Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for bed] 

I haven't gotten a lot of reading done this month because I've been so busy packing and unpacking. I just moved into my first place, my first townhouse actually, two weeks ago and I've been busy making everything look the way I want it to. There are still a few things I want to change but I'm happy with the way things look for now. I tried to make a comfortable reading place in every room of the house and I wanted to share where I'm doing my reading and blogging with all of you!

The picture is pretty dark but I've been using this spot a lot lately. No, this is not my bed, it's a day bed in my office. This is a really nice place to read because it's right by a window so I get a lot of natural sunlight and usually don't even have to turn the ceiling light on to read, unless it's night of course. Also, since this is my designated reading bed it seems like it's easier for me to stay awake in it than it is in the bed I sleep in every night.

This is the living room with, as you can see, all of my books. I haven't done a whole of reading in here and I think that's partially because there is no ceiling light so at night it's rather difficult to read and I haven't been able to use it a lot during the day. It's a great spot for watching movies though!

This is probably my favorite place to read "in the house." My porch. The chairs are actually pretty comfy and there is a nice table for me to put my tea while I'm reading. The porch looks out to a street, but there are a few trees around and I like watching the squirrels do their acrobatic flips.

This is the bed, where I naturally do quite a bit of reading. I made sure to have lamps by the bed so I can read by lamplight and then just turn them off when I get too tired to keep reading.

Not a lot of reading gets done here, but I do quite a bit of blogging here as you can tell. It's where I'm at right now!

This is the dining room where I do a lot of eating, but I also do the majority of my blogging here. At least that has been the case the past couple of weeks. I blog a lot in the morning before I go to work and I like to sit here and have my breakfast and blog.

So this is where all the magic happens! Where do you like to read or blog?

CitizenM is the hotel made of ready modules of rooms.

The philosophy of a new hotel brand is that:

“Small rest in road is necessary to All travellers. To researchers, wise men, dandies, businessmen, adventurers and dreamers. They are independent and individual, but they are united by one — aspiration to travel positively. For all mobile citizens of the world. CitizenM”

VIA «Hotel of new type in Amsterdam»

Sarah Dunn was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She went to the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English and graduated magna cum laude. After college, she wrote a humor column for the Philadelphia City Paper while waiting tables (poorly) at TGI Fridays. When she was 24, she published The Official Slacker Handbook, and was subsequently lured out to Hollywood to write for Murphy Brown, Spin City and Veronica’s Closet. She left TV to work on her first novel, The Big Love, which came out in 2004 and has been translated into 23 languages. She is currently writing a television pilot for NBC called George & Hilly, and her long-awaited second novel, Secrets to Happiness, comes out this spring. She is married to Peter Stevenson, the executive editor of The New York Observer, and they have a chunky delicious new baby boy named Harry.

Sarah Dunn’s Books for Bed Rest and Rainy Afternoons

After I finished Secrets to Happiness, I was placed on strict bed rest for four months because of a high-risk pregnancy, and I read a lot. I mean, a lot. About two weeks before I had my baby, I remember waking up one morning and thinking: I’m done. I was done reading. I had finally done it, something I’d never in my life managed to do – read until I didn’t want to read any more. And I figured if having a baby meant I wouldn’t be able to finish another book for the next two years, well, that would be just fine with me.

I was always emailing friends and asking for book suggestions, and following different leads got me into territory I might not go to otherwise (The Ruins, for one, I would never have picked up on my own, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down). Books for bed rest are sort of like airplane books, in that you need to be able to stick with them for hours and hours on end, and it helps if you wake up in the morning thinking, “I’m stuck here on the couch again, I’ve got heartburn and I’m having contractions and The View is a repeat, but at least I get to spend my day deep inside that book!”

• Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. A page-turning, atmospheric mystery set in Sweden.
• Suite Française, by Irene Nemirovsky. I didn’t start this one until the fourth friend recommended it. Beautifully written and moving.
• The Ruins, by Scott Smith. Gripping is the word I’m looking for. It’s possible I loved this because I read it when there was something growing inside of me, but give it a try!
• The Forsyte Saga, by John Galsworthy. You can read this, or you can Netflix the BBC series and watch it. I did both.
• A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople, by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Go back in time, across Europe, on foot.
• The Beach, by Alex Garland. Creepy and good.
• What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal, by Zoe Heller. A voice you can get lost inside.
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. A completely charming, cozy treat.
• Devices and Desires, by P.D. James. Even if you don’t like mysteries, you’ll probably like this book.
• The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory. I don’t read historical fiction, I don’t care much about queens and kings, but I couldn’t stop reading this one.
• The Ripley Novels, by Patricia Highsmith. Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley and if you enjoy it, you’ve got four more.
• The Smoking Diaries, by Simon Gray. An English playwright’s journals. Funny and smart and full of personality.

Grabbed this from A Literary Odyssey, kind of fun since my brain is shot from finals.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
Sometimes, but not normally. If I do snack it's probably candy. I do go to a coffeeshop in Iowa City called T-Spoons and they have excellent cookies, so if I read there I'll get a cookie and some English tea.

What is your favourite drink while reading?
Tea, as I said previously. Otherwise water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I mark most of my books, especially literary fiction or nonfiction. This is the main reason I don't check books out from the library very often.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I love bookmarks and try to use them as often as I can. If I don't have a bookmark I'll usually rip a piece of paper out of a notebook or use a napkin until I get home with a bookmark. My favorite bookmark is from Barnes and Noble and it has a painting of Virginia Woolf on it.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I love to write nonfiction but I probably read more fiction. I think this is a recent development though, because when I look over the books I read before I started blogging more than half of them were nonfiction. I'm starting to get into it again.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I always try to read to the end of the chapter, it really throws me off if I have to start in the middle. That being said, I read on the bus quite a bit and I can't really help where I have to stop there. Sometimes I'll get off the bus and finish the chapter though, especially if it's just a few more pages.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
I will not throw anything (usually) but I do talk when I read. I'll make grunting noises, or laugh, or shout at the author or characters in the book.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Rarely. I've never been a big fan of that.

What are you currently reading?
I am still reading Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick and Scrolling Forward by David Levy.

What is the last book you bought?
I think it was Catching Fire.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I used to only read one book at a time, but with school I've gotten into the habit of reading two or three at a time and I actually enjoy it more. I find I finish books faster because I don't get bored as easily.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
I always read at night before bed, but I prefer to read during the day. As for a place to read, I usually read in my bed but I'd like to get a nice comfy chair to read in instead because reading in bed has a tendency to hurt my back.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I like series a lot, but I read more stand alones. I probably prefer stand alones.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I recommend Notes From No Man's Land by Eula Biss to anyone and everyone with the ability to read.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
I don't organize at all right now. It's too hard when I have to move everything around all the time. Maybe someday when I have a library in my house I'll come up with a system.

Let me know if you fill this out!

In each of our interviews this Fortnight, Misty and I have been asking the authors a series of fun and silly questions. Then, we asked you the same questions in one of our giveaway (enter! enter!)
We thought it would be a great to ask each other the same questions. So now you get to experience the inner (possibly twisted) workings of mine and Misty's minds. Misty's answers are here, and you can hear what I had to say on Misty's blog.

So Misty, as you know, I got crazy excited when you announced Fairy Tale Fortnight. So now, I'd like to know why. ~Why fairy tales?

I could go on and on with this answer. I don't think it was until I started going through things for this event that I even realized the extent of my fairy tale obsession. I mean, I knew; I've always known. In my Adv. Comp. class in college, when we had to pick something to do a huge research project on, and were told to pick something we wouldn't get sick of, when everyone else around me was choosing a topic that would impress the teacher, I chose fairy tales. I've hoarded my fairy tale books from my childhood, and read essays and research on fairy tales for fun. They hold my fascination like nothing else.

But why?

I'm going to say there are many reasons, and I couldn't begin to touch on them all. But for me, the biggest reason is that they are communal and ingrained in our pysches as a result. Fairy tales are interactive. Yes, now you can read them all alone, curled up in bed. But for centuries (and beyond, if you expand "fairy tale" to include all original oral mythology), they were told in groups around campfires, or between parent and child at night before bed. They connect people, and they provide these common tropes for the rest of our lives. You say glass slippers and everyone knows: nothing more need be said. That's powerful.

Beyond that, I love the contradiction of them. They are thought of mostly as kids stories, but they can be incredibly dark. They show us people at their weakest and meekest, becoming something great. Nothing is ever what it seems, and yet you know just what it will be. I love the magic of that.

I love that your research project was on fairy tales! That's so awesome!

~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale?

I haven't the foggiest. That's the thing about naming — we have no control over it. So I'm going to go with the name I almost had (in real life. Don't ask me how this was even a possibility): Blue. Forgive me... All I can think of is Little Boy Blue. (Come blow your horn...)

~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale:

Blue sat tucked away as always in the tiny little garret room; she knew her wicked stepmother was looking for her, and that the longer she dallied, the worse it would be — so for now, Blue was content to stay curled up with one of her favorite books, her rat Faustus on her shoulder, both of them dreaming of a different world.

Aww. Poor little Blue. You should send the rat and his buddies into step-mother's bed at night... Teach her what it's like to be on the short end of things.: P

~Best fairy tale villain and why?

Tough one. I like the villains. (Or, I like to dislike them.) I like to try to figure out their motivations. I'd say Rumplestiltskin. He's just so bizarre and hard to understand, and that's always creepy. I always wanted to know why he wanted the baby? (???) And then, anyone who tears themselves in half when they're angry = serious cray cray. Close second would be Snow White's stepmom, who wants to cut out her heart and eat it.

I almost picked Rumpelstiltskin too! He's so creepy! But, cursing babies to die and eating the heart of young girls won out over dancing baby snatcher. (although, putting it light that, maybe not. Ugh.)

~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites?

As a child I was obsessed with The Elves and the Shoemaker and the 12 Dancing Princesses (and occasionally, Puss in Boots). I can't say why I loved the Elves so. I just wanted them, I think. And I wanted to make them tiny little clothes. The 12 Dancing Princesses is easier to say why: I had an absolutely beautiful
copy of it (still do!), and I just wanted to dress up in those gowns and see that underground world with the silver-leafed trees and the 12 princes and their boats. (And Puss in Boots had a kitty.)

As an adult, I tend to like the darker stuff. I have a fascination with Little Red Riding Hood (did as a kid too), but I really find myself drawn to the lesser known or seriously distrubing tales, like Donkeyskin or The Rose Elf (which I rewrote in poem form for a creative writing class. I think it's probably too long to repost for you guys, but it was fun. I'd love to do an actual story with it some day.)

Least favorites... I always had questions about some. Jack and the Beanstalk made me indignant. I mean, he's basically a thief. That is not his hen, and he had no business climbing that beanstalk anyway! Plus, what the hell was he doing with the magic beans? Who trades their cow, their only source of income, for beans? I always wanted to shake him.

Jack always did strike me as a bit of a skeeze.

~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be?

I would be one of the 12 Dancing Princesses — I really want to see that underground world with the trees made of silver and gold and jewels. That was such a stunning image to me when I was a kid, so awe-inspiring, that I've been a little obsessed with it ever since. I'm not much of a dancer, though... (see answer to last question)

Misty, do you realize — if we are both among the 12 Dancing Princesses... We must be, sisters! Hello to my sister in fairy tales! Let us flee from the creepy Evil Queen together!

~Would you rather:
- — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower?

I bet that trolls got stories to tell...

I bet that troll really smells...

- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)?

Pumpkin carriage. Glass shoes freak me out. Unless they were the ones from Ever After, and then I'd have to reconsider.

Oooh. Ever After!

- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming?

Um... the prince, I guess. I find the godmothers a little dubious...

- — eat magic beans or golden eggs?

Eggs! I don't even want to know what eating magic beans would do to a person... O_O

I'm definitely with you on that one! And, you know how I feel about golden eggs... Makes the outside match the insides, if you know what I mean.;) (still humble...)

- — style 50ft long hair or polish 100 pairs of glass slippers?

I bet you could do some pretty awesome couture things with 50ft of hair. I wouldn't want to wear said hair, but style it?

Sure.

- — be forced to spin straw into gold for hours on end, or dance every night until your shoes are worn through?

Spinning and weaving fascinate me, and spinning straw what certainly be an interesting skill — and one hell of a party trick. Alchemy, anyone? And though I'm sure it'd be pretty mindless after awhile, I could listen to audiobooks or something while I did it. I'm not really much of a dancer (sober, anyway), so I think I'd have to go with spinning. Couldn't be much worse than most jobs, right?

Until creepy Rumpelstiltskin pops up, asking if you need help!! Uber creepy villain, remember? Are you going to offer him your first born?! Come to the enchanted ballroom with me Misty. I'll teach you to dance. (or ply you with liquor until you can't tell the difference!)

*Misty reconsiders*

I want to take a second to say thank you to Misty. I saw her post about Fairy Tale Fortnight, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it, knew I wanted to do as much with it as I could. So, when she asked me to co-host with her, I gave a very, very enthusiastic YES! I have had so much fun preparing for this event with Misty. We've had some awesome email exchanges, and some very definite Twilight Zone moments. I don't think there has ever been a time when we weren't on the same page about things, and our ideas for certain elements of the Fortnight were eerily similar.

It's been such a blast working with you Misty! You've been amazing! It's a little bit sad to see the Fortnight end, but this just means we get to start planning for next year! I can't wait!

Have you I mentioned to you all that Jason is the best guy ever? He has gotten me two bookish gifts recently. Two things I've wanted for a very long time. For Valentine's Day he got me a reading pillow. I mentioned this on my first Best Gifts for English Majors post and I never got one. I was so excited to open it on Valentine's Day and I've already gotten a lot of use out of it.

This is perfect for reading in bed at night. I don't have to hold the book up so my arms don't get tired-- a major problem with reading in bed. I just put the pillow in my lap, hold the book open and read away. You can order these Peeramid Bookrests on Amazon if you're interested. They are hard to find.

He also got me a great t-shirt from the greatest store in world, Raygun. Raygun is a local thing, they make great t-shirts about towns in Iowa because those of us who love Iowa love to show our pride. Someone else really liked Iowa, especially the girls that live there...

Yeah, that's right, Jack Kerouac. I've wanted this shirt for a long time since On the Road is one of my all time favorite books. Sigh. I'm just so happy I have this shirt. If you're not from Des Moines you'll probably find it less exciting, so thanks for humoring me.

In other news, it's midterms which means I have way too much crap going on this week. I have several books to make, a paper to write, a presentation, and an exam. Blargh. I'm really looking forward to spring break, even if I'm only dog-sitting. Lots of time to read and relax. In my lifelong attempt to make you all read essays I posted a three sentence essay yesterday! You should all go read it! I even challenged you to write your own and so far one person has taken the challenge.

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I've been reading for one hour and I'm already off to a good start! I decided to take a quick break and check out the Readathon site and do whatever challenges are post. Miss Remmers' Mini-Challenge is to talk about your kick-off strategy. I'm not really surrounded by anything right now, but I did know I wanted to start off with Fahrenheit 451 since it was the heaviest book in my pile but still short. I should still be able to accomplish something early in the day, but I'm also reading the hardest book while I'm still fresh. I made myself a pillow fort on my bed because I knew I wouldn't want to get out of bed at seven o'clock in the morning, so all I had to do was wake up, grab my book, and start reading. Eventually my tummy started to growl, so that is when I decided to stop, have a pop-tart, and do this mini-challenge.

On the Dewey website they asked you to answer the following questions for hour one:
Where are you reading from today? Since waking up an hour ago I've been reading Fahrenheit 451.
3 facts about me … I am a sophomore at the University of Iowa. I have flowers on my desk but they are starting to wilt. I read about museums for fun.
How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 6
Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I would really like to finish the Shelf Discovery Challenge today, we'll see.

Well I'm back to read for awhile. I'll be back in a few hours!

This kind of crept up on me but today is a day I have been looking forward to for awhile. Today Fiona Robyn will begin posting her novel, Thaw, on her blog. The book is a diary, so it's really a great way to check it out! I'm doing this today in place of a review, I hope you all give the first entry a try. Here is the first page:

These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It’s a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and the background is black, maybe velvet, as if we’re being protected from seeing the strings. One wrist rests on the other, and her fingers hang loose, close together, a pair of folded wings. And you can see her insides.

The bones of her knuckles bulge out of the skin, which sags like plastic that has melted in the sun and is dripping off her, wrinkling and folding. Her veins look as though they’re stuck to the outside of her hands. They’re a colour that’s difficult to describe: blue, but also silver, green; her blood runs through them, close to the surface. The book says she died shortly after they took this picture. Did she even get to see it? Maybe it was the last beautiful thing she left in the world.

I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to carry on living. I’m giving myself three months of this journal to decide. You might think that sounds melodramatic, but I don’t think I’m alone in wondering whether it’s all worth it. I’ve seen the look in people’s eyes. Stiff suits travelling to work, morning after morning, on the cramped and humid tube. Tarted-up girls and gangs of boys reeking of aftershave, reeling on the pavements on a Friday night, trying to mop up the dreariness of their week with one desperate, fake-happy night. I’ve heard the weary grief in my dad’s voice.

So where do I start with all this? What do you want to know about me? I’m Ruth White, thirty-two years old, going on a hundred. I live alone with no boyfriend and no cat in a tiny flat in central London. In fact, I had a non-relationship with a man at work, Dan, for seven years. I’m sitting in my bedroom-cum-living room right now, looking up every so often at the thin rain slanting across a flat grey sky. I work in a city hospital lab as a microbiologist. My dad is an accountant and lives with his sensible second wife Julie, in a sensible second home. Mother finished dying when I was fourteen, three years after her first diagnosis. What else? What else is there?

Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. I looked at her hands for twelve minutes. It was odd describing what I was seeing in words. Usually the picture just sits inside my head and I swish it around like tasting wine. I have huge books all over my flat — books you have to take in both hands to lift. I’ve had the photo habit for years. Mother bought me my first book, black and white landscapes by Ansel Adams. When she got really ill, I used to take it to bed with me and look at it for hours, concentrating on the huge trees, the still water, the never-ending skies. I suppose it helped me think about something other than what was happening. I learned to focus on one photo at a time rather than flicking from scene to scene in search of something to hold me. If I concentrate, then everything stands still. Although I use them to escape the world, I also think they bring me closer to it. I’ve still got that book. When I take it out, I handle the pages as though they might flake into dust.

Mother used to write a journal. When I was small, I sat by her bed in the early mornings on a hard chair and looked at her face as her pen spat out sentences in short bursts. I imagined what she might have been writing about — princesses dressed in star-patterned silk, talking horses, adventures with pirates. More likely she was writing about what she was going to cook for dinner and how irritating Dad’s snoring was.

I’ve always wanted to write my own journal, and this is my chance. Maybe my last chance. The idea is that every night for three months, I’ll take one of these heavy sheets of pure white paper, rough under my fingertips, and fill it up on both sides. If my suicide note is nearly a hundred pages long, then no-one can accuse me of not thinking it through. No-one can say, ‘It makes no sense; she was a polite, cheerful girl, had everything to live for,’ before adding that I did keep myself to myself. It’ll all be here. I’m using a silver fountain pen with purple ink. A bit flamboyant for me, I know. I need these idiosyncratic rituals; they hold things in place. Like the way I make tea, squeezing the tea-bag three times, the exact amount of milk, seven stirs. My writing is small and neat; I’m striping the paper. I’m near the bottom of the page now. Only ninety-one more days to go before I’m allowed to make my decision. That’s it for today. It’s begun.

When I'm stuck writing one of the first essaysists I look to for inspiration is Joan Didion. I reviewed her collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem recently, and while I only gave it a B I really loved it. As a collection I just thought it moved rather slowly. While reading that collection I found another essay by her called In Bed. The version I'm linking to is a little different from the version I read in The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present

, but you'll get the idea. It's very short-- just about four pages. I was drawn to this essay because I've been experiencing some medical issues recently that are outside of my control. I could really relate to Didion's story about migraine, an illness she has struggled with her entire life and has absolutely no control over.

This essay is really more personal than most of Didion's other work-- The Year of Magical Thinking

removed from that statement. She does very little "journalism" in this piece, although she does have a good paragraph of research about migraine and what causes them. Research is something I really admire about Joan Didion's writing, and it's something I wish I could incorporate into my writing more. Through research Didion is able to give us a whole new understanding of what a migraine is, and then when we have the scientific understanding of it that makes our understanding of her personal experience that much stronger. I also love that she includes others outside herself who experience migraine. She doesn't describe anyone directly, but lists off other kinds of people who are challenged by migraine, including "unfortunate children as young as two years old." She weaves herself into these people as well though; directly after the previous quotation she mentions her first migraine happened when she was eight.

And of course this essay is about migraine-- but it's also about having no understand of something that effects you every day. It's a universal problem, and it transcends the "simple human experience" and moves to our experience as a nation. War effects some people every day, they cannot even begin to understand it or control it, but it comes. This is an extreme example, but when Didion says, "We do not escape heredity. I have tried in most of the available ways to escape my own migrainous heredity... but I still have migraine" --- I'm led to think that it's more than just medical history we try to escape, it's our connections with anything we'd rather not be a part of.

This video is really interesting in regards to Joan Didion. She kind of describes her love of writing in this short interview.

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Because this is a much bigger post than an update, I'm going to post it separately.

Click the image to learn more!
I decided that midnight would be my stopping point for this post because (unless my math is horribly off) this is the midway point, halfway between start and finish. So, here is my first official reporting!

First of all, give us an end-of-day status update.

Total Books Read: 6
Total Pages Read: 1218 Books Read Since Last Update: 2 Pages Read since last update: 394 Total time read: 9 hours How I'm currently feeling: SO great! I think I'll read for a while longer, but I'll probably go to bed at a semi-reasonable time (meaning, of course that it's still going to be around 2 or 3 before I finally turn off the lights)
Books read:
1 — I Heart You, You Haunt Me — Lisa Schroeder
2 — Fog Magic — Julia L. Sauer (Newbery Honor)
3 — Monster — Walter Dean Meyers (Printz Award, reread)
4 — The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom
5 — Dobry — Monica Shannon (Newbery Award)
6 — Repossessed- A.M. Jenkins (Printz Honor)

What is the favorite thing you have read today? I've actually been quite pleased with everything I've read today, except for book five. But, if I had to pick a favorite, I'd say it was probably I Heart You, You Haunt Me. It's the second book by Schroeder I've read and I've officially decided that I love her. She's incredibly talented and she is a perfect example of why novels written in verse can be so powerful.

Which mini-challenge was your favorite? I haven't really participated in the mini-challenges today. I've been too busy reading.:) The only one I actually participated in was the book title sentence, so I guess I'll pick that one.

What has been your favorite thing about the read-a-thon? An excuse to just sit and read and munch on junk food.: P I also love that it gives me more motivation. I'm motivated to read more, so I get more done. It's not everyday you get through 6 books!:)

What has been your LEAST favorite thing about the read-a-thon? Nothing really. The only thing that I don't love is how quickly and often the update posts are up. When I'm reading, especially during a read-a-thon, I don't want to be stopping. My preferred way to read is straight through, getting the whole book read in one sitting. Which means I either miss the updates or I have to pause my book, which throws off my reading groove. I think I'd have liked it better if they were either spaced out more, of left 'open' longer.

Are you on track to meet your goals? Yes! Completely! It's actually quite the rush!: P I initially just wanted to get as many books read as I could, not really putting a number to it. But shortly after my third book, I realized I was only 3 books behind on my GR challenge, something I've been far behind on all year because I started the year in a reading slump.: ( So, I decided that I was going to try and get all caught up today, and I finished my 6th book 15 minutes before midnight!:)

Will you be participating tomorrow? Do you have any new goals? Definitely!! I'm am most certainly going to be participating tomorrow!! I'm not all the way sure about goals yet, although 6 more books would definitely be amazing! Not sure I can manage that though, because I do plan to get some sleep tonight, so really, I just want to read as possible! I'm thinking I will probably read one more book tonight, two at the most before I need to go to bed, and then waking up at a (hopefully) decent hour and getting more reading done.

I thought you all might want to know how things are going with Merry. She seems to be doing well, for the most part. She still has meltdowns once in a while but she really enjoys having so many other kids around. She sees her cousins all the time and there is also a little girl next door who comes over to visit a lot. She still talks mostly in English but the Spanish words are starting to come out. It is usually a noun here or there, mixed in with the English. For example she'll say "I want a 'galleta' (cookie)" or "I want a 'manzana' (apple). The other day she used two Spanish words together: "We have 'dos manzanas' (two apples)". Today she was playing with the little girl next door and I heard her say "come" (eat). It is really interesting to see how she is starting to pick up Spanish words. It must be frustrating for her at times because the other kids don't always understand what she is saying. Often I'll try to help her by translating or telling her what to say in Spanish. But I'm not always there so she is on her own a lot. Despite the language barrier she has made a lot of friends at school, and as I mentioned before she loves playing with her cousins.

Surprisingly she hasn't been sick much. Last week she had a slight fever and we kept her home from school one day but besides that things have been pretty good. When we were here visiting two years ago she had a cough the whole time and on top of that she got sick and she got an ear infection. But so far things have been going well. I'm making sure that she gets lots of rest and I give her vitamins every day. Lucho, on the other hand, is sick in bed with a fever today. I've been giving him teas and medicine all day.

For those of you who have been wondering…. yes, our stuff arrived safely in Loja about a week and a half ago. Lucho was able to get everything through customs without any problems. The only snag came at the end of the first day. The truck was on the way out the door and the last step was to weigh the container. For some reason the weight was about 1,000 pounds less than what was stated on the document. We don’t know exactly what happened but we think that it wasn’t weighed correctly in the States, or they estimated it wrong. At any rate, the truck was almost out the door but was turned around at the last minute, very frustrating. The next day everything was re-inspected (we were charged an additional $70 for that) and it was allowed to go. It was such a relief to call Lucho and find out that our stuff was out of the port and on its way to his uncle’s warehouse.

The next step was to get our things from Guayaquil, which is located on the coast, to Loja, which is in the mountains. Lucho’s uncle lent him one of his trucks (we never would have been able to do all this without his help) and we paid the driver and another guy to help Lucho pack up the truck and drive to Loja. The trip usually takes about 8 hours, but it was slow going because of the loaded truck and because the roads were bad due to the recent rains, so the trip ended up taking about 12 hours total. They left Guayaquil at 7 a.m. on Saturday and arrived in Loja around 9 pm that night. We had rented a storage unit around the corner from Lucho’s mom’s house so the whole family was waiting there for him to show up. We were all there to greet him when they rounded the corner, horn blaring. I took some pictures (see below) of the unloading.

Since then we have been slowly going through our stuff and bringing selected things to our place. Some of our things will remain in storage until we build our apartment. Unpacking is hard work, and we are both exhausted. On top of that we live on the 4th floor so everything has to be hauled up 4 flights of stairs (luckily we have the help of Lucho’s family for this). It’s been good exercise. To date we’ve unpacked our beds, our TV and DVD, some kitchen supplies, most of Merry’s toys, some of our clothes, and, today, the computer. We were happy to find out that our computer and printer made the trip intact and are working perfectly. We also brought a bunch of things for the restaurant that Lucho is slowly putting to use. One of the things is an espresso machine and I’m looking forward to relaxing in Siembra with a hot cappuccino sometime in the near future.

I’ll have to say that it is nice to walk around the apartment and see so many familiar things like our bed, the TV, even my knives in the kitchen! When we sent everything off in Sacramento I decided that I wasn’t going to worry about if everything would arrive safely or not. I just put everything out of my mind and told myself that if they arrived, great, if not, well, we did the best we could. So it is very satisfying to have everything arrive safely.

Tuesdays at the Castle reaffirms why I simply love Jessica Day George. Like, seriously folks. This book was just so much the cuteness and I want to hug it. (Don't worry Misty from The Book Rat... I refrained from displays of affection with your book, but only just.)

Castle Glower likes to change. When it gets bored, it adds rooms, removes them, moves things around or just plain messes with your head. It's pretty clear about who it likes and who it doesn't, and the Castle chooses its own King.

Celie is 11 and she loves the Castle. She's decided to do what no one has previously done, and draw an atlas of it. She spends hours and hours exploring, making sure to note any changes, not matter how small and she treats the Castle like a person. Which, ends up being a really awesome benefit when her parents are missing, presumed dead (in an ambush) and nefarious things start happening, led by the people in the Castle. The three royal children at home — Celie, the youngest, Rolf, the 2nd son and heir to the throne (so decrees the Castle) and Lilah, the elder sister — are left to try and protect the Castle, preserve their family and save the kingdom. It's an awful lot to put on the shoulders of children, but they are extraordinary and rise to the challenge.

One of things that I loved about this book was the characters. All of them. They are just so, realistic. Celie is 11, but because of their situation, she has to do a lot of things that are much more grown up. But guess what guys — She still acts like a kid! She is as strong and mature as is possible for her to be, but she still wants to stick her tongue out at the bad guys, stomp her feet and say really witty and cutting stuff like — You are a poopoo face. And she also does stuff like stay up late setting up pranks on the bad folks and then being beyond exhausted and falling asleep pretty much mid-sentence.

Rolf has the most pressure of any of the other characters placed on him. As heir to the throne, when the King goes missing, the running of the country is left to him. But he is only 14, and as you can imagine — the aforementioned nefariots try to use this to their advantage and force him to do their bidding. He's a strong enough person, even at 14, that he recognizes this and does all he can to put a stop to it, but there really is only so much a 14 year old can do against a large group of adults, especially when you aren't completely certain they aren't going to try and kill you. Lilah is also under a lot of pressure, because she feels responsible for the well-being of her siblings, especially young Celie. There is a lot going on and Lilah knows she can't really protect her siblings, but she wants to and she does all she can to help them.

But, perhaps the best and most complex character in all the novel is the Castle itself. (Notice how I keep capitalizing Castle? Ya... That's intentional. I don't want it turn my room into a pigsty or something... : P) The Castle is able to know and to sense things. It knows who will make a great King, who wishes the King, Castle or country ill, and who is an ally. And it makes it obvious. If it likes you, the Castle will give you beautiful and comfortable rooms, but if it doesn't, you are lucky if your bed is big enough to hold your body. You might find it impossible to find your way through corridors, or suddenly in a room without a door. Or, the Castle finds good favor with you, things that you need might suddenly appear, or you find a new corridor that makes it quick and easy to get to the other side of the Castle. I loved watching Celie learn about the Castle and explore. And I loved that when the kids suddenly needed a lot of help, but didn't know who they could turn to, the Castle was there, totally prepared and ready to offer assistance to the children.

The only complaint that I had with this story is that the ending felt super rushed. I'm not horribly disappointed in it, because this seems to be the nature of a lot of MG books (and a lot of YA too) where the story is in the set up and the journey there and once you actually get there, it's just a real quick resolution to finish things off. But honestly, this resolution was so fast as to almost be a — You blink and you've missed it — type thing. In a 232 page book, the resolution to the main problem should take more than 8 pages and a few paragraphs of explanation.

Regardless, this is one of those books that will be read and absolutely loved by kids. What kid doesn't love the idea of being able to completely outsmart all the grown ups?! I know that 10 year old Ashley would have fervently believed in this book. And what better magical element could you possibly wish for than a Castle that is never the same twice, especially when you happen to be the Castle's especial favorite. But the book isn't only for kids, and I have a hard time believing that there will be anyone who isn't just swept away by the delightful cuteness of this book. I mean, seriously.

It always happens..I have all these wonderful plans for the long weekend. I have a stack of books on my bedside, just waiting to be read. Instead...I spent the entire weekend in bed, sick. My hubby and nine year old son had symptoms of a cold earlier in the week. My hubby had gone out the night before his symptoms appeared and I blamed it on a hangover (sorry baby!). Ok, I can admit it...I was wrong. Unless hangovers are contagious, he really was sick that day.

Ok, back to me :). The symptoms started Friday while I was at work. Tingly nose, itchy throat. We'd done a lot of cleaning around the office so I assumed that my allergies were just reacting. At lunch that day, I took my son to his school's Open House. I put on a happy face, but my head was throbbing. Luckily the powers that be decided to close the office early that day in honor of the Labor Day weekend.

I get home around 3:30 and I can barely see to drive, my headache is so bad. The normal allergy/sinus meds weren't kicking in. I drank some coffee, and that seemed to alleviate the pain for the time being.

Hubby and I had plans to take our nine year old to the mall to do some final back to school shopping. I was able to get through that relatively easily, but by the time we got home it hit me. I lost all energy and crashed.

I woke up the next morning at 6 am, thanks to our three year old son. That's when the coughing began. I coughed so much I thought my ribs would crack. The coughing lasted all weekend, and finally, after an entire 3 day weekend of drinking the all-powerful, cure-all Robitussin, I'm finally starting to feel normal again.

The downside of the meds was waking up, wide awake, at 3 am. I got a lot of quality reading done in those early hours! I finished Inside Out Girl

, Sweetsmoke

, and Chelsea Cain's newest, Sweetheart

. I've started Woman of a Thousand Secrets

and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

(for the Sci-Fi Lit class I'm taking). Look for my reviews of these books (ok maybe not Frankenstein) later this week.

Ok, this was meant to be a short little message explaining my absence but as usual I started rambling :). I hope everyone has a good week, and I'm sending out a special prayer to all those affected by Gustav. Also, there's still time to enter the giveaway for a Tess Gerritsen book!

Everyone, help me welcome Sierra to the blog today! She has an absolutely wonderful memory to share with everyone today! Help me make her feel welcome!

My name is Sierra, and I blog on Yearning_To_Read. I've been blogging for almost a year now; I started Yearning To Read back in June 2010. It has been an amazing experience, and I feel so priveleged to be a part of a project like this. My blog first started out as a way to review good books (okay, and some bad, too) and have fun with it. Now it has turned into much more: I write about vintage books that I buy, poems, and quotes that I love; and in January I added something new: giveaways, so far my favorite aspect of blogging. I love giving books: What a great way to do it!

About me: I'm a 17-year-old senior in highschool and I've been homeschooled since preschool. I LOVE it. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It has allowed me to study everything that I would study in a public school, but it also gives me a greater freedom to focus on what I love: literature, writing, foreign language, and Photography. It has been a journey, full of adventures. AND... my mom is the best teacher.:) I live in San Diego, CA, which is one of the best places to live. Someday I hope to travel to new ends of the world, but I want to always have a home to come back to in San Diego. I've beed a reading maniac since I was 7, and I've been writing novels (yes, novels) since I was 8. Not that they were any good, of course, but it's the thought that counts, right? I still write all the time... the stories come and come and come relentlessly. I hope to someday be a published author. It's been my goal for 9 years and counting — I'd say that's pretty promising!

And now, for my memory.

It was Easter Sunday, 2008, after church. It's funny, how some days start as one thing, with you having a goal for the day, an idea of what it's going to look like. And then, it all changes. Drastically. Funny what books can do to you in a day.

The day before, I had picked up Inkheart. I'd bought it a while before, with its published companion Inkspell. I'd heard it was good from a friend; the movie was coming out; I had a giftcard. How could I lose?
But anyway, back to the story:

I remember lunch at our house, with our friends. I brought Inkheart to the table with me and had it under my leg. (This is the first time I remember doing this.) Between bites, I'd reach down and feel the cover, the grooves and bumps on it which were (and still are) Meggie's fingers, the gold coins from Treasure Island, the lizzard from the desert, the castle from the fairytales. I wanted to read it; I wanted to be captured in the story and transported.
After lunch, I helped clean up a bit, but I was itching. Itching for the story beyond the covers. The second I was free, I ran upstairs and into my room, where I stayed. I opened the book. And read.

For 6 hours.

Now, let's get something straight here: I'm not a fast reader. I got a total of about 250 pages done in those six hours. I took two breaks. But the rest of the time, I was hooked. I remember it vividly, the first time I read that journey and was immersed. I remember starting by sitting on my bed; that soon got stuffy and uncomfortable, after so much food. Then I sat between my desk and my footboard, legs up, book on my knees. That, too, eventually became uncomfortable. My legs cramped and it was getting hot in the room. (Or was that Dustfinger's fire, leaping out of the pages to catch me?) Then I went outside to the patio, where I read some more. I sat on a reclining chair and my body soaked up the spring sunshine and fresh air — and all the while my mind was soaking up the intense story that isInkheart. My mind was lost in a fantastic world that becomes a part of the reader.

I finished Inkheart two days later. Then, I started Inkspell.

In no way was I prepared for what lay on those pages, in that ink. I'd experienced a ride with Inkheart — but with Inkspell... I don't know. Something was different. Mentally, emotionally. It played with my emotions like Dustfinger plays with his fire, like Mo plays with his words.
In the end... let's just say that not very many other books make me sob. (I am a usual crier, yes, but not a usual sobber.) If a book gets me so emotionally that I cry really hard, it usually ends up on my favorites shelf. It means more to me than most books because it moved me more. It was just so when I finished Inkspell. I was sitting on the couch (I think it was the Thursday after Easter Sunday) and my sister was sitting across from me, reading one of the Madeleine L'Engle books. And as I lay there, reading the last few chapters, sniffling and wiping tears away and burying my head in my arms, she kept staring at me strangely, wondering what the heck could have changed my emotions so drastically.

(Are you wanting to know as well? I advise you read the book. 'Twill be worth it, I promise.)

And that is my memory. My vivid, lovely memory. I remember all the emotions, the sights and smells. In fact, the smell of the Inkbooks are still some of my favorites to date. Oh, and did I read Inkdeath ? Yes, yes I did. I remember longing for it, and when it came in the mail I was proud to know that I was one of the first people to ever hold it in my hands. And I LOVED the book.

This memory is particularly special to me, for a few reasons. Not only were these some of the very first books that I became emotionally attached to, but they were also some of the first fantasy books I'd ever read. They got me hooked on the genre, and they are still an example of what great fantasy is. Since that week I've read Inkheart 3 times total, Inkspell twice total (and the end several times — it makes me cry every single time), and Inkdeath once. Each time I read the first two, those memories come back, swiftly and vividly. It's strange — the books that talk about books catching memories between their pages are the books that have caught the most memories for me.

And they are memories I will always cherish and will never forget.

Thank you so much Sierra, for sharing your memories with us! This sounds like an incredibly important read for you. I remember these life changing reading experiences in my own life, and am so happy that you shared yours with us!

Readers, remember that if you would like to be a Memory Monday guest, in my blog for more information!

Spring break is almost over and I'm quite sad about the whole thing. I've had a taste of summer and now it's all I can think about. I'm feeling a little sick today, or maybe I'm just embracing my last lazy day. I'm planning on spending time in bed, watching TV, and reading. I haven't finished five books quite yet, but I think I can make it happen by the end of the day. Essex County

is the real stand-out book I finished and I can't wait to review it. I think it might be my favorite graphic novel.

I'm still hard at work on my Day Zero Project. I've come close to completing two more projects on my list and have several of the long term projects going too. The project has really forced me to change my attitude about life. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the things I need to and want to do (and not doing them) I now just see these as things I will finish eventually. Something that will be checked off a list. It's a little freeing, and empowering to realize you can complete your goals with planning and passion.

In other news, my book buying ban has twelve days left. I went to Barnes and Noble this week and even thought I felt like buying a lot of things I resisted. And you know what? I'm still alive. Two things are getting me through this ban. The first is the $40 I taped to my calendar. If I get to April 1st then that money is mine to buy books with. The second is the Goodreads application on my iPod. Now if I see a book I want in the store I just scan it and add it to my wishlist. Once the ban is over I can go through my wishlist and see what what books I'm still pining for and what I can probably forget about.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

* Just realized that I didn't actually post this at 5:30 like I thought I had... So I'm posting it now. Hours later. My apologies.: P Update: Day 2 — 5:30
Total Books Read: 9
Total Pages Read: 2049 Books Read Since Last Update: 2 Pages Read since last update: 619 Total time read: 16 hours How I'm currently feeling: Good! I'm excited that I've made so much progress, and I'm hoping that I'll get at least one more book read before 8. Shouldn't be too hard! I'm sure I can get it done!:) List of books read- 1 — I Heart You, You Haunt Me — Lisa Schroeder 2 — Fog Magic — Julia L. Sauer (Newbery Honor) 3 — Monster — Walter Dean Meyers (Printz Award, Reread) 4 — The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom 5 — Dobry- Monica Shannon (Newbery Award) 6 — Repossessed — A.M. Jenkins (Printz Honor) 7 — Where the Red Fern Grows — Wilson Rawls (Reread) 8 — After the Kiss — Terra Elan McVoy 9 — Scars — Cheryl Rainfield
So, here is my update post for day two! It is now about 11:30. I went to bed about 4:00 last night and now I'm up and plan to get lots more reading done!

Really fast update before I disappear to read:

I read one more book before falling asleep, which brings my current total to 7 books and 1430 pgs. I finished Where the Red Fern Grows, which has been a very, very favorite since 4th grade and never fails to make me cry. Hard. It had been a long time since my last reread, so I was due.:) I've read the book somewhere over 50 times and it never gets old, never gets dull, and never fails to touch something emotional within me.

I will do a more indepth update later.:) For now, I'll answer the update question and get to reading!

Book I think should be taught in school?

I definitely agree with Enna that The Book Thief is amazing and would go over well in a classroom.

But for this question, I think I'm going to pick Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. It's one of my all time favorite books. I love it so, so much. It's a powerful book about learning who you are, living, moving on, forgiveness, trust, death, life, pain, grief, happiness, etc. etc. etc. There are so many things happening in this book, powerful, wonderful things. It also makes great use of flashbacks and dual story lines. Seriously. I think everyone should read this book.

AND if you start it, you HAVE to finish it. Every single negative review I've read of this book came from people who didn't finish. Of people who have read the whole thing, I have never talked to anyone who didn't end up really liking, if not loving this one. Seriously folks.

Tif Talks Books meme is Book Libs, which is like Mad Libs Except with your books. I totally love this idea because I was addicted to Mad Libs when I was a kid!

Once upon a time in the land of Scargrave Manor, there lived Miss Austen and the Lieutenant happily ever after. Is that not how the story always goes?!? On the night before the wedding, Miss Austen was sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden there was a noise. She jumped out of bed to awaken the Lieutenant.

As both stood there, looking at the snow in their front room, they felt gratitude. How could it be? Was it true? To be face to face with snow was not possible. What were they to do?

With quick thinking, Miss Austen and the Lieutenant exchanged a knowing glance and struggled.

From there, we may never know what happened in this story. It could be penniless. Or, it could be lonely. It truly is a mystery! However what we do know is this . . . . Thanks an awful lot.

Last week Ali challenged us to think about the classics. She gave us four questions, and allowed us to mix and match.

1) How do you feel about classic literature? Are you intimidated by it? Love it? Not sure because you never actually tried it? Don't get why anyone reads anything else? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? Go all out, sell us on it!

2) A challenge, should you choose to accept it: Read at least one chapter of a classic novel, preferably by an author you're not familiar with. Did you know you can find lots of classics in the public domain on the web? Check out The Popular Classic Book Corner, for example. Write a mini-review based on this chapter: what are your first impressions? Would you read further? (For a larger selection of authors, try The Complete Classic Literature Library).

3) Let's say you're vacationing with your dear cousin Myrtle, and she forgot to bring a book. The two of you venture into the hip independent bookstore around the corner, where she primly announces that she only reads classic literature. If you don't find her a book, she'll never let you get any reading done! What contemporary book/s with classic appeal would you pull off the shelf for her?

4) As you explore the other Weekly Geeks posts: Did any inspire you to want to read a book you've never read before—or reread one to give it another chance? Tell us all about it, including a link to the post or posts that sparked your interest. If you end up reading the book, be sure to include a link to your post about it in a future Weekly Geeks post!

Many people chose to answer the first and third questions, although every question did get answered. Some geeks love the classics, while others are a bit more apathetic. But everyone had something great to contribute to the discussion. Here is a sampling:

Both Chris Voss and hagelrat from Un:bound answered this week’s challenge. Un:bound is a team blog, and in a possible history making event, more than one team member participated. Very cool. I also love this line from hagelrat: “it's my pet theory that a girl who has nothing but classics on her bookshelves keeps nothing but mills & boon under the bed.”

In another potentially history making post, Weekly Geeks appears in Danish! Dorte kindly translated her post into English, as well. For which I am forever grateful. I did a double-take when I first saw her post, but then I noticed the helpful arrow for us English readers directing us to look below. Thanks for joining Weekly Geeks, Dorte!

Frances at Nonsuch Book included a beautiful mosaic of book covers in her post. All of the covers are from the same book, The Damnation of Theron Ware. Although I’ve never heard of the book, I found the first cover with the windows to be quite appealing. Frances also reflected on the role classics played in her own development.

Puss Reboots admits that “many of the books I read are older than I am.” She also talks about how she compares Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to Jay and Silent Bob. Dude! Awesome comparison. Go check out her post and enjoy the links!

I will confess to letting out a little woo-hoo when I read Terri’s confession that she feels “pretty inadequate about classic lit, considering I have a BA in English.” Sometimes it’s nice to know that English majors haven’t read it all. Terri also made a wonderful comment about comparing reading the classics to music…”it’s a bit like learning music theory and getting a good base of classical music before journeying off into other styles.”

Sassymonkey discusses how different the classics are from each other. She also mentions the required reading list she made for her boyfriend. Inquiring minds want to know…did he make it through the entire list?

Finally, a note about Aunt Myrtle. Poor Myrtle, I’m afraid we were a bit harsh on her. Although she did get plenty of good books out of the deal. I kind of want to be Aunt Myrtle, just to get the books.

********************

In other news…

At the end of each month we’re going to attempt to give shout-outs to the other Dewey-inspired events that are going on. Many of these events already have links over in the sidebar, but a little more linky love never hurt anyone, right?

Chris and Robin are hosting the Dewey Books Reading Challenge, complete with monthly mini-challenges and nifty prizes. This event lasts all year, and just happens to be dear to my heart because I’m participating and reading some incredibly good books. Go check out the blog for more info. Or this site to read some of the reviews of the participants. Betcha find a book you wanna read.

Jackie has started a new blog to continue the Bookworms Carnival. Info on the upcoming themes and hosts can be found at that site, The Bookworms Carnival. The 23rd Edition of the Bookworms Carnival will be held by Jessica over at The Bluestocking Society, where the theme is Books to Movies. Submissions are due by February 13th.

Also, Jackie has made mention of a Facebook blog network for Weekly Geeks and the Bookworm Carnival. Since I know squat about Facebook, I’ll give you the link and hope you all know what she’s talking about. :-D

There has been chatter about the continuation of Dewey’s popular Read-a-thon. As far as I know there are plans to continue (yay!) and the next Read-a-thon would be held in April. We will let you know more info once the planning starts.

I really do like The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday feature. I don't participate terribly often, but I am a devoted rereader and just couldn't pass this one up. I'm also terribly guilty of rereading just my favorite parts of books again, but this list is going to be specifically for those books that demand to be read as a whole unit. Hopefully, I'll be able to stop at ten... : P

#1- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: Normally, the order in these types of posts is more a matter of which order I thought of the books than an actual number one thing. But this book — DEFINITELY belongs on my number one spot. My teacher read this book to my class in 4th grade & I had to leave the class because my 'allergies' were acting up. I have read it (no lie) over 50 times since then and every time I read it, it's a new and wonderful experience. Oh ya. And, I sob every single time I read this book. When I was a kid — I legitimately thought that I was going to go to the Ozark Mountains and retrieve the ax and lantern that Billy left there. It was that real to me. (And honestly — a small part of me is still pretty sure that if I looked hard enough, I'd find it...)

#2 — Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: If any of you are surprised to see this book on my list — I don't think we can be friends any more... No seriously. If you don't know how much I obsessively love this book, then I have failed you as a friend. It's one of the most complex, captivating and compelling books I've ever read. This is a book that slips inside your soul and makes your heart weep. I don't think it is possible for another book to surpass this one in my mind.

#3 — The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: One of the smartest, wittiest books I've ever read. Seriously guys — I want to be Frankie, but I definitely get that I will never be that cool...

#4 — The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: I'm pretty sure these books will be on a lot of lists. I've read the first books SO many times. I always read all the previously published books to prep for a new release, and sometimes, during the long waits between books, I'd read them all again anyway. But, I haven't read any of them since the release of the 7th and I've only read it once. No doubt there is much I missed in my desperate race to know how it all would end. These books were a huge part of growing up for me. I literally grew up with Harry (read the first book at 11, the last at 18) and it's a series I will love forever.

#5 — Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson: Everyone talks about Speak and while I absolutely and wholeheartedly love and recommend that one as well (and really need to reread it too) I feel that Twisted is often overlooked, and let me tell you — that's a shame. It's one of the most honest and authentic teenage boy POVs I've ever read, especially coming from a female author. I connected to Tyler, felt his pain and hurt right along with him. But when he starts to learn who he really is, and step up to it — Whoa man. Seriously — Love this one.

#6 — The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I really enjoyed this book and there was so much to it that really struck me. The narration by Death is one of the most unique and heartrending I've ever come across. But I didn't connect to it quite the way I had expected (oddly enough, the part that I felt the most disconnected to was actually the theft of the books) but I want to revisit it, because there is so much to this story to love. Amazing book, and I'd love to go back to it, and see if it's even better on the reread.

#7 — Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl: I wasn't very interested in science fiction when I was younger, pretty well convinced that it was lame and boring and so not for me. Who needs aliens. Seriously. I read this book because it was on the Newbery Honor list and it totally changed my perspective on Science Fiction. I loved this book, connected with it, really felt it, and I so want to go back and read it again to try and recapture that.

#8 — The Novels of a Kingdom by Cynthia Voigt: These four books (Jackaroo, On Fortunes Wheel, The Wings of a Falcon & Elske) are each amazing on their own (and can be read as standalone) but reading them together, realizing the connections and living these stories is something that I miss. These are a strange genre to pin down too. I think of them as fantasy, but there is nothing magical about them. They feel magical and have a Feudal/Medieval setting. I don't know what else to call them, but I can't really get over how much I truly do love and miss these books! (Honorable mention — The Tillerman Saga. Changed my life, these books did. I LOVE them)

#9 — Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott: Dude. This book is awesome. It was the first time that I can remember reading a villain that truly confused me. Seriously awesome stuff. And, the action, the writing, the setting, the characters — all of it. LOVE! Zoe is pretty brave with a lot that she does in this novel, but it's truly a gripping, compelling and strong story. I loved it so much, that I totally talked to a stranger on a bus in Washington DC about this one. (A stranger who was knitting plastic grocery sacks, no less...) LOVE this book.

#10 — A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb: I don't read many ghost stories, and paranormal isn't really my favorite genre, but this is one that kept me up all night reading. I intended to read the first 1-3 pages of this and about three other books before bed, because I couldn't decide what to take to work with me, since I had a minimum of an hour commute, both ways. It was late & I needed to get my bag for tomorrow reading, so I read the first few pages, and then needed to finish the chapter, but then, just one more. Well, one more is okay. I might as well read to page 50. Oh, have to finish this chapter. One more and so on and so forth until I was finished. LOVE.

Note- This intentionally doesn't include any of the books I've read since I began blogging. There's just too many, so these are all books it's been close to 2 years (or longer) since I read. I'm serious when I say I'm a devoted rereader. It's been so long since I've really been able to just sit and reread like I really want to and I miss that. I think, that once I get through some of the books clamoring for immediate attention, I'm going to start rereading again and spend a lot more time with these books I just love and want to see again.:)

I read a lot of nonfiction, but sometimes when it feels like I've read tons of nonfiction books in a row I get a strong desire to cheat. Usually on weekend mornings when I want to read in bed a book about the environment or a memoir just aren't going to cut it for me that morning. I want an escape, something I will sink into my pillows with and forget that I'm wearing pajamas. When that desire happens it seems like I almost always reach for a YA novel.

This is exactly what happened yesterday morning. I've been working my way through Triumph of the City

for a couple weeks and I really love it. I'm going to review it later this week and I'm talking about it on my podcast because I'm just that enthusiastic about it. But on a Saturday morning I felt like cheating. Not thinking about cities or the environment and just think about something fun. I knew exactly what the perfect book was too, Bright Young Things

. I bought this book the day it came out because I loved Anna Godbersen's Luxe series. I was completely devastated when the series ended and couldn't wait to read what she had next. The second book in Bright Young Things doesn't come out until September though, so I've put off reading it a little bit. I can already tell I'm going to have the same experience with Bright Young Things, I can't put the first book down.

Of course now I need to finish Triumph of the City quickly because I have a review obligation with TLC Book Tours, so I probably should have finished it earlier. I don't feel guilty. Bright Young Things is exactly what I needed this weekend.

What kind of books do you pick up when you're looking to cheat? Do you cheat on your books, or do you just power through until the end?

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