March Wrap-Up & Missed Monday Meme

Work has been very busy this week, so here's a quick update while I'm thinking on it:

BOOKS READ IN MARCH:  (4)
Contact- Carl Sagan
Persuasion- Jane Austen
The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde
Coraline- Neil Gaiman

REVIEWS IN MARCH:  (3)
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
11/22/63- Stephen King

And now for the (belated) Monday meme:

Read This Week:  (1)
Coraline- Neil Gaiman
I loved his use of language and the mood he created was eerie and fascinating.  Some of the story was a bit "meh" for me.  I think I would have liked it better if I had the opportunity to read it as a child.

Currently Reading:  (2)
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
Technically a re-read this time with an unabridged edition.

My Life- Bill Clinton

Reviews This Week:
11/22/63- Stephen King

Next to Read:
It will probably be a week or two before I can finish Count of Monte Cristo, so I won't decide that now and let spontaneity take over :)

February Wrap-Up Post

The following is a transcript from an actual conversation with myself in my head:

ME:  You know, today is March 8th.
MYSELF:  *checks date on watch* Yes, it is.
ME:  I should probably post a February wrap-up post.
MYSELF:  *scratches head*  But, I thought you did?!
ME:  No, I don't think so.  I've been behind on reviews and I posted a couple of those in the last couple of weeks but no, I don't think I got around to a February wrap-up.
MYSELF:  *scrolls through Blogger post history*  You're right.
ME:  Boy, Myself, you really have a knack for doing actions in between asterisks
MYSELF:  *tries to cover up fact that I'm blushing*

Okay...enough of that.  I feel like I have a split personality...or an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other like in cartoons.  I really don't.  I just have a very wacky sense of humour.

Read:  (4)
The Girl Who Played With Fire- Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- Stieg Larsson
Pygmalion- George Bernard Shaw
Shameless Explotation in Pursuit of the Common Good- Paul Newman & A.E. Hotchner

Reviews:  (2)
Life Itself- Roger Ebert (B)
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume (A)

December & January Wrap-Up

So...it's been a crazy couple of months, but hopefully February will start the ball rolling for a smooth 2012.  If the past month is any indication of what the year will bring...yikes!

So...I neglected to post a wrap-up for the month of December, but maybe this will make my microscopic reading progress in January look better if I put them beside last month :D

So...*okay, that's enough of that*

DECEMBER
Read:  (4)
Bag of Bones- Stephen King (A+)
The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History- John Ortved (B)
Life Itself- Roger Ebert
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

Reviews:  (6; see 2 above)
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas (A+)
The Old Man & the Sea- Ernest Hemingway (A)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter- Carson McCullers (A)
It- Stephen King (A)

JANUARY
Read:  (3)
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
11/22/63- Stephen King

Reviews:  (1)
Emma- Jane Austen

November Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

*It's beginning to look a lot like...you know*

Read This Month:  (2)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter- Carson McCullers
It- Stephen King (just finished it last night...almost 1100 pages, whew!)

Currently Reading:  (3)
Bag of Bones- Stephen King--starting this today; I must be on a King fix!
U2 by U2- U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.)--set aside for now; will return to it
My Life- Bill Clinton--will eventually return to

Reviews This Month:  (2)
An Exaltation of Larks- James Lipton (A)
The Stand- Stephen King (A)

Other Bookish Things:
I made plans for these 2012 challenges:
Mixing It Up
What's in a Name 5
New Authors
Outdo Yourself
Back to the Classics

Year-to-Date:  (51)  (actually 53, but some reviews are backlogged...again)

October Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Read This Month:  (5)
Teacher Man- Frank McCourt
(reviews coming soon for these)
An Exaltation of Larks- James Lipton
The Stand- Stephen King
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
The Old Man & the Sea- Ernest Hemingway

...and 4 DNFS!

Other Reviews This Month:  (4)
Night- Elie Wiesel (A+)
Sense & Sensibility- Jane Austen (A) (I also saw the movie--fantastic!)
Paul Simon: A Life- Marc Eliot (B)
Pet Sematary- Stephen King (A)

Year-to-Date:  (49)

P.S.  I forgot to list the reviews I did in September, so that's been edited on the September wrap-up post :)

September Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Yikes, that was a fast month!  You can still see my August wrap-up post on my blog's main page :D  I'll make this a quick post and get caught up on those reviews.

Read This Month:  (4)
Pet Sematary- Stephen King
Paul Simon: A Life- Marc Eliot
Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris
Sense & Sensibility- Jane Austen

Reviews This Month:  (3)
American on Purpose- Craig Ferguson
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne
Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll
Year-to-Date:  (44)

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

July Monthly Wrap-Up, YTD & Monday Meme Catch-Up

Once again, my apologizes for being absent this week.  Here's how it is:  August, how I both loathe & adore you--one month closer to the end of summer vacation, yet one month closer to an exciting new school year, a clean slate of teaching...and the possibility of a full-time classroom job *crossing fingers*

My July course is over (whew!) and I've had flexible time to read some great books, including finishing up the Harry Potter series (that was an awesome ride!), so I'm now getting caught up on my reviews. I'm behind 5 books...eek!

I also saw the first 5 HP movies. I started with seeing the first 2 on ABC then I couldn't wait and rented the next 3 on demand. They were so fun--I especially liked how the second movie seemed better than the book.  And (*spoiler alert*) I loved the part in Prisoner of Azkaban where Snape protects Harry, Ron & Hermione, which made me sympathize with him even more. And how terrificly evil was Imelda Staunton as Prof. Umbridge in Order of the Phoenix? My on-demand channel didn't have Half-Blood Prince (grrr...) so I have to wait & see if it comes on soon, then the 2-part Deathly Hallows movies.

So, back to books, here's what I read in July:

Books Read This Month: (6)
The Giver- Lois Lowry (B)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J.K. Rowling (A)
...and reviews coming soon for:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- J.K. Rowling (A)
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling (A)
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling (A+)
The Gunslinger (Dark Tower series, #1)- Stephen King (C)

I'll post my top 10 HP list as promised once I get the last three reviews up!

Other Reviews This Month:  (1)
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

Books Read So Far in 2011: (35)--which means that I surpassed my Outdo Yourself challenge mark!


Seeing as I missed Monday's meme, here's an up-to-date post:

Read This Week: (2)
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling (A+)
The Gunslinger (Dark Tower series, #1)- Stephen King (C)--ahhh, thank goodness I finished this! I was getting worried.  Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with this one :(

Currently Reading: (2)
As much as I should pick up a challenge book, a few appear to be downers, so I needed to cleanse my reading palate with something light & fun before dipping into them.

American on Purpose- Craig Ferguson- I love his show! His sense of humour is brilliant compared with other talk show hosts and is more genuine, not so phoney-baloney like other talk show hosts. Very funny memoir so far...not that I expect it to get worse! :P

My Life- Bill Clinton--how does that Aerosmith song go?  "Same old story, same old song & dance"

Other Reviews Written This Week:
None, I'm behind by 5 books :(

Next to Read:
I'm going to try The Boy With the Striped Pyjamas next, then probably Night.  I had forgotten that I chose two books about the Holocaust.  I'm prepared for a sobfest.

Upcoming Event!
It's also 5 days until my one-year blogoversary. I'm sorry I can't finagle a giveaway but I will ask you all to share a book title with a special purpose in the comments. Stay tuned for a post...

Cheers!

June Monthly Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Here's to June and the jumpstart to a summer of reading!

Books Read This Month:  (4)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling (A) (for fun)
A Short History of Nearly Everything- Bill Bryson (A) (for What's in a Name 4 Challenge)
Film Flam- Larry McMurtry (C) (for fun)
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (A+) (for Back to the Classics Challenge)--review coming soon

Other Books Reviewed This Month: (2)
Night Shift- Stephen King (for Stephen King Challenge) (A)--finished in May

Currently Reading: (2)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J.K. Rowling (for fun)
My Life- Bill Clinton (for fun)

Books Read So Far in 2011: (29)
*DNFs don't count in this total

How was your reading in the month of June?

Monthly Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Wow, is it time for this already?  Summer must be on its way because my posts have been few and far-between, but my reading totals are looking promising and all challenges seem to be on track...except my poor Back to the Classics Challenge progress bar which I need to get a move on.

Last month, I had a dismal total of 2 books read, the first eating up nearly 3 weeks of time to finish.  May was my "getting back on track" month.  Here's the round-up:

Books Read This Month:  (4)
Rebecca- Daphne du Maurier (for fun) (A)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams (for 1st in a Series challenge) (A)
The Stone Diaries- Carol Shields (for What's in a Name 4 Challenge) (B)
Night Shift- Stephen King (for Stephen King Challenge) (A)--review coming soon

Other Books Reviewed This Month: (2)
The Cider House Rules- John Irving (for fun)--finished in April (B)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J.K. Rowling (for fun)--finished in April (A)

Currently Reading:  (3)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling (for fun)
A Short History of Nearly Everything- Bill Bryson (for What's in a Name 4 Challenge)
My Life- Bill Clinton (for fun)

Books Read So Far in 2011: (25)
*DNFs don't count in this total

How was your reading in the month of May?

Monthly Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Boy, that was a fast month!  Thanks to my week off for spring break, I got more reading done this month than last and only second to January (thanks to the Xmas break).  Here's the breakdown:

Books Read This Month (7)--click titles for reviews
Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides (A)
Oprah: A Biography- Kitty Kelley (B)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia series, #1) (A)
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury (A+)
A is For Alibi- Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone series, #1) (A)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone- J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series, #1) (A+)
Misery- Stephen King (A)

Other Books Reviewed This Month (0)
*Retro reviews (for books I've read prior to starting my book blog) are all caught up.

Currently Reading (2)
The Cider House Rules- John Irving
My Life- Bill Clinton

Books Read So Far in 2011 (18)
*DNFs don't count

February Wrap-Up & Year to Date

Boy, with just 28 days, February sure goes by fast!  I was a bit busier with work this month than last but for the shortest month of the year, it wasn't that bad.  Here are my book stats for the month & YTD:

Books Read This Month (4)--click titles for reviews:
Wonder Boys- Michael Chabon
Rabbit, Run- John Updike (for 1st in a Series challenge, 1/6)
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini (for Back to the Classics challenge, 1/8)
A Twist of Lemmon- Chris Lemmon

Other Books Reviewed This Month (8 + 4 above= 12)
Retro reviews of:
The Stone Angel- Margaret Laurence
The Silence of the Lambs- Thomas Harris
Bridget Jones's Diary- Helen Fielding
I Am Charlotte Simmons- Tom Wolfe
Mystic River- Dennis Lehane
Where the Heart Is- Billie Letts
The Accidental Tourist- Anne Tyler
Deception Point- Dan Brown

Currently Reading (2)
Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides
My Life- Bill Clinton

Books Read So Far in 2011:  (11)
(DNFs don't count)

January Wrap-Up & Year to Date

Overall, I had a great month, owing mostly to a slow working month.  Substitute teachers aren't much in demand for a couple of weeks following the holidays, but thankfully things are picking up now.

Here are my book stats for January:

Books Read This Month (8)--click titles for reviews
This Time Together- Carol Burnett (1/6- What's in a Name 4 Challenge)
Full Dark, No Stars- Stephen King (1/6- Stephen King Challenge)
Water For Elephants- Sara Gruen
Earth (The Book)- Jon Stewart & staff of The Daily Show
Atonement- Ian McEwan
Slaughterhouse-Five- Kurt Vonnegut (DNF)
Cloris: My Autobiography- Cloris Leachman
A Prayer For Owen Meany- John Irving (review is coming soon)

Other Books Reviewed This Month (9 + 7 above= 16)
The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver
Last Words- George Carlin
84 Charing Cross Road- Helene Hanff
The Shining- Stephen King
The Dead Zone- Stephen King
The Green Mile- Stephen King
Cell- Stephen King
Girl, Interrupted- Susanna Kaysen
What's It All About?- Michael Caine

Currently Reading (2)
Wonder Boys- Michael Chabon
My Life- Bill Clinton

Books Read So Far in 2011:  7
(DNFs don't count)

For those of you posting a monthly summary, how was your January?

Monthly Wrap-Up & Year-to-Date

Wow, I can't believe it's nearing the end of 2010.  For some reason, this month in particular went by super fast!  Work tended to pick up this month to an average of 3-4 days a week, so it was harder to squeeze reading time in during the week and to boot, the last 2 weeks were inundated with technology hookups for early Xmas gifts at home and a bit of illness.  Okay...excuses aside, here's the somewhat disappointing breakdown:

Books Read This Month (2)--click titles for reviews
Her Fearful Symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger
The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood

Book Reviews Posted (8)
When the Bough Breaks- Jonathan Kellerman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey
Audacity of Hope- Barack Obama
In Her Shoes- Jennifer Weiner
The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger
About a Boy- Nick Hornby

Currently Reading (3)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson--up to page 250
My Life- Bill Clinton--up to page 250
Love, Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli--up to page 50

Books Read in 2010 So Far (32)


I have a nice long holiday break from December 17th to January 3rd, so I'm hoping to get lots more reading time in there.  Hopefully I'll have Dragon Tattoo nearly finished by the break :D

For those of you posting a monthly summary, how did you do?

Monthly Wrap-Up, YTD & Giveaway Reminder

The month of October was quite active (at least by my standards) and despite lots of work days clogging my reading agenda, it was a fruitful 31 days.  I read more & reviewed less (a reversal from last month).

Books Read This Month (3)--click titles for reviews
Under the Dome- Stephen King
Freedom- Jonathan Franzen
Pride & Prejudice- Jane Austen

Book Reviews Posted (9 posts, 44 books)
Woody Allen & Philosophy- Eds. Mark T. Conrad & Aeon J. Skoble
Ghosts of Mississippi- Maryanne Vollers
Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown
James Patterson books (21)
John Grisham books (15)
Story- Robert McKee

Books Currently Being Read (3)
Her Fearful Symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger--up to page 131
Love, Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli--up to page 51
My Life- Bill Clinton--up to page 244

Books Read in 2010 So Far (30)


Also, in celebration of my 50th follower milestone, I am hosting a giveaway open until November 13th.  The prize isn't tangible, but should be fun nonetheless.  Click here for details.  Hope you will participate :)

Happy Hallowe'en :D

Monthly Wrap-Up & Year to Date

This is a little late, but here's my September summary:

Books Read This Month (1)
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed & Other Lessons I've Learned- Alan Alda

Mediocre to say the least but in my defense, I have written 20 reviews this month:
The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold
One True Thing- Anna Quindlen
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat- Oliver Sacks
The World According to Garp- John Irving
The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time- Mark Haddon
K-PAX- Gene Brewer
The Book of Ruth- Jane Hamilton
The Mist- Stephen King
A Map of the World- Jane Hamilton
She's Come Undone- Wally Lamb
Lessons in Becoming Myself- Ellen Burstyn
Me- Katharine Hepburn
The Devil Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger
Marley & Me- John Grogan
My Life as a 10-Year Old Boy- Nancy Cartwright
Planet Simpson- Chris Turner
Different Seasons- Stephen King
My Autobiography- Charles Chaplin
Carrie- Stephen King
The Hours- Michael Cunningham

I still have lots of retro reads to post then it'll be up to me to tackle my current reads & get them reviewed expediently.  Probably won't post this many reviews a month again :oD

Books Currently Being Read (3)
My Life- Bill Clinton--approx. 245 pages
Pride & Prejudice- Jane Austen--approx. 55 pages
Under the Dome- Stephen King---approx. 375 pages

Books Read in 2010 (So Far) (27)

Monthly Wrap-Up & Year to Date

I'm just getting warmed up with book blogging, but here's a report of what I've read so far in August & the year 2010 to date (from what I can remember!).  Click the title links (if available) for my reviews.  I'll be retro-writing reviews on these & other books I've read in the past when I can.  It's fun to recall how much reading has been accomplished.  I hope my numbers go up!

Books Read This Month (5)
On Writing- Stephen King
Wishful Drinking- Carrie Fisher
The Bear That Came Over the Mountain- Alice Munro
The Book of Ruth- Jane Hamilton
One True Thing- Anna Quindlen

Other Books Read in 2010 (So Far) (21)
The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
The World According to Garp- John Irving
The Man Who Mistook his Wife For a Hat- Oliver Sacks
My Autobiography- Charles Chaplin
The Hours- Michael Cunningham
Julie & Julia- Julie Powell
About a Boy- Nick Hornby
Me- Katharine Hepburn
Lessons in Becoming Myself- Ellen Burstyn
She’s Come Undone- Wally Lamb
My Life So Far by Jane Fonda
Don’t Tell Dad by Peter Fonda
What Falls Away by Mia Farrow
Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder
Girl, Interrupted- Susanna Kaysen
What’s It All About- Michael Caine