Wednesday, December 10, 2008

28 is not so bad

I like to read. A lot. So, this year I decided to keep a list of all of the books I've read. I think it's late enough in December to share the list with you. Let me warn you, I don't stick to any one type or style of book. So, here goes. Please, don't judge. 1. My Boring Ass Life 2. Wheel of Darkness 3. The Tenth Circle 4. The Thirteenth Tale 5. The Pact 6. The Mistress of Death 7. Lucky 8. The Will of Wisteria 9. Keeping Faith 10. Open Me 11. Five Quarters of the Orange 12. The Worst Day of My Life So Far 13. The Memory Keeper's Daughter 14. Left Behind 15. Hunting Unicorns 16. Tribulation Force 17. Bloodsucking Fiends 18. Nicolai 19. The Collectors 20. Soul Harvest 21. Blessed are the Cheesemakers 22. Apollyon 23. Ysabel 24. Book of the Dead 25. Mercy 26. World War Z 27. Story Telling 28. Kitchen Confidential 29. Twilight (I'm just starting this. Damn peer pressure) Phew. This is quite a list. To be honest, I didn't finish #12, I ended up hating it about a quarter of the way in and I didn't finish. It's very rare for me to not finish whatever I'm reading. If I start a book, I feel like I owe it to the book, or maybe to myself to read it all the way through. I also do not read more than one book at a time. Again, I consider it a disservice to myself, and to the books. My sister and I read All The Time. Our mom instilled this practice in us at very young ages. I don't remember a time when we didn't go to the library, or read books to earn Cubs tickets from the library, or get books as gifts for Easter and Christmas and sometime birthdays. Sadly, VonMom is very very off when selecting books for me. The ONE type of book I will not read is chic lit. I'd rather rip out my own teeth with a rusty pair of pliers and call that a good time. So, of course, VonMom gives me chic lit. My favorite story about that is this: A few Christmases ago I got a book from VonMom. She was all excited because it was about two sisters, and one was blonde and one was a brunette, and the blonde was the younger party gal and the brunette um, wasn't, yada yada yada. I read the first few pages of this Jennifer Weiner crap "And the little blonde one was having rough sex in the bathroom at her high school reunion with some random dude and aren't I so witty with my peppy prose?" Instead of just putting it down and not finishing it, I called VonMom and read her the first few choice pages. I said "Isn't this just so, like, great?" She wasn't amused. From then on she's asked for recommendations either from me or from the poor Barnes and Noble staff who indulge her lenghty description of me and my life story, so they can help her pick out a book or two. VonSis? VonMom buys her whatever giant huge tome she can find. Regardless of subject matter. Sigh. Thank God my sister and I have each other to book swap with and compare notes. We're like our own mini book club, but kinda like one on crack, with the speed she flies through books, and me trying to keep up. Best book on the list above? Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay. But, I will say, he's been my favorite fantasy writer since I was about 13, so that may be a little skewed. *Side note: YES, there are a few of the Left Behind series on the list. However, I was strongly adivsed, and I strongly agreed to stop reading the series. Not only was it boring and weird, it left a bad taste in my mouth. If anyone would like the authors' names or any more info on any of the above, please let me know.

13 comments:

Vonnie said...

I'm sorry Lauren. Must see what all the fuss is about.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Any of those any good for an early teen who likes fantasy?

Vonnie said...

Rotten - Actually Ysabel is a great choice! The author is Guy Gavriel Kay. Another great choice is the George RR Martin books. I haven't read them myself yet, I'm holding them for my almost 2 week Christmas break, but they come highly highly recommended from all of my book-loving friends.

Denise Hildreth said...

Not sure if you liked my book or not, but appreciate you reading "The Will of Wisteria" anyway. And for sharing it with your friends. That is the best gift you can give to an author. So, thank you...

Take Care
Denise Hildreth

Vonnie said...

Ok - Seriously!?!? This is one of the coolest comments I have EVER gotten!
A) I LOVED "The Will of Wisteria" and I highly recommend it!
B) Wow. I mean wow. DH - you made my day. Thanks for stopping my my little bloggy blog.

Anonymous said...

Ummm, I'm sure it was a mistake that you left sTori Telling, the Tori Spelling bio off of the list of books you've read this year :)

Poptart said...

I am super impressed by reading 28 books in a year. I haven't done that in years, sadly.

Anonymous said...

Woo I'm not the only one who reads Kevin Smith! (Though my stingy-ass self has only read the blog)

I'm hoping "My Boring-Ass Life" includes the stuff he wrote about Mewes' path to recovery. Those posts were amazing.

Vonnie said...

T - He did indeed. There was a whole big chapter dedicated to it. It was all of the blog posts, with some more background info. Gonna admit, it made me cry a little.

Chuckles said...

Serious, Lauren is right, PUT THE FUCKING TWILIGHT DOWN AND GO READ SOME ANITA HAMILTON OR SOME OTHER PRON. Wait. Uh. Just put down Twilight and get some matches and some gasoline and sterilize the world of that crap.

World War Z was frigging awesome wasn't it? I have an escape plan all set, just in case. Kitchen Confidential did not make me nostalgic for my days as a catering assistant manager.

Vonnie said...

Chuckles - I will not respond to you on the Twilight thing.
Perhaps I'm regressing, due to my seasonal affective disorder or somethin.
World War Z? Fanfreakintastic. Loved it. A lot. And, am currently formulating my own escape plan. Also, I never leave my car on E. E = dead in zombie land.

Chuckles said...

Cars = dead in the zombocalypse. You would get stuck on a highway and eaten. Better to get a quality bike, learn how to keep it moving, and bike up the coast of the lake on the bike trails. You will be able to move quieter and faster than Zack. The car makes too much noise and requires too much specialized equipment to fix. Plus you're a target for humans, too.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Chuckles, zombies need christmas munchies too.