2007 Book List
Well, I didn't make it to 60, but I did make it to 50 which was last years goal. That's all right by me.
So it's time to start my new book list for 2007. I decided to set a personal goal of reading 60 books this year and at least 18,000 pages. I have great hope that I will accomplish this. I'll be adding this list to my sidebar so anyone interested can keep up with it, and I'll be keeping my 2006 book list up as well.
2007 Book List
January
1. Mugglenet.com’s What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 - Ben Schoen, Emerson Spartz, Andy Gordon, Gretchen Stull, and Jamie Lawrence. Pgs., 214 3.5 stars
This book was an interesting and very quick read. It didn't really throw anything new out there that I haven't already read somewhere else, or thought of myself, but it was fun to see the Harry Potter world summarized and speculated upon in an essay style book.
I'll admit that some ideas presented, though not new, seem very far fetched to me. The Harry is a Horcrux theory for instance is to me plainly ridiculous. Although they do throw out some convincing arguments in this theory's favor, it just seems entirely implausible to me that Harry could have been turned into a Horcrux by the wild magical energy let loose upon Harry's house from the rebounding curse thrown at Harry by Voldemort. *breathes* Of course, come Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release, I may find myself eating my words.
The most interesting part of this book for me was the theory on Snape and why he is good. Being a fanatic Snape supporter, I am heartily interested in anything that appears to lean in his favor. I believe that the Mugglenet crew does an admirable job of convincing us that Snape has been good all along, and that in the 7th book will be seen as the man who sacrificed much to bring about victory for the good side.
There are many other interesting thoughts in this book, and I think it is definitely worth a read, if for no other reason than to have you salivating anew in anticipation of book 7s release.
2. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding Pgs., 268. 4.5 stars.
Freaking Hilarious! The first several pages seems a little stilted and hard to get into, but just give it time. Eventually Fielding hits her flow, and it all comes together nicely.
I have put reading this book off for a long time, and after watching the movie the other day, I decided that I just had to read it. I'm so glad that I did. At first I was wondering how anyone was able to get through the book as writing style seemed jarring and difficult to follow, but it smoothed out and I was really able to see what is so wonderful about Bridget Jones. Please make an effort to read this book! Even if it seems difficult to get through at first, it will get better, and the book is just so funny.
3. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding Pgs., 338. 5 stars.
Oh my gosh! I don't think that I have ever read a more outrageously funny book before in my life! This book continues the adventures of Bridget Jones, as she gets into more trouble and more unbelievable predicaments than before.
The author appears to have found and kept her flow from the previous book, so from page one the book grabs your attention and easily sucks you in.
I could hardly put this book down. I started it yesterday afternoon, and read till 4am this morning till I was done. There aren't many books that hold my attention so strongly anymore, and it is really pleasing when I find one that does. There were so many places in this book where I was laughing so hard I had to stop reading to get ahold of myself. And you just try not guffawing when you come across something so funny you're shaking from holding it in because your husband is sleeping soundly beside you!
I heartily recommend this book and the first book Bridget Jones's Diary as well, if you like to laugh and enjoy a light read than these books are for you!
4. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Edwin A. Abbott Pgs. 147. 4 stars.
5. A Child Called “It” - Dave Pelzer Pgs. 180 5 stars
Words cannot describe the emotionality of this book. Dave describes the horrors of his childhood from ages 4 to 12. I don't even know what to say about it, other than you have to read it to understand what happened to this little boy. I will be reading the next two books in this series as I'm deeply curious to find out what happened next for Dave.
February
6. Dead Man Rising - Lilith Saintcrow pgs. 402 4 stars
7. Cat Speak - Bash Dibra pgs 229 3.5 stars
This book was just okay. It had some very interesting things in it, but it focused entirely too much on picking out a cat and what to do when you bring them home. I was hoping for much more of a book that tells you how to understand when your cat is trying to communicate with you... Probably because of the title...
8. Mistral’s Kiss - Laurell K. Hamilton pgs. 212 4 stars
I guess there are many of you who might wonder how anyone can give any new Laurell books anything but a 0, but I enjoyed this book. I've liked the Merry series from the beginning, and have been happy with the series as it has progressed. Unlike the Anita books that have definitely taken a turn for the worse, this series has basically held true to itself from the beginning. It started out about Laurell's favorite subject after all, so you can't be disappointed when you pick up a book knowing that's what it's gonna be about...
March
9. Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris pgs. 323 3.5 stars
This was pretty good. It rather read like a movie script through parts of it, and was a little slow at first. I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to read it. I picked it up and put it down at least twice over the course of a couple of weeks. I'm glad that I finally settled down in a quiet place to concentrate on the book better though. I did end up enjoying it. Honestly I look forward to seeing the movie more than I looked forward to reading it. I do love the Hannibal series. And this does deliver gore and violence, but it really leaves you feeling ripped off with the lack of revealing about Hannibal's psyche. The book just doesn't deliver that in depth character development of Mr. Harris' other books in the series. It might actually be quite a good read though for someone who has never read the series before and starts at the true beginning with this book. It's more like a tantalizing tidbit of whats to come.
10. The Prestige - Christopher Priest pgs. 360 4.5 stars
This book was really great. Please suspend any thought that you have about the movie if you have seen it. Not only will you be left scratching your head in confusion for the first several pages, but you will let your notions of the movie color your perceptions of the book. It's completely different, and very good. The book was addicting from the first page, and just sucks you into the story for a crazy ride.
11. Dance Macabre - Laurell K. Hamilton pgs. 483 1 star
Give me a break Laurell K. Hamilton. This book was just a great big pile of crap. Crappity, crap, crap, crap. Booo. Don't read it unless you want to be disturbed by gross and bad sex with a billion people, and no plot movement at all. What I wouldn't give to have the old Anita back. Blech.
12. The Dark: New Ghost Stories - Ellen Datlow pgs. 378 3 stars
I was mostly disappointed with this book. It just wasn't that scary or thought provoking. I was expecting this intense psychological thrill, and fear. This book just didn't deliver. I did enjoy a couple of the stories, but some of them were so hard to get through. Particularly the last story. All and all, I don't know if I would really recommend this to someone looking for a thrilling dark ride, as it just wasn't up to standard at all.
April
13. In the Company of Ogres - A. Lee Martinez pgs 352 4 stars
14. Fibroids: The Complete Guide to Taking Charge of Your Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Well-Being - Johanna Killing pgs. 234 3.5 stars
15. For a Few Demons More - Kim Harrison pgs. 456 4.5 stars
16. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess pgs. 192 5 stars
May
17. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong pgs. 414 4 stars
18. Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong pgs. 528 4.8 stars
19. The Lost Boy - Dave Pelzer pgs. 331 5 stars
20. A Man Named Dave - Dave Pelzer pgs. 281 5 stars
21. Nectar in a Sieve - Kamala Markandaya pgs. 190 4 stars
June
22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - JK Rowling pgs. 309 5 stars
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling pgs. 341 5 stars
July
24. All together Dead - Charlaine Harris pgs. 323 4 stars
25. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 498 5 stars
26. New Moon - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 563 5 stars
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pgs. 759 5 stars
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pgs. 759 5 stars
August
29. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red - Stephen King pgs.
252 4 stars
30. Confessions of a Pagan nun - Kate Horsley pgs. 188 5 stars
31. Gerald’s Game - Stephen King pgs. 445 4 stars
32. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 629 5 stars
September
33. A Week in the Zone - Barry Sears Ph.D. pgs 205 3.5 stars
34. Enter the Zone - Barry Sears Ph.D pgs. 209 4 stars
35. The Keeper - Sarah Langan pgs. 382 5 stars
36. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K Rowling pgs. 309 5 stars
37. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling pgs. 341 5 stars
38. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling pgs. 435 5 stars
October
39. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K Rowling pgs. 734 5 stars
40. Coraline - Neil Gaiman pgs. 194 4 stars
41. On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage - Robert Alden Rubin pgs. 233 5 stars
42. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon pgs.221 5 stars
43. Still Life With Rice - Helie Lee pgs. 320 5 stars
44. The Woman Warrior: Memoires of a Girlhood Among Ghosts - Maxine Hong Kingston pgs. 209 5 stars
45. The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing pgs. 133 3.8 stars
November
46. Einstein’s Refridgerator: And other stories from the flip side of History - Steve Silverman pgs. 157 4 stars
47. Moon Called - Patricia Briggs pgs. 288 5 stars
48. Nightlife - Rob Thurman pgs. 339 4 stars
49. Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz pgs. 302 5 stars
50. Masquerade - Melissa De La Cruz pgs. 305 5 stars
Total books read: 50
Total pages read: 16894
So it's time to start my new book list for 2007. I decided to set a personal goal of reading 60 books this year and at least 18,000 pages. I have great hope that I will accomplish this. I'll be adding this list to my sidebar so anyone interested can keep up with it, and I'll be keeping my 2006 book list up as well.
2007 Book List
January
1. Mugglenet.com’s What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 - Ben Schoen, Emerson Spartz, Andy Gordon, Gretchen Stull, and Jamie Lawrence. Pgs., 214 3.5 stars
This book was an interesting and very quick read. It didn't really throw anything new out there that I haven't already read somewhere else, or thought of myself, but it was fun to see the Harry Potter world summarized and speculated upon in an essay style book.
I'll admit that some ideas presented, though not new, seem very far fetched to me. The Harry is a Horcrux theory for instance is to me plainly ridiculous. Although they do throw out some convincing arguments in this theory's favor, it just seems entirely implausible to me that Harry could have been turned into a Horcrux by the wild magical energy let loose upon Harry's house from the rebounding curse thrown at Harry by Voldemort. *breathes* Of course, come Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release, I may find myself eating my words.
The most interesting part of this book for me was the theory on Snape and why he is good. Being a fanatic Snape supporter, I am heartily interested in anything that appears to lean in his favor. I believe that the Mugglenet crew does an admirable job of convincing us that Snape has been good all along, and that in the 7th book will be seen as the man who sacrificed much to bring about victory for the good side.
There are many other interesting thoughts in this book, and I think it is definitely worth a read, if for no other reason than to have you salivating anew in anticipation of book 7s release.
2. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding Pgs., 268. 4.5 stars.
Freaking Hilarious! The first several pages seems a little stilted and hard to get into, but just give it time. Eventually Fielding hits her flow, and it all comes together nicely.
I have put reading this book off for a long time, and after watching the movie the other day, I decided that I just had to read it. I'm so glad that I did. At first I was wondering how anyone was able to get through the book as writing style seemed jarring and difficult to follow, but it smoothed out and I was really able to see what is so wonderful about Bridget Jones. Please make an effort to read this book! Even if it seems difficult to get through at first, it will get better, and the book is just so funny.
3. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding Pgs., 338. 5 stars.
Oh my gosh! I don't think that I have ever read a more outrageously funny book before in my life! This book continues the adventures of Bridget Jones, as she gets into more trouble and more unbelievable predicaments than before.
The author appears to have found and kept her flow from the previous book, so from page one the book grabs your attention and easily sucks you in.
I could hardly put this book down. I started it yesterday afternoon, and read till 4am this morning till I was done. There aren't many books that hold my attention so strongly anymore, and it is really pleasing when I find one that does. There were so many places in this book where I was laughing so hard I had to stop reading to get ahold of myself. And you just try not guffawing when you come across something so funny you're shaking from holding it in because your husband is sleeping soundly beside you!
I heartily recommend this book and the first book Bridget Jones's Diary as well, if you like to laugh and enjoy a light read than these books are for you!
4. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Edwin A. Abbott Pgs. 147. 4 stars.
5. A Child Called “It” - Dave Pelzer Pgs. 180 5 stars
Words cannot describe the emotionality of this book. Dave describes the horrors of his childhood from ages 4 to 12. I don't even know what to say about it, other than you have to read it to understand what happened to this little boy. I will be reading the next two books in this series as I'm deeply curious to find out what happened next for Dave.
February
6. Dead Man Rising - Lilith Saintcrow pgs. 402 4 stars
7. Cat Speak - Bash Dibra pgs 229 3.5 stars
This book was just okay. It had some very interesting things in it, but it focused entirely too much on picking out a cat and what to do when you bring them home. I was hoping for much more of a book that tells you how to understand when your cat is trying to communicate with you... Probably because of the title...
8. Mistral’s Kiss - Laurell K. Hamilton pgs. 212 4 stars
I guess there are many of you who might wonder how anyone can give any new Laurell books anything but a 0, but I enjoyed this book. I've liked the Merry series from the beginning, and have been happy with the series as it has progressed. Unlike the Anita books that have definitely taken a turn for the worse, this series has basically held true to itself from the beginning. It started out about Laurell's favorite subject after all, so you can't be disappointed when you pick up a book knowing that's what it's gonna be about...
March
9. Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris pgs. 323 3.5 stars
This was pretty good. It rather read like a movie script through parts of it, and was a little slow at first. I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to read it. I picked it up and put it down at least twice over the course of a couple of weeks. I'm glad that I finally settled down in a quiet place to concentrate on the book better though. I did end up enjoying it. Honestly I look forward to seeing the movie more than I looked forward to reading it. I do love the Hannibal series. And this does deliver gore and violence, but it really leaves you feeling ripped off with the lack of revealing about Hannibal's psyche. The book just doesn't deliver that in depth character development of Mr. Harris' other books in the series. It might actually be quite a good read though for someone who has never read the series before and starts at the true beginning with this book. It's more like a tantalizing tidbit of whats to come.
10. The Prestige - Christopher Priest pgs. 360 4.5 stars
This book was really great. Please suspend any thought that you have about the movie if you have seen it. Not only will you be left scratching your head in confusion for the first several pages, but you will let your notions of the movie color your perceptions of the book. It's completely different, and very good. The book was addicting from the first page, and just sucks you into the story for a crazy ride.
11. Dance Macabre - Laurell K. Hamilton pgs. 483 1 star
Give me a break Laurell K. Hamilton. This book was just a great big pile of crap. Crappity, crap, crap, crap. Booo. Don't read it unless you want to be disturbed by gross and bad sex with a billion people, and no plot movement at all. What I wouldn't give to have the old Anita back. Blech.
12. The Dark: New Ghost Stories - Ellen Datlow pgs. 378 3 stars
I was mostly disappointed with this book. It just wasn't that scary or thought provoking. I was expecting this intense psychological thrill, and fear. This book just didn't deliver. I did enjoy a couple of the stories, but some of them were so hard to get through. Particularly the last story. All and all, I don't know if I would really recommend this to someone looking for a thrilling dark ride, as it just wasn't up to standard at all.
April
13. In the Company of Ogres - A. Lee Martinez pgs 352 4 stars
14. Fibroids: The Complete Guide to Taking Charge of Your Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Well-Being - Johanna Killing pgs. 234 3.5 stars
15. For a Few Demons More - Kim Harrison pgs. 456 4.5 stars
16. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess pgs. 192 5 stars
May
17. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong pgs. 414 4 stars
18. Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong pgs. 528 4.8 stars
19. The Lost Boy - Dave Pelzer pgs. 331 5 stars
20. A Man Named Dave - Dave Pelzer pgs. 281 5 stars
21. Nectar in a Sieve - Kamala Markandaya pgs. 190 4 stars
June
22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - JK Rowling pgs. 309 5 stars
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling pgs. 341 5 stars
July
24. All together Dead - Charlaine Harris pgs. 323 4 stars
25. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 498 5 stars
26. New Moon - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 563 5 stars
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pgs. 759 5 stars
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pgs. 759 5 stars
August
29. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red - Stephen King pgs.
252 4 stars
30. Confessions of a Pagan nun - Kate Horsley pgs. 188 5 stars
31. Gerald’s Game - Stephen King pgs. 445 4 stars
32. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer pgs. 629 5 stars
September
33. A Week in the Zone - Barry Sears Ph.D. pgs 205 3.5 stars
34. Enter the Zone - Barry Sears Ph.D pgs. 209 4 stars
35. The Keeper - Sarah Langan pgs. 382 5 stars
36. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K Rowling pgs. 309 5 stars
37. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling pgs. 341 5 stars
38. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling pgs. 435 5 stars
October
39. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K Rowling pgs. 734 5 stars
40. Coraline - Neil Gaiman pgs. 194 4 stars
41. On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage - Robert Alden Rubin pgs. 233 5 stars
42. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon pgs.221 5 stars
43. Still Life With Rice - Helie Lee pgs. 320 5 stars
44. The Woman Warrior: Memoires of a Girlhood Among Ghosts - Maxine Hong Kingston pgs. 209 5 stars
45. The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing pgs. 133 3.8 stars
November
46. Einstein’s Refridgerator: And other stories from the flip side of History - Steve Silverman pgs. 157 4 stars
47. Moon Called - Patricia Briggs pgs. 288 5 stars
48. Nightlife - Rob Thurman pgs. 339 4 stars
49. Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz pgs. 302 5 stars
50. Masquerade - Melissa De La Cruz pgs. 305 5 stars
Total books read: 50
Total pages read: 16894