books finished in total for year: 121

2016 Reading: Mortal Trash

It's been a while since I read a book of poetry and I'm quite fond of Kim's work so I thought I would just slide this into this year's reading so it didn't end on an even number. 121 FOR THE YEAR, WOOO!!!

I think one of my favorite poems in this book is one called "My Sword Sleep In My Hand"

"My Sword Sleep In My Hand"

There's a skunk on the golf course.

Bring me my nine iron.

I can kill the little shit

without raising a divot.

My caddy is an idiot.

My maid is illegal.

My wife's tits sag.

I covet the babysitter.

Bring me my putter.

I own this town.

I don't know why. I liked a lot of her poems in this book and I hope to find some more books by her in the future to enjoy.

2016 Reading: Death in Ecstasy

#27 A murder mystery

The fourth book in the Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn series. I still hear Benedict Cumberbatch's voice in my head when I read these. And I am not complaining.

Eventually I am going to read all of the books in this series because I find them very entertaining and just the right amount to British-wit dry.

2016 Reading: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

#36 A book about a road trip

I actually finished this book before Christmas but I was busy with the holiday stuffy-stuff that I didn't get the chance to write about it.

This book, while a little difficult to get through because of the way it was written, was actually a very good read. Once you get passed the language, then it just becomes this whirlwind story that you can hardly believe actually happened. I was happy to see some people's names that I recognized and it made me want to go back in time so that I could meet them all at once in their prime. Especially Allen Ginsburg.

This quote stuck out:

Sometime after that I was up in Haight-Ashbury with some kid, not a Prankster, a kid 

from another communal group, and the kid was trying to open an old secrétaire, the 

kind that opens out into a desktop you can write on, and he pinches his finger in a 

hinge. Only instead of saying Aw shit or whatever, the whole thing becomes a parable 

of life, and he says: 

"That's typical. You see that? Even the poor cat who designed this thing was 

playing the game they wanted him to play. You see how this thing is designed, to open 

out? It's always out, into, it's got to be out, into your life, the old bullshit thrust—you 

know?—they don't even think about it—you know?—this is just the way they design 

things and you're here and they're there and they're going to keep coming at you. You 

see that kitchen table?" There is an old enamel-top kitchen table you can see through a 

doorway in there. "Now that's actually better design, it actually is, than all this ornate 

shit, I mean, I truly dig that kitchen table, because the whole thing is right there—you 

know?—it's there to receive, that's what it's all about, it's passive, I mean what the hell 

is a table anyway? Freud said a table is a symbol of a woman, with her shanks open, 

balling it, in dreams—you know?—and what is this a symbol of?" He points to the 

secrétaire. "It's a symbol of fuck-you, Fuck you, right?" And so on, until I want to put 

my hand on his shoulder and say why don't you just kick it in the kneecaps and let it 

go at that. (pg 12)

I don't think I have ever been that mad at a piece of furniture.

Well now I have to go download me some Grateful Dead and paint myself in Day-Glo...

2016 Reading: The Kite Runner

#37 A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with

This book was fascinating. I had no idea what it was about going into it, but I am so glad that I got the chance to read it.The fact that it was set in Afghanistan really didn't have a bearing in the story at first, but then as time passed, events began to change the style of the story and the lives of the characters and it just blended it all so seamlessly that I could barely put this book down once I really got it started.

There were some tough subjects in this book, but they needed to be told because they are happening every day still and the message is that life can go on and be good again. Mistakes are made and regretted, but that doesn't mean life stops.

I don't know if I will have the heart to watch the movie of this, but I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who asks.

2016 Reading: The Spider and the Fly, The Night World (2 books)

I read this to my nephew the other day and my sister looked at me after we were done and was like, "Why do you bring him this gothic stuff?!" and I had no answer. She immediately read him some nice happy story afterwards to erase the death and despair.

This story looks dark and gothic from the beginning but is actually a very nice and happy story and I really enjoyed the illustrations.

2016 Reading: The Tempest

#39 A book that takes place on an island

I was supposed to read this a few years ago for my Shakespeare Literature class, but I never did. I guess it just wasn't the right time for me. I watched the movie and gleaned everything I needed to know to pass the assignment from there so I didn't really worry about it.

For this challenge, I was going to read another Charles Dickens book and go with the whole "England is an island" thing, but after Oliver Twist, I decided I didn't want to read another of his books quite just yet. Maybe someday.

I don't know how some people say they don't understand Shakespeare. I guess I'm just used to it because I have read so much of it that the language doesn't bother me anymore. I have always loved Shakespeare. While this is a short and sweet play, it's not really one of my favorites. Everything ends too neatly for my taste. Everyone is happy in the end and that is just too easy for me.

2016 Reading: Oliver Twist

#8 A book set in Europe

This book is ENTIRELY too sarcastic. Seriously, every other line should be read with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

I knew the story going in so nothing was really a surprise to me. I don't know what else to say about the book other than it was longer than I expected.

Please sir, I don't want any more.

2016 Reading: The Bell Jar

#33 A classic from the 20th century

I actually had no idea what to think of this book because even though the title is familiar to me (being the symbol for all feminist literature and all that) I never actually knew what the book was ABOUT.

Having read it, I am not surprised, but I found it interesting non-the-less. It seems there are no explanations for the feelings and the mental changes in the main character and at times, they seem to be almost forced. I know that they are not, but that just goes to show that the author knew what she was talking about.

My poetry teacher in college dressed up as Sylvia Plath one year for Halloween.

Hilarious.

2016 Reading: Cloris

#35 An autobiography

Oh my God. I always knew that I liked Cloris Leachman, but holy shit... I had no idea all the stuff she's done and the people she's hung out with!

Marlon Brando, Katherine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe... She was Miss Chicago in 1946 and was third runner up for Miss America that same year! She was a model and a radio star... I mean, wow...

Not to mention she's hilarious and plays the piano and dances and sings...

I want to be her when I grow up.

2016 Reading: Utopia

#17 A book at least 100 years older than you

Okay, I have to admit that this book is WAY harder to get through than I thought. HOWEVER, once you get past the antiquated language (and lack of sentence and paragraph structure, ouch) the story is quite interesting. I didn't read the intro, but then again, I never read the introductions to books anyway.

'If a man,' says he, 'were to see a great company run out every day into the rain and take delight in being wet--if he knew that it would be to no purpose for him to go and persuade them to return to their houses in order to avoid the storm, and that all that could be expected by his going to speak to them would be that he himself should be as wet as they, it would be best for him to keep within doors, and, since he had not influence enough to correct other people's folly, to take care to preserve himself.' (pg )

 There was really no plot other than Thomas More telling everyone what someone else told him about the Utopians. Basically socialists.

Some things were interesting and made sense, but I know that the world is STILL not ready for some of the concepts of that society.

2016 Reading: Bad Day at Riverbend

Okay, this book... this book was legitimately terrifying. It was like a mind-bending episode of the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits.

If you have never heard of this books, please, I beg you, go find it and read it. I mean, just look at the cover art! Something is not right here. If they made this into a show, I would watch the hell out of it.

2016 Reading: King Baby & Hark, A Vagrant! (2 books)

I checked King Baby out under the pretense of reading it to my nephew at bedtime (which I did... eventually) but really, I just got it because I'm a fan of Kate Beaton's work.

I know that I have read most of what was in Hark, A Vagrant! before on her website, but there were a few in there that I had never seen before and I wanted a good laugh. I love her take on literature and there are a lot of opinions on characters that we seem to have in common.

Plus, she's hilarious.

2016 Reading: Tender is the Night

#25 A book that takes place during Summer

What. The fuck. Is this book even about?!?! Francis, seriously, I love your work, but godDAMN this book is about nothing. NOTHING!

There are affairs and parties, a little murder (that's completely glossed over), but there is no plot! Every character is thinking mundane and useless things while doing other mundane and useless things. This man claims to love these two women, yet seems to hate them in his thoughts. Like, literally "Dick saw her with an inevitable sense of disappointment. It took him a moment to respond to the unguarded sweetness of her smile" and then immediately thinking how much he's in love with her.

WTF?!

After reading a bit more, I found that the first section (there are three in total) makes the book seem as if it is about Rosemary. This is misleading and I think it's why this book has bothered me so much. The narrative, as it is, goes from person to person and not always the characters that end up being the most important. This style of writing is not my favorite and I think that is why I am not fond of this book. However, the story is an interesting one, and then it isn't, and then it is again.

And then it isn't.

2016 Reading: Poor Unfortunate Souls

I saw the cover of this book and immediately knew that I needed to read it. I love Disney and I especially love stories written from the perspective of the villain. I found this book to be a little confusing at times, since they linked a whole slew of Disney stories together and it was hard to keep up with everything.

But all in all, this book did exactly what I wanted it to do. It made the point of view of the villain clear and showed motivations behind the villainy, which you would really not otherwise see.

I've learned that there are more of these types of books so I think I might try to locate them and give them a chance.

2016 Reading: Phoebe and Her Unicorn (3 books)

I read these at the suggestion of one of my coworkers. She and I are both big fans of regularly updated web comics and we exchange titles and stuff all the time and she thought I would enjoy these.

I do.

I have to admit, I want to slap the unicorn occasionally, but I gather that is the point.

Nice quick little read while I try to power through a difficult book.

2016 Reading: Drowning Instinct

#30 A book with a blue cover

Oh. My. Gawd. This book. I had never heard of this book and then I read the description on some website, I don't even remember. We didn't have a copy in the library so I made a request for it and completely forgot about it until it was plopped in front of me one day.

I could not put this book down once I started it. Imagine Lolita (which is a favorite of mine) but completely mutual with a little bit of "Secretary" (movie, not book) thrown in there as well. Ugh. Love. I full plan on buying this book so that I can read it again someday. I don't do that with a lot of books. So, that means this one is worth it.

I love the way it was written; as a sort of flowing verbal narrative into a tape recorder. This means that the story could be considered unreliable because it is all the recollections of the main character and she even acknowledges that fact in the story, but it is still so compelling and interesting that you just don't care about that.

There are a lot of things happening at once, but the story doesn't feel overwhelming like some others do. Everything flows very nicely, even with the sporadic interruptions that remind us she is telling this story to a specific person. The subject matter may be unpleasant or difficult for some people, but I like books with a dark side to them.

2016 Reading: This Is A Book

Demetri Martin is one of those comedians who don't really tell "jokes." They just kind of talk slowly and state obvious things, yet somehow you can't help but laugh at everything that comes out of his mouth. Much like Mitch Hedberg but with way less drugs.

This is a collection of little Demetri-isms that would definitely be present in his comedy specials or even his short lived TV show. I found one particular little short story very amusing:

Mary Brown was a shy woman, who spoke little and rarely made

eye contact with anyone.  She lived in a small yellow house at the

end of Maple Street, which was where she made her jam and kept

her sex slaves. (p. 113)

To which I promptly texted my friend with the caption, "Hey, Demetri Martin wrote a short story about me!" To which she replied, "Omg yes"

This was a fun, quick little book that made me smile. Now on to more of the challenge list.

2016 Reading: The First True Lie

#14 A book you can finish in a day

I saw this book on the shelf and it was small, but when I read the back... Holy shit.

This kid is amazing and sad and so smart... The whole time, I kept forgetting how old he was because his tone and language made him seem older. I mean, he survived two whole weeks... I definitely could not do that.

It's one thing to deal with death when there are other people around to help you, but this kid was so used to being alone, so used to fending for himself even at such a young age, that he just kept going as if nothing was wrong while his mother's body just rotted away in the bedroom. School, cooking, shopping, clothes... All because no one could know or they would take him to an orphanage.

I would recommend this book to everyone to read at least once because this was amazing.

2016 Reading: I Work at a Public Library

#24 A book with a protagonist who has your occupation

As SOON as I saw the title for this book, I knew I had to read it. We have so many weird people that come in here and we can tell all kinds of weird stories about things that happen in the library so I knew this book would be a hoot.

Yeah, I said 'hoot.' I'm an old librarian. Don't judge me.

2016 Reading: Never Let Me Go

#7 A romance set in the future

I got the suggestion for this as my romance set in the future by someone from GoodReads, but when I began reading it, I noticed that it is in no way set in the future. It's actually set in the past. But it's a past that was more advanced than ours and therefore made it more advanced than our future, but with a lot of similarities.  I don't know how else to describe it. I'm going to go ahead and count it anyway.

I had never heard anything about this book before so I didn't know what to expect. I ended up really liking the book despite the fact that the main characters seemed to have no idea what they were doing. With anything. No one spoke their mind or were unique in any way. And I know that they turned out to be clones, but the whole point of the special school was to prove that they could be their own people yet they just followed orders even when they knew that they would end up dying from the "donations." They accepted that that's all they were good for instead of fighting back.

Also, the point of the school was to give the children the greatest possible life they could ever hope for despite their clone status and the fact that their whole purpose was to die for the sake of "real people." I don't think I agree with that. I think that would be a cruel reminder of what they were never be able to sustain. They were treated nicely and shown a world, but kept away from it because they could never live in it. They are destined to die and they can do nothing about it. They CHOOSE not to do anything about it. They just lay down and take it.

2016 Reading: The Help

#5 A book set in your home state

Living in Mississippi is more than I can handle on a good day, so reading about it is something that I have no interest in whatsoever. I just, kind of, passed this book/movie by and never sat down with it. Until now.

I was familiar with the concept, so I knew what I was getting into. It amazes me how stupid people can be. I know that it was a different time blah blah blah but still. People are idiots. And that goes for today, too.

I think I want to watch the movie, but part of me still wants to avoid it. I don't know why. Maybe it's the way it ended, maybe it's the pie thing, maybe it's the horrible accents I know people are going to have...

Whatever the reason, I may or may not watch the movie. Until then, on to the next book.

2016 Reading: Lamb

#21 A book recommended by a family member

Now, I hate talking about religion. It's one of those things that I don't think people should do. Like, I have no problem with religion itself, but if you believe in something, more power to you, just shut up about it. I don't care what you believe, just don't bother me with it. Having said that, I was reluctant to read this, but my sister insisted that I would enjoy it so I went ahead and started it.

I did, in fact, enjoy this book. I thought it was hilarious as well as being real. Reading the bible, everyone seems to be this worldly scholar with perfect grammar and no discernible emotions, but this book paints there characters as real people (and if you are the religious, it can make them more relatable rather than some untouchable entity that you must strive to be like.)

There were parts that made me laugh out loud and I love the character of Biff. Biff is us. He is all of us who are inherently good, but don't always strictly follow the rules. He means well and he has the kind of street smarts that you can always count on in a pinch. I like him.

2016 Reading: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I had no idea what to expect from this because even though I work in a library, I had no idea it existed until my mother mentioned it.

I like the idea of a Potter going into Slytherin. I like that idea a lot, especially since Harry was originally supposed to go into Slytherin. I also like the thought of his becoming good friends with Draco's son. (Yes, I like the idea because I totally shipped Drarry and I am not sorry for it.)

At first, I had no idea what was going on, I had no idea it was a play, I didn't know where it was going... By the end of it, I was kind of... not changed.

I don't know how else to put it. By the end of the original series, I felt like my life had changed (as lame as that sounds), and then I read the epilogue and wanted to vomit all over the book.... But, that's another story. At the end of this book, I didn't really feel anything. It was just a thing that happened and it seemed to not effect me emotionally at all. My mom asked me how I liked it and my only response was, "Well, that certainly was a book."

I don't know. Maybe I'm jaded by Harry Potter's past.

(However, I ship Albus/Scorpius now. So, that's something.)

2016 Reading: Mother, Can You Not?

A friend of mine sent me this book and it was hilarious! I was both entertained and horrified by some of the things that were described in the relationship between this mother and daughter pair. I like to think that I have a pretty good relationship with my mother, but I don't think it could ever be as weird as this one seems to be.

I was not aware of the online presence of this pair before reading the book, but reading it made me want to take a peek at some of the things that I have gone on that have not made the pages.

Not part of the year challenge list, but it was a quick read and thoroughly enjoyable.

2016 Reading: Adulthood is a Myth

I'm a big fan of Sarah's stuff on the internet and I found this book on the shelf and knew I needed to take a peek. Some of them I'd seen before, some of them I hadn't, but it was a fun little read that kept me entertained for a while. Some of her drawings make me laugh because they're TRUE! All of them. I can identify with nearly all of her stories. Definitely recommend her stuff.

2016 Reading: The Martian

#20 A science-fiction novel

I was originally going to read The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov but I found out that it was a series of short stories and I really wasn't in the mood for that so I went with something that my mother recommended because she said it was hilarious.

And it was.

There was a lot of technical jargon to get through at various points, but considering that the main character is a stranded astronaut, it's to be expected. I found myself laughing out loud as I read this and I finished it in one day because I could not put it down. I have been avoiding watching the movie until I could finish the book and now that I have, I look forward to watching it and seeing if it holds up.

2016 Reading: Goosebumps (62 books)

ERMAGERD GERSBERMS!!!

I don't know what made me decide to read all the Goosebump books again. I guess that I just wanted something small to go in between the larger books so that I didn't get burned out.

1. Welcome to Dead House
2. Stay Out of the Basement
3. Monster Blood
4. Say Cheese and Die
5. The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
6. Let's Get Invisible
7. Night of the Living Dummy
8. The Girl Who Cried Monster
9. Welcome to Camp Nightmare
10. The Ghost Next Door
11. The Haunted Mask
12. Be Careful What You Wish For
13. Piano Lessons Can Be Murder
14. The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
15. You Can't Scare Me!
16. One Day at HorrorLand
17. Why I'm Afraid of Bees
18. Monster Blood II
19. Deep Trouble
20. The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight
21. Go Eat Worms!
22. Ghost Beach
23. Return of the Mummy
24. Phantom of the Auditorium
25. Attack of the Mutant
26. My Hairiest Adventure
27. A Night in Terror Tower
28. The Cuckoo Clock of Doom
29. Monster Blood III
30. It Came From Beneath the Sink!
31. Night of the Living Dummy II
32. The Barking Ghost
33. The Horror at Camp Jellyjam
34. Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes
35. A Shocker on Shock Street
36. The Haunted Mask II
37. The Headless Ghost
38. The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena
39. How I Got My Shrunken Head
40. Night of the Living Dummy III
41. Bad Hare Day
42. Egg Monsters From Mars
43. The Beast from the East
44. Say Cheese and Die -- Again!
45. Ghost Camp
46. How to Kill a Monster
47. Legend of the Lost Legend
48. Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns
49. Vampire Breath
50. Calling All Creeps
51. Beware the Snowman
52. How I Learned to Fly
53. Chicken Chicken
54. Don't Go to Sleep
55. The Blob That Ate Everyone
56. The Curse of Camp Cold Lake
57. My Best Friend is Invisible
58. Deep Trouble II
59. The Haunted School
60. Werewolf Skin
61. I Live in Your Basement
62. Monster Blood IV

2016 Reading: The Good Neighbor

#32 The first book you see in a bookstore

I walked into the bookstore with my eyes closed. I know that sounds like a mad idea, but I didn't want the first book I saw to be some random politic crap that usually resides by the from door of Barnes & Noble. I kept my head down and only looked at the carpet until I knew I was safe in the regular fiction section and THEN I raised my head and this was the first thing I saw.

I suppose it was a good story, not really my thing but at least it was a quick read. Typical chick-lit stuff. Woman trying to get over her ex, kid in the picture, meeting new people through friends, big secrets kept and a reveal at the end that makes everything okay once her friends forgive her and yay, new love interest.

I wanted to get this one over with so that I could move on the bigger and better things. And so I shall.

2016 Reading: The Canterbury Tales

#6 A book translated to English

Okay, so it was technically translate from OLD English into NEW English, but damnit, I think that should count for something.

I have read bits and pieces of this book over the years for various English Literature classes, but I had never actually sat down to read the book in its entirety. I've had it on the shelf for a while and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally sit down with it.

It was a mish-mash of different things, as you would expect. Some tales were hilarious (Miller's Tale), some were sad (Physician's Tale), some were overly religious (Second Nun's Tale), and some were meh.

I'm mostly sad that Chaucer didn't tell what happened once everyone had finally reach Canterbury and find out who the Host picked to win the contest. But, nothing to be done for it now.

2016 Reading: Supernatural

I had this as a little go between book to get my mind off Game of Thrones for a while. As like the other vampire book I read earlier this year, this really didn't tell me much more than I already knew about the subject of monsters and phenomena but it was still fun to flip through all the pages and see the pictures that they have in there. Bigfoot, chupacabras, loch ness monster, vampires, zombies... I love reading kids books that pretend to be serious about all these things.

Not much else to tell about this book other than it was a quick read that I enjoyed and now I am off to other things.

2016 Reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

#3 A YA bestseller

This was a very unique and strange book. Parts of it were a little confusing but then by the end, I felt like I could identify with it.

It's no secret that the main character had WAY too many problems to count. I thought that the foray into teenage smoking and drug use was very realistic and I like that they didn't really make a big thing about it or exaggerate it to the point of ridiculousness.

There are some questions that I would like answered, but the way the book is written, I think I already know the answers by figuring them out myself.

A good short read. I don't know if I want to watch the movie or not, but I guess time will tell.

2016 Reading: A Game of Thrones

#18 A book that's more than 600 pages

This was a very good book and I plan to definitely read the others in the series, but I could not get done with this book fast enough.

It was a little easier to understand because I've seen the show so I could put a face to the names of the characters, plus I wasn't surprised at how it ended, but on the flip side, that also made it a little boring because I knew what was going to happen.

I was fascinated by some of the descriptions of the characters, though. Like, I had no idea that the characters were actually so young! Jon was only 14 and and Dany was 13! It boggled my mind about some of those.

Like I said, I am going to be reading the rest of the books but I'm going to wait until I am completely done with the reading challenge for the year.

2016 Reading: Santa's Twin & Robot Santa (2 books)

Okay, so these books look HORRIFYING. I saw Robot Santa on the shelf and I knew that I needed to put it in my eyes as quickly as possible.

Cute stories, rad drawings (which were just the right amount of creepy for me), and a quick read to add to my yearly count.

2016 Reading: The Knife of Never Letting Go

#12 A book recommended by someone you just met

This book was recommended to me by a girl that I work with. The concept was interesting (though difficult to get through sometimes). The main character, being an uneducated young child, often writes the way he speaks. There are lots of misspelled words, accent-driven spellings and even some creative ways to curse.

I've said before that I don't really like dystopian literature and I still contest to that statement. It's just not something that interests me.

This book is the first one in a series, but I don't think that I'll be finishing the other books any time soon if at all. I've got too many other things to get through to finish it this year and then by the time those are all over, I will have completely forgotten everything about the story anyway.

On to the next.

2016 Reading: I Am America (And So Can You!)

#16 A political memoir

Okay, so I know this isn't exactly a memoir... but this is about as close to politics as I like to get. Which is to say, not close at all. Ever.

So, this book was meant as a huge joke and that's great, but it made me think about how many people actually think this way and that made me angry. Not at Stephen Colbert, but just at people in general. It reminded me why I hate politics and stuff to begin with. I just want to never have to deal with it ever. I know that some people think that I'm just ignoring the problems and I am. I so am. Ignorance is bliss. Because the more I learn about what's going on in the political world and stuff like that, the more dumb I feel and the more depressed I get.

And I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. I have enough of it already and my meds are stretched to the max as it is.

So, thanks. But, no thanks. Moving on.

2016 Reading: Rosemary's Baby & Son of Rosemary

#26 A book and it's prequel

Rosemary's Baby: I saw the movie many years ago in my horror movie class while I was in film school, but I have always wanted to read the book. I've read other Ira Levin books and I found his writing style to be really unique and sort of flow-y so it's really easy to get lost in the story and not want to put the book down.

If I had never seen the movie, I think the ending would have been more dramatic for me. I would have thought Rosemary was just crazy until about the very last chapter. As it is, I'm kind of glad that I saw the movie because I could find the little subtle hints within the plot that foreshadowed the ending.

Son of Rosemary: Oh. My. God. This book! I have no idea what I was expecting (I didn't even really know there WAS a sequel until I saw this book at a used book store). It was such a unique thing to do to make this set so far in the future and have so many parallels between Andy and Jesus. I cold not put the book down because I just knew that something had to be wrong. But I STILL did not see that ending coming.

Part of me was a little disappointed at the ending, but another part, a bigger part, thinks it was the most brilliant thing to do for this story and it made me question so many things. I think I might have to go back and read this a second time at some point so that I can really pay attention to the details.

Ugh. So good.

2016 Reading: The Grownup

This book wasn't part of the reading challenge (it could have been, but I chose not to put it on there because I already have all the books lined up for the categories). A friend of mine recommended this book and it. was. fantastic.

Like, holy crap, was this book fantastic. From the very first sentence I knew that I was going to enjoy it like nothing else before. It was a very short story so it didn't take long to read and I simply devoured it. Like Gillian's other stories, there were twists that you didn't see coming but then she completely turned that on its head with more twists that just make your brain hurt but in the best way possible.

I can't wait to read more of her stuff. I hope it's all like that.

2016 Reading: The Great Gatsby

#4 A book you haven't read since high school

I know that people talk a lot about not liking this book in high school, but I had a very good experience with it (mainly because I had an awesome teacher). We compared characters to junk food (Tom was a Ho-Ho, Myrtle was Apple Jacks, Daisy was a Twinkie... It all made sense when you thought about it), we played 'Pin the Wheel on the Drunk's Car' (which I took home and kept until the storm flooded my house), we had a flapper party with sparkling grape juice and did the Charleston... It was the best class ever.

I look back on the characters and I just can't help hating every one in this book. Gatsby did stupid things to get back something that he never had and then didn't want to adjust his thinking when he got the best he could hope for. Daisy got used to the good life even with a cheating husband. Jordan was literally just a cynical pot stirrer who cared about nothing. Tom was... Tom. Nick was blind and prejudice-ly opinionated while simultaneously indecisive and easily swayed.

But despite all of this, I love this story. It's like it takes a love story, an underdog story, a story about hope and completely destroys everything and leaves you with a sense of disappointment and disdain, but also the need to carry on.

2016 Reading: The Cracked Spine

#23 A book that is published in 2016

The name got me, okay? I found this while I was looking for books about someone with my occupation (NOT MANY) and it sounded interesting so I put it on the list. The way it was written and the way it ended made this seem like it was going to be an ongoing series.

I guess this falls into the category of one of those cute chick mysteries with a strong female lead, quirky side characters, hunky love interest, and a mystery that has nothing to do with her but somehow it's her JOB to solve it anyway.

I will most likely not be continuing on with this particular series, but to each his own.

2016 Reading: Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man

#15 A book written by a celebrity

I think one of the things that surprised me the most about this book was how little I actually knew about Leonard Nimoy. Now, I have read BOTH of his autobiographies (I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock respectively) but some of the stories featured in this book are completely new to me. Maybe that’s because it was some things that Leonard would have rather forgotten but the point is that it took someone ELSE writing about it for me to know these things.

I don’t really know what I expected about this book. Most of it was a compare and contrast between Shatner and Nimoy. Some of the comparisons were very interesting and others I think were merely so Bill could fill up some space. That sounds harsh. I don’t know. All I know is that some of the things in this book made me sad and some of them made me very happy. I always like to hear about anything that has to do with Star Trek and this was all of that and more. There was so much that I didn’t know about Leonard. I have never really gone and looked at his body of work before or after Star Trek, but from what I have since learned, it was vast and varied.

I love that there was so many things he did in his life besides acting and I hope that someday I can see his photography or even read some of his poetry. He was a very brilliant man and it was really sad when he just couldn’t hold on anymore.

2016 Reading: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

#29 A dystopian novel

I had no idea that this was the story that was the basis for Blade Runner. Not that I've ever seen Blade Runner, but still...

I usually don't like to read dystopian books, I don't really know why. They've never been my cup of tea. However, I am interested in reading books about the concept of androids and souls. I don't like watching the movies about them, but I like thinking about the possibility.

When I was in college, I took this philosophy class that was centered around  science fiction and the idea that robots could be considered "living" or that if a person was cloned, was that clone them or another person entirely. We watched a lot of Doctor Who and Star Trek and just generally thought about all the questions that one might ask if one happened to be in a situation that only seems to exist in the minds of sci-fi writers. It was a really fun class.

Well, this story certainly was interesting.

I don't think I quite grasped all of it. I know there's the question of what constitutes "human" and being alive, but there's also some religious themes in here as well with Mercer (whoever he is) and the devotion of his followers even when it is proven that he is fake.

Then there are the things about the animals and how they're sacred...

It was a good story, but I didn't get much out of it. Meh.

2016 Reading: Invisible Man

#2 A National Book Award winner

Okay, so, full disclosure: I thought this was the sci-fi story about the guy and science and he literally turned transparent.

WRONG.

So wrong. So very wrong. Just a book full of racism. But I found myself enjoying the story very much. There were times when I was reading and everything made sense to me. This feeling of manipulation about things that happened before my time (at least more prominently) and the way the races were treated not only by those of a different race, but also those of their own.

The idea of sliding through the world "invisible" while doing what you need to not only survive, but to prove that you can manipulate those around you and have none of the consequences. It reminds me of the Fermata book that I enjoyed so much.

And then you get to the middle of the book...

I am so confused. All of these speeches that seem to last chapters upon chapters at a time... they don't SAY anything. There is no substance whatsoever in ANYTHING they are saying. And people get all riled up and start mobs and stuff, but there's nothing there!

I think it's safe to say I have no idea what this book is supposed to be about. I think I am missing a giant factor here.

So, never believe in anything and become a crazy ranting hermit.

The End.

2016 Reading: Night

#19 A book from Oprah's Book Club

This book has been floating around the library a lot lately. It was on the summer reading list for the high schools this passed summer and it was also the subject of a book club a few weeks ago and I thought it might be worth taking a look at. It was a very short read, I think it only took me a few hours, but wow... Intense.

Usually, when I read something about WWII, it is from a military standpoint; where the tropps are headed, men fighting in the trenches, troops marching on towns in France and Germany, but this is the first time (other than Anne Frank) that I have read something from the Jewish side.

The view on religion near the beginning of the book spoke to me greatly. I think that if I were the type of person to believe in a religion (I, myself, am not really decided on the front. I wouldn't consider myself an atheist, not entirely anyway. I just don't think that any particular religion is the RIGHT one that has all the answers that I look for when focusing on life and what, if anything, comes after it.) I think that this passage spoke to me the most:

"There are a thousand and one gates

allowing entry into the orchard of mystical truth. Every human

being has his own gate. He must not err and wish to enter the orchard

through a gate other than his own." (pg 5)

As the book progresses, the views on religion turn. The journey through the camps is so emotionally draining and utterly devastating and at the same time, you are going on this ride with the main characters as he slowly but surely begins to lose his own religion and has to deal with the fact that God basically abandoned him and those around him in the camps. It is very difficult to keep faith in a situation like that (I can only imagine).

Short as this book was, it was also a very good read and I am glad that I was able to pick this up and read it.

2016 Reading: The Vampire Lestat (Graphic Novel)

#22 A graphic novel

I had this graphic novel sitting on the shelf for the longest time and I always ended up putting it off because I figured since I've already read the book that the graphic novel would just be a disappointment. This was the perfect opportunity to tic that book off my unread list so that I can finally turn it the right way on my shelf. (Me and my brilliant ideas to turn the books that are still unread over on their sides still haunts my OCD to this day.)

The drawings were horrible. They made all of the vampires look old and ugly. No one would ever want to be a vampire if they saw these people walking down the street. I mean, look at Lestat...

Srs vmpyr bsns iz srs