2010 Reading Challenge Block

So it's been a few weeks since I've finished a book.  I'm about a month behind in my reading challenge for 2010.  I hope after I feel moved in and my parents leave (they came down to help me move and I'm not wishing they would leave sooner) I'll be able to pick it back up.  I have 4 books I wanted to read.  The list keeps growing with every book blog I read. I'm still hoping for 50 in 2010.

Books I am reading or want to read:















1. Magic Kingdom for Sale. Sold!
One of my co-workers recommended this book to me.  Since we have similar tastes in most things I thought I would give it a try.  It's more fantasy style than I normally read, but so far so good.


2. MockingJay
My awesome friend Chris got me the Hunger Game series for my birthday this past week.  I read Hunger Games and Catching Fire earlier this year (but will be reading again) and I since I finished I have been looking forward to this book.  I may start with this one when I begin again.


3. One for the Money
I've been hearing about the Stephanie Plum series all year and it sounded interesting.  I finally bought it for my Kindle and am about 6 chapters in. I really like it!


4. Living Dead in Dallas
I really want to read the all of the Sookie Stackhouse books, but I'm having trouble getting into this one... and it's only the second book.  I think I trouble stems from  True Blood.  When a book is transformed into a movie or tv show I like to read the book first.  I know the novels are different from the show and as I read this book I keep comparing it to the show and trying to remember what happened into compared to the book.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Jones Soda

The last thing I need is more stuff to clutter up shelves, but these are awesome and I want them. 

[caption id="attachment_395" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Jones Soda Buffy edition"][/caption]

 

Wouldn't they look so nice next to my Buffy boxed set?  (And they are limited edition!) You can order them at the Jones Soda website.  Feel free to gift me a set.

Quick Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I don't know if this book can really be reviewed quickly, but here I go...

Even though this wasn't my typical type of novel I enjoyed it.  To be honest it took me awhile to get into it.  The first few chapters seem so scattered and individual... it wasn't too interesting.  I told myself it was all for character development, since it's a trilogy, and I believe I was right.  Once the story really gets started it takes off.  The story telling is done in such a graphic way at some points that leads me to give you this advice: when you get near the middle don't eat dinner and read like I did. :p  Here is a brief synopsis from the author's website:

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago.
Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet’s disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness.
Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.

One thing that I don't think helped was reading the book via my Kindle.  The Vanger family is quite large and there is a family tree in the beginning of the book that I couldn't skip to easily (though right now I realized that maybe I could have set a bookmark for future reference).  My small brain had trouble remembering who was who, but it didn't seeem to really matter.   The story is not only about the Harriet Vanger mystery, but also goes into a scandal that Mikael is involved in.  To me, it was like two different stories... though the scandal is what allows Mikael to become part of the Vanger family mystery.  I don't want to give anything away, but once you get into it the story is compelling and difficult to put down (even though I read it over a three weeks).  I'm really looking forward reading the second book.

Comic Con 2010: Chuck Panel

Just sat through the Chuck panel at Comic Con.  It was great, as always.  The panel started out with a video flashback of scenes from the past season.  We found out who is playing Chuck and Ellie's mom (that's below to not spoil for those who don't want to know)... then The Ring took over.  The screens showed us images to turn us into intercets, but luckily Chuck and Morgan came to the rescue.  They decided the best way to stop The Ring from taking over again was to show a video.  And so we saw a Jeffster singing Bad Romance.  My love of Gaga and Jeffster was combined!  As the cast came out on stage they threw out NERD T-Shirts (I didn't get one).

Transcripts and videos of the panel are all over the net (and since I have a bad memory) I'll let you find those.  The video and panel lasted so long that there wasn't time for Q&A.  Zach Levi thanked the fans for their support before the cast left.

Some pics from the panel:

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**CASTING SPOILER BELOW!**

We learned that Chuck's mom will be played by Linda Hamilton.

Quick Review: The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives

The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown follows the life of Lyssa Harper and her fellow residents of the exclusive and privileged Paradise Heights community.   Here is a synopsis from the publisher's website:

Suburbia is a jungle, filled with lots of vicious creatures.

Take the Paradise Heights Women’s League board. Lyssa Harper should have warned golden-haired DILF du jour Harry Wilder what he was getting into when she invited him to meet the mommies who run their suburban, gated community. At least he brought cupcakes. Since meeting the former Master-of-the-Universe turned stay-at-home single dad, Lyssa has been his domestic Sherpa, teaching him the ins and outs of suburban life. She just didn’t realize her friends would show up at his house unannounced with casseroles, leopard-print bikini briefs, and plans to rearrange his kitchen cabinets.

The truth is, if Harry and his wife, the neighborhood’s "perfect couple," can call it quits, what does that mean for everyone else? Lyssa’s husband, Ted, is a great father, but he pays her Pilates-pumped momtourage more attention than he does his own wife. Her friends gossip about the neighbors while ignoring their own problems: infertility, infidelity, and eating disorders.

When Harry sets boundaries with his new fan club, he is exiled from the neighborhood’s in-clique. But Lyssa refuses to snub him. What she never expects is the explosive impact her ongoing friendship with Harry will have on her close-knit pals—and on her marriage.

I found this book to be a fun summer read.  I'm not too ashamed to admit that I love me some Real Housewives tv shows... and this book falls along the same vein.  (This is also the first book I have read with praise from Jackie Collins on the cover... so there you go).  While the story mainly follows Lyssa, you also get to know the other residents of her commuity.  I really like Lyssa as a main character.  She has heart and a good head on her shoulders.  It's easy to see how she has gotten into a life that she's not 100% thrilled with (haven't we all be there one time or another).   If you are looking for something fun and quick for the beach... this would be a good choice.

Quick Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is the story of  Lennie, a seventeen year old girl, who is coming to terms with the loss of her older sister and moving on with her life while falling in love for the first time.  Here is the synopsis from the the author's website:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery sister Bailey.  But when Bailey dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, finds herself struggling to balance two.  Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own.  Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent.  For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it.  But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

I really enjoyed this book.  It is a sweet story with characters, though quirky and at times a little over the top, you could see in your own life.  I like the additional use of storytelling through Lennie's notes/poems throughout the book.  The notes were additional insight to her mind and where she was at in the grieving process.  Most of the love stories in YA novels annoy me due to the quick and unnatural pace of the relationship, but in this novel you can see the progression and understand why the young love birds become connected to each other.  If you are in the mood for a story that tackles some real life issues without being overly serious you'll enjoy this story.

Pac-Man Google Banner

Today's Google banner not only looks awesome, but you can play it!  Happy 30th birthday Pac-Man! 

Playable Google Pac-Man banner

 Notice the "I feel lucky" button was changed to "Insert Coin"