Home Front

Author: Kristen Hannah

Goodreads Rating: 4.07

My Rating: 3 Stars

Length: 15 hours (384 Pages)

This was an advanced reader CD that I got to listen to. This was stepping slightly out of my comfort zone since I wouldn't ordinarily have been attracted to this story line, but I listened to it all the same. This book hits stores January 31!

Synopses from Goodreads.com:

In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war. 

All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.

Review with spoilers after the jump!

Top 10 Favorites

There is no way that I could limit my favorite books to just five. In fact, its hard to even limit it to a top 10. There are so many books spanning so many genre's and years and authors, all of those factors made picking just 10 that made a lasting impression that much harder.

Here's the list:

The Mercy of Thin Air
By Ronlyn Domingue

This was one of those finds that happens by luck. I picked this book up from the bargain section in my mothers store and it happened to be one of those books that reaches out to you and makes you feel. Taking place split between the 1920s and present days, we learn two different stories about two different women from two different times; one of them has a tragic love affair, the other is trying to figure out who she really is. I read this in high school



Life of Pi
By Yann Martel

I wish that I had not waited several months to read this book and that I had read it instead of listening to it. I picked up this book because it was touted as an amazing book, and I decided I would read it. It sat on my shelf for a very long time until I found the audiobook at the library. I think that listening to it may have made me like it a little more because the narrators accent made it more authentic, but regardless, I would have been grabbed at the beginning when Pi started to talk about zoology and sloths.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
By Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows

As a lover of historical fiction, this book was recommended to me by a friend at Barnes and Noble. Although it has been years since I read it, the story of how World War Two affected a small island off of England. The book is written in part as letters going back and forth until our humble narrator Juliet travels there herself and falls in love with this island and its inhabitants. It is yet another gushy historical fiction.



Sarah's Key
By Tatiana De Rosnay

This is one of those books that could make you cry the whole way through. Focused around a little known event that happened in France during the Holocaust, the story of a little Jewish girl named Sarah is uncovered by a reporter named Julia. Knowing that this has to do with Holocaust and deals with a child is enough to bring tears to someone's eyes. I had it sitting on my shelf for a year, but dreaded reading it because of the content. It turns out that I keep pushing off the best books.


Still Missing
By Chevy Stevens

This was the debut book by Chevy Stevens, and I keep waiting for her to release more. So far there have only been two, but Stevens has a clever hand when it comes to writing a good thriller. Rather than telling her books in a traditional narrative, they're told through therapy sessions as the women in these stories attempt to deal with whatever trauma it was that got them into therapy. In this particular book, Annie is a Real Estate Agent who is kidnapped by a psycho. While horrifying, this proves to be a book you won't put down.



Where the Heart Is
By Billie Letts

I saw the movie when I was younger and absolutely had to read the book when my mother told me that it was based on a book. This too is a book that its been a few years since I've read, but I think of it fondly. Where the Heart Is seems to be a polarizing book, but Oprah liked it for a reason, and so did I.

Still Alice
By Lisa Genova

This book was a more recent read. My mom gave me the ARC during summer 2011, and I read it in about three days. This book was another one of those books that opens your eyes to what other people are going through. This book is about a woman who was once a prominent professor at Harvard who finds out that she has Alzheimer's Disease. Heartbreaking and brutal, Genova was able to paint a clear picture of what happened as this disease worked through her.



One Pink Line
By Dina Silver

I won this book as part of Goodreads Giveaways and I'm so glad that I did. The premise of the book is that an unplanned pregnancy has the potential to derail the love of a lifetime. This was Silver's debut book, and it was a great one at that. The characters were real and it is a situation that has happened before in life. When I read the synopses I knew that this was the type of book I would love, and it was a fairly quick read.

PS. I Love You
By Cecelia Ahern

I have talked about this book several times mostly because when I think of a book bringing me to tears, this is one where I couldn't stop crying. Ahern is able to provoke those emotions by putting you in a situation you pray you will never be in. The entire book is an emotional rollercoaster, and I think there is a reason that it was turned into a (not as great as the book) movie. I am a huge fan of all of her works but I think this one is by far her best.



Far From Here
By Nicole Baart

Since I just reviewed this book I don't think that I need to go into a lot of detail, but this book is just like PS I Love You because it puts you in that position where you imagine "What would I do if that happened to my significant other?" and lets be honest, that is a painful place to let your mind wander. This is a great book to figure out when is the right time to let go and when you're carrying a torch that has long since been extinguished. You can read my more in depth review Here.

A Game of Thrones

Author: George R.R. Martin
Goodreads rating: 4.41/5
My rating: 4.5/5
Pages: 835
Reviewed by: Amy







Synopsis from Goodreads.com: 

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King's new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens. The first volume in George Martin's series.

Review after the jump.

Why Audiobooks Aren't as Bad as You Think

I can distinctly remember going to the community pool with my aunt and my two younger cousins. I must have been in my early teens and we were talking about books since I've been a book worm my whole life. Back then e-readers weren't even a thought and I had so much time, all I did was read. While we talked about books, my aunt mentioned how she had started to listen to audiobooks since she was so busy. I will admit I scoffed at the idea of listening to a book. Why listen to it when you can just sit and read?

Needless to say I grew up, I took on more responsibility, I was busier, and I started to drive. I had plenty of time to read books until I started college, and thats when I almost stopped reading for leisure. Then, the summer after my freshman year, I got my first audiobook. Since then I've been listening to them on long car rides and while I drive and work out.

There are five reasons why I think audiobooks are good for people that are too busy to sit down and take the time to read. See if any of these fit your needs, then maybe you should consider using audiobooks.

1. They're great for long car rides.
When you're listening to music every so often you get a song you don't want to listen to, and so you pick up your iPod and change the song. Recently, there has been a flood of new laws called the "Distracted Driving Law" which states use of a handheld device is illegal. While most people assume that this only pertains to cellphones, it could potentially spread to iPods as well. With an audiobook all you need to do is hit play and listen.

2. They're great for multitasking.
If you need to do anything else, but all you really want to do is read, you can listen to it instead. Making dinner, cleaning the house, painting, working out, or doing anything else while your hands are otherwise pre-occupied. This way, you get to finish a book all while doing things you may have done in silence.

3. You can put them on your iPod.
No need to only listen to them in the car when you can put them on your iPod. By being able to transfer them over to easily, you're able to do so much more with your audiobooks. I have two different iPods, a new one that I use for music and an older one that I listen to my audiobooks on, that way I can have my music when I want it without having to hear random bits of my audiobook in the middle of it.


4. You can get them from the library.
One big downside to audiobooks is that they can be very expensive, sometimes ranging from $30-$50 to listen to a book that could have otherwise cost you far less. However, just as the library is a great source for regular books, the library is also great for audiobooks as well. Not only that but through my library, Ramapo Catskill Library System, I can get them right offline without having to go into the library to take them out. These books can also be really cheap through websites like half.com and amazon where they are selling used and sometimes brand new copies for as low as .75 cents.


5. You can revisit a book through audio and have it brought to life.
Just before the last Harry Potter movie was released, I wanted to re-read it so that all the details of what happened in that book would be fresh in my mind as I watched the movie. As we all know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is not a book you pick up for light reading so instead I got the audiobook from my library and I listened to it. Not only did I get to revisit a favorite, while getting to read other books at the same time, I was able to have the story come to life through the narration of Jim Dale, who is a great reader.

Audiobooks can be great even if you're just listening to them occasionally. If you have found yourself in a reading slump and need to find a way to bring the joy of books back into your life, audiobooks might be the way to go. Even if you listen to one book a month, you may find thats more than you've been able to read in a long time.

Robopocalypse

Author: Daniel Wilson
Goodreads Rating: 3.56
My Rating: 4/5
Pages: 347


I saw this book over the summer in a paper talking about summer reads and I knew that I had to read it. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that I love all of those disaster, end of the world type of books and movies; I even liked 2012 the movie. So when I saw a book about a robot apocalypse, I was all over that. Sadly, I hate hardcover, so I was bound to wait to get to read this book anyway. I got it from my library for my Nook only three days ago. That quick of a read.


Synopses from Goodreads:


In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late. 

When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.


My review after the jump!

Under The Dome

Author: Stephen King

Goodreads Rating: 3.83

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Pages: 1072

Reviewed by: Amy

Synopses from Goodreads.com:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

Review with spoilers after the jump!

Happy One Month!

I am so proud that I get to write this post about my first month as a blogger. My biggest fear was that I would never keep up with having a blog and that I would let it fall by the wayside as my life got busy. While it is only the first month, I think that its a huge milestone, and so long as I know I have people relying on me, I'll always be able to keep up for you guys!

In one month I have reviewed 12 books, read 10 books this year, and I have over 500 page views! The only way from there is up right? I am so grateful to know that there are people who regularly read my blog, and people that check in on it from time to time. When I first started to write my blog, I thought of it more as a pet project for myself, something that I always wanted to do, but would be more for myself than other people. But a few days ago, I found out I was wrong, that the people I cared about and called my friends told me they loved my blog, that it looked fancy and I found out some even joined Blogger to be able to follow my blog. I nearly cried (Which I need to stop doing so long as you work with me).

With 9 followers, I'm hoping that I can only make those number swell in the next eleven months, and I will be able to celebrate being live for one year with all of you. Thank you, all of you, for encouraging my blog, sharing it and most importantly reading it. I'm hoping that I can do big things (maybe even a giveaway or two!) on here and that you will set your own reading goals and realize that even when life is crazy, there is always time for a good book.

So go out and celebrate my fellow book lovers! Eat a cookie or maybe a cupcake, and celebrate the small things in life.

A Warm Welcome

In the coming weeks, real life is going to be pulling me away from my reading and therefore away from you. In an effort to not only provide you with a steady stream of reviews as well as more of a variety of books, I have asked one of my good friends to help contribute to my blog, and here she is:

Helloooooooooo. My name is Amy and I am a college graduate who fills her free time between school work and teaching by reading. I started out hating books but thanks to reading teachers I had throughout my early childhood, by middle school you wouldn't see me without a book somewhere. One of my favorite things about reading is talking about the books I read with other people. 

I am a big fan of romance (mostly paranormal), young adult, dystopian fiction and a plethora of other random books that catch my attention. You'll catch me sometimes going outside of my comfort zone with books. But, I am widely open to suggestions! 


All posts will be made by yours truly (Nicole) unless otherwise indicated. Since Amy also has a Kindle, you can expected a review on what it is like being a kindle owner and how she likes it as well as other posts about reading made by her.

The Pregnancy Project

Author: Gaby Rodriguez
Goodreads Rating: 3.67
My Rating: 3/5
Pages: 320

I can never seem to make a dent in my "to read" bookshelf because of one person, my mother. She goes to work, and then comes home with books that she tells me I should read, and what do I do as a good daughter? I read them (Take out the trash? Who does that....). She brought this one home a few days ago and my first thought was that it should go to my sisters classroom because she teaches high school, after reading this book, i was convinced this book should be in every high school classroom.

Synopses from Goodreads.com:

It started as a school project…but turned into so much more. 

Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process. 

In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.


My review after the jump!

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.40
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pages: 487 pages


This book has been blowing up my recommendations page and just happened to be another book club book. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to stomach another YA Dystopian book, It would appear that this type of writing has taken off lately, between the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Shatter Me, and a whole host of other series that are centered around the idea that the world is going to change in the future. Clearly I was pleased with this book, and think that there are actually a lot of lessons that could be learned in this book.


Synopses from Goodreads:


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her. 

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


My review after the jump!

One For The Money

Author: Janet Evanovich
Goodreads Rating: 3.98
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pages: 320
Movie Release: January 27, 2012

I picked up this book because I know that the movie was coming out and I enjoy a good crime book. This was the first in a series of 15 so far (Explosive Eighteen just came out in 2011) with another sub series about our favorite New Jersey Bounty Hunter. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with having seen the trailer, but I had Katherine Heigl’s New Jersey accent reading this story in my head the whole time. Since I got this book on my Nook, I had the option of buying it in a pack with the second two and saving $5 and I really regret not having done that since I know I’m going to be reading the next 14 books.

Synopses from Goodreads.com:

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

My review after the jump!

Mr. Churchill's Secretary

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Goodreads rating: N/A
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Pages: 349
Release Date: April 2012


I won this book as part of the Goodreads giveaways, and I'm sorry, but this is going to be another book that you won't get your hands on until it is released in April. This book will be a favorite for any fan of historical fiction, World War Two, or a spunky female lead. As a person who loves history, I appreciated all of MacNeal's fact checking, since the story was based in WW2 era England, she seemed spot on with her representation of what living in England was like during that time.


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


Heralding the arrival of a brilliant new heroine, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary captures the drama of an era of unprecedented challenge—and the greatness that rose to meet it.

London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.

Ensnared in a web of spies, murder, and intrigue, Maggie must work quickly to balance her duty to King and Country with her chances for survival. And when she unravels a mystery that points toward her own family’s hidden secrets, she’ll discover that her quick wits are all that stand between an assassin’s murderous plan and Churchill himself.

In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character,  Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel.


My review after the jump!

Goodreads.com

If you haven't noticed, in nearly every post, I mention a website called Goodreads, whether it be winning free books or getting the synopses and rating from this website. I tell everyone I know who loves books that this is the best website and if you aren't already a member, I'm going to tell you more about this website that has amplified my love of reading.

Giveaways

This is one of my favorite parts of this website. Although there are so many people on the website, and so many books to enter to win, you still manage to win once in awhile. Since I became a member at the beginning of November, I've entered 270 giveaways and won three books; One Pink Line, 9 Miracles, and the latest is Mr. Churchill's Secretary. I don't discriminate much when I enter, but I have heard of people that limit themselves to specific genre's so they win less often. Since I like to push my boundaries, I'll try anything, and I'll enter a lot of different giveaways. 9 Miracles was not the type of story that I would ordinarily read, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. In my opinion, its free for you and while it's not required to review, it is recommended.



Bookshelves
When you register for your account you have 3 bookshelves; read, to read, and currently reading. To help with sorting the 700 books I've read, I created new bookshelves including, young adult, dystopian, memoirs, historical fiction, among others. While this feature isn't that big, for someone with hundreds, nearly thousands of books, it makes it easy to sift through them and say "Yep, these are my favorites," or "Oh you want a recommendation for a historical fiction? Let me look through and see if I can find any" rather than going through pages and pages and pages of books.

Groups
This is also another fun part to the site because it gets you interacting with other people. I happen to be in about 7 groups that range from Book Buying Addicts Anonymous to Goodreads Feedback to Never Too Young for Young Adult. Many of these groups are also books clubs and discuss a book of the month. I'm not glued to the discussion groups but I can see how you can be dragged into all the discussions. I personally like reading the books of the month although I only just started this month, it helps push me to read more and discuss what it is that I'm reading. These groups are also a great source of information when it comes to company rumors and tech support.

Reading Challenge

This too is a great motivator as far as pushing me to read more. As you can see, Ive set myself to the challenge of reading 150 books in the next year. So far I've read 5 books, and there is a message next to my bar stating "Great work, you're 2 books (1%) ahead" making me feel great about how much I'm reading. It also tells you when you've fallen behind and how many books you need to get back on pace. It also tells you when you've surpassed your goal.

Recommendations
I don't use this feature all that much lately because I have too many books in my possession and on my list to read that I try not to look at my recommendations. What this page does is say "You like these types of books, try these" and not only that but it will recommend books based on the different shelves that you've categorized. It's not the most accurate but it is just going based on the types of books and content, but there are plenty of good books that you can find from it because it doesn't just recommend bestsellers and popular authors but it recommends some of the obscure books and authors.

Choice Awards

Another fun part that is more interactive is the Goodreads Choice Awards. This past year, the three rounds of voting started October 31 and ended on November 30. The first round started with 15 selections with the ability to "write in" nominations, the second round selected 5 of those write ins to becomes nominees and the final round narrowed the nominees to 10. The best part about the Choice Awards was because not only did it also provide great recommendations but it also shows you what other people are reading. Several of the books on my "To-Read" list came from the choice awards.



Final Thoughts
This website has a lot to offer, and it has personally become my new facebook. I have good friends on this site and I continue to make friends on it without having to share all of my information. With the 2012 Challenge and group challenges, I am finding new books and more exciting ways to engage myself in reading.

Beautiful Disaster

Author: Jamie MacGuire
Goodreads Rating: 4.24/5
My Rating: 2/5 stars
Pages: 360 pages


This book was the type of book I would have loved in high school, but now I am older and wiser, and I was really displeased with this book. This book is a prime example of everything that is wrong with Young Adult fiction. MacGuire paints this dysfunctional relationship as the most normal thing ever. It took me about a day to devour this whole book, so it is a nice quick read. 


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.


My review and spoilers after the jump.

Top 5 Series

I have read a lot of books in my short 20 years without including every book that I've read, my Goodreads.com total of read books is 488. Of course, that includes children's books, but still book's that I've read. Some of them have made a huge impact on me and they're counted among my favorite books. Since its been a while since I've read some of them a while a go, I won't include a full blog post about them, but here are some of my top books. I've also decided that I'm going to do a separate post for individual books because series and individual books are so different.


The list after the jump!

The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye

Author: Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by: Tony Moore
Goodreads Rating: 4.25/5
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Pages: 144


I decided to read this graphic novel even though I am currently watching the show The Walking Dead, but when I was helping out at Barnes and Noble and I was wrapping presents, I found myself without a book to read, and my friend suggested this. At first I was going to wait until the show ended, but who knows how long that was going to be so I dove in and finished it in 30 minutes (with wrapping in between). It wasn't hard since I've been completely obsessed with zombies for the last few weeks.


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.


My review after the jump! Spoilers Ahead!

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.08/5
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Pages: 390


With the newfangled technology that is the Nook, I was able to buy Mockingjay as soon as I finished Catching Fire. On one hand I was super excited to jump right into the series, on the other hand, I wish I had more time to digest Catching Fire and enjoy the series more. A lot of comment about this book was that it wasn't nearly as good as the other books, but it was still an amazing book.


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.


My review after the jump!

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.39/5
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Pages: 391




I started reading this series over the summer and since I knew that I was going to be getting a Nook for Christmas, I decided to wait to keep reading the series because they were still in hardcover, and I don't like hardcovers. I knew that I was missing out by waiting, but patience is a virtue. I flew through this book in less than a week. Needless to say, I am not waiting to read the next book.


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster children for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol...


My Review after the jump!