February's books

Books read in February: 7
Books listened to in February: 3

Books:
9. "Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl" by Tracy Quan
10. "Stranger" by Megan Hart
11. "Bright Young Things" by Anna Godbersen (Bright Young Things #1)
12. "Anna and the French Kill" by Stephanie Perkins
13. "The Angel Experiment" by James Patterson (Maximum Ride #1)
14. "School's Out – Forever" by James Patterson (Maximum Ride #2)
15. "Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports" by James Patterson (Maximum Ride #3)

Audio Books:
6. "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins
7. "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments #1)
8. "City of Ashes" by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments #2)

Favorite Book
"Anna and the French Kiss" was freaking adorable!

January's books

Books read in January: 8
Books listened to in January: 5

Books:
1. "Playing With Fire" by Katie MacAlister (Silver Dragons #1)
2. "Up in Smoke" by Katie MacAlister (Silver Dragons #2)
3. "Me and My Shadow" by Katie MacAlister (Silver Dragons #3)
4. "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Sex and Science" by Mary Roach
5. "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson (Millennium #2)
6. "Happy Ever After" by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet #4)
7. "Forever" by Judy Blume
8. "Love in the Time of Dragons" by Katie MacAlister (Light Dragons #1)*

Audio Books:
1. "The Summoning" by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)
2. "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan
3. "Heart of the Matter" by Emily Giffin
4. "The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner (The Maze Runner #2)
5. "Mini Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic #6)


I read so many fabulous books in January, it's kind of difficult to pick a favorite. I am loving all of Katie MacAlister's dragon series and "Loving Frank" was really great, but I think the winner has to be "The Scorch Trials." The Maze Runner series is just amazing, and I recommend it to anyone who loved the Hunger Games. I'm on countdown for the last book in the trilogy to come out now.

* Please note, this is a spin-off series of a spin-off series. The actual first series is The Guardian series followed by the Silver Dragon series.

December's books

Books read in December: 6
Books listened to in December: 2

Books:
71. "Holy Smokes" by Katie MacAlister (Guardian #4)
72. "Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #1)
73. "Frostbite" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #2)
74. "Shadow Kiss" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #3)
75. "Blood Promise" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #4)
76. "Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #6)

Audiobooks:
37. "The Lady in the Tower" by Alison Weir
38. "Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #5)

I don't see myself getting anymore reading accomplished, so these are my stats for the year. Not as good as last years, but I'm okay with that.

In honor of the last Vampire Academy book coming out, I decided to reread the series before diving into the final book. I love this series, and the final book did not disappoint. Screw Team Edward, I'm Team Dimitri.

November's books

Books read in November: 6
Books listened to in November: 3

Books:
65. "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4)
66. "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #5)
67. "Crescendo" by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush Hush #2)
68. "You Slay Me" by Katie MacAlister (Guardian #1)
69. "Fire Me Up" by Katie MacAlister (Guardian #2)
70. "Light My Fire" by Katie MacAlister (Guardian #3)

Audiobooks:
34. "Morrigan's Cross" by Nora Roberts (Circle Trilogy #!)
35. "Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen
36. "The Heretic Queen" by Michelle Moran


Favorite book of November: "You Slay Me" by Katie MacAlister
Hello, new guilty pleasure. This series is fun and definitely sexy – everything a paranormal romance should be!

October's books

Books read in October: 6
Books listened to in October: 1

Books:
59. "The Naughty List" by Suzanne Young (The Naughty List #1)
60. "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1)
61. "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2)
62. "Burned" by PC Cast (House of Night #7)
63. "Torment" by Lauren Kate (Fallen #2)
64. "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3)

Audiobooks:
33. "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #7)


Favorite book: I was obsessed with the second Fallen book – "Torment." Usually, I'm not a huge fan of the second book in series, but I couldn't put this book down. It addresses so many questions I had about Luce's many past lives.

September's books

Books read in September: 4
Books listened to in September: 2

Books:
55. "The 8th Confession" by James Patterson (Women's Murder Club #8)
56. "The 9th Judgment" by James Patterson (Women's Murder Club #9)
57. "Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown" by Adena Halpern
58. "The Extras" by Scott Westerfeld (The Uglies #4)

Audiobooks:
31. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Sign of Seven #3)
32. "A Breathe of Snow and Ashes" by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #6)

Favorite book: I'm a sucker for the Outlander series, so "A Breathe of Snow and Ashes" definitely wins. If you haven't read this series and enjoy historical fiction – please read these books. They're super long, but rather amazing.

Biggest disappointment: Definitely "The Extras" – I wanted to like this book, because I enjoyed the rest of the series, but this book made me rather miserable.

July and August's books

Considering I only had one book total for the month of July ("Helter Skelter"), I decided to group my July reading with Augusts.

Books read in July and August: 5
Books listened to in July and August: 5

Books:
50. "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" by Vincent Bugliosi
51. "Uncharted TerriTORI" by Tori Spelling
52. "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater (Wolves at Mercy Falls #2)
53. "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #3)
54. "7th Heaven" by James Patterson (Women's Murder Club #7)

Audiobooks:
26. "The Fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #5)
27. "Savour the Moment" by Nora Roberts (Bride Quarter #3)
28. "Black Hills" by Nora Roberts
29. "Blood Brothers" by Nora Roberts (Sign of Seven #1)
30. "The Hollow" by Nora Roberts (Sign of Seven #2)

I feel weird that I don't have more accomplished, but both the first book and audiobook that I tackled were massive. I also feel weird having listened to so much Nora Roberts this month, but I wanted something easy to listen to at work – and well, Nora Roberts has definitely fit that bill.

Favorite book of July and August: "Mockingjay" by Suzanne CollinsI know I probably sound like a broken record – but seriously, READ THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES! It is amazing, and you will not be disappointed. "Mockingjay" is the final book in the trilogy, so you won't have to deal with any annoying cliffhangers, etc.

June's Books

Books read in June: 12
Books listened to in June: 5

Books:
38. “The 6th Target” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #6)
39. “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies #1)
40. “Downtown Chic” by Robert and Courtney Novogratz
41. “Pretties” by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies #2)
42. “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” by Chelsea Handler
43. “Party Princess” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #7)
44. “Princess on the Brink” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #8)
45. “Princess Mia” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #9)
46. “Princess Forever” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #10)
47. “We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier” by Celia Rivenbark
48. “Specials” by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies #3)
49. “13 Reasons Why” by Jay Asher

Audiobooks:
21. “Project Princess” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #4.5)
22. “Project in Pink” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #5)
23. “Project in Training” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #6)
24. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
25. “The Maze Runner” by Josh Dashner (Maze Runner #1)

Favorite of the month: "The Help" by Kathryn StockettWhen I finished this book, I knew this book would stay with me. "The Help" is just incredible. I was hesitant about reading it, because I thought it would be really depressing – but I found it more inspiring than anything else. This book tackles the relationship of white women and "their help" in the south in the 1960s.

Other great books from the month:
- “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies #1)*
- “We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier” by Celia Rivenbark
- “13 Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
- “The Maze Runner” by Josh Dashner (Maze Runner #1)*

*If you are a fan of "The Hunger Games," The Uglies and Maze Runner series are for you.

Design Time: "Downtown Chic"

With my love for Courtney and Robert on "9 By Design" – it only made sense for me to read their new book.

I read this book in one sitting. I just found it fascinating. I mean, I knew they took risks, but I had no idea the level of risks they took when they started out.

The book covers all the houses they've had in New York, including their 2 vacation homes.
Now for some of my favorites from this book...

They added this brick wall, to give their house some character:
I thought this idea was great. They had all their kid's artwork scanned, decreased the size and made a modern-art collage with it.

May’s Books

Books read in May: 10
Books listened to in May: 5

Books:
28. “Escape” by Caroyln Jessop
29. “Dead in the Family” by Charlaine Harris (Sookie #10)
30. “My Fair Lazy” by Jen Lancaster
31. “An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green
32. “Tempted” by PC Cast (House of Night #6)
33. “4th of July” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #4)
34. “5th Horseman” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #5)
35. “Spirit Bound” by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #5)
36. “Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles #1)
37. “Princess in Love” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #3)

Audiobooks:
16. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Steig Larsson
17. “The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova
18. “The Princess Diaries” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #1)
19. “Princess in the Spotlight” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #2)
20. “Princess in Waiting” by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries #4)


May is always my favorite month as a book lover, because so many great ones always come out. Three out of five of the pre-orders I got for the year came out ("Dead in the Family," "My Fair Lazy" and "Spirit Bound") – so it was a very exciting time for me.

On another note…
I had no idea “The Princess Diaries” was originally a book series. I was a big fan of the movies and enjoy Meg Cabot, so I decided to give them a go. So far they are super cute, and I’m looking forward to all 10 of them. ☺


Favorite book of the month:
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Steig Larsson
One word – amazing. I am so excited to dive into the 2 other books in this series. (Just a warning – the first 50 pages or so are kind of blah…but it gets so much better).

Honorable mentions:
- “Escape” by Caroyln Jessop
- "5th Horseman” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #5)
- “Spirit Bound” by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #5)
- “The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova

Biggest disappointment: “Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. I just found it on the boring side, and I lacked attachment to the characters. I realize there was a love story somewhere in this book, but I did not feel the love whatsoever.

Design Time: "The Organized Home"

I didn’t know I could be insulted by a “design” book, but apparently, anything really is possible.

I was so excited to read “Real Simple: The Organized Home.” I had visions of numerous photos of organized closets and drawers dancing in my head. But apparently, this organization book is only half about organization.

The other half? Room basics. That’s right – in case you couldn’t figure it out – basics for the family room include a sofa, coffee table, side table and TV. And this book covers room basics in every freaking room. It was rather insulting that they had to tell me a room basic for a bedroom is a bed. (I cannot make this stuff up).

Sure, the other half of the book was the wonderful organizational photos I was craving, but by that point I was too frustrated to even enjoy them. And sadly, I didn’t learn one tip from this book.

So, skip the book – and embrace these top 6 organization photos:

April's books

Books read in April: 7
Books listened to in April: 1

Books:
20. “2nd Chance” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #2)
21. “3rd Degree” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #3)
22. “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick
23. “Some Girls Are” by Courtney Summers
24. “City Dog” by Alison Pace
25. “The Organized Home” by Real Simple
26. “Hunted” by PC Cast (House of Night #5)

Audiobooks:
15. “Drums of Autmn” by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #4)
(Why only one? This bad boy was 39 discs).

Favorite book of the month:
“Drums of Autumn” by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #4)
This is definitely my favorite book so far in the Outlander series. If you like historical fiction with romance and a hot Scottish love interest, then this series may be for you as well. Basically, it's about time traveling and finding your soulmate in Scotland in the 1700s.

March's Books

Books read in March: 6
Books listened to in March: 3

Books:
14. “Nightlight: A Parody of Twilight” by Harvard Lampoon
15. “Glamour: Making it Modern” by Michael Lassell
16. “Betrayed” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #2)
17. “Chosen” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #3)
18. “[the nest] Home Design Handbook” by Carley Roney
19. “Untamed” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #4)

Audiobooks:
12. “Bed of Roses” by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet #2)
13. “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
14. “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger



Favorite book of the month:
“Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger
I must admit, I debated awhile about picking this book as my favorite, because honestly, I still not quite sure how I feel about it. The author is so talented at playing with reader’s emotions –I am still torn about how I feel about the twins. It’s an intriguing story, and even a week after finishing this book, I’m still thinking about it.

Biggest Disappointment:
“The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
Once in awhile, I try to be good and take a break from my guilty pleasure of young adult books, and read a book on the 1,001 list. I’ve heard positive things about this book, so I decided to give it a try. Ugh. While this definitely isn’t a long book, I found myself just wanting it to end toward the beginning.

Design Time: Home Design Handbook

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by “[the nest] Home Design Handbook.” Since it’s basically a book for newlyweds on how to set up the home, there were tons of great tips and pictures.

My favorite part of the book though, was the illustrations. While I know the names of some furniture and styles, that knowledge is minimal – so graphics like those were extremely helpful for me.

Here are some of my favorites:


And for those who weren't in a sorority:


(While I am sure there are some non-sorority types who know how to set a table...if you were in a sorority, you can probably set a formal table in your sleep. Just like you will always remember that the salt and pepper can never be separated, because they are married. Have I talked you out of the benefits of sorority life yet? Awesome).

Design Time: "Glamour: Making it Modern"

When I go to the library I’m guilty of forgetting non-fiction books are also housed there. I get very into my routine of running in, picking up my books on hold and then leaving right away. So when I remember things like cookbooks and interior designs books are also available, I get in my “this is the best idea ever” mode.

I’m excited to report that I checked out my first interior-design books ever. (I know, it was a big day for me).

The book I was most excited about is “Glamour: Making It Modern” by Michael Lassell, which is a collection of Metropolitan Home goodies. As you can probably tell from my living room, I’m a slight fan of the style.

If you aren’t familiar with the modern-glam style, I think interior designer Michael Berman describes it best

“When a client says ‘glamour,’ it’s code for ‘Design our home so people will swoon when they visit.’”

While I didn’t actually learn anything new about the glamour style in the text, the pictures were amazing. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Do you have any favorite design or organization books? I'd love to hear about them.

February's Books

I can't believe it's March now. How crazy is that?

Anyway...here's my book nerd stats:
Books read in February: 2
Books listened to in February: 6

So how did I go from reading 11 books in January to my 2 in February? It’s called the Olympics, painting stripes in the office and the slowness of “The Poisonwood Bible” (I literally read that book the entire month…and some of January).

Books:
12. “Shadowland” by Alyson Noel (Immortals #3)
13. “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver

Audiobooks:
6. “In the Woods” by Tana French
7. “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen
8. “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet #1)
9. “Cat & Mouse” by James Patterson (Alex Cross #4)
10. “A Touch of Dead” by Charlaine Harris
11. “Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise” by Ruth Reichl

Favorite book of the month:
“Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise” by Ruth Reichl
This book is my favorite surprise. I had heard great things about it, but I was hestitant. While I can get by in the kitchen, there is a reason my blog is about décor and not my cooking. I was nervous this book would filled with food terms I’d never even heard of. Wow, was I ever wrong. This book was funny and interesting – with all the different disguises Ruth created to go unnoticed in restaurants.

Biggest Disappointment:
“Cat & Mouse” by James Patterson (Alex Cross #4)

January's Books

Reading in the winter is my favorite thing. There’s nothing better than cuddling under a blanket or being in a bubble bath with a good book. On the flip side, there’s also nothing better than doing some trim or door painting while listening to an intriguing audio book.

I was nervous my reading would go downhill with the new house and its endless projects, and while it did some – I’m hopeful I can still hit my goal of 100 books read and 50 book listened to for 2010. I’m just having to walk a finer line with balancing my time. This means I’m watching less TV than I was last year. I have said goodbye to TV shows I’ve watched for multiple seasons, and was surprised how easy it was to let go of them.

I decided to switch things up this year on the blog. Since this blog is truly about my house projects and not about my insane reading habits, I will only be doing one “what I read” post at the end of each month.

Books read in January: 11
Books listened to in January: 5

Books
1. “Kissing Coffins” by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses #2)
2. “Vampireville” by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses #3)
3. “Dance With a Vampire” by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses #4)
4. “The Coffin Club” by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses #5)
5. “Royal Blood” by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses #6)
6. “Holly’s Inbox” by Holly Denham
7. “The Sudoku Murder” by Shelley Freydont
8. “Twenties Girl” by Sophie Kinsella
9. “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach
10. “Evermore” by Alyson Noel (Immortals #1)
11. “Blue Moon” by Alyson Noel (Immortals #2)

Audiobooks
1. “Lock and Key” by Sarah Dessen
2. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer
3. “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield
4. “The Host” by Stephanie Meyer
5. “Best Friends Forever” by Jennifer Weiner


Favorite book of the month:
“Holly’s Inbox” by Holly Denham
This book cracked me up. Not often do books make literally “lol,” but this one succeeded several times. I also just loved the e-mail format of this book – it makes this book really casual and creates extra humor.

Runner Ups:
- “Twenties Girl” by Sophie Kinsella
-“Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach
- “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield (I don’t care if it’s cheating posting this as a favorite again – it’s an amazing book)
- “The Host” by Stephanie Meyer

Biggest Disappointment:
“Best Friends Forever” by Jennifer Weiner

Books 2010

There are 5 books I am super excited for this year:

1. "My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover if Not Being a Dumb Ass Is the New Black, or, a Culture-Up Menifesto" by Jen Lancaster (release date: May 4)
Jen Lancaster's memoir series

2. "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris (release date: May 4)
Sookie Stackhouse series

3. "Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead (release date: May 18)
Vampire Academy series

4. "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater (release date: July 20)
The Wolves of Mercy Falls series

5. "The Hunger Games 3" by Suzanne Collins (release date: August 24)
Hunger Games series (no idea on the title yet)

These are the books I plan on buying this year, and I'm especially excited for "Spirit Bound" and "The Hunger Games 3."

Books in 2009

Ninety five, that's the grand total of books I've read in 2009. As for audio books, that number is 48.

My top 5 books of 2009...

1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Book #1: "The Hunger Games"
Book #2: "Catching Fire"
Book #3: To be released August 2010 :)
I know, I can't shut up about these books – but that's because they are amazing. It's about the US in the future, only it's no longer the US – it's 13 districts surrounding the Capital in the middle and resources are slim. After District 13 rebels and the Capital destroys them, as a reminder for the other districts to behave – the Capital holds a yearly event called The Hunger Games. A "lottery" is held in every district, and one boy and girl between the ages of 12-18 are selected in a fight to the death.

I was hesitant to read the first book because I’m not one for violence, but after hearing nonstop amazing reviews, I decided to suck it up. While the book has many deaths in it, this book isn’t gory or graphically violent. It’s mainly a young-adult book about Big Brother and slowly fighting the system.

2. “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield
Vida Winter is a mega-famous romance writer, who does interview after interview – although she’s never told the truth about her past. Margaret Lea, is an antique bookshop employee who receives this confession from Vida Winter with the request for her to come to Vida Winter’s house and write the truth. This book deals with 2 big questions – what is Vida Winter’s past and why did she pick Margaret Lea to write about it.




3. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Everyone knows what these books are about, so no description is necessary. I will say it takes until book #3 for all the background details to wrap up and the plot to thicken – so don’t give up so quickly.



4. “Columbine” by Dave Cullen
I always feel weird saying a true-crime book is a favorite, because it feels a little on the morbid side, but this book is amazing. "Columbine" was released for the 10th-year anniversary of Columbine shooting, so more details are in the book. Dave Cullen was also a reporter who covered everything Columbine, so his experiences definitely contribute to the book. This book rotates between various narrators, including one on the shooters and the teacher who died.


5. “The Historian’ by Elizabeth Kostova
I must admit, I was rather not excited to read this book – it was huge and the title sounded boring. Then I read the description and found out it's about the search for Dracula, and I got intrigued. I thought this book was awesome – it was so interesting all the places the characters go for this search. I must admit though, I'm a wuss and the first 100 pages or so scared the crap out of me and I was scared Dracula would come kidnap me as well.

Books #91, 92 and 93

#91: "Shadow Kiss" by Richelle Mead
I actually had trouble rating this book. The first part of the book was interesting, but I didn't find it as interesting as the first 2 books. But once I got past the first third of the book – I had trouble putting this book down. I loved this book, and it's now my favorite one in the series – Rose and Dimitri's relationship takes more turns and Rose starts to slowly question why she can't put herself first.

#92: "Blood Promise" by Richelle Mead
Yes, it wasn't as good as "Shadow Kiss," but I found this book rather interesting and compelling in its own way. I thought parts of the book were rather on the obvious side, but that didn't stop me from flying through this book in a day. Oh, and I still heart Dimitri.

#93: "Splendor" by Anna Godbersen
I thought the third book in this series was so incredible, I guess it's to be expected that I was disappointed with this book. It's obvious this book is the last in the series, because instead of drama – all loose endings were wrapped up. While I think a clean ending is a good thing, it made parts of the book on the boring side.