Bout of Books 9.0 (Updated 1/10/14)

I've been trying to find new ways to expand my reading habits and get through books at a faster pace. As of lately, the stress from school has made my read life virtually non-existent. So I've decided to start my first ever read a thon, and I'm excited. The Bout of Books 9.0 is beginning soon and I'm excited to challenge myself, read some much awaited TBRs, and most of all get out of the reading slump that's been consuming me lately.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Goals:

I will be reading minimally- 3 hours per week day/5 hours on Fri,Sat,Sun/ 27-30 hours a week

Specific Goals-

Read one book in a series and one book thats been on TBR shelf for over three months

 Books To Read-

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Buddhism For Beginners by Thubten Chodron

Updates (my updates are going to be added onto this post as the read a thon progresses)

Monday
Number of books I've read today:  I read one book on Monday!! (336 pages)
Total number of books I've finished: ONE 
Books: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Total pages read: 336

Tuesday

Number of books I've read today: Two different books today!!
Total number of books I've finished:None
Books:  It's Kind of A Funny Story & Buddhism for Beginners

Wednesday

Number of books I've read today:Two different books today!!
Total number of books I've finished: None
Books:It's Kind of A Funny Story & Buddhism for Beginners

Thursday

Number of books I've read today:Two different books today!!
Total number of books I've read:None
Books:It's Kind of A Funny Story & Buddhism for Beginners

Friday

Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

Saturday

Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

Sunday

Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

November Reads!

Hello Internet!

This school year has been unequivocally difficult, I have been swamped with work and responsibility however I did get a few good books in so here they are.

A Hologram For The King by Dave Eggers

“The key thing is managed awareness of your role in the world and history. Think too much and you know you are nothing. Think just enough and you know you are small, but important to some. That's the best you can do.” 
― Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King

“It all meant something. Until it didn't.” 
― Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King

“Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you can't. And so it becomes a process of choosing the one or two people you try hardest not to disappoint. The person in my life I am determined not to disappoint is you.” 
― Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King

The Hand Maid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

“But who can remember pain, once it’s over? All that remains of it is a shadow, not in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind.” 
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

“Falling in love, we said; I fell for him. We were falling women. We believed in it, this downward motion: so lovely, like flying, and yet at the same time so dire, so extreme, so unlikely. God is love, they once said, but we reversed that, and love, like heaven, was always just around the corner. The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting, always, for the incarnation. That word, made flesh.

And sometimes it happened, for a time. That kind of love comes and goes and is hard to remember afterwards, like pain. You would look at the man one day and you would think, I loved you, and the tense would be past, and you would be filled with a sense of wonder, because it was such an amazing and precarious and dumb thing to have done; and you would know too why your friends had been evasive about it, at the time.

There is a good deal of comfort, now, in remembering this.” 
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

“There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” 
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

“That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” 
― Garth Stein

“To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to.” 
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

So though I haven't read much these books were absolutely amazing!

A Hologram for The King was simply a tale of inherent sadness that was displayed throughout the novel, this book was mysterious and surprisingly gripping... read synopsis here

 A Handmaid's Tale was a disturbing and engrossing distopian novel, exploring sexuality and society in a way in which I have never read before... read the synopsis here.

 The Art of Racing in The Rain made me cry uncontrollably, it is told from the prospective of a dog on his last day of life. Find the synopsis to this story here

Summer Goal: 10 Classical Reads

As a reader I often neglect the classics primarily because of the difficulty of the text. However in an attempt to broaden my literary horizons I have picked 7 classics and 3 modern classics to read by the end of summer!

Classics:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
3. Little Women* by Louisa May Alcott
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. Pride  & Prejuice by Jane Austen
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgeralds

Modern Classics:

1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. Letters to A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke 
3. Man's Searching for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

June Wrap Up!

June was a crazy month plagued with finals and real life non- book related festivities therefore I did not read as much as I wanted to however I am happy overall with the amount of books I read!

So without further ado... My June Wrap Up!

• Running With Scissors by Augusten Buroughs

I gave this book 5 out of  5 stars and have already reviewed it. Planning on reading sequel Dry soon.

• Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Written by the author of Speak I was entertained by this novel and it had many redeeming themes, but was written quite simply. 3 out of 5 stars.

• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

All time favorite books, reread this for pleasure purposes. Will always be a 5 out of 5 book. Expect a review soon.

• A Clash of Kings by George R.R Martin

The second book in the Song of Ice and Fire Series has failed to disappoint me. This book was engrossing and enthralling and the A Storm of Swords is already in the mail! This book was amazing and somehow managed to be just as good as the first. 5 out of 5 stars.

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

Maya Angelou's memoir was moving and touching. The story was crafted with the intent to instill a perseverance in one that has been through dreadful things. However, despite the moving nature of the memoir some parts in my opinion were hard to get through. 3 out of 5 stars. 

• Moira's Crossing by Christina Shea

The book itself was endearing and sweet despite the ominous aspects that develop from the death of the main character's sister. It was sad, and there were elements of foreshadowing that contributed to my entertainment however, it was at some point monotonous and kind of boring. 3 out of 5 start.

The Virgin Suicides: A Review

Title: The Virgin Suicides

Author: Jefferey Eugenides 

Publisher: Picador

"It didn't matter in the end how old they had been, or that they were girls, but only that we loved them, and that they hadn't heard us calling, still do not hear us, up here in the tree house with our thinning hair and soft bellies, calling them out of those rooms where they went to be alone for all time, alone in suicide, which is deeper then death, and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together."

Synopsis: In a quiet suburb of Detroit, the five Lisbon sisters; beautiful, eccentric, and obsessively watched by the neighborhood boy commit suicide one by one over the course of a single year. As the boys observe from afar, transfixed, they attempt to piece together the mystery of the family's fatal melancholy, in this hypnotic and unforgettable novel of adolescent love, disquiet, and death. Cecilia, the youngest sister is the first to commit suicide, that eventually leads up to the death of her four sisters exactly a year after her first attempt.

My Thoughts: This book was a complete mind trip, I couldn't stop turning pages. I am extremely happy that i read it, and it is so profound due to it's unique and some what surreal plot. Including in the synopsis on the back of the book that all of the girls were going to commit suicide, lead me to be really skeptical as to how I would enjoy the novel. I figured since they revealed pretty much the entire point of the book that reading it wouldn't as worthwhile because the whole "shock factor" was long gone. However Eugenides wrote with such precision and instead of the suicides being the majority of the novel he crafted mystery into it as well. The majority of the novel was the neighborhood boys' interpretation of what seemed to be happening in the Lisbon house, and the secretive un-revealing nature of the girls made it even more difficult for them to truly figure them out. Therefore, when the suicides took place the reaction to it was not "oh my goodness they committed suicide" but "why the hell are they committing suicide" I hope that makes sense. Anyway up until the very end I was confused, incredulous, skeptical, angry, enthralled, and emotionally unstable which is exactly what I like to experience when I read. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to the critical thinker that can read beyond the words, and can accept the unspoken truth, and is able to come to their own conclusions. This book does not simply end, there's no explanation and there is no sequel, and I find that not a lot of people can handle that. Another thing to keep in mind if you are considering reading this book, you will get emotionally attached to the girls, it's inevitable, the boys' obsession rubs off on you whether you want it to or not, and getting emotionally attached to characters that are going to die sucks. So just be aware of that too.

The movie was a good visual depiction but I don't think it really captured the true essence that the novel gave.

Running With Scissors: A Review

Title: Running With Scissors
Author: Augusten Burroughs
Publisher: First published by St. Martin's Press

"It's a wonder that I am even alive. Sometimes I think that. I think that I can't believe I haven't killed myself. But there's something in me that just keeps going on. I think it has something to do with tomorrow, that there is always one, and that everything can change when it comes."



Synopsis: Running With Scissors is a memoir about the life of Augusten Burroughs from the ages 9-17. During this period of time he lived under the direction of his mother's unorthodox, eccentric, and radical psychiatrist; Dr. Finch. Augusten's mother, Deidre, was a psychotic and much abused women with many secrets and very much misunderstood and throughout the memoir the relationship between her and her son deteriorates steadily, especially after she signs over legal rights to Augusten as a guardian to Dr. Finch. So at the age of twelve Augusten found himself living in Victorian squalor with many other children as well as psychiatric patients, befriended and had a romantic relationship with a pedophile who lived in Finch's backyard shed, and confirmed his sexuality with a men double his age. . Running With Scissors is a story of a child living a life where rules were unspoken, neglect a common practice, trauma was often faced alone, Valium and other psychiatric drugs consumed regularly, and twisted lies and deceit was a regularity. 

My Thoughts: This book might just be one of the best memoirs I've ever read. Memoirs as of late have been one of my favorite genre's but up until reading Burroughs' work, the tone of memoirs are for the most part the same, an objective depiction that  evokes pity and sympathy from the read. However, in the case of Augusten's story, he told the tale of a tragic and traumatizing, by using humor  I found myself more then once laughing out loud because of how hilarious the memoir was; despite how sad it was. Burroughs' abandoned the typical memoir writing style and made it his own. And I think his ability to make his story that is abominable funny, is why the book is so renown and resonates within so many people. 

Recommendations: I would recommend this book, to just about anyone. The book is realistic and tragic, funny and entertaining, educational and inspiring, and it addresses so many different things. 

Definitely has made the "to- purchase" list because this is a book that I could read over and over again.

Book Haul!!

Hey lovely people!

So recently I made a trip to the library and the church thrift shop and walked out with a few book purchases for unbeatable prices.

In the picture above you see:

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
 This is the 4th and final book in the Twilight series. Where a series of unprecedented events occur in the after math of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's marriage. People will have their opinions on the Twilight series but I for one am a huge fan and always have been and getting a hardcover copy from my church for 50 cents was an unbeatable deal!

And a side note, the night I bought this book my friend who has the series in hard cover (I have it in a worn soft cover), offered me the set for free! So yay! More free books.

For 25 cents I got a sweet blast from the past, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II.
I read this book in like third grade which is kind of funny but I thought it was a great book to own. It's simply a collection of stories written by teenagers on a plethora of things.

Next is a hard cover edition of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, this book was one of the creepiest and amazing books I've read. First read it in 8th grade and I'm super happy to own it. It's written from the perspective of a girl who is dead, she is in the middle land between life and death and in subtle ways communicates with her sister in hopes to bring justice to her killer. 50 cents at my church, such a steal!

The next book is probably the best thing that I have found that I haven't already read. The Color Purple by Alice Walker  has been on my "to-be-read" list for an eternity and now that is finally going to happen! This book is the story of two sister one a missionary in Africa and the other a child wife living in the South. These women sustain their relationship through struggle, distance, and time. It's a classic and I'm over joyed to have picked it up for 25 cents.

Salem's Lot by Stephen King is a well known novel written about a man that returns to his mansion in hopes of finding inspiration and himself, but after two boys venture into the nearby woods and one returns he is faced with the harsh realities of what this place has evolved into. I'm a fan of King and this is surprisingly a book of his that I have never written, so I'm eager to see whats in store. I got this book for 25 cents at my library.

The very last one in the second row might be one of my all time favorite books of all time, The Glass Castle, written by Jeanette Walls is a memoir of struggle and oppression, the strength of family bonds and the human spirit. And success in the most unlikely circumstances. I have been meaning to purchase the book for a while and with one last look at the bookshelf I saw it there for a staggering 25 cents, and let me tell you I almost cried.

The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Eugenides, is the book that I left out of order on purpose I did not thrift this book, my boyfriend bought it for me today and I am like so overjoyed the reviews on this book have been amazing and I am so excited to read it. It's about 5 beautiful sisters who commit suicide one by one over the course of a year. It was $15.00 and totally worth it (thanks Erich).

Expect a ton of review soon! Finals week is no joke, but I'm almost done!

Love & Boogers,
Ali