Books Read 2010

I just finished a book, and I think it will be the last before 2011 begins, so here are the books I read this year and my reviews.  I read a grand total of 20 this year.  For reviews on the first 6 that I read this year, see this post.

Mockingjay: If you haven't read the Hunger Games series, please do, and do it soon.  It is only behind Harry Potter in my favorite series.  This was the final book, and it did not disappoint.  Just wonderful.

The Book Thief: This book takes place in Nazi Germany and is about a little girl who is an innocent bystander and how the war affects her.  I was not as impressed by this book as others have seemed to be.  I thought the writing style was annoying, not innovative.  That being said, there were some nice moments, and the story as a whole was moving, but it was rather slow in parts.  I would still recommend it, but I wouldn't get my hopes up for it being the best book you've ever read.

The Talented Mr. Ripley: A book about a man who has some psychological issues.  It was written in the 50s, and it's really obvious.  There are some serious cultural differences between then and today which were really interesting.  It was a fast read because it was short, slightly interesting, but all in all I didn't feel that it was worth my time.

The Maze Runner & The Scorch Trials: These are the first two books in a trilogy about a boy named Thomas who can't remember who he is and awakes to find himself in a dangerous maze with no way out.  Awesome.  Creative.  Fast reads that had me turning the pages like no other.  I loved them and can't wait for the third book to come out so that I can figure out exactly what's going on!

Uglies, Pretties & Specials: This was a trilogy (which actually does have a 4th book that I haven't read) that I had heard a lot about.  It's about a world where everyone has an operation at 16 to make them extremely beautiful.  I was not impressed.  I actually really enjoyed Uglies, but it went way downhill from there.  Pretties was just filler and it felt like almost nothing happened.  Specials was a complete and total let down.  On top of that, I felt like the author was trying to make some political statements through all the books, but he kept contradicting himself, so I wasn't really sure where he was trying to go.  I wouldn't recommend the series.

Vixen: I got an advanced copy of this book through the Barnes & Noble First Look program.  I read it an participated in online discussions with the other readers, the author, and the editor.  It takes place in the 20s and is written in the point of view of 3 teenage girls.  It was interesting enough, but I'm not holding my breath for the sequel.  I also thought that the themes were a little bit too adult for it to be billed as YA.

Mere Christianity: Classic CS Lewis.  I enjoyed most of the insights, but didn't agree with everything he had to say.

The Tao of Pooh: A cute little book that uses Winnie-the-Pooh to make the explanation of Taoism accessible to Westerners.  I thought it was helpful, but didn't appreciate how the author seemed to put his own viewpoints into the religion.

Incarceron: The beginning of another dystopian, YA series. (Are you seeing a pattern?  I'm actually starting another dystopian novel right now, although it's not YA and not a series.)  This one is written from the point of view of 2 people - a boy who is inside a prison so vast it seems as though there is no outside world, and a girl who lives on the outside and is the warden's daughter.  I loved this one.  Once again, quite creative.  The end seemed a little bit rushed, but there is a sequel, so we'll see what happens.

The Twin's Daughter: A girl opens the door one day to see her mother's identical twin who she didn't know existed and her life changes forever.  Excellent.  I fell for all the traps, and I even knew that there were traps before I started reading.  My heart actually sped up while I was reading at one point.

I am Number Four: This is the one I finished today.  It's about 9 aliens who came to Earth as their own planet was being destroyed.  They have super powers and are waiting until they develop so that they can fight the race that destryed their planet.  I thought it was awesome.  Good characters, good relationship building, and good action that kept the storyline moving.

Kennedy Wennedy

Kennedy in the dryer with Rosie

Kennedy is getting to be such a big girl.  It's crazy how much she can learn and all of the things she can do.  Here's a rundown.

She can sing her alphabet (perfectly in tune) and recognize all the letters in upper and lower case.

She is finally learning to share her toys, sometimes, with Noah.

In Eugene with her beloved umbrella.

She counts up to 10 perfectly.  When she tries to go to 20, it sounds something like this: ten, twelve, firteen, eighteen, nineteen, twelve....

She tried to clean her room by snapping her fingers, just like Mary Poppins. (I'm not kidding.)

She hasn't had a potty accident for I don't know how long.  She gets everything in the potty and is completely night trained.

In her tutu and crown watching over the kitchen.

She loves to help mommy in the kitchen.

She loves to dress like a princess and has been asking for ballet lessons.

She loves to read and has many of her books memorized word for word.

Scrunchy Nose

Please excuse my horribly long absence from the blogging world.  To make it up to you, here's a rather cute video of Noah's new favorite thing to do.  Sometimes he's so cute I can't stand it.