August Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Summer, summer...where did you go?!  As much as the summer is great for relaxing and catching up on things (like sleep!), the fall season brings about a feeling of refreshment for me--a new school year and an exhilarating push to read even more!

I'm happy to report that I've officially finished the What's in a Name 4 challenge and have surpassed my goal for the Outdo Yourself challenge.  I'm also just 1 book away from finishing the Back to the Classics (On the Road by Jack Kerouac) and Stephen King (The Stand--I'll probably need most of the winter holidays for this one!) challenges with just under 4 months left.  Hooray!  I've enjoyed participating in these challenges and it's motivated me to read books that I've passed up for too long.  Thanks again to all the hosts for your hard work :)

Now for my August stats...

Read This Month:  (5)
Not too shabby :)

American on Purpose- Craig Ferguson (B)--just reviewed today
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne (A+)--review coming soon
Night- Elie Wiesel (A+)--review coming soon
Born Standing Up- Steve Martin (A)--review coming soon
Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll (A+)--review coming soon

Reviews This Month:  (5)
The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde (A)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5)- J.K. Rowling (A)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6)- J.K. Rowling (A)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7)- J.K. Rowling (A+)
The Gunslinger (Dark Tower series, #1)- Stephen King (C)

I caught up on my backlog of reviews from July.  Now I'm behind by 5 books, all of August.  It's the same old story: more reading, less reviewing or more reviewing, less reading.  I think most of us would agree that reading trumps all :)

Year-to-Date:  (40)
I'm setting a goal for myself:  50 by December 31st at 11:59 p.m.  I think I can handle that :D