200 Book Marathon!

151 books down, 60 days to go!

2011-07-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Starting to run out of time here...Justi again. Four new books. Ta da!

'A Wizard of Earthsea' and 'The Tombs of Atuan' are both part of the Earthsea series. I'm working on reading them all. Basically, a different world where magic is common, we meet Ged. Or Sparrowhawk, as is his known name. These books remind me of the Christopher Chant series I used to love...the writing is hard, but satisfying.
'The Silver Bowl' is about a girl who moves to work in a palace...and uncovers a secret about herself and a plot against the royal family. Set in the past, filled with magic and a strong heroine, I thought this book was good, but the transitions between times were confusing.
Last, but not least, I just finished 'I Now Pronounce You Someone Else'. Bronwyn is trying to figure out who she is...but when she gets engaged, how does her identity fit in? A sweet story, it made me fall in love with the characters and the plot, and the ending is perfect.

147 books down, 72 days to go!

2011-06-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Three more books for Justi!
First, Dragon Slippers--basically, a little fairy-tale like story, featuring a strong female lead, a playful prince, a jealous princess, and, well...dragons, of course. Not the best; well, it kept me reading, but Creel's character didn't leave a lot for connecting with, and the prince could have done more, but the imagery of sewing--which I love reading about, just to let you know--made it all worth it.
Kira-Kira--it means 'glittering' in Japanese. I first read this book in fourth grade, and immediately fell in love. Katie looks up to her big sister Lynn; so much, in fact, that Lynn can do no wrong. But in a time when Japanese-Americans struggle to survive, Katie must continue learning to see the world as glittering, when so much can go wrong.
Lastly, I read Dairy Queen. I got this book years ago from an aunt, and never thought to read it--even now, I struggled some. DJ is a farmgirl, used to doing what she's told. But, one summer, she realizes how she's becoming just like the cows she's milking each day. This book is fun, but the focus on football sort of lost me--I do go to games with the marching band, but I don't see the allure that tackling people has.

As always, more is coming! Thanks!

144 books down, 77 days to go!

2011-06-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Four more books. Not that I haven't been reading. But a week long vacation, several longer-than normal books, and a series that Elizabeth has already remarked on...it leaves me with little to record.
Well, I read the last three books of the Harry Potter series. As a result, I'm properly excited for the movie that comes out in a month. What can I say? Harry Potter is just an overall good read, no matter the age...sure, it can be hard to get into if you wait too long, but it's obviously the most popular book series in the modern world. If you haven't read them, shame on you!
The Way of Kings was my other accomplishment. Literally, a thousand and one pages of, well, an epic story. Written about a different world, following--at most times--four different characters as they do what they must...despite the unseemly length that drew me to the book in the first place, it's hard not to fall in love with the characters. With a few helpful...and professional drawings to demonstrate the world, I'm sad I have to wait a few more years until the next book comes out. And I discovered a great name: Sylphrena!

Elizabeth, Zoe, please tell me if you're still doing this. If not, I'll get my sister involved to finish this workload...

'If he loves you, set him free. If he returns, it was meant to be.' -famous quote

Love from Justi!

138 books down, 98 days to go!

2011-05-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Justi again. Elizabeth, honestly, do you still exist? Please?
Okay, only two more books. I know, a bummer. A book I was reading came due before I could finish it. I've taken to rereading the Harry Potter series...just finished the fourth one. As Elizabeth has commented on the first three, I think I'll continue from where she left off.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire--what else can I say but that this is the book where it really grows up? Love lives start forming, action beyond anything prior...plus three-hundred more pages than book three. I've missed this series.
Other than HP, I finished Snakehead, another book in the queue of Alex Rider. I can't say I honestly enjoyed this one. However, the author still gives the details with no sugar-coating, and the plotline, if possible, becomes more improbable with every turning page.
I'm currently reading two more books to tag along...should be up soon. Cousin/someone, please tell me that I'm not alone in this!

136 books down, 110 days to go!

2011-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Four more books for Justi! I've been reading the 'Alex Rider' series...the books including 'Skeleton Key', 'Eagle Strike', 'Scorpia', and 'Ark Angel.' 14-year old Alex Rider has become a spy for the British military. And he's become the most effective unit out there. These books are nothing if not a thrill ride, taking seemingly impossible situations and placing a teenager into them. I especially enjoyed the last two books...the situation becomes more serious with each passing sentence. Quick reads, fun and easy...if you're in the mood, these would be perfect for a boring afternoon.
Just saying, random fact deals with the plotline of Ark Angel...love from Justina!
Skylab, the first American space station, fell to the earth in thousands of pieces in 1979. Thankfully most over the ocean.

132 books down, 117 days to go.

2011-05-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Justi here! I realized I got confused somehow on the official count of days left. Not sure when, or where, but I was way off. I've still got more time than I thought...Anyway, four more books.
Jealousy, book three of Strange Angels. This was the most colorful of the books, full of drama and moments that made me smile. While the writing remains drab, it's growing on me.
The Throne of Fire, the second book in the Kain Chronicles by Rick Riordan. He's a marvelous author, taking old dry myths and turning them into almost hilarious modern instances. This sequel lives up to the Red Pyramid, and now I'm waiting for more.
After a failed attempt at reading a different book--which sucked, by the way--my current focus is on an author by the name of Anthony Horowitz. I'm currently reading the Alex Rider series...a fourteen year old boy turned spy, sent on mission after mission. The writing reminds me of a dryer version of Eion Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, but it's not a bad read, so it shall continue. Two books down from it...Stormbreaker and Point Blank.
So, love to my cousins, whom I haven't heard from in quite some time now...I was going to find a random fact, but I think I just gave my computer a virus instead...oh, how I love the Internet.

128 books down, 94 days to go.

2011-04-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Justi again! Cousin, where are you?! Anyway, we're now in the double digits. Aah!
So I finished up the Everworld series...I can't say I liked the end. The last book was small, however, so it's not going on the official account.
Betrayals, book two of Strange Angels...if you recall, I read the first book about a month ago...was okay. Lili St. Crow, the author, maintains her writing style that makes me want to groan. She's a good author, but the climatic bits are dulled by interludes of details; the characters keep a surreal feel, very hard to relate to. I'm continuing the series, not for her writing, but for the conceptual ideas she created. They've got me hooked.
The Space Between Trees is a sad little novel, with a disappointing but realistic denouement. A body is found in the woods, and when Evie makes a new friend, she becomes entangled in a different life. It's thrilling, realistic, and, at this age, it's easy to connect with the characters involved.
Into the Wild. This isn't a novel...well, in the loosest sense of the word, it is. In 1992, Chris McCandless walked into the Alasken frontier--his body was found a few months later. The author, a reporter, is piecing the young man's life together. I read this for my English class--I've no idea why. It isn't my type of read, but, nevertheless, it was interesting.

So, three more books down! Now, the random fact of the day...try it!

Take the last two digits of the year you were born, and add the age that you will be in 2011...whatever you'll turn to. The sum will always be 111.
Example: 94+17=111.

125 books down, 101 days to go

2011-04-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

Four more books from Justi.
Two more books from Everworld, Understand the Unknown and Mystify the Magician. Only one more book to go in that series, so I'm excited. I've got no clue how it's going to end, so I'll try not to spoil anything when I get to that post!
'I'll Get There; It Better be Worth the Trip' is a book about a young boy. It's easy to relate with him; however, pitying him makes it hard to see any faults he may have. Warning to all: do not read this book lightly. Please don't. I made that mistake, and I almost ruined a touching story. Don't put it down when you realize what's happening--just keep on reading. I'm sure you'll understand the title when you get to the end.
The Beast of Noor was a 500 page book about a fantasy world in which a wolf-like beast haunts a family. Pure adventure, no mystery or other edges to give this book a proper sendoff. Hanna and her brother, Miles, must fend for each other as they try to survive in a magical world. If you love fantasy, this would be good; as it were, a lot is left hanging. However, I have a feeling there's a series to this, so I'll be looking that up.

More than 80 spelling variations are recorded for Shakespeare's name, from “Shappere” to “Shaxberd.

Love from Justi! Elizabeth, are you still reading?

121 books down, 108 days to go.

2011-04-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Three more books for Justi, and a pile waiting on my bookshelf to be read! Elizabeth, you still there?
I read two more books in Everworld, Brave the Betrayal and Inside the Illusion. First time I'm able to post for this series, really--each book is usually less than 200 pages. But they're getting a bit longer. Basically, four kids are in this strange world that the gods created thousands of years ago. They've given up getting fully home--when they fall asleep, they're home enough. But now they need to survive, and that's harder than it sounds in a place of gods and magic...
Crave was the other book I read. It's the first vampire book I've read in a while that I really loved. Shay is the Sick Girl, with an unknown blood disease. She knows she's dying. But then she starts to get Gabriel's blood...who and what is he to her? I can't wait for the next book of the series to come. It's thrilling, makes you love both characters, and it's predictable in a way that keeps you anticipating more.
So, 108 days to go, with 121 books down!

118 books down, 118 days to go.

2011-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Two more books down. =)
Echo is a confusing book about a young girl trying to figure out her life. Tons of view shifts, and I suppose if you like reading depressing books about modern LA and Hollywood, and even New York, it's good. For me, despite the references to fantastical creatures, it didn't hold anything special.
The Amaranth Enchantment, on the other hand, is a must read. I feel like I'm trying to sell something here...anyway, Lucinda lost everything when her parents died. Ten years later, the past comes back to haunt her. A complete spin-around of a fairy-tale, with bits and pieces of all of the most well-known stories. The ending was what sold it for me. The author is more than willing to put her characters in embarrassing situations, and yet make you smile all throughout the last page.
So, 118 books down, 118 days to go...same number. Ironic, to say the least...keep on reading!

116 books down, 120 days to go.

2011-04-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Three more books. Yeah, I wanted more, but I was, um, busy. This is Justi, btw.
The Poison Apples was a cute read, following the tale of the evil stepmothers and going one step further--getting payback. It isn't hard to sympathize with the characters, and even without too much fairy tale allusion, this book has a surreal feel to it, along with that notion of the difference between fairy tales and real life.

I also read Tattoo, and its sequel, Fate. Four best friends get superpowers when they put on temporary tattoos..and unravel a plot about the Sidhe, a race of fairies from Celtic legend. I had recently gotten fascinated with the Sidhe, so I was happy to find a book that expanded on both Greek and Celtic mythology. The ending of the second book was a little...well, not as climatic as I thought it should have been, but the first book makes you want to be one of the friends.

113 books down, 130 days to go.

2011-03-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

Two more books for Justi. This is what comes with spring break. I've read more, but those books have been less than a hundred pages, so we're not counting them...
Midnight Predator--not too great. Interesting idea, mercenary vampire hunters, a rebuilding civilization, but it passes by too fast to be considered worthwhile. The main character, with her own demons, makes for a strong lead, and if this was part of a series, I could see the confusion, but as a loner it would be something to skip. Harsh of me, maybe, but still...
Secondhand Charm--I loved this one. Fast, and it could have used more plain discussion, but the writing is great, and the storyline sweet and interesting. Evelyn, known in her town as a healer, gets the chance to go to University. But after her ship is capsized at sea, she must learn a secret about her family and herself. Hint: the summary inside the book cover is doesn't explain anything at all. Just read it; I can almost guarantee you'll be smiling.

So, more books coming. Hopefully.

111 books down, 132 days to go!

2011-03-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Two more books for Justi. More on the way...spring break here, and I've found several books to occupy my time with. Question of the day: Elizabeth, have you blogged for The Summoning yet? You've blogged for The Awakening and the Reckoning, but I'm not sure about the first book in the series...and I want to read that series!
Strange Angels...overall not a bad read. Not sure I'm willing to continue with the series, but if you like horror, drama, and grotesque imaging, this is the right book. Dru Anderson and her father hunt, well, the paranormal. But when something goes wrong, she has to find somebody new to side with. The only bad things about this book were the long, complicated sentences--made for slow action sequences--and the same analogies repeated again and again (referring to sleepy as rubbing grain out of eyes).
The next book I read I finished in a few hours. A fast read, keeps you going...Everworld: the Search for Senna. Great for a fast paced and adventurous read. I'm going to start the series as soon as Monday comes and I can grab the next book. Basically, David and three other teens get somehow sent to a, well, parallel world. Confusion as they meet Loki, learn of different gods and cultures, and embark on a Viking raid. Tons of fun...
So, more books are coming. And where are my cousins?! Wait, did they go on that trip...?
Love Justi!

109 books down, 136 days to go!

2011-03-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Three more books for Justi!
The Search for Truth, the third book in Erec Rex...it was okay. Basically, Erec continues in his quest for the kingdom. Not great, but the ideas are fun, and I can't wait to read the fourth book. Which might take a while, since I can't find it at the local library, and I really don't want to have to buy it...
The End is, you guessed it, the last book to the Series of Unfortunate Events. Really, read this series. Interesting, extremely witty...the ending is, well, strange, to say the least, but it was the only way to end. Plus the 'Fourteenth Chapter'...really, read this. It might not make your favorites, but you'll appreciate it in the long run!
Raven...I managed in one day. All you Twilight fans, look no further for another good book. Okay, so it's immortals, not vampires, but it's fast paced, full of philosophical questions on the right to immortality, on being changed and all...plus the characters are pretty lovable. I need to see if there's more to this than one book...

Well, 109 books down, 136 days to go. I think we're now ahead of last year...that's a good thing!

106 books down, 142 days to go...

2011-03-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Five more books for Justi. Where are my cousins? Ah!
Dead Connection was an okay read. A fast ending, in my opinion, and I thought it was more of a mystery novel than a supernatural thriller, but, oh well. A kid can talk to graves. Fun, huh? Until he gets caught up in a murder mystery...
The Penultimate Peril, second to last in A Series of Unfortunate Events. So close to done! And, of course, the mystery keeps on thickening! I love this series...written for a younger audience, but easy to enjoy, along with interesting concepts and references I'm sure the older audience will enjoy.
Immortal Beloved was written by the author that got me interested in Wicca, Kate Tiernan. Something like that. Anyway, more Wiccan concepts, along with immortality and romance--always fun. A great read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
The Dragon's Eye and The Monsters of Otherness are the first two books in the Erec Rex series. If you're interested in magic intertwined with pop culture and cell phones, this would be your series. If not...it isn't the greatest. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad, but the writing style is far from great. The plot has trouble holding; it's the concepts that keep me reading these books.
So, love from Justi!

101 books down, 157 days to go...

2011-02-23T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long delay. February hasn't been a good month for reading...well, for anything. But I've managed five more books since last month...
You, Maybe was a little book I found...it wasn't too bad. It settled the part of my mind that wanted a good teenage read. It was a little depressing, but it was truthful, no sugar coatings or anything special.
The Carnivorous Carnival, The Slippery Slope, and The Grim Grotto...aka the next three books in Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm going to finish this series, I promise! These next three books deal more directly with the individual Baudelaire's and their feelings, not to mention showing more of Olaf. Sunny also transgresses from a baby to a little girl, which I thought was entirely adorable, and the reference to T.S. Eliot was an added bonus.
The book that's been commanding most of my time was Queen of Camelot. Six hundred pages full of Arthorian myth and legend surrounding his High Queen Guinevere. A great read if a bit slow, sad and hopeful. And thanks to that, I've been starting a craze for Arthorian legend! I've been watching BBC's Merlin series nonstop (which might explain my lack of reading), so once I finish this pile of books I've had out for a while, I'm going to read more about Camelot.

Well, we've finally surpassed the hundred book mark! Love from Justi!

96 books down, 185 days to go...

2011-01-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Justi here with four new books. I've read three more books for Series of Unfortunate Events--The Ersatz Elevator, The Vile Village, and The Hostile Hospital. These books are failing to disappoint. Ironic happenings, mysteries that demand the reader to solve them, a hidden plot, and the author's usual witty charm keeps these books from growing old, and still appealing to this reader. The series is also steadily getting darker, and I hope that lasts. Of course, each book is also getting longer...I'll be done with this soon enough!
Awakened is the latest book in House of Night. While a lot of drastic changes occurred, this book lacked the sense of an overall plotline with its shifting character viewpoints. It felt more like a filler, unfortunately, than like a stand-alone story in this series. However, I enjoyed the ending, and am sad to have to wait until next year when the next book comes out.
So that's four more books down. 185 days to go!

92 books down, 186 days to go!

2011-01-25T15:14:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! I finished seven books! Pretty good, eh?

Secrets of Truth and Beauty, Flash Burnout, A Couple of April Fools, Just Listen, Ash, Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks, and Our Tragic Universe. Secrets of Truth and Beauty is about a girl named Dara who leaves her parents to find her thirty-something-old sister. When she does, she moves in with her sister and her gay teen runaways (even though Dara is not gay) farm. After all, what does she have to go back to? Her parents removed her for the last couple of months of school, because she did her video autobiography on how she used to be in pageants, but then gained too much weight. This is basically the typical teen discovering herself, and what really matters. Good book. Not great but worth your time (if that makes sense). Flash Burnout was virtually plot-less. It is basically about a boy turn between the friend that needs him and the girlfriend that "loves" him (if love exists at fifteen). Not exactly worth your time, choose Truth and Beauty instead. A Couple of April Fools was given to my by a friend. And this was plot-less. Please don't get this sixth-grade novel about the "Tattletales" and the "Copycats". Just Listen is about a girl, the youngest in her family at 17 (I think she is 17...?) who has grown up in a family of two other girls, and has continued the traditions of modeling. This book is about self-discovery, learning not to give up, learning how to deal with the hard ships in life, learning not to judge, and learning when is the right time to speak up. This books was amazing, though it had a view intense scenes, that were very graphic (this includes seeing her sister after her eating disorder takes it's toll) and going through in an unfortunate time with her ex-best-friend's boyfriend, against her will. Very sad, yet kind of happy. Now that really doesn't makes sense. But this book is definitely worth your time and your money (though I bet they have it at your local library). Great book! Ash is yet another Cinderella story, taking place long ago. But this interpretation of that old tale does have its twists. An okay book, but it was very hard for me to finish. And I was hopelessly confused in parts! I thought her soon-to-be "prince" (though he is not royalty) is female. Let's just say I was very surprised, when for a while I thought she was male. But hey, I don't judge. :) Peace Love and Baby Ducks is one of those books about a girl and her sister. But in this case, the main character Carly is being "ditched" by her little sister, after coming back for a sobering camp, full of self discovery. Not to mention that fact that her sister happened to turn "hot" over the summer. Like head turning hot. Carly is waiting for the shallow parts of the world to end, but she misses her sister. Which is more important? Not worth your time, I would say. Go for the Dead Is... Series I blogged about a while back. You know they're good books when you keep thinking back about them and counting down the days till the next sequel (not for a long, long time!). Our Tragic Universe is a clever books about an author trying to discover what she is really trying to achieve. I'm still not sure about this book, like whether it had a real plot or not. ?

Elizabeth
92 books down, 186 days to go!
http://www.amusingfacts.com/videoshow/index.php?ID=9

hello!

2011-01-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

I, Elizabeth, have read more books, but I won't blog about them until tomorrow because I am literally 17 pages away from finishing one more book. I just thought I would ask you to give this website a try: http://killbeans.blogspot.com/
This is another blog I have, that I share with my friends. It is a very funny blog, and I hope you enjoy it. (scroll down to the last blog on the page, background info, to see what we are trying to do.) By the way- I'm Michie. :) enjoy!

85 books down, 191 days to go!

2011-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

Justi here, by the way. Six books, and more on the way...!
First of all, three more Doctor Who books. Not done with those, btw, but I'm taking a needed break from the Whoniverse. Prisoner of the Daleks was okay...first DW book I read where so many die. But that's expected, and it was an okay read. Autonomy...a little confusing. It would have been better without the complex setting--a supermall/minitown. But besides the setting, this one was pretty DW believable. The Krillitane Storm was one of my favorites. Set in the middle of the Dark Ages, Krillitanes come, and they aren't trying to take over the world. Bummer, huh? Anyhow, besides the characters getting a little predictable, it was okay.
Burned, the seventh House of Night novel, was all right. I'm reading the eighth book right now, so I need to hold opinion back until then, but currently Burned is my favorite in the series.
Two more. I'm reading Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket...I know these are aimed at younger kids, but I never read them, and I'm finding them quite amusing. So, the two I've read that are 200+ pages are The Wide Window and The Austere Academy. Austere Academy is my favorite...two triplets, though, instead of three, which made me very sad. Snicket writes in an amusing and witty manner, making you depressed yet laughing hysterically at the same time, so I'd advise anyone out there to read his works.

So, six more books to our collection!

79 books down, 198 days to go!

2011-01-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hey! I finished four scattered books. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, After, Before I Die, and Girl, Stolen. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is about a girl and a boy who meet through a little red notebook. A red notebook that the two kids communicate between, and to find the clues of each others lives, they must follow the dares of the book. Great book! After is about a girl, 15 years old, who gets pregnant over the summer. After first, she is in such overwhelming denial, that she doesn't even know she is pregnant. But when the day comes where she gives birth alone on her bathroom floor, her distraught sense makes her do the unthinkable. She throws "IT" in the trash to die. Now she is in a detention center, as her fate is decided whether or not she will have a life sentence. Before I Die is about a girl who is dying of cancer at age sixteen/seventeen who has a strong bucket list to finish before she, well, kicks the bucket. But when her illness takes over her, she starts to learn just how little control she has on her life, and it literally begins to slip through her fingers. Girl, Stolen is about a girl, 16 years of age, who is kidnapped. But she is no normal girl. She has pneumonia, and is blind. Once she is held hostage, where her prisoners hold her for her dad's money, she must realizes that she can't trust everyone. Can she even trust anyone? She is faced with tough thoughts, but the most frequent is frightening. Am I going to live?

All great books, though After was very disturbing. My favourite was definitely Girl Stolen. Maybe Dash and Lily's Book of Dares.

79 books down, 198 days to go!

Elizabeth

Obama was known as “O’Bomber” at high school for his skill at basketball

75 books down, 199 days to go!

2011-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

Justina here. Four books! All of them were part of the Doctor Who series five rundown, so I advise watching those episodes if you enjoy sci-fi. Anyway, my sister has tons of those books, and I want to read all of them...
First of all, Nuclear Time. Not the best. Fun, but a little confusing...the Doctor gets stuck going back in time as creepy robot killing machines chase his friends. Parts of it don't make a ton of sense, but I don't think they're supposed to...anyway, I didn't care for it.
Next, The Forgotten Army...NYC, a Trojan horse in the shape of a woolly mammoth...okay, strange concept, but it made sense, so I can't get mad at it.
Apollo 23 I was disappointed in. It started so great...then it just became a little slow and, well, pathetic. Temporal shifts from Texas to the Moon...normal enough in the Whoniverse. But then an alien invasion in the last ten pages...I like the last fifty pages to be end of climax/resolution, not beginning of climax.
Last, but so not least, The Glamour Chase. Favorite. Amy, Rory, and the Doctor go to 1936...that year, I don't know why. Excavation site, string people, impersonations of Amy...what more could I want? I loved this one, read it easily in less than a day, so any DW fans would enjoy it, I think.
Again, if you haven't seen Doctor Who, those books would be nothing but gibberish, but you should give British TV a try...love from Justi! 75 down, 199 days to go!!!

71 books read, 207 days left on the clock!

2011-01-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

hello one and all!
it's Elizabeth here, and I've read 5 books. i hope every body's new years and Christmas and Hanukkah. I finished three four books in the Dead is... Series and tmi.
tmi is a book about a girl who gives just that. "Too much information." in fact, because of her big mouth, her boyfriend breaks up with her. She begins to write a blog about her life, hoping to get her talking out without people having to listen. that way she can say everything she wants with out starting anything. but this back fires when a local kid at her HS reads her blog and spills. spills her crush, her friends crush, and her other friends biggest secret ever. can she get the town to forgive her? can she even get her two only friends to forgive her, who she desperately loves? this was a short book, but it was OK, definitely an easy read.
the Dead is... Series is about a girl living in a supernatural town, and each book is about how the town's mysteries need solving, and how daisy is helping to get everything sorted out. yet at the same time she is finding out what powers she has, and her boyfriend, and sisters poppy and rose, too. loved this series! absolutely great.
well, i should go work on my odysseys essay.
ahha! 6 books have been read on my part, actually! i finished the odyssey for school. this classic, over three thousand years old, is about a man Odysseus who, after fighting in the ten year old Trojan war, must get home. but throughout the coarse of ten years, Odysseus is faced with many obstacles that get in his way of returning home. this was, sadly, hard to get through. not my type of book. oh and mr. b-- ODYSSEUS IS NOT A HERO! hehe- thats what my essay is about- whether or not odysseus is a hero. which he is not. he relys on athena for help, asks the phaeacians to send him home, and the stays with circe for a whole year- for no reason besides free food and shelter! he also brags about himself all of the goshdarn time!!! jeeezzz! no hero.
well 71 books down, 207 days to go.!.
chuck norris scares fear. hehe!
love, e

65 books down, 209 days to go...!

2011-01-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've read three books. I am Morgan le Fay was about why the sorceress found a hatred in the first place...her life story. Not the best, but it was okay if you are into Arthurian legend...
Notes from the Midnight Driver is sort of a sequel to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. A boy gets drunk and is put in community service...at the local nursing home. A grumpy old man is his charge. So, what's he gonna do? I think he changed too fast, but overall it was okay. Not the best, but it was fun to read.
Red Glass is a great book. Really, I don't know how, since there isn't really magic in it whatsoever, but it is my new favorite. Mexican culture mixed with references to other stories...a simple enough storyline, but it compels you to continue. Very descriptive, and I think, even if you don't care about Central America at all, this is a good read.

So, 65 books down...!

62 books down, 215 days to go!

2010-12-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

I have finished four books.
The first book is called closed for the season, by Mary Downing Hahn, which is a ghost story about two boys who are investigating a house for ghosts. (Ages 8-14?) The next book I read is called Aries Rising, a book about a girl who can't find anything to help her get through her teen years of high school besides Astrology. (Ages 10- 14?) I also read a book about zombies who are taking over the world because of their epidemic. Kind of boring, simply because it was overwhelmingly fast-paced. (Ages 12-14?) I also read My Invented Life, a book about a two sisters, a year apart, who have always competed over everything. But when one girl fakes her sexuality, both become confused with who they really are. (12-16?) Great book!

Overall, okay books. None are really recommended, though.

62 books down, 215 days to go!

Elizabeth

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

58 books down, 221 days to go!

2010-12-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my lack of reading! Sophomore year appears to be harder than normal...! I've read two books (I know, I'm super mad at myself!), Lord of the Flies for English class, and Defect, which I got from the library yesterday.
Lord of the Flies, which most students read sometime in their schooling careers, is about a group of school boys that get stranded on an island in the middle of a war. Science fiction, actually, since, as my teacher discussed, the was basically outlines what would have happened if the Cold War became an actual battle. This book discusses the nature of mankind, being both depressing and hopeful. I enjoyed it, but I hated having to read it during school.
Defect, by Will Weaver, I finished in a few hours. Small, but with an interesting storyline, reminding me sort of X-Men with its discussions on genetic defects. David, a teenager with a genetic abnormality--to put it lightly--is trying to find a way to fit in, but his secret is coming out. The one problem I had was the seemingly sudden discussion of Christianity, which I felt could have been added in a little more subtly. Overall, not a bad story.
So, 58 books down, 221 days to go, and I promise I'll get caught up!

Hey all! 56 books down, 225 days to go!

2010-12-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's me Elizabeth - again. I finished four books, all in the same series, which just so happens to be my new favorite series of all time besides the mortal instruments. These books are part of the My Blood Approves series. This series is about a girl named Alice, who is in love with a vampire, and soon becomes one. But for a while, her blood is connected to the breath-taking vampire Peter, who is her boyfriend Jack's "brother." When this bond breaks, Peter falls to piece and moves away with his vampire friend Mae. But when Alice's mortal friend Jane becomes a "blood-whore," someone who goes to vampire clubs and becomes a bit addict (which can kill you), and then later is murdered, Alice is out for blood. I know it's a bad summary but I couldn't do much better because these books were all so good that when I read them I immediately moved on to the next one so it seemed like one realllyy long, amazing book. GO FOR IT, everyone of all ages!!!! Come one come all and read this series!
Elizabeth S
56 books down, 225 days to go!
Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the united states!

52 books down, 236 days to go!

2010-12-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I finished three books in 8 days (i know, i know, kinda lame!). I finished the first two books in in the Trylle Series, as well as When It Happens. The Trylle series is about a girl who finds out what she hopes is a lie, that she is not her mother's child. That she is not human. She is Trylle who can make people do things with her mind. But she's not just any Trylle. She's royalty, a princess destined to rule her mother or her father's palaces, which are basically good, and bad palaces. But she is also falling in love with her on-again-off-again "body guard." So, that about sums up both books. Pretty good! When it Happens is about a girl named Sara who is falling in love with a boy named Tobey. Too bad she already has a boy friend. The Greek-god Dave. Sara has never been popular so when handsome Dave asks her to be his girlfriend, she gladly accepts. But her mind keeps going back to mysterious Tobey, with his pale skin, dark hair, and violet blue eyes. Not to mention he is a total rock-star-wannabe slacker. Not to mention she has a boyfriend. But judging by the way he treats Sara maybe she won't for long.... unless, of course, Tobey likes her back like he said he did.... Good book but kinda boring.
Love, Elizabeth
52 books down, 236 days to go!
A cat's jaws cannot move sideways.

49 books down, 244 days to go!

2010-11-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!
I finished three books, Beautiful Darkness, Immortal, and Hush Money. These three books were honestly awesome! Beautiful Darkness is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures, one of my all-time favourite books. The second is more focused on Lena's problems, yet Ethan's life at the same time. In this book Lena leave Ethan after she trades her life for her uncle's, the only father she ever had, and the days tick tock down to her seventeenth moon, when her evil mother tries to claim her for the dark side. Most of this book is about Ethan, the most dreamy, adorable, sweet, amazing, thoughtful, pure, honest, loyal boyfriend ever, trying to find Lena and convince her to come back to him, and make her happy again. Immortal was almost exactly like twilight, but it was still really fun. In this book the main character falls in love with two men, one named Samuel and one named Duncan. but they are not vampires. They are immortal and cold to the touch, and they bite to turn people, but they don't suck blood.
<[         O
   [     *
<[          O
that was a vampire, even though Samuel and Duncan are not "vampires".
Hush Money is about a girl named Joss in a world where Talents hide among the mortal streets, Talents being superhumans. Joss can move things with her mind. Kat can force pain and blindness on people. You get the point. So when the typical bully, Marco, who is a talent, decides its time he tells her Talented sister's secret, as well as her sort-of-INSANE father's, Joss' long time crush and Marco's best friend Dylan steps up to help out.
All three are GREAT books. I would say the order was definitely 1. Beautiful Darkness 2. Hush Money 3. Immortal

Well, thanks for reading, guys!
In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
I AM GOING TO CHINA!

Love, Elizabeth

46 books down, 248 days to go!!!

2010-11-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

I have to make this quick- I read two books. By the way, this is Elizabeth. I read Snitch http://www.amazon.com/Snitch-Allison-van-Diepen/dp/1416950303/ref=pd_sim_b_7 and The Extraordinary Secrets of April May and June http://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Secrets-April-May-June/dp/159514286X. Snitch was okay, and April May and June was AMAZING! I LOVED THE PLOT LINE!
This is why i have to be quick- I AM GOING TO CHINA WITH My SCHOOL! AND I NEED TO REPLY TODAY BEFORE SIX! I AM GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Elizabeth
Elizabeth S. is going to CHINA!

46 books down, 248 days to go!!!

44 books down, 249 days to go!

2010-11-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long wait. Only two books done this time. Sorry, haven't had tons of time to read, but I have a pile waiting...
I read the next two books in House of Night. I enjoyed these enough. Actually, in my opinion, they were the best of the series so far. Um, Zoey runs away with her group because of Kalona, this evil angel's, appearance. She is attacked, hurt greviously, stuff like that. It's not that I enjoy reading about pain, but I love the drama it adds. The next book thickens the plotline as Kalona attempts to convince Zoey of their love. And Stevie Rae is hiding a secret.
Overall, it's finally getting to the point where being a vampyre means something, and I can't wait to read the next book. The only thing I'm annoyed with right now is how in Tempted, when the author switches the character being focused on, the point of view doesn't really change. The only person with first person point of view is Zoey, and when the story focuses on another character, it's third-person limited. Not a big fan of the changes in voice, but overall it's still a good read.

42 books down, 258 days to go!

2010-11-14T14:34:00.001-08:00

I, Elizabeth, have finished four more books, Perfect Chemistry and Bitten and Halfway to The Grave and Glee. Perfect Chemistry is about a stereo-typical gang-banger who falls in love with the stereo-typical pom-pom cheerleader. The only thing is that there lives are unimaginably hard, which others do not see. Beautiful, meaningful novel of two opposites pulled together by fate. Loved it....!!!! Bitten is about a women, parents dead and gone, who has grown up as anything but normal. Elena is engaged to a man, a werewolf. But the thing is that he has turned Elena into one as well. She moves away from him and lives what can only described as a normal life... except for once a week- when she turned into a wolf. But when things get complicated, Elena must move back. Halfway to the Grave is about is about a girl named Catherine, half-vampire who hunts vampires, looking for her vampire father. When she is captured by Bones, a "vampire bounty hunter," she realizes that not every vampire is evil. Some could even save her life. Glee can only be described as the novel reflecting the hit Fox TV Show Series, Glee. Wonderful "popcorn candy" read (a book read for nothing but fun with no real meaning). Great books, overall. Thanks for reading, Thrity-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. Love, Elizabeth

42 books down, 258 days to go.

38 books down, 302 days to go...

2010-11-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hi! Okay, so technically I've read two books, but one Elizabeth already blogged about, so I'm ignoring that one. The other is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Okay. I hate Dickens. The only reason I read this is because of Honors English 10. Now, don't get me wrong. The first paragraph is great, and the ending is bittersweet. But the actual story takes forever. Yeah, if you don't have to read this, I'd say go with Shakespeare instead. It's easier to understand than Dickens.
For those who don't know the plot, the French Revolution is about to start in France. With it comes the Guillotine, the newest device to behead people with. The plot is actually pretty complicated...the two cities are London, England, and Paris, France...Yeah, I thought that this story would have been better without the page long paragraphs that Dickens felt the need to add in to bore us to death...just my opinion, though.
Love from Justi!

37 books down, 305 days to go!

2010-11-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry...haven't read nearly enough lately! I've been writing, studying, practicing for an honors concert...but, hey, I finished a book I just got yesterday. So I'm in a good mood.
I read The Lost Hero, the first book in the new series by Rick Riordan. This is, well, a companion series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Jason wakes up on a bus with no prior memory, but with two friends who apparently know him. Soon he becomes entangled in a fight to save Hera from Mother Earth herself. At first, it was a little hard to follow, since the Roman references didn't add up. But the ending, which leads to the series' plot line, makes it all worth it. Great read!
Love from Justi!

36 books down, 305 days to go!!!

2010-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

HEY ALL!!! BUSY BUSY BUSY (just wait till high school, they tell me).
I, Elizabeth Sweet, am very sorry I haven't blogged in so long. But I finished 6 books! YAY!
First I finished Need, a book about a girl who is obsessed with phobias, being stalked by an evil pixie in the middle of freezing no where Maine, and is in love with a- Well, you'll see if you read it. I LOVED this book. It was definitely more my-age-appropriate. Great read.
I also finished Waking the Witch, a book that my Aunt recommended. This is about a women (21 I think?? A little too old for me- but it was free since my Aunt lent it to me so I gladly read it-- losing money fast- those darned ebooks :) ) who is a witch who is also on her first real case investigating a murder with her half-demon buddy, Jesse. Good read.
I also read Midnighters 1, 2, and 3. http://scottwesterfeld.com/midnighters/hour.htm Insanely good reads!!!!
And lastly I read Everlost, a book about two teens who die in a car crash, and are figuring out what it's really like to be dead, and what it means to be a "Greensoul" in the world of the Everlost. AMAZING!! I loved it, I really did!
Love, Elizabeth
36 books down, 305 days to go!!!

30 books down, 314 days to go!

2010-10-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Two more books--Notes on a Near Life Experience and The Foreshadowing.
This, Notes..., was a good book, written in, well, chapters that are basically small amounts of thoughts put together. Mia's parent's are divorcing, so how does that change her and her two siblings? I thought it was okay, a good mix of everything.
The Foreshadowing was exceptionally good...Sasha lives in England at the beginning of World War I. However, she gets premonitions and feelings about death from certain people, and they are never wrong. She runs to France when she sees something about her brother...full of self-fulfilling prophecy, gives a great amount of background about the time period, overall pretty good.
Love from Justi!

28 books down, 318 days to go!

2010-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I read two books lately, the first being The Princess Bride. If you've ever seen the movie (which I would entirely advise), it follows that pretty well, a few differences, but a strangely comical effect that makes it a great read. Buttercup's love, Westley, was murdered on the high seas, and now she has to marry Prince Humperdinck. (At least read it to see the awesome names!) But when she is kidnapped to help start a war, she has to face giants, the Fire Swamp, an unwanted marriage, and a mysterious man-in-black.
The other book I finished just today is Untamed, the fourth installment in House of Night. Zoey must reconcile with her friends in order to face a different, and very dangerous, enemy, all the while hearing about a vision in which she dies. Happy thoughts, huh? As per quota with this series, I was able to predict most of what happened, but it still was a fun read.
Love from Justi!

26 books read, 320 days to go!

2010-10-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I finished the first three books in the Harry Potter books.

About three weekends ago I, Elizabeth, went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And after seeing how great it was, I decided to read the books. I can't even begin to explain how good they were, or what there plots were. I am determined to read the rest of the books, but I currently have some borrowed books on my nook that I need to finish soon!

23 books down, 326 days to go!

2010-10-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy! I finished a book in less than four hours! Since I haven't been reading a lot lately, this means a lot to me.
Oh, and don't get mad at the book. I read Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex. I know that this series is geared towards mainly pre-teens, but I started reading them at that age, and I needed to read this book. In this seventh installment of the series, Artemis is diagnosed with the Atlantis Complex, a disease spouting hallucinations, OCD, and multiple personalities. This was the best book in the series so far, at least to me, because of some fun characters, a change of pace from constant plotting, and an interesting bad guy. I'd read it if I were you and didn't mind some good old fantasy, which I haven't read enough of lately.
Well, 23 books down and 326 days to go. From Justi!
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour is 61,000.

22 books down, 327 days to go!

2010-10-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have read one ( :( ) book so far since the last time I blogged.
Rules of Attractions, which is about tomboy Kiara who falls in love with bad-boy ("druggie") Carlos Fuentos. This book was amazing!!!! Please read this and I will soon be reading the first book, Perfect Chemistry, which is about Carlos' older brother, so I hope that that will be good enough for you to read as well.
I'm super tired.
22 books down, 327 days to go!
Elizabeth

21 books down, 328 days to go

2010-10-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hi! I finished Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. This was a different book than what I normally read...I'm reading a lot of those hope-filled books lately. Steven is living the high life, a drummer in All-City, trying to impress the girl of his dreams, when his little brother is diagnosed with leukemia. This has a different format, but it gives a perspective on how his life is actually going. The one thing I really disliked was the jump between times. It was October, and then a few pages later it was immediately winter. It could have had better transitions, but still, an overall good read. I even got my brother to start it, which is a rare feat!
250 to 300 million cell phones are being used in the U.S.
Love from Justi! 21 books done, 328 days to go!

20 books down, 330 days to go!

2010-10-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

I read The King's Dragon, a spin off book for the British televised sci-fi Doctor Who. This book was okay, but it flows more like a show than an actual story...at times the details were rushed, with very little supporting scenes but a lot of intense story. The problem was trying to include tons of politics in a small book. It didn't work out that well. Personally, this would have better been titled 'Fool's Gold.' The Doctor lands in a planet known for hospitality...and finds closed doors. Like I said, the plot is overdone, with the best elements the random comedic effect known for the show in general. I'm not sure if I'll read another Doctor Who book, since this one was a downer for me.
Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots!
20 books down, 330 days to go.
Love from Justi!

19 books down, 337 days to go!

2010-10-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Happy October!! I have read four books! The first four books in the Vampire Diaries Series. In these books Elena (mortal) meets two brothers. Who both happen to be in love with her. And who both happen to be vampires. These two vampire brothers a very vicious and competitive towards each other and will do seemingly anything to get her. These books were okay but not much happened in "four books". Besides the facts that a mortal girl is being fought over by two vampire brothers.
Love, Elizabeth
19 books down, 337 days to go!
The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. The bible is also the world’s most shoplifted book.

15 books down, 338 days to go!

2010-10-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams looks like a long book, but it's written in free-verse poetry, so it took me less than four hours to read...hey, I had to do homework in between every few pages! Anyway, Hope has an okay life, money to use most of the time, a best friend, a crush...but then she walks in on her older sister holding a gun to her head. So why is her sister now suicidal? And why doesn't her mother want her to mention how they get money? This book is thrilling, easy to read, and full of questions about morals and family. So, yeah, it was pretty good.
Love from Justi!
One-third of girls in the United States get pregnant before the age of 20.
15 books down, 338 days to go!

14 books down, 339 days to go!

2010-10-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

I read Chosen, the third book in the House of Night series...it wasn't as great as it should have been. To tell the truth, these books are starting to feel like they merge together, with no obvious breaks in the plot. Zoey must find a way to save her best friend, and undead vampyre thing, while appearing to be at ease with her boyfriend(s). And, of course, she had to fall in love with Loren Blake, a vampyre years older than her. She can't be content with her official boyfriend, Eric, or her *ex-boyfriend, a human who she's imprinted with. Yeah, this is becoming really complicated.
Still, it was an interesting read, so I'm going to continue with this series.
14 books down, only 339 days to go!
It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.
Love from Justi!

13 Books Down, 343 days to go!

2010-09-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hi! So now I just finished Betrayed, the second book in the House of Night series. Zoey is faced with the dilemma of three guys who like her, becoming the leader of the Dark Daughters, and her fear that Neferet, her mentor, isn't as nice as she appears. Again, the Wicca additions were wonderful, but this moved pretty fastly, the climax being the last fifty pages or so. A lot of things were thrown at you, and, while this is only the second book in the series, it added a little too much all at once for it to be really good. It was also pretty predictable to me...I saw what was going to happen, and I bet a lot of other readers did, too. Enjoyable, but I hope the next book is better than this was.
J.K. Rowling is the first person to become a billionaire (U.S. dollars) by writing books.
13 books down, 343 days to go!
*Justi*

12 books down, 344 days to go!

2010-09-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey! It's me, E.
I finished 2 more books. Clockwork Angel, By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead.
I have to go to bed (I have a Math Test and French tomorrow- but I have to study to night) so I have to make this quick if I want to get in any study time/ and or get sleep tonight!
Clockwork Angel is part of the spin-off series of Mortal Instruments (it was AMAZING), and By the Time You Read this I will Be Dead is a bout a girl who has attempted suicide multiple times, leaving her scarred, mute, and in a neck brace. She plans her next death with a website called "Through-the-light" and plans each detail accordingly. Until she meats Santana, way after she has taught herself not to feel. Both GREAT books.

12 books down, 344 days to go!
A snail can sleep for three years.
Elizabeth

9 books down, 349 days to go!!!

2010-09-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

I finished another book! Yay! Though I'm not reading nearly enough lately...

So, I read Marked, the first book of the House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast. Zoey is an average teenager until she is marked as a fledgling vampyre. Now she must leave her old life behind and create a new one in the House of Night, a, well, high school for vampyres to prepare them for the Change. But Zoey is different than any other fledgling, and, now that she's been chosen by Nyx, she has to figure out what she was chosen to do...
This book was okay, but the climax happened a little too fast. I liked the Greek and Wiccan, and Native American, illusions that filled the book, along with random facts from pop culture. It took a while to fully understand what was happening, but once I got it, I thought the concept was awesome, if not exaggerated. Now I'll start working on the rest of this series...
There is a giant mushroom in Oregon that is over 2,400 years old, covers 3.4 square miles of land, and is still growing!
9 books down, 349 days to go! Love from Justi!

2010-09-20T15:15:00.001-07:00

nooo how could you?? ahhh i was going to read that book!! i have the whole series from A.M.!!!! gasssp! well- have fun reading it, justi.
-Elizabeth

Hola! 8 books down, 354 days to go!

2010-09-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hola, amigas! Y amigos! Okay, Spanish is over with. Anyway, I finished another book...

So, I read A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence. Sci-fi centric. Alaric is a teenager who has basically lost everything after his mother died in a train wreck two years prior. Naia, get this, is the same teenager (female version, obviously), but her mother survived that train wreck. Parallel worlds intertwined, those two are trying to solve the mystery of why they can arrive at the other's world when they are angry or upset.
I wouldn't call it a great read...although I loved the concept, the style of writing was mostly detail, with very little action, and really big paragraphs. That sort of turned me down. And then, well, the ending was superbly sad. They switch worlds. So now Naia is stuck in a world without her mother, and her father's girlfriend moving in. And Alaric gets the life he wanted. I sympathize with Naia entirely.
The only thing I'm really annoyed about was how this is technically a trilogy, but my library only has the first book...I'll try to read the other two. Anyway, this was an okay read.
100,000,000,000 tons of dynamite would have to be detonated every second to match the energy produced by the sun.
8 books and 354 days to go...
Love from Justi!

Hey everyone! 7 books down, 355 days to go!

2010-09-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

I finished Torment, the sequel to Fallen. I didn't especially like Fallen but a friend told me the second book was better. I thought it was worse! In Torment, Luce's angel-boyfriend (yes, he is a legit fallen angel) must leave her to kill off all of the Outcasts that are after Luce and want to kill her. These Outcasts know that Luce is always reborn as the same person, falls in love with Daniel, and then dies right after. But when Daniel leaves Luce at a Nephilim school (a school filled with half/quarter/eighth angels) and she meets Miles, he mind goes crazy. Could it be true that she and Daniel aren't meant for each other? That she is meant to fall in love with another human? It was a really stupid book, even worse and more angel-oriented then the first book. Don't read it.

On the new hundred dollar bill the time on the clock tower of Independence Hall is 4:10.
Love, Elizabeth
7 books down, 355 days to go!

6 books down, 359 days to go!

2010-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Guess what! I found time to read a book! I'm so happy now...by the way, this is Justi, for those who haven't realized that Justi is in high school with stupid honors courses and band...great job to Elizabeth, by the way, for an awesome start!

So, I read the book If I Stay by Gayle Forman. I loved it. Took about two hours to finish, a small and easy read, but full of meaning. The main character, Mia, is a victim of a car crash, with most of the book being flashbacks with her pondering what's left in her world if she chooses to stay, even though giving up could be more appealing. I enjoyed it for many reasons. Mia is a major music nerd, a cellist, so much of what she said and alluded to made sense to me. The story itself is intriguing, with her going on about how she had gotten her boyfriend, how her nemesis had become her best friend in one day, stuff like that.

Several parts, of course, nearly made me cry. All the allusions to death, and the afterlife...not what I normally read about. But, Elizabeth, your 'Aunt Mari' suggested this to me who knows how long ago, so I took the liberty to finally read it...and I would recommend whoever looks at this blog to read it, too. I'll say this much: it has a super sweet ending...!
So, my first book is done! Go me! And Elizabeth!

A chapel in the Czech Republic uses 40,000-70,000 HUMAN SKELETONS as decoration.

Again, 6 books down, 359 days to go!
Love from Justi*

5 books down, 360 books down!

2010-09-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
Since I am so young (compared to Justi) I didn't have homework this weekend, the first weekend off of 7th grade (yes, I have only been in school for 3 days!) so I finished two books this weekend. Frozen Fire and Shimmer.
In Frozen Fire Dusty gets a mysterious phone call from a boy who claims he is about to dies of an overdose. But when she follows his tracks in the snow outside, that eventually just stop, Dusty is confused. This boy was important, she needed to find him. He had said something to her that she couldn't get out of her head, the same sentence that her brother said before he disappeared. So when she runs across some guys looking for the same boy, she knows he is not dead. But she does not tell them she has heard from the boy, not until she finds out what the boy knows about her brother. This book was okay. Dusty was a spunky, spiteful tomboy with too much of a negative attitude and none of the other characters seemed to have any characteristics at all. This book was sort of creepy, but when the mystery is solved, it is only partly solved, and much is left unsolved. confusing.
Shimmer is about a group of kids at a party that open up a mysterious old box, later referred o by the main characters Emma, Justin, Betina, and Russ as the Pandora Box. Because when it is opened, the 7 deadly sins are released and the whole town goes crazy, killing people, eating constantly, and attacking each other. And when they realize that their classmate is carrying the infectious insanity virus, they seem to be the only people in the town unaffected. And they must stay that way. The characters go on a crazy journey, running for their lives across their snowy town, unable to get out because of the avalanches. And when some characters flake out, it is up to a certain two characters to save the day... or at least their lives.

About 1/3 of American adults are at least 20% above their recommended weight.

Yeah, I figured.

Love, Elizabeth :)

5 books down, 360 days to go!

2010-09-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
A new, fresh year has started and I have a good way to start us off! Three books, put into two volumes, have already been read!
I finished the three books in the Secret Circle Series. I liked this series, mostly, which is about girl who moves to New Salem, Massachusetts, with her Mom to be with her grandmother. New Salem is very close to where the witch trials from centuries ago took place, and soon, with the help of the mysterious cult-like Secret Circle club, Cassy finds out that she is a witch. She is one of twelve witches in the Circle, and after she is initiated a handsome member shows them a Skull. A magic skull that ends up sending out negative energy. But when someone finds out that Cassy has more than just a Buddy-Buddy relationship with the handsome Adam, who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend, she is put to the test and held captive by the secret holder. But things get dicey with the Circle and it's problems escalate, as characters die and strange and eerie coincidences occur. Cassy's secret is on the brink of becoming opened. And if so, will her best friend Diana freak out? Hate her forever, never to speak to her again?
An okay book, but the main character Cassy was a very weak character, never standing up for herself and letting others bully her. I tried to over look this though, and she gets better in the last of the three books. Overall, good three books. Really good, if you can excuse Cassy's weak attitude.

Barak O'bama is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

3 books down, 364 days to go!!! Woo-hoo!

Elizabeth

It's OVAHHH!

2010-09-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

The blog is OFFICIALLY FINISHED!

*and just in time!*

Here's the books: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (IT WAS INCREDIBLE), Need by Carrie Jones (meh), Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (good-ish), and Romeo and Juliet (yes, the original old English!) by William Shakespeare *bows*. ALL READ BY ZOE! I know, it's shocking.

And I, Elizabeth read Tangerine. (A school book!) So yeah! It's over- and we made it! Ta-Da! Well- that's a relief! We- I- finished! Woohoo!!!

Gotta go watch the Camp Rock 2! :D
http://www.amazon.com/Romeo-Juliet-William-Shakespeare/dp/0671722859
http://www.amazon.com/Mockingjay-Final-Book-Hunger-Games/dp/0439023513
http://www.amazon.com/Need-Carrie-Jones/dp/1599904535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283559216&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Key-Sarah-Dessen/dp/067001088X
http://www.amazon.com/Tangerine-Edward-Bloor/dp/0439286034

The Book Marathon of 2009-2010 is OVAH!

Love, Elizabeth and Zoe

anyway, 2 days to read 5 books.

2010-09-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

hey all! i am almost done with a book and i should finsih it and the second one by tomorrow, as well as another series. so we can do this!!!!!
anyway, 2 days to read 5 books. I finished the Adoration of Jenna Fox. Gotta go read!!
http://www.whoisjennafox.com/
~Elizabeth

Three days to read six books.

2010-08-31T13:24:00.001-07:00

I also finished Infinity.
This book was the stupidest, most addicting and outrageous book I have ever read. For ages 11-14 probably. And I suggest this to boys. :) http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Chronicles-Nick-Sherrilyn-Kenyon/dp/0312599072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283286141&sr=1-1

Love, elizabeth

school is going to drool.

193 books down, 4 days to go! 4 days to read seven books!

2010-08-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I am half way through one book and I just bought one book that counts as three, two books that count as three (1.5 actually book per collection) and I have extra books for when the new blog starts! Whoopy! Sort of. I still have to some major reading.
I finished five books, Beautiful Creature, Wake, Fade, Gone, and Prism.
I have to make this quick so I can keep reading, but I will say that Beautiful Creatures was a FANTASTIC book but if you haven't read it yet, I would wait until October, when the next book comes out, so that you don't have to wait.http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Creatures-Kami-Garcia/dp/0316042676
Wake, Fade, and Gone (in that order) were great books making up an over-all good series (though I hated the ending of the trilogy!) Great collection of books if you're looking for a short, quick, yet captivating series. http://lisamcmann.com/html/books.htm
Prism was a surprisingly great read, short and easy. I literally read this in two hours, because I couldn't seem to put it down. Great fast read!!http://www.amazon.com/Prism-Faye-Kellerman/dp/B0036DE5CC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283193862&sr=1-1

193 books down, 4 days to go! 4 days to read seven books!

Humans blink over 10,000,000 times a year!

Love, Elizabeth

187 books down, 12 days to go.

2010-08-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

I officially have 12 days to read 13 books! That's about 1.1 books a day!! God, I will do anything at this point to get Zoe to blog! The rules (yeah, I'm very into following rules- especially when they're my own- because I feel I am cheating myself) say that we are not allowed to blog for each other, but they do not say that you can't just list the books you have read and say whether you liked it or not, instead of describing the plot. But I don't think there is anyway I can get her to blog.
So now I have to read 13 books by myself. In 12 days. We are not near a library (Go Cape Cod!) and I don't have the money to buy books so... good luck to me. I might just have Mom drive me to the local book store and spend my allowances that have been building up in Dad's wallet getting books. Or... maybe... Mom would buy them for me. Yeah, I guess I can make that happen :)
So anyway, I read three books. The books in the Evernight Series.
I have to make this short so I can catch Mom before she leaves to go to the grocery store (I'll ask her to take me to the book store after she goes to buy food). So basically in book one Young Almost-A-Vampire Bianca (she was born a vampire and needs to bite people and turn them into vampires to change- basically she has to bite the sane person three times) falls in love with mysterious, violent, vampire-hunting Lucas. But when the school finds out Lucas is part of the Black Cross vampire hunters, he is kicked out and Bianca must go after him. Book two- They will do anything they can to be together, even lying to family and close friends. Because they are sooo in love. Bleh. All they ever seem to do when they are alone is kiss each other much-too-passionately. In book three- Bianca and Lucas continue their romance, living with the Black Cross that doesn't know she is basically a vampire. But when the Black Cross kidnap Bianca's vampire friend Balthazar, Bianca must leave (with Lucas of course) to save the good person that he is.
Overall, these weren't the best books ever but I like the first and the third better than the second, so basically not enough happened in the second to pull me into the story. Also, Lucas and Bianca kiss too much and in the first book you don't find out that Lucas and Bianca's boarding school is for vampires. Or that Bianca is part vampire, as well as her parents. Or that she was one of only, like, 3 people born this century by two vampires. My friends liked that "surprise!" style of writing, me not so much. (The books covers attached are not in order!)

In 32 years there are about 1 billion seconds!

187 books down, 12 days to go!!!!

Love, Elizabeth

184 books down, 18 days to go!

2010-08-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hey All! I finished two more books.

The first one is called Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter.
This books is about a girl named Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan, who is seventeen years old and goes to a school for spies-in-training. But she is no ordinary super-smart, super-spy student. Nope, she is a super-smart super-spy student that The Circle, an evil group of spies, wants to hunt down. Yeah, intense. At the same time she finds out her beloved teacher was/is part of the not-so-beloved Circle, and is now being hunted down by the C.I.A., who are good spies. But this was no ordinary super-amazing-spy-teacher-who's-really-actually-an-evil-spy-who-betrayed-you. Mr. Solomon was the super-amazing-spy-teacher-who's-really-actually-an-evil-spy-who-betrayed-you that happened to be Cammie's Dad's Best Friend. Cammie's Dad is dead. And apparently evil Mr. Solomon killed him. So naturally she had to go on a hunt with her "three best friends in the whole world" (I stopped counting how many time that quote came up in this book after 5) to find her late father's and Mr. S's diaries, with all of their juicy little secrets. And at the same time, Cammie just so happens to be falling in love with/ hating an evil woman's son, Zach, who went to the same spy school/assassin school for boys that Cammie's father and Joe Solomon went to.
Yikes. An okay book, the fourth in a series. Age group: 10-14 A little bit of an immature book, but a good easy read over all.

I also read Forget You. Now I don't have much time, I have to go soon, so this will be short. Basically Zoey has a complicated life (a dad who gets a 24 year old pregnant, a jock boyfriend, an unstable mom, a dark kid -Doug- she sees too much of, you know- the works). But when she gets in a car accident and can't remember what happened from the night of the crash, she is hopelessly confused. Her boyfriend is avoiding her and mysterious Doug is, well, not. He seems like he knows something... about her. Something she can't seem to remember, though she knows he was there the night of the crash (he pulled her out of the trashed car). Basically, in the end, she falls in love with the right character. Ta-Da. This was actually a pretty good book. Age Group: 12+ Again, overall a good book.

Mosquito's are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color.
Love, Elizabeth
184 books down, 18 days to go!

Try Out...almost time!

2010-08-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey! It works after all! Thanks to Elizabeth for the awesome help!
*Justi*

2010-08-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

HEY ALL! ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER!! -Easter Bunny

182 books down, 20 days to go!

2010-08-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

We can do it. Yes we can!
Or- at least- I can.
I finished four books. Something Like Fate, and Thirst No. 2 which includes three books, Phantom, Evil Thirst and Creatures of Forever.

In Thirst No. 2 the main character, Alisa, realizes something. She has been dreaming about the day that it would happen, and it finally did. She turned into a human. So she decides to do what she has always wanted to do, have a child. But Alisa was a vampire. There had to be a little vampire left in her. After all, her baby is born thirsty. And with this she realizes a lot about her life and even takes a journey into her past. Again, I didn't really like these books. I didn't like the first three, or the second three, and I'm not going to read the last three.

Something Like Fate was a great book. It is a love story about a girl named Lani who falls in love with her best friend's boyfriend. Lani is a good student, a good friend, and absolutely obsessed with Fate, horoscopes, and fortune readings. But her best friend, Erin, is totally oblivious to Lani's feelings for her boyfriend and constantly talks about her boyfriend, Jason, to Lani. And to further the fact that Erin is totally oblivious, she doesn't see that Jason really just feels too bad to leave Erin because he is falling in love with Lani. So when Erin goes on a long trip to Summer Camp, and Jason breaks up with Erin over letter, Lani can't help but be with Jason. When school comes Lani feels very guilty and decides she must tell Erin. But when she does, Lani sees a different side of Erin and the rest of her classmates that she wishes she had never seen. Great book, a quick and easy read.

Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been struck by lighting.

Love, Elizabeth

182 books down, 20 days to go. 18 books must be read in 20 days. I can do this!!!! :)

Hey all!

2010-08-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, actually, this blog is meant for my dear cousin, Justina. Hey There! Check out the blog. If you would like to help me with my 2010-2011 200 book marathon blog, we can tailor the site just to our needs. The "Zoe"s can quickly be replaced with "Justina"s as well as the "Sister"s with "Cousin"s.

So yes, readers. I am seriously considering stretching this blog out one more year! Yay! And this year, I am inviting my avid reader of a cousin, Justin (who is one year older than Zoe and one year more mature) to help me, instead of Zoe.

So please comment on this blog if you think this is a good idea (inviting Justina to help out). Together, we can convince her to join us! :)

Love, Elizabeth

By the way, Justina, you can search book titles in the search box to see if I have already reviewed them for the blog.

178 books down, 25 days to go!

2010-08-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all! YIKES!!! 25 days left and 28 books must be read!!!! YIKES! You see- I've been at camp for the past two weeks so I couldn't read even close to how often I thought I could. BUT I can DO THIS!! Here we go: Spirit bound- the last book of the VA series that you can buy in the store! And it had the worst most confusing ending ever!! Linger, the second book in the series with Shiver, sucked in short. I just didn't like the characters. And now, the new character Cole and Grace's friend Isabel have their own chapters! So now, the two love birds/ most adorable characters in this book, Grace and Sam, have to share the narrating time with Cole and Isabel. By the way- this book is about two boys who turn from boy to wolf and back to boy again (though Sam didn't show signs of changing) and two girls who were in love/'crushing' on the wolf boys. But at the same time, Lovely Little Grace was getting horribly sick and showed signs that make her mind lean toward the idea of turning into a wolf herself.

MUST READ THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES, and go ahead and read Shiver (I loved that book!) and read Linger if you must, as well, but I did not enjoy that book!

178 books down, 25 days to go!
Love, Elizabeth
There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

176 books down, 43 days to go!

2010-07-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I finished Vampire Academy books 2, 3, 4, and a book called When You Reach Me.
In Frostbite (2 of V.A. books) Rose and her friend Lissa go on a ski trip after Hell begins to break loose around their Academy. But when one of Rose's friends, Mason, and his pals decide to go a mission to hunt some evil vampires who kill called Strigoi, things could get dangerous, and Rose and Christian (Lissa's boyfriend) realize she must go after them. This is bad. Danger comes inevitably and they are captured by Strigoi and the two harmless vampires of the student group, Christian and Mia, are forced to either eat one of their friends and turn Strigoi, or die. Rose can't let this happen, she must escape, and she does.
In the third book, Rose is assigned to Moroi for six weeks (a 'good' vampire who doesn't kill) and her luck brings her to Christian, her not-so-likable pal. But things can change, and as even more Hell breaks loose at the Academy (Rose killing many Strigoi) Moroi are starting to use their powers (they can have air powers, water, fire, or earth) to fight, which is unheard-of. Things also get more dramatic with Rose's best friend Lissa as she and their pal they met on the ski trip, Adrian, practice their own unheard-of very rare element called spirit. Rose's love Dimitri and her must battle against the Strigoi.
In Blood Promise, Rose runs away from Lissa and the Academy to find and kill her lover Dimitri who was turned into a Strigoi. This journey leads her to Russia, Dimitri's family's house, and eventually a might-as-well-be jail where she is kept by Dimitri and other Strigoi. But even when she breaks out and she thinks she killed Dimitri, she soon gets an unexpected surprise while back in the US.
I LOVED this series, and I am waiting to read the fifth and last one at camp. Speaking of camp, I will not be blogging again for a good week and a half while I am at sleep-away camp. But I promise to read!! Best Series Ever, the Vampire Academy Series is (along with Pretty Little Liars). The plots are kind of hard to explain, and the third book is a cliff hanger, but I will say my favorite book was the second book.

In When You Reach Me, a girl named Miranda's life gets turned upside down when she gets mysterious notes from an anonymous author. In her first and most confusing and dangerous letter it says that the writer is coming to save his own life as well as Miranda's friends, but she has to write the source a letter before any of this can happen. After more letters she finds out this person knows a LOT about her, too much. But this writer makes her believe she can stop a death from ever happening. She is interested by this until te notes make her believe the opposite, that she is too late. I lvoed this book. Absolutely fantastic! Great quick read, and it's perfect for my age, the girl being only slightly younger then I am.

176 books down, 43 days to go!
As of July 2005, the smallest country in terms of population was Pitcairn Islands with 45 inhabitants!
Love, Elizabeth
Read on!

172 books down, 50 days to go!

2010-07-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all! 50 days to read 28 books! That's almost one and a half books a day! AHH!!
Well, even though Zoe basically quit (so incredibly ANGRY with her for that) I WILL READ ON!
Okay- I finished two books in three days (one book with three books in it- I forget what that is called)- that's pretty good, right??? (So I guess it would be 4 books read, huh? Yeah- It would.) (Uggg)
While visiting my younger cousins I stumbled upon one of there chapter books, which turned out to be a young adult book, and a great one at that. The books is called Schooled.
In this book, by Gordan Korman, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson moves to Claverige to go to their middle school (which the students call C Average Middle School, taking out the l). But he is not just any ordinary new kid. He has hair down to his waist, tie-dye T-shirts, shoe-less school days, and Tai Chi practices ever day in the schoolyard. He has never gone to a real school before, though he can drive a truck (and a school bus!) at age 13. He has been arrested and will get arrested multiple times for driving without a license, even to save some one's life. This kid "should be a dork!" according to popular 8th graders Zach, Lena, Darryl, and Naomi. But when the whole school starts to adore Cap, things really change. Great book. It's an easy read, but it flowed nicely and the thoughts and dialog in this book that switches 1st person every chapter was perfect. I very much enjoyed it.

I also read Thirst (which includes three books: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, and Red Dice.
These books are about a 5000 year old vampire who falls in love, meets new people, sees and kills people daily and experiences heartbreak as a forever-20-year-old vampire. That basically all I can say, because each book in this trilogy is basically about that, not much else. This is one of those books where you can't put it down, but once you're done you are not compelled to read the next books. SO yes, if you have NOTHING else to read, this would be a good one, but don't plan on falling in love with these books, though I guess some people might. I'm thinking that maybe the reason why I wasn't wild about these books was that they were written by a male, yet the 1st person character is a girl, so the writing style might be different.

According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self-destruction.

Love, Elizabeth

172 books down, 50 days to go!

168 books down, 53 days to go!

2010-07-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hey All! It's me, Elizabeth, Blogging from my Aunts house on her computer so this might have to be a shorter blog- which is difficult because I have finished three more books!
First I finished Sleepless by Cyb Balog which is about a sandman, Eron, who has to go into people's dreams and put them to sleep. But then he meets one girl named Julia, whose boyfriend just died, and he can't seem to forget her. He used to be human, and Eron remembers how it felt to lose someone. But when Eron's duties are over and he becomes human again, only he knows of the danger Julia is in, and is ready to save her. This book was pretty good, I just don't normally read book where the main character is a boy.

I also finished Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog, which is about a girl named Morgan whose boyfriend turns out to be a fairy who is going to get stolen form her and taken back to the fairy world. So she and her boyfriend's family's Real child, Pip, (the fairies traded Cam, Morgan's boyfriend, with Pip- a human boy- upon Pip's birth) to save Cam and keep Cam and Morgan together. I wasn't into this book until half way through, when Morgan started having feelings for both Cam and Pip, but this book was overall pretty good. The description wasn't very good though.

And last but not least, I finished My Fair Godmother. This book is about a girl who receives a Fairy godmother when her sister steals her boyfriend. She wishes her life could be like certain Fairy Tales, but she doesn't think her young fairy godmother will actually turn her life into the tales themselves, back in time. But when one of her wishes sucks her "dream boy" into her world, her ex-boyfriend doesn't show up like she tried to describe, but another boy from her school. Great book, lovable characters, cute romance. Good read.

The average person laughs 15 times a day.
168 books down, 53 days to go.
Love, Elizabeth.

165 books down, 58 days to go!

2010-07-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

165 books down, 58 days to go!
Hey all! I finished the last 3 books in the Pretty Little Liars Series of 8.
I can't really review the plot of these books, considering they are so confusing it would give the whole books away, but I can tell you my opinion on them.
Absolutely:
confusing
amazing
suspenseful
multi-plotted (not like that's a word- unless it is?!)
fun
scary
woah

:) MUST READ THIS SERIES (WARNING: Addictive)

Love, Elizabeth
The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.
165 books down, 58 days to go!

162 books down, 62 days to go! 38 books must be read in 62 days!!

2010-07-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.freekibblekat.com/
http://www.freekibble.com/
Answer the trivia questions to donate kibble to local shelters!
Love, Elizabeth

162 books down, 62 days to go! 62 days to read 38 books!

2010-07-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey all! We now have 62 days to read 38 books! Ahhh! But we can do it!
I finished three books; Teen Idol, Wicked (Pretty Little Liars 5), and Wings.

In wings a girl named Laurel is the new girl in her town, but things get worse when a bump on her back turns into a flower. David, her friend and the guy she likes helps her find out the truth, that she is really a faerie (which in this book are just half human/half plant like creatures). Tamani, her sexy he faerie guardian, protects Laurel from the faerie world and helps her figure out her old life (Tamani also happens to be rather dreamy). Absolutely a fantastic book. The writing was very well written and the character of Laurel made me smile, though I was routing for David the whole book! Great read.

In Wicked, the next (5th) book in the Pretty Little Liars Series, Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna's lives get more and more hectic, which is basically the most I can say without giving the plot away. Also, things go very far when they find out the truth and the body (!) of a local neighbor, who they have known their whole lives. Great book again. This is one of those series where once you start you simply can't stop. So I would say this is a great series to read but you must start from the beginning. Three more books to go in this series!

Teen Idol is about an average girl living an average life... until her school signs her up to be a mentor of the new (and slightly mysterious) new kid. But then they tell her why- he is no ordinary kid moving to an ordinary school. He's Luke Striker, a famous teen actor, getting ready for a new role. But when Luke seems to have an interest in Jen, and people find out who he really is, the town goes crazy. I thought this book was okay, the reason why I read it was because one of my friends did. But I really like the main character of Jen. She was smart, level-headed, and witty, which is why I think I kept reading the book. I just didn't like reading about the craze of Luke.

Two great books and one good book (Teen Idol). Well, In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

Thanks for checking up on us! Love, Elizabeth

162 books down, 62 days to go, 38 books left to read.

159 books down, 68 days to go!

2010-06-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
I finished two books, All We Know of Heaven and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.

All We Know of Heaven is about two best friends who get into a car accident, leaving one dead and the other in a coma. The problem is, though, (you know, besides the fact that one life was taken, the other holding on by a thread) is that both girls, Maureen and Bridget, look a lot alike, down to their heights, weights, and hair color and eye colors. So when both bodies are batter and bruised beyond "recognition," the towns finds out that there has been a fatal mistake. Two months after the accident, one girls wakes up. But wait, isn't she dead? No. The doctors have confused the bodies. Only one survives... and not the girl everyone was praying for to wake up. No, the 'dead' girl. (Based on a true story- which is tragic)
Okay, that was awesome! I'm the best narrator ever! Anyway, I actually wasn't that 'into' this book. (Gasp!) I just didn't really like the style of writing.
A.M.: Hey, you might like it. I say give it a shot.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is about a girl named Naomi Porter who falls down the step of her High School and hits her head, leaving her with slight amnesia, only remembering things from sixth grade and earlier even though she is now 16-17. This book was absolutely awesome (for lack of a better term- ha! one of my favorite characters says that!) I like how Naomi found out all these things about her parents' love lives even though she doesn't remember them ever even splitting, and the way that she views people she used to know so well. Naomi is a smart, witty, present character with a fair amount of spunk and reason, just trying to figure out who she is in life. Very fun book, deadpan but rather entertaining humor!

If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

Love, Elizabeth

159 books down, 68 days to go.

157 books down, 69 days to go!

2010-06-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

I finished the 2, 3, and 4 books in the Pretty Little Liars Series. These weren't as old, since I had already read the first book and was aware of the content, but I really liked these books. I had to keep reading! After all, I want to see how the TV show on ABC interprets these great books. I can't really review their plots, though, because so much happens (very complicated) and I would be giving away the plots to readers who want to read these books (you should) or watch the TV show (you should!) All I can say is... "A" I think I know who you are and you need to leave Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer alone!

If you eat a bar of chocolate every day for 36,500 days, you'll live to be 100 years old.

HA!
Elizabeth S
157 books down, 69 days to go!

154 books down, 75 days to go!

2010-06-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
Big news! As it turns out, I messed up the dates! We don't have 60 days left, we have 75 as of today! I even counted on the calender! As of 6.20.10 there are 75 days until September 3! Yay!
Anyway, I finished a book, Pretty Little Liars.
In this book five girls are bound together by their secrets that were given to the queen bee of the group, Alison. But when Alison mysteriously goes missing and is found dead under concrete almost four years later, the four girls who have drifted apart must come back together. After all, they are all getting notes from "A", a character who seems to know only secrets Ali knew about each girl. There are threats, notes about things that had happened just that day, and mysterious presences. How does "A" know Hanna became so skinny by making herself throw up? How does "A" know about Aria's dad cheating on her mother and Aria's strong relationship and attraction to her English teach? How does "A" know Spencer kissed her sister's boyfriend in 7th grade, the summer before Ali went missing, and has now kissed her older sister's new boyfriend? And lastly, How does "A" know that Emily thinks she might be lesbian and has kissed the new girl and that Emily kissed Alison in 7th grade and wrote her a love note? How is "A" so knowledgeable? (Is that a word?) And how is Alison dead... and who killed her?
Intense book but much too inappropriate- I'm going to stick to the TV show based on this series instead!

In parts of Alaska, it's illegal to feed alcohol to a moose.

Love, Elizabeth S

154 books down, 75 days to go!

153 books down, 63 days to go!

2010-06-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

Ahh! Only 63 days to go! 47 books to go! Ahhh! But I think I (yeah, I have no faith in Zoe!) can do it!

I'm off on my way to the last full week of school, but I wanted to let you know I read a book called Impossible.

In this book, Lucy, 17/18, is raped and becomes pregnant. But she soon finds out that the reason her mother is a crazy homeless person, who gave birth to her at 18 (and her mother's mother was the same) is that her family is cursed. Once you turn 18 you have a child, and fall upon madness after birth. So now Lucy and her best friend/ husband, Zach, must keep up hope and Lucy must solve three seemingly Impossible tasks before labor, or else the curse lives on like it has for many upon many generations. Great book!

About 17% of humans are left-handed. The same is true of chimpanzees and gorillas.

Love, Elizabeth S.

153 books down, 63 days to go!

152 books down, 66 days to go!

2010-06-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I finished Deadly Little Lies (book after Deadly Little Secret), Band Geek Love, Must Love Black, Bounce.

In Deadly Little Lies Ben moves back after leaving for some time (four months) but Camelia's and his relationship goes back to anything but normal. They fight constantly, Ben wanting nothing to do with her (touching someone just makes him unhealthy). But then suddenly Camelia has a new boy friend. But when a "sick love triangle" forms between the three, Camelia must decide which boy is tricking her, and which one she can be friends with.

Band Geek Love is about a girl named Ellie who is a super band geek senior in high school. Perfect life she has, well for one not into boys, shopping, drama, or attention. But then Connor Higgins moves into Ellie's band, and their relationship begins (even though Connor is a sophomore... eew!), but Ellie makes sure no one knows of their relationship. But then Ellie "discovers the flip-side of secrets and how it feels to be shut out by the ones she loves". Kind of a boring book, though Connor seems pretty hot ;)

Must Love Black is about a goth girl named Philippa who takes a babysitting job for the summer with two twin 10 year old girls, who also happen to love black, the color of their uneventful, serious lives. The twins live at a luxury mansion, with water, no mom, and an ignoring father. And Goeff. The hot worker, who Philippa "must turn to the dark side" and away from his covered-in-pink girl friend. Fun read.

Bounce is about a 13 girl named Evyn whose father marries a women with six children, Eleni, and has to move in with them. She feels as if this is the end of her family. And when Eleni gets pregnant, she can't help it. She runs away. But when she is brought back by her now step-brother, she learns that maybe her life isn't over after all, neither is her family.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

Love, Elizabeth S

152 books down, 66 days to go!

148 books down, 70 days to go!

2010-06-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

148 books down, 70 days to go!

Hey All! I finished Deadly Little Secret and Ghostgirl.

Deadly Little Secret is about a girl named Camelia who falls for the new boy Ben who happened to save her life and also has a reputation for killing his ex. But Camelia can't help but fall closer and closer towards him, right as she starts getting frightening phone calls, mysterious gifts, and pictures of herself. She has a stalker. But even when Ben begs to help Camelia stay safe, she has her doubts about him. But it turns out he's no normal killer. He is an innocent young boy with psychometry powers, which means he can tuch things and see their past or future. But the notes and calls turn to threats, saying horrible things about Camelia that make no sense. She becomes enveloped in danger, but will Ben be the one harming, or the one who will save her? I loved this book so much I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN (warning I guess).

Ghostgirl was pretty terrible. It's basically about a girl who dies (and has a sick mind feeding off of popularity and would kill to be part of "the in crowd") but even when she is dead she is trying to be popular. Awful. In fact, this is the beginning of the book review for Barnes and Nobel (I do not why I bought this book- I guess I saw it in lots of adds for being the new "it" book because it was so funny- it wasn't funny!)
Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

And if I should die before I awake,

I pray the popular attend my wake.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

Love, Elizabeth S.

2010-06-06T06:35:00.001-07:00

Deadly Little Secret. Most. Intense. Book. Ever!
I'm only half way done, I started it last night, but I cannot pull away. I am going to the mall later today and even though I love to shop (trust me, I do!) and I'm going with my really good friend, I am almost dreading being separated from my nook for the measly two hours we will be there. What can I say, I have an addiction. Accepting is the first step in fixing, if only this certain addict needed fixing. Reading does, after all, cleanse the soul.

146 books down,73 days to go!

Love, Elizabeth

146, 74 days to go!

2010-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

I finished Old Magic and Glimmerglass.

Glimmerglass is a wonderful book about a girl named Dana who runs away from her alcoholic mother to be with her father in Avalon, the world of Fae. Dana becomes a Faerie walker, a rare person who can live and get from one world (Avalon) to the other. She can bring technology into Avalon, and magic to humanity. But now people either want to kill her, or want her to retrieve her things from the different world, and has new friends, family... a new life. She is changing. She never thought she would ever have a chance with Ethan (Fae) but she did. But she must decide how to live, what to do with her life. Could things ever settle down and go back to 'normal'?

Old magic is a bout a girl named Kate with magical powers who meets the new boy Jarrod, who also has powers but refuses to except it. When the topic of magic comes up between the two, Jarrod labels Kate and her grandmother insane. But when proof gets stronger of the curse on his family, Jarrod puts his disbelieves to the test and travels back in time with Kate to the medieval days. They have to stop the Jarrod's ancestor from ever putting the spell on his family, which is driving his family insane, his father suicidal, his brother having near-death experiences. But Kate is kidnapped, and Jarrod must embrace his powers, and train himself to save Kate, who he is beginning to fall in love with (in my opinion). Great book, I really can't wait to see if there will be a second book. By the way, the boy DOES NOT FIT JARROD AND NEITHER DOES THE GIRL (on the cover)! Jarrod has really long, silky blond hair and beautiful green eyes (I picture him having soft features around the face) and Kate has almost clear they are so light blue almond eyes and she looks Hawaiian and has long, silky, black, jet black hair, and she almost looks like ghost. But their expressions are correct! ;)

43.7% of all statistics are made up right on the spot

Love, Elizabeth S.

146 books down, 74 days to go!

144 books down, 80 days to go!

2010-05-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

With less than 3 months to go, Zoe and Elizabeth, two avid readers (and sisters), are up for the challenge of finishing 200 books in one year!
Well, at least, I (Elizabeth) am. I'll work on Zoe. ;)
I finished Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess.

Meredith, a 15 year old girl, lives in a condo with her mother. But her father isn't dead, or even missing. He's locked up. With his frightening aura away, Meredith begins to regain the feeling of safety, well, at least until he returns. He might be a baseball coach, but he has abused many girls and boys at Mer's school, including Meredith herself. Meredith is more terrorized than ever, but her mother is anything but. She is eager to have Mer's father back, and wants more than anything another child. Meredith and her perolized friend Andy must deal with the nightmare eating them away, having Mer's father around. this book was intense and chilling, but not explicit.

I also finished The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. This is an Australian book, I believe, considering the way it is written. At first I didn't like this book, it was rather boring, I wasn't really sucked into the story, and I kept thinking I would fall in love with it, but I never did. In this book permanently 15 year old Nina Harrison is a vampire in the Reformed Vampire Support Group. But these vampire's aren't like others in stories. They are just the opposite. Sickly, sensitive, and feeding from guinea pigs, refusing to drink human blood or create more vampires. Nina hates her life. It's boring, risky, it's anything but normal. But when Casimir is shot and staked, a old-time member of their group, the vampires are forced to move in with Nina's mortal mother. A fterall, the killer could now the whereabouts of all of the vampires in the RVSG, and no vampire hunter would think to look in a mortal's home. But they can't live that way forever, so Dave (who happens to be in love with Nina) and mortal Father R go on a jurney tracking down American silver Bullet Buyers. They run across a Werewolf Fighting club, save Rueben, a handsome vamipire, from his sick life, and end up getting into more trouble then they thought they possible could have. I wanted to like this book, but I honestly just did not.

I have to go again (my grandparents are visiting soon, have to help my Mom get ready!) but I did finish a few more books, Hex Hall (totally awesome- should have reviewed that one!), The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez, Plan B, and One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.

The US has about 9 billion chickens. China has more than 13 billion.

Love, Elizabeth S.

144 books down, 80 days to go!

138 books down, 91 days to go!

2010-05-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in so long, MCAS got in the way (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System blah blah) but when you're done with testing you get to read and get this: I have read 8 books since May 9th. Also, please comment to let us know whether or not plays count as books because I also finished the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

Anyway, I read Lucky and Gorgeous which are two books in a series about the Avery sisters. Lucky is the first book which is about the youngest of the Avery girls, Phoebe, who is smart, rich, popular and 'gorgeous.' Phoebe is having a middle school graduation party with her popular friends but when Claire Avery loses her job things get bad for Phoebe, who doesn't seem to have a care in the world. The Averys are going broke in a town full of rich snobs. But Phoebe is just a naive, spoiled girl. How is she supposed to feel? In Gorgeous ninth grade Allison or 'Alison with ONE l' (Long story) is in the same position at the same time, but Allison doesn't seem to be popular or pretty the way Phoebe is. She tries to understand her family's situation but money doesn't matter much to her. Her family does, and her friends. But when new girl Roxie Greene moves to town, a gorgeous model from NYC, Allison must figure out who her real friends are. Also, she sold her cell phone to the devil so 7/6 people would think she was gorgeous, her crush, Roxie, and a modeling photographer. Yep, that's right, "interesting-looking" Allison who never really cared much about her looks sneaks into a modeling agency to escort Roxie, but ends up getting photographed and becomes a semi-finalist in a competition. I loved the second one, though the first book, Lucky, was good too. Phoebe's a little bit of a brat though. I like Allison though she is kind of shallow for part of the book.

I also read Girl Overboard. In this book Syrah Cheng is a 15 year old girl, the daughter of billionaire Ethan Cheng. Syrah loves skiing and has wanted to go professional but when she gets in a fatal accident things change for the worst. She is not the perfect girl everyone thinks she is. Her adult half-siblings hate her, her best-friend's girl friend is ruining her and Age's relationship and she is left alone by her working parents. But when Syrah becomes classmates with a classmate named Lillian who has a sister with cancer, Syrah begins to help Lillian's family with a project to help fight against cancer and Syrah learns about her culture, relationships and even the possibility of death.

Well, I have to go now but here are the other books I read; Dance with a Vampire (the fourth book in the Vampire Kisses Series), Radiant Shadows (the fourth book in the Wicked Lovely Series- Maggie if you are out there these books are must reads- great!), Witch and Wizard, go Ask Alice (inappropriate and intense- not recommended- I read it because someone told me it was a classic, but they never said it would be dirty!) and Sweet Far Thing. I am now onto the fifth book in the Vampire Kisses Series. Thanks so much!

138 books down, 91 days to go.

Love, Elizabeth Sweet.

The tentacles of the giant Arctic jellyfish can reach 120 feet (36.6 meters) in length.

130 books down, 101 days to go!

2010-05-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I finished, The Pearl, by John Steinbeck and The Reckoning, by Kelley Armstrong.

The classic tale of The Pearl told the tale of Kino, a poor pearler, who when is baby Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion goes on a journey as he finds The Pearl of The World. This pearl can give him anything he wants, a doctor to cure his child, a white wedding for him and his wife Juana, a rifle, proper clothes, anything he desires. But everything is not as it seems. Soon, the greed of the pearl engulfs Kino as the pearl becomes his soul and the family man is irrevocably changed for the worst. Based on the classic Mexican folk tale, Steinbeck's deep descriptions made this book a good school read, however I would never read it in my own time; it was good for analyzing, but frankly, the plot was boring and the book moved at a snail's pace (and that's an overstatement).

Though, on the bright side, The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong was FANTASTIC. This book was the final chapter in the Armstrong's trilogy about Chloe Saunders, a necromancer (sees ghosts and can raise dead) and other Supernaturals that have been genetically modified by a sinister group called the Edison Group. in this book, Chloe continues to be on the run from the evil scientists, though things finally come to an end. They don't "stop the group" but end up killing many of them so the group can't come after them anymore. It was a bittersweet finale to the trilogy because as in any real life situation, things aren't ever perfect, mostly far from it. Things at the end of this book are still pretty messed up for the protagonist, but as she is in Derek's (new werewolf bf) arms, things are better for her. There's no more running, no more terror and she's with the unexpected person of her dreams.

130 books down, 101 days to go!

OH AND BTW IM READING ROMEO AND JULIET AND A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM! O:

There are only four words in the common English language that end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardou

128 books down, 101 days to go!

2010-05-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey All! My new nook came, I don't have to read paper-backs any more! I finished three books! Yay!

The first book I finished is called Harmless by Dana Reinhardt.
In this book two best friends, Emma and Annie, are in their freshmen year at High School when they meet a new girl named Mariah and be her friends to become more popular. The girls go to one of Mariah's boyfriends parties one night but tell their parents that they are going to the movies. Little do they know, their parents show up to check on them at the movies! But the girls don't want to get in trouble, being so young and going to a wild party, so of course, they lie. But this isn't an innocent little white lie ("We felt really bad for one of the girls in our grade, she was all alone, so we decided to hang out with her instead.") No, they said that a man attacked them on the way to the movies. Not smart.
The parents of Annie and Emma, of course, call the police and have them talk to the girls. The best friends are too scared to give in now, though. Everything goes out of control, which they never meant to happen, and are known for defending themselves against the crazy man. But soon a man, who never did anything to harm Emma and Annie, gets arrested for the crime, they begin to realize just how wrong they've been and just how serious their actions are becoming.

I also read Kiss of Death, the last (?) book in the Morganville Vampires series, by Rachel Caine. In this book one of the four best friends, Michael, living in the Glass House, who also happens to be a vampire in a vampire-infested town, gets a record deal for being such a fantastic musician at 19 years old. So Claire, a 17 year old mortal, and her two mortal friends Shane and Eve get permission to go with Michael and another, older, vampire assistant to record Michael's music, and things go horribly wrong, a road trip from Hell. The five stumble upon another vampire infested town. Well, not really stumble. Claire, Shane, and Eve get kid-napped by vampire breaking out of their hometown, Morganville, and Shane and Eve end up being taken there. But this town is full of sick vampires and unprotected humans hiding for their lives. But after a harsh battle things actually settle down, and the book ends the series (?) in the perfect way.

The last book I read is called Runaway by Meg Cabot, the third and last (?) book in the Airhead series. In this series and evil company, Stark Enterprises, "owns" a model named Nikki Howard, one of the most famous faces on Earth, and when she finds out a huge secret leading to more secrets, which she doesn't know about, they most act. They kill Nikki Howard's brain. But they can't their biggest form of profit, so they preform a surgery, which we find out in this book, has been preformed many times in secrecy by the company. They switch Emerson Watts' (17) brain into Nikki's body. Just a smart, nerdy, nobody girl they killed for their own profit. In this book Em is kid-napped by her "boyfriend" (Brandon threatened her into calling herself that) and son of Stark Enterprise's Robert Stark, along with the real Nikki, who we found out in the last book IS alive in another body that nobody knows about, and Nikki's mother and brother. But when the four a rescued by Em's real boyfriend and best friend in the world, things go horribly wrong. Em's relationship with Christopher is falling apart at the same time as she finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the secrets of Stark. But Christopher the hero and his house arrest 14 year old cousin help Em uncover their biggest secret yet, stockholders buying humans off of Stark so that they can have their brains transplanted into younger bodies with plenty on potential, killing the body's brain in the process. Stark gets busted, surprisingly without killing Em's little sister in the process (Robert Stark threatened to if their secret got out.) Great book, I LOVE Christopher in this book, and as always I love Em.

The longest game of underwater Monopoly lasted for 45 days!

Love, Elizabeth.

128 books down, 101 days to go!
I'll have Zoe blog, she finished a book also, I think. Haven't heard much from her lately, have we?!

125 books down, 109 days to go!

2010-05-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey All! I'm really sorry for taking so long to post! You see, all things electronic hate me, including my nook I guess. It died. So today we are bringing it to the store for an exchange. Or explanation? "It went pleh." So anyway, I've been trying to fix the book on my own, but if it makes you disappointed readers and happier, I did finish three paper back between vacation time (when I got NO reading done- thanks to fook... I mean glook... I mean nook!) and this week. Anyway, this is for A.M.: I will never admit that you are right about anything with e-readers so ignore that last section please, you know nothing.
I read The View From Saturday for school. It did have good themes and symbols, but not much really happens, you know? Nothing to catch my attention. This book basically teaches you about kindness, being present (hard to explain that one- I'm no English teacher!- not yet anyway...), human connections, and journeys of self discovery. In this book Ms. Olinski, a teacher coming back after ten years of teaching the sixth grade, now a paraplegic from a car accident is in charge of making her team for something called a Quiz Bowl where four students must come together, for a team, and answer questions to eventually beat the other teams in you school, then your town, state... And Ms. Olinski chooses, Nadia because she is observant (they all are), Ethan because he is kind and like Nadia, waiting to "come out of his shell", and Noah because he is very intelligent. Ms. Olinski must choose one more child, which she has no idea how. Maybe Ham Knapp, who she doesn't know was the one who erased "paraplegic" (which she wrote on the board so the students wouldn't ask questions about her wheel chair) and wrote "cripple," she thinks that was Julian, who she caught at the black board trying to erase cripple before Ms. O sees. But in the end she chooses Julian when she sees just how awful Hamilton is as a person. The group are all connected in a web, Nadia and Ethan's grandparents just got married, Noah was the best man at the wedding (long story), and Julian was saved from bullying by Ethan. They call them selves the Souls, and go on to win the quiz bowl.

I also read Generation Dead by Daniel Waters. In this book teens who are dying in many different ways are starting to come back to life and become a term called "differently biotic." Phoebe, the main character and her friends, Adam and Margi, join the club of differently biotics and Phoebe begins to date one named Tommy (even though her best friend Adam would take any bullet for her - read to see what I mean- because he loves her) but what they don't know is that a football player on Adam's team used to have a girlfriend who died and didn't come back (not all teens do) so now he hates "Zombies." And the football star, Paul, goes insane. He starts to see Phoebe as if she were Julie, the dead girl. And now since he hates the Zombies, all because of his girlfriend troubles, he wants to kill all of them, which he tries and in some cases succeeds to. So when he shoots Phoebe, o tries to at least, things go horribly wrong.

Also read was Breathless by Jessica Warman, which was sorta kinda inappropriate but you do get hooked onto Katie's character, though I like Mazzie, her mysterious, angry, totally lovable roommate the best. There is drinking and smoking, which i honestly hate reading about, but with I did love the idea of the story. In this story Katie's brother Will and her suddenly went from poor in the woods to rich in a hell-hole town. But when Will starts to get teased at a young age, he finds pills and eventually gets drug-induced schizophrenia. So when he get worse and worse, visiting from his mentally hospitals only over X-mas and summer breaks, Katie's unlikable parents (until the end sort of - the dad smokes and the mom drinks to get the pain away) send her off to an elite boarding school. Everyone asks her where she comes from and why since almost no students come in your 2nd year of H.S. (except for Mazzie), because most start at the beginning of the 4 years. This book is spread out between all three years of her high school years. So she can't get rid of the pain and lies, says her brother is dead. She suddenly is friends with two very popular girls, and has one of the most handsome boys in school as her boyfriend, even though he is super religious and she's well not. The only way for her to survive the pain of missing her crazy brother is to swim, which she is fantastic at. Only Mazzie, who comes to be her best friend, knows the truth about Katie's brother. But things go horribly wrong when Mazzie and Katie go back to visit Katie's parents for the first time. Will has a freak out, conspiracy's against their parents, and ends up threatening to shoot either himself or his father, who are locked up in Will's bedroom (Will does indeed have a gun.) So Will gets put away again. Katie freaks, she thinks she hates Will (who she has loved some much her hole life) and Mazzie is there for her. She has to keep swimming. But things get shockingly worse and Will kills someone working at his hospital and gets put in Jail with the mentally insane. When one of Katie's popular, awful, bratty friends Estella (whose relative worked in court on Will's case) finds out the truth, she tells everyone, and no one seems to care about Katie anymore, not even herself, except for Mazzie and Drew, her boyfriend. But Katie spirals and when she doesn't get into Yale, which all of her teachers said she was a shoe-in, she goes to Harvard with Drew, even though she broke up with him because A. she cheated on him and B. they have nothing in common beside swimming. I like the end of this book, a look into Katie's life when she's 10 years older, 28. I wish Jessica Warman would write this book in Mazzie's prospective, it would be fantastic. Well, that might just be because I wish she was real I love her character so much!

As of 4/20/10 Lady Gaga's Bad Romance was the number one most viewed video on YouTube with 185,247,313 views (on of 4/20/10). It would take 108,554.3615 years to watch it that many times.
4/20/10 was my birthday!!

Love, Lizzy S.
125 books down, 109 days to go!

112 books down, 122 days to go!

2010-04-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I am having a blast in California! My birthday is in two days but just because I have been busy doesn't mean I haven't read! I have finished three books.

The first one is called Vampireville which is the third book in the Vampirre Kisses series. In this book the vampire from Romania who came to track down Alexander has brought his freshly vampire made sister back with him to Dullsville. Luna, the vamp sister, now hates Raven (or atleast for a while into the book) and wants to turn Trevor, Ravens enemy, into a vampire. Which Raven cannot allow as much as she hates him, because she can't have Dullsville turning into Vampireville, can she? This book was a fast read, fun, amateur, and totally awesome! Despite the amateur writing, you can't help but love the main characters, especially dreamy, mysterious Alexander. Love ya, Vampire!

I have to go now so if you don't mind I'm gonna be quick and just give you the amazon reviews on the books. I also finished Hex Hall: Sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer, whose absentee father is a warlock, discovered both her heritage and her powers at age 13. While at her school prom, Sophie happens upon a miserable girl sobbing in the bathroom and tries to perform a love spell to help her out. It misfires, and Sophie finds herself at Hecate (aka Hex) Hall, a boarding school for delinquent Prodigium (witches, warlocks, faeries, shape-shifters, and the occasional vampire). What makes this fast-paced romp work is Hawkins’ wry humor and sharp eye for teen dynamics, especially between the popular and the misfit crowds. Sophie is a multidimensional character, both likable and believably flawed. Secondary characters lack her depth, but their more broadly drawn portraits are in keeping with narrator Sophie’s impressions of her teachers and classmates. Many clever touches (vampire Lord Byron teaches literature), spot-on depictions of classic teen situations (crushing on the queen bee’s boyfriend), and an ending that leaves you hanging will have readers grabbing for the sequel. (I liked it, but not as much as they say you will)

I also finished Chasing Brooklyn (despite the verse i liked the plot even before I read it so I enjoyed this book): A year after Brooklyn’s boyfriend, Lucca, was killed in an automobile accident, Gabe, the boy who was driving the car, commits suicide and, soon thereafter, begins haunting Brooklyn’s dreams. At the same time, Lucca starts showing up in the reveries of his older brother, Nico. Both spirits are persistent and demanding, but what is it, exactly, that they want? Readers of this verse novel will figure that out long before Brooklyn and Nico do, but the first-person point of view, which switches back and forth between the two teens, successfully builds suspense and foreboding in this highly readable romance-cum-ghost-story. The text could use fresher imagery (does the sky have to be a canvas, and clouds, cotton balls?), but the plot is well structured and the characters are appealing.

A chameleon's tongue is LONGER than its body.

Love, Lizzy S. 112 books down, 122 days to go!

109 books down, 125 days to go!

2010-04-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
Guess what! No really, guess!
Well, I finished FOUR BOOKS IN FOUR DAYS (one from the library- yes a.m. i do read aperback sometimes... I'm not THAT much of a phony!) AND.... drum roll please ( i can do a drum roll, did you know I'm a drummer? no joke...) my birthday is in 5 Days!! Yay!
Sorry Guys, but maybe I AM a phony! I can't review these, they're just to horible! I hated these and I'm NOT getting the next in the series (and yes, vlad gets the girl though he gets to hungry around her so he dumps her!) Oh, and I hate Darren, I just do!

Anyway, I also read the first two books in the Vampire Kisses series, jeez so many vamp books! But these were pretty good. In this series goth girl, vampire-obsessed Raven meets, you guessed it, a vampire!!! Who just so happens to be her boyfriend though he won't admit he is a vampire!! Oooh! Aaah! In the second book, Kissing Coffins, Raven vampire beau, Alexander, runs away to protect her from the vampires out to get him from, you guessed it, Romania! But Raven doesn't know this so she goes on a search to find him, by telling her parents she is visiting her aunt to spend time with her, not search The Coffin Club near her aunt's house for Alexander. Tada! All that info in under 8.1 sentences! Wowzahs!

The word "facetiously" is the only word that has ALL the vowels IN ORDER if you include "y"

Love, Elizabeth

109 books down, 125 days to go!

By the way, I'm going to be in California in a little over 27 hours! Yay!

105 books down, 129 days to go!

2010-04-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey All! I finished three books.

The first one is called Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Doesn't the cover look spooky? Intense? Well, it goes pretty well with the book plot, so start reading this to see what I mean: In this book a girl named Valerie and her boyfriend made a "hate list" of people they didn't like and why to take away the pain of being bullied. But when Valerie's boyfriend shoots and kills six students and one of the teachers on the list during lunch at school, before killing himself, Valerie is stuck. He had also shot many others without them dying and when Valerie tried to stop him she ended up getting shot in the leg. Even when the police conclude Valerie had nothing to do with the shooting, everyone in her small town, including her parents, think she did. So Valerie's therapist is her only hope at being strong enough to go back to school the next year, which she does. This book is told in past-tense and present-tense and I really liked it. Good read; tough plot, okay writing.

I also read an amazingly good book called Hold Still by Nina LaCour. This book is about a girl named Caitlin whose best friend, Ingrid, commits suicide and becomes functionless with pain. She won't talk, she won't see a therapist, she won't live. When Caitlin finds Ingrid's diary, she reads about Ingrid's depression. But Caitlin wants to use this diary to live on and with the love and support of her new friends and family she learns that she really might be able to do just that. The cover of Hold Still fits the book really well also and i totally recommend this book! I won't soon forget it.

This next book, Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chalats had a heart-wrenching plot but I read this in hardcover, not nook format, and it was a little hard to get through since it was in what I think is called Verse. Anyway, the cover is perfect once again and I thought this book was okay, though I would have loved it if it was just written in plain format. So, this book is about a girl named Anke whose father is brutally abusive, but not to her, only to her brother and sister. She seems to be invisible, just standing in the shadows, screaming silently with horror, too painfully shy from the sights she has seen to do anything about the situation. But then Anke joins the volley ball team and hears her own real voice with passion for the first time, yelling to the other players that it's her ball. Anke is noticed now, and after a while she begins to think about the day when she will be brave enough to say something that could rescue her family at home, including herself.

WORD OF THE DAY: format
FACT OF THE DAY: An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Love, Elizabeth
105 books down, 129 days to go!

102 books down, 132 days to go!

2010-04-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey All! 102 books down, 132 days to go! That's right, we've hit 100!! Yay!

I finished Pretty Dead, about a girl who is a vampire who doesn't want to be one though her "boyfriend" does (that's basically it- hated it), Eclipse, and Willow. I'm only going to go into the details of Willow because I liked this book a lot.

Willow as about a girl (Willow) who killed her parents in a car crash 8 months ago. To deal with the mind and body shocking, numbing, excruciating pain Willow has to dig blades into her arms, legs, and sometimes even her stomach. But when Willow meets Guy, a rather attractive, sensitive, lovably kind boy, she freaks. She likes him immediatly, though she is stuck without much to do. Willow sees here brother (who she lives with), David's, pain. She can't tell him her cutting secret, and when Guy finds out, shes stuck again. Willow is in the emotional shock that came from killing her parents, and she can't seem to interact with other humans very well. ***SPOILER ALERT**** Willow and Guy become more than just friends, Willow saves David and hers relationship, and finds out a lot about herself, though she doesn't quit cutting for all we know. Minorly inappropriate in a couple parts, this book is a slightly mature, yet great read.

Thanks for stopping by!

The longest recorded time for someone to have the hiccups is 69 years!

Love, Elizabeth

102 books down, 132 days to go!

ALMOST AT 100!

2010-04-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I admit we are way behind schedule, but we are keeping up our progress because we know that during the summer Elizabeth alone can read on average 40 or 50 (she's aiming for 60 even). And I definitely read much more over the summer and it's going to be especially easy for us to read more and more this summer because now that we have our nooks we don't need to be constantly begging mom, "MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY! WE NEED TO GO THE BOOKSTORE--NOW!!!!!" Yep, we can definitely do even more this summer and over our school break that's coming up that we're going to be spending at our grandpa's.
Anyhow, I finished a book! I read Jinx by Meg Cabot. Which Meg Cabot, I'm not sure of because it is after all a nom de plume for multiple writers. This book focuses on Jean Honeychurch, also known as Jinx for her infamous bad luck, who moves away from her rural Iowa town to New York, New York, with her richy-rich Aunt and Uncle and their kids. But what you won't get from the summary located on the book is that the books is not as much about bad luck as it is modern witchcraft; because Jinx's great-great-great-great-great (etc.) grandmother Branwen predicted that one of the daughters in the family would have supreme magical abilities and of course Jinx's narcissistic, sulky, wanna-be-goth cousin Tory (or Torrance as she goes by to her coven) is sure that it's herself. But everything is not as it seems. So of course, as predictable as anything, the witch is Jinx even though she doesn't even believe it herself. Complicated sounding, but very easy to follow. It was a great read even though it was more of a "junk food book" as A.M. calls them because I just ate it up even though I got no deep thoughts or lessons from it. Still an awesome book, though.
See ya,
Zoe
99 books read, 136 days to go.
ALMOST AT 100!!!!!!

A.M.,

2010-04-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello am.,

You recently posted this onto one of Zoe's blogs:

Hey, wait! What am I hearing? Defeat when there are still many months left to reach your target? Isn't September 1 your deadline? You'll make up the deficit during summer vacation.
That downer attitude must come from reading George Orwell. Elizabeth, Zoe needs a pep talk from you!
Have you picked up _The Revolution of Sabine_ yet? It's a quick quality read, but not available on Nook. You'll have to use your public library. Fancy that! :-)
a believer,
a.m.

First of all A.M.,

You are just jealous of our nooks. Kindle? Ick. By the way, has yours blown up yet like Mom's did? Anyway, I gave Zoe the pep-talk you suggested and I will read The Revolution of Sabine from my library as soon as possible. Thanks for commenting! Love you and can't wait to see you again soon!

Your niece, Elizabeth :)

Oh, and our deadline is 9/3/10

2010-04-03T08:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

98 books odwn, 137 days to go! Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Happy Easter!

I finished Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater! This book was amazing! I don't see why anyone would be obsessed with twilight when they could be obsessed with this world! Now, since it was a romance fiction, I will say maybe it wasn't exactly written for people my age, but I still loved this book! This book is about a girl named Grace who has been intrigued by a yellow eyed wolf since she was about eleven. And every summer the wolf changes into a boy, Sam, who she meets when she is seventeen and falls in love with him immediately and vise versa. But all is NOT well! This is Sam's last year to be human in the warmth and as winter approaches and Grace and Sam fight to keep him warm, they know it's coming. The End. But when a peer finds what might be a cure, and might be poison, Grace has some hope. So Grace gives Sam the Wolf a meningitis (which inflicts a huge fever- 108of, and the humans need heat no to be turned into wolves) injection but when the peer, Isabel, whose brother became a wolf, dies from the injection and Sam the Wolf disappears Grace snaps. She thinks Sam is dead. Best book. Now I'm onto Eclipse and a couple more of the Vladimir Tod books.

Well, thanks for checking up on us!

In Long Beach, CA, it is illegal to curse on a mini-golf course. But, don't worry - there are no mini-golf courses in Long Beach, CA.

Love, Elizabeth

97 books down, 138 days to go!

2010-04-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! I finished a couple of books in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod
Series.

In the first book, Eight Grade Bites Vladimir (13) or Vlad's junior high life sucks. Literally. Vlad is a vampire, his Mom was human, his dad was a vamp. And Vladimir has to deal with his cravings for blood. hich sucks if you don't want to be, as Jacob from the Twilight Series calls it, a bloodsucker.

Back to his normal life, though: Vladimir likes a girl who seems to like his best friend, kids are constantly mean to him, the principal avoids him, and he doesn't have a real family anymore. His parents both died so he lives with his best friend whose mom works at the hospital and has to steal blood bags. But when his teacher disapeared and a sub came, who seemed to know a lot more info about him then possible, he realizes he's being hunted by a vampire killer. Rawr.

Sorry guys! I also read Ninth Grade Slays but I have to go have dinner so here is a preview via Amazon:

Vladimir Tod wants be popular like his friend Henry and cool and carefree like Henry's cousin Joss. He would so enjoy putting bullies Tom and Bill, who have been tormenting him for years, in their place. And, of course, he longs to tell Meredith about his feelings for her. All of this should really be a piece a cake for him. He is, after all, the only vampire "living" in Bathory, and he possesses extraordinary powers. Unfortunately, luck does not seem to run his way. What is working for him is the opportunity to go to Siberia with his Uncle Otis to be trained by Vikas, one of the oldest vampires around. Vikas sharpens Vlad's skills, especially in the area of mind control, and educates him on vampire history, language, and culture. Vlad also learns about the prophecy regarding the Pravus, a powerful vampire born from a human mother who will not only rule over all of vampirekind but also enslave the entire human race. Upon his return to Bathory, he is pursued by a vampire slayer and attacked by another one. Could Vlad, whom readers have come to love, possibly be this evil Pravus? Brewer does an excellent job keeping readers on their toes with an intense plot full of many twists and turns. Her writing style is original, witty, and on target.

Thanks! Sorry I had to go so soon! :)

Yawning is contagious - even thinking about yawning is enough. After reading this fact, there is a 50% chance you will yawn. I just yawned.

Love Lizzy S.

97 books down, 138 days to go!

2010-03-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! We made a few additions to our blog! Now you can answer polls on the right side bar, and if one of our books sounds really good and you would like to read it, just scroll down and there's a Amazon search box so you can look up the book and buy it! Also, we added a calendar, a fish feeder, and more info on our favorite charity, First Book.
Thanks so much for your support! Don't forget to comment!
Love, Lizzy S. and Zoe S.

95 books down, 141 days to go!

2010-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Wow! I was given permission by my mom (finally!) to read the twilight series. I read Twilight and New Moon. So, I guess you all know what happens in these. Bella falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen, when she moves to Forks to be with her Dad and befriends Edward's vamp family. She also almost gets herself killed in the process of being with him and gets bit by a vamp but not long enough for her to be drained and die, or turn into a vamp. And in the second book, her friend Jacob turns out to be one of the vampires' mortal enemies, a werewolf. In the second, Edward leaves Bella "for her safety" and Bella goes insane without him and does the most reckless things she can possibly think of (motorcycling, cliff diving, etc.) because she hallucinates Edward warning her to be safe. Bella is a wreck, loses her friends (except for Jacob of course), and can't sleep without the nightmares breaking into her head. But Jake seems to warm her and save her from herself, so Bella spends a lot of time with him and in return Jacob falls in love with her. Ouch. Also, when Bella cliff dives, Edwards "sister" (and Bella's Best Friend) sees her future - that's her special vamp power, Edwards is mind reading- and thinks she just jumping off a cliff to kill herself. Word spreads to Edward, who fled to Italy, and Edward decides to go to the Vulturi (the royal "rulers" that inforce vampire laws) and beg to die. When this doesn't work, he tries to exposes himself to humans and almost get himself and Bella killed when Alice finds Bella after 6+ months and brings her to Italy to save Edward.
So that's the scoop. Now I'm onto a coupla books including the 3rd book, Eclipse.

Anatidaephobia is the fear that somewhere in the world, there is a duck watching you.

Love, Lizzy S.

95 books down, 141 days to go!

93 books down, 144 days to go!

2010-03-27T06:25:00.001-07:00

HEY ALL!
I finished three books, sorry I haven't blogged in so long!
The first book I finished is called The Body Finder.
The Body Finder is a book about a girl named Violet and her best friend/ boyfriend Jay. Violet hears rhythms coming off of people responsible for the deaths of others, and she hears the same rhythm coming off of the person dead. In this book she is trying to find out the killer of some local girls, and finds herself stuck. Now, even though she doesn't know it at first, the killer is after her.

I also finished Heist Society by Ally Carter. This book is about a girl named Kat Bishop who has grown up in a family of thieves, master thieves. So when she scams her way into a boarding school (a very fancy boarding school- best in the country) she hopes to leave her old life behind, but things don't work out to well. You see, Hale, one of Kat's friends and co-thieves, shows up saying a famous piece of art has been stolen in a way that only a master thieve could pull off. And Kat's dad is the suspect list. So she and her teenage group of soon-to-be thieves decided to steal it back. I liked this book and would read the second one if one comes out.

Lastly I finished The Den of Shadows- which counts as four books because it's four novel in one book! This one took a while.
In the Forests of the Night
Three hundred years ago Risika had a family—a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.
Demon in My View
Jessica isn’t your average high school student—she’s an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination—right?
Shattered Mirror
Christopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he’s actually a vampire who’s sworn off human blood and she’s an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren’t enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.
Midnight Predator
Once a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she’ll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .
Sorry, one this last one I had to copy the review from Barnes And Nobel because I would go on forever reviewing each single book.

The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

Love, Lizzy S.

93 books down, 144 days to go!

87

2010-03-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

87 books down, baby! Mhmmm I finished Animal Farm by George Orwell. This book was uhmm okay I don't think it's anything special but the mirror on communism was very clever and I enjoyed finding parallels. So, that's officially 87 books now and we are really really behind. Yeah, basically we aren't going to meet out deadline. What do you think? Should we move the date by a month or 2 or stick with it and just fail miserably. Decisions, decisions. Well see ya latah!
~Zow

BTW MORE BOOKS ARE COMING WE HAVE STANDARDIZED TESTING THIS WEEK SO THATS PLENTY OF TIME TO READ.

ANY GOOD BOOKS?

86 books dow, 151 days to go!

2010-03-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hey! I finished Kiss my Book by Jamie Michaels. In this book
Ruby Crane, 15, is becoming a star, and fast. She is the most popular kid at Frasier High for many reason, including the facts that she has a handsome boyfriend, just got her book she had written called The Heart Stealer published, and had received a movie deal for her book. Ruby is soon going to be a Junior in HS and she is ready for NYC as a writer. But every buzz has to die eventually. While in on TV she is accused of plagiarizing from another hit YA book. And the proof is undeniably good.

Soon her best friend and boy friend stop contacting her and the media won't leave her alone, hungry for the truth. And Ruby has to get away. So she disappears from the limelight just like that, and meets some people who really care for her along the way.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

Love, Lizzy S.
86 books dow, 151 days to go!

85 books down, 152 days to go.

2010-03-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hey! I also forgot to blog about two more books I read. One is called Airhead by Meg Cabot, the other one Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (the sequel to Airhead). Airhead is about a girl named Emerson Watts, Em, who dies and her brain get put into Nikki's body (Nikki had also died... in the same place at the same time.. hmmm), a famous super model.

In the second book Em/Nikki's best friend from before they accident who she is in love with finds out who she is and is determined to find out why the TV at the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening fell on her. It turns out Nikki was killed by the company and killed Em to replace her, since Nikki had learned too much about the company (that happens to be Evil). I can't wait for the next one!!!

The poison arrow frogs of South and Central America are the most poisonous animals in the world.

Love, Lizzy S.

85 books down, 152 days to go!

2010-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

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