Bookstore Couture

I’ve decided to participate in the 50 Book Challenge for 2011. Here’s where I’ll document it:

1. Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal by Russell Brand. (finished January 5, 2011). I actually started this in December 2010, but the majority of it was read in the last few days, so I figure it counts. In the last couple months, I’ve become almost irrationally enamored of this cheeky Brit, so I greatly enjoyed this book, as I did his first Booky Wook. Naturally it’s full of debauchery, but I truly adore his obvious love of words and language as well as the stories and reflections within.
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. (started and finished January 9, 2011). As I’m sure the majority of you are aware, this is the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy. I finished The Hunger Games in one sitting as well, so I was glad this one didn’t disappoint. They’re quick reads, but well-written, detailed, and full of interesting characters as well as a killer story. I’ve already ordered the third book: Mockingjay. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (finished January 12, 2011). Needless to say, I started reading Mockingjay about as soon as it arrived. I actually managed to make myself stretch it out into two sittings, but naturally I was finished by the second day. I really enjoyed the third and final installment of The Hunger Games Trilogy. It was different than the first two, but in a way that I felt made sense for the story. I was also pleased in the end by the way things turned out, though of course there were a couple characters I wished were alive. In this sort of story, that’s to be expected though. All I can say is that I wish there were more books in the series to devour.
4. Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe (finished January 14, 2011). I’ve been a fan of Marilyn since I was a little girl. I’ve read several biographies of her over the years, but this is a different sort of book. It’s a collection put together by an editor of poems, notes, and letters all written by Marilyn herself. It’s not exactly a cohesive collection, but the editor breaks it up well into sections. The book is an interesting glimpse into Marilyn’s life and thoughts, but also a rather sad one. Reading about her sadness and hopelessness in a biography is one thing, but reading them from her own pen is quite another. What also comes across is her constant search to better herself and understand the world around her. I’d say it’s definitely worth the read for an avid Marilyn fan.
5. Quakeland by Francesca Lia Block (finished February 11, 2011). Francesca Lia Block has been one of my favorite authors for years. She has such a unique style and I love the ways she describes Los Angeles. It’s different from anyone else. That said, this wasn’t my favorite of hers. I did enjoy her storytelling, as usual, but I feel as though I’d have to be older (roughly pre-menopausal) to really relate to it. My favorite part about this book is that I was able to buy it from the author herself and have her sign it as well as two others! It’s hard to beat that.
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (finished March 24, 2011). I clearly had a bit of a gap between books 5 and 6! This is partially because I’ve started a couple other books that I have yet to finish and partially because I went on trips for both a bachelorette and a wedding in the interim. At any rate, I’ve been meaning to read Hitchhiker’s Guide for what feels like forever and it didn’t disappoint. It was just as fun, wacky, and absurd as I expected. It’s certainly a quick read, but fortunately I was able to find a collection of all five novels together, so I’ll quickly be moving on to the next!
7. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (finished April 5, 2011)
8. The Passage by Justin Cronin (finished April 16, 2011). The Passage is absolutely epic in scope. It’s honestly difficult for me to write anything about it that seems to sum it up at all. The best I can do is that it’s almost a book about a zombie apocalypse, but the zombies are, instead, a kind of viral vampire. These are not the vampires who wear elegant clothing and can elect not to kill a particular human. These vampires, or “virals,” are truly creatures after they have been changed. The first third of the book builds up to what is essentially the end of the world, focused on a girl named Amy, while the remainder of the books focuses on a colony of surviving humans and what happens after Amy finds them and a small group of them decide to go to the source. I started this book not realizing it was the first of three and now I can’t believe I have to wait until next year at the earliest for the second installment. I found a great review/summary online as well, which can be found: here.
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales by Joss Whedon (finished April 18, 2011). I’m honestly not sure how to factor in comics/graphic novels as far as the 50 Book Challenge, but I figure since this one clocks in at just under 300 pages, it counts. I finished a rewatch of the entire Buffy series earlier this year and found myself sad at the end that I didn’t have more to watch. Then I realized: there’s more to read. I’m so glad I picked up Tales. It’s comprised of a whole bunch of stories that were sold separately as various Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires. In typical Whedon fashion, they’re all intriguing in their own way (though he didn’t actually pen all of them). The same themes that run through the series run through this collection and I think these Tales enrich the lore of the Buffyverse. A few standouts were “Presumption” (think Buffy meets Pride and Prejudice), “Tales,” “Broken Bottle of Djinn,” “Stacy,” “The Problem With Vampires” (naturally, since I am an unabashed Spike fan), and “Dames” (or vampires meet film noir). I could easily list more, but then I’d just be listing them all. The art styles are also varied and excellent. I love how the art is adapted to fit and enhance each story. In short: if you’re a Buffy fan, you’ll enjoy this large volume of Tales.
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon & Georges Jeanty (finished April 19, 2011)
    
11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You by Whedon, Jeanty, & Brian K. Vaughan (finished April 20, 2011)
    
12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate by Drew Goddard, Jeanty, & Whedon (finished April 25, 2011). I really enjoyed the reappearance of Dracula in this installment. His characterization in the Buffyverse has always cracked me up. In what other universe would Dracula ever say, “oh balls”? None that I can think of.
    
13. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life by Whedon, Karl Moline, & Jeph Loeb (finished May 1, 2011)
    
14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Predators and Prey by Whedon, Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger, Doug Petrie, & Jeanty (finished May 5, 2011)
    
15. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Retreat by Espenson, Jeanty, & Whedon (finished May 7, 2011)
    
16. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (finished May 18, 2011). As per usual, once I picked up the newest Sookie Stackhouse book, I couldn’t put it down & finished it in two sittings. The prior installment in the series had felt a bit like transition/filler, so I was really looking forward to this one. It definitely picked up the pace a bit. Sookie made me laugh and I enjoyed how she stood up for herself and made things happen for herself more than she has in the past.
17. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twilight by Meltzer, Jeanty, & Whedon. This is probably my favorite installment thus far in the Buffy Season 8 trades. I mean, it has epic, world-ending sex. How can you beat that? Plus it seriously poked fun at Twilight and that’s always enjoyable. I could really feel Joss’s influence on this particular collection, which is always a good thing. The bonus Willow story “Goddesses and Monsters” was very interesting as well, and of course I loved the Hogwarts nod. Lastly, I’m always happy to see my favorite former bad-guy vamp pop up. I so wish the last trade was out already, but alas, I’ll have to wait about a month.