February Bookworm Bite

I accomplished very little reading this month.  In my defense I was sick for two weeks and there was this small problem of my new iPhone.  I didn't take on any clunkers and I only finished one book towards my 2012 challenges.  I am hoping for better results in March!

My favorite read, aside from my reread of The Hunger Games, was Rebecca.  I enjoyed it far more than I had expected. It was also the only book I completed towards my 2012 challenges ...blah!!! I read for the second time, all three books in The Hunger Games Trilogy.  I am super excited about the movie release this month.  In addition to being sick, I dragged my way through Anil's Ghost.  Which reminds me, that book was also towards a challenge!!! Anyways, I just could not get into Anil's Ghost.  I had to force myself to finish it on the premise it was a challenge book and it was way to early in the game to replace it with one of my alternates.  My only other read was The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. That book makes me seriously question my judgement about the whole Twilight series.

Well, that was February ......bring on March!!!

January Bookworm Bite

Not a bad month for reading!  I read two "clunkers" ( My definition of clunker is 500 or more pages) and they were my two favorite reads of the month....... 11/22/63 by Stephen King and A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin.  It might only be January but it will be hard to knock 11/22/63 from the top of my favorite list for 2012.  Yes, it was just THAT good.  Don't believe me ...READ IT ...you won't be disappointed.  I enjoyed A Game of Thrones more than A Clash of Kings, but the second book in the series still leaves you ready and wanting to pick up the third book.  On a side note, I am currently watching the HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones and I am impressed by how well cast it is and by how true it stays to the book.  I am looking forward to April 1st and the premier of the second season!

After participating in a Top Ten Tuesday that asked for my favorite childhood reads I decided it was time to reread some of those favorites and perhaps read some I had missed. I read The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and I was reminded of why I like the movie better.  I also picked up Coraline, a book I have never read, and am anxious to check out the movie adaptation.  A reread of Charlotte's Web is in my February reading plans.

I checked out Ellen DeGeneres' new book.  It made for some light and easy entertainment after those two clunkers.  The trick is to make sure you have Ellen's voice in your head as you read.  I have heard the real audio version is excellent.  I love Larry Bird = I loved When the Game Was Ours.  I read Life of Pi as part of my Mount TBR Challenge and for my book club read.  It wasn't what I expected ....not sure what I expected ....but I cringed in a lot of places ....

My most disappointing read was Bonnie by Iris Johansen.  I have been a fan of her Eve Duncan series for years and the resolution just left me saying "Really? ...Really?  Really?" Blahhhhhhhh

Looking ahead to February ....I am almost done with my first book for The Back to the Classics Challenge.  Then question is ....to read or not to read some more clunkers in February or to take a breather :)

December Bookworm Bite

December was a slow reading month for me.  I baked, I shopped, I decorated, I wrapped presents resulting in very little reading.  I read a total of six books and they were all what I classify as "easy" reads. Easy because I can read them quickly. 

My favorite read of December is the The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper.  I just love his style of writing and the humor he incorporates into his novels.  I love a book that can make me laugh.  That would be the reason why I selected Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris for the holiday read for my book club.  I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day, but there wasn't a story in our holiday read that didn't touch on some ironic truth of the season. I enjoyed Son of A Witch, but it reached a point where certain elements of the story just didn't seem to fit with the story.  My other reads Friday Night Knitting Club, Dead to the World and Long Lost were books I picked up that I knew would fit into that busy holiday schedule.  I am enjoying the Sookie Stackhouse novels and this book has been my favorite thus far.  What can I say I am an Eric fan!

Looking ahead into 2012.  I have my 2012 Reading Challenges to look forward to and I have set a goal of reading 100 books total for 2012.  I also plan to incorporate the "Baking" part of my blog title into my blog and I want to start writing individual book reviews.  I think that is some pretty good goals for 2012!!!  Maybe I will also try to cut back on my Diet Coke intake ....hmmmm ...nah ....the world ends in 2012 anyway :p

November Bookworm Bite

I have decided that to get myself started writing about books that I will do a monthly wrap up post about the books I have read instead of individual book posts ....at least for now.  Having decided to take this approach I realize I should work on these posts throughout the month as I finish reading a book. The contents of my brain empty quite quickly and I am likely to have no clue what I am talking about. So a quick recap of the books I read this month and the little I can remember of what I read.  The upside of forgetting things so quickly ....rereading books isn't like rereading at all. 

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is one of those books that I didn't really think would interest me. Not sure how much more interesting you can get then a girl who was really born a boy but it went unnoticed, but that is beside the point.  However, I had continually heard such good things about the book that I decided to give it a try. I can't even put my finger on what it was that most intrigued me about this book.  It is his style of writing that just ever so gently sucked me into his world. In the end I considered it a four out of five star read.  In contrast to Middlesex, which I had I talk myself into reading, is Still Alice which I decided I had to have a copy of and read as soon as I got my hands on a copy. It is rare that a book can make me cry.  Still Alice did that and more.  It scared me.  I hope when my time comes that Alzheimer's is not the way it announces itself.  The perspective of Still Alice was what prompted me to pick it up and it was also the reason I wanted to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  I was amazed at not just the perspective but how that perspective rarely came across as sad. Then in a totally different direction I picked up Assassination Vacation.  I enjoyed it, but it was probably my least favorite read this past month. My least favorite in that I really just have nothing to say about it except if you enjoy US history, you will enjoy this book.  Which brings me to my favorite read of the month, No Country For Old Men.  This is the second book by Cormac McCarthy that I have read. The first being The Road.  I loved The Road and I loved No Country for Old Men.   I ask myself ...what if I came across 2.4 million dollars .....I mean that would buy A LOT of books!!!

There you have it ....my first Bookworm Bite!!  I will become better at this with time and maybe even get a little more in depth with my quick witt and insight!