Lots of reading...little blogging!

So I have been reading *A LOT* lately, mostly thanks to the fact that I discovered the Nest Book Club, and have been participating in the Summer Book Club Challenge. Now while I know I will most likely not be able to complete all of the challenge reading categories, it sure has been fun trying, and it's also enabled me to branch out and read some books that I otherwise might not have thought to pick up. So here goes a list of the books I've read since I last blogged.

63 out of 101: Gone to the Dogs

I found out that goodreads often has book giveaways for advanced copies of books. So one day I was bored and decided to go ahead an enter a few. This was the first (and only) book I've won to date. It was actually a really cute read. The author's writing style was pretty different, even from most other chick lit books I have read. I enjoyed the book pretty much the whole way through, with the exception of the ending which I felt fell a little bit flat. It was a very fast read. I finished it in a day (which rarely happens for me with work and life stuff).

64 out of 101: Chocolat

I wanted to like this book. I mean come on, what is there not to like about a book that has to do with CHOCOLATE! But yeah, not so much. There was just something missing in this book for me, that I can't quite put my finger on. It was very much just ok for me. I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was Pantoufle. I like the thought of an "imaginary" bunny friend. Not a book I'd read again. I do have the movie, which I never finished watching many years ago (I think I feel asleep?). I'll try that again, and see if I enjoy it more than the book.

65 out of 101: The Sugar Queen

I *really* liked this book. I kind of walked into it blindly by just picking it up at the bookstore. I read the back of the cover, which totally appealed to me. But for whatever reason just kept putting it back. Well one day I had a nice coupon for borders and decided what the heck. I bought it, without ever reading any reviews of it online, and to my surprise I totally enjoyed it. The characters were likeable, with the exception of the mom. It was a cute, fun story. And it was a easy read, partly because I enjoyed it so much. Finished it in like 2 days, and I would actually read it again.

66 out of 101: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Great book! Very heavy though. Which I expected since I had already read the Kite Runner (which also was a heavy, but wonderful book) This is one of those books that will stay with me for a while. Even now I find myself thinking about all that the women of Afghanistan have had to endure. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone. Like I said though, it is a very heavy book, and there are some parts that are very disturbing. But it really is a good, good read!

67 out of 101: Jane Eyre

I wanted to like this book... I really did. But it just really didn't do much for me. It was long, and very wordy, and for almost the first entire half of the book I struggled to get through it. There were times where it really made me sleepy, which actually doesn't happen to me often when I read. I usually get so engrossed in a book, that while it does relax me, it doesn't make me want to crash out. It took me more than halfway through this book to even get into it a little bit. Which still wasn't enough to make me enjoy it. The relationship between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester was just odd to me. If you're looking for a good classic, I'd go with Pride and Prejudice.

68 out of 101: The Princess Diaries

I knew this was a movie (which I haven't seen, but now plan on it) but didn't realize it was a book. I actually enjoyed this book. I wouldn't say it's my favorite YA read, but it was good. The story line was really cute, and while at first I was a little annoyed with the language the character used, and some of her actions/reactions, I tried to remember that Mia is only 14. I'd say 14 year olds are allowed to be annoying to a certain extent. The book grew on me though the more that I read, and I by the end I was pretty pleased with it. I'd probably even read the next book in the series at some point in time.

More books!

60 out of 101: The Time Traveler's Wife

I decided to read this book after seeing the previews for the movie that is coming out this month. The book was good, but not great. I never felt really emotionally involved in the characters. And the whole time traveling was a little confusing at times. Maybe it was the author's writing style? I dunno. But I didn't love this book like I was hoping I would. Still a good book, but nothing I would recommend to anyone as something they had to read. Hopefully this will be one of those rare cases that the movie is actually better than the book.

61 out of 101: The Beach House

This was the first book I checked out with my new library card! I've seen it before, and picked it up at the book stores, but just didn't know if it was worth spending my money on. I enjoyed this book. It was chick lit, so it was light and fluffy, which I was in need of after TTTW. I got sucked into this book quickly, and I like how it was about several main characters, but their stories all intertwined. It was great beach reading material!

62 out of 101: The Pillars of the Earth

Wow! This book was unlike anything I have ever read before. Not only was it a huge book (probably the biggest I've ever read at nearly 1,000 pages!) but it was also a historical fiction book. I don't normally read historical fiction, but this was a great introduction for me. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. There were some very frustrating parts, as the characters were either really good, or really evil. Great, great book! Although I will say that this is not a book that you should try to rush through, I tried to get through the last 200+ pages today on my day off, and have a bit of a headache as a result...lol... which actually sucks in a way because it took away from me totally enjoying the last of this great book.