*Update* Edited to add one last book I finished today.
Here is an abstract of my literary doings in January.

Books Read – January 2012

How Reading Changed My Life, by Anna Quindlen – 1/1/2012
River in the Sea, by Tina Boscha – 1/5/2012
Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen – 1/7/2012
War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo – 1/8/2012
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green – 1/10/2012
Emotional Geology, by Linda Gillard – 1/11/2012
I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells – 1/16/2012
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta – 1/18/2012
Persuasion, by Jane Austen – 1/21/2012
Sense & Sensibility, by Jane Austen – 1/23/2012
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson – 1/26/2012
Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler – 1/26/2012
Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White – 1/27/2012
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt – 1/30/2012
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia – 1/31/2012

January Total = 15
Year-to-Date Total = 15

Yay! Fifteen books in one month is my personal record since I started tracking my reading. And most of them were so good, I can’t even begin to pick a pick of the month. Lots of amazing reads here; War Horse, The Fault in Our Stars, Sense & Sensibility, and Bridge to Terabithia, Lizzie Bright, and One Crazy Summer stand out the most to me though. Great reading month!

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read In the Woods, by Tana French. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this one read in time for the meeting. I’m still working on it though. Up next is The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

The Third Thursday Book Club had a good discussion of I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I haven’t read it in a few years, but I remember liking it. And it was fun to discuss it with the others. In February, we’re reading Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I can’t wait to read it. I’m so enchanted with my book club experiences lately, that I blathered on about them for a bit here.

Challenges

I’ve FINALLY made some progress on my challenges! This month I read one Newbery winner, two Newbery honors, one Printz winner, and two Printz honors! Awesomeness.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 21/91 (+11 Honor books)

January Highlights

• I announced the winners of the 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards.
• I started doing a few Sunday Salon posts here and here.
• And, I posted as many reviews as I could for the books I read this month. See the list above.

That’s it. That’s what happened in January. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

September 1, 2011 – October 31, 2011

I’m a little late on this post, but I wouldn’t miss Carl’s Readers Imbibing Peril Challenge. This will be my fourth year of R.I.P., and it has become entrenched as a lovely tradition each fall.

Head over to the challenge post for a rundown on the challenge options. I’m doing Peril the Second again this year, which entails reading at least two scary/gothic/mystery-ish type books.

Here’s my current reading pool:
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (reread)

I can’t wait to get started! Are you R.I.P.ing this year? What books are in your pool?

*UPDATE: This was a complete fail this year. I didn’t even get one R.I.P. book read. At least there is always next year!

Here is an abstract of my literary doings in May, June, and July.

Books Read – May, June, & July 2011

May 2011
Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin – 5/9/2011
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin – 5/18/2011
The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, by Kate Payne – 5/18/2011
May Total = 3

June 2011
The Soldier’s Wife, by Margaret Leroy – 6/20/2011
Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer – 6/30/2011
June Total = 1

July 2011
Sink Reflections, by Marla Cilley – 7/1/2011
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin – 7/28/2011
July Total = 2

Year-to-Date Total = 25

I’ve read some great books over the last few months. My favorite was probably A Game of Thrones.

Book Club

My new neighborhood book club read Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier in May, I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith in June, and took a break in May. Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale is up in August.

My other book club read The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursual K. Le Guin in May and takes a break during June, July, and August. Middlemarch, by George Eliot is up in September.

Challenges

This year, I’m not officially joining or tracking progress in any challenges other than these three perpetual challenges.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 7/11 (+5 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 20/89 (+8 Honor books)

That’s it. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog during these slow months!

Here is an abstract of my literary doings in April.

Books Read – April 2011

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin – 4/17/2011
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley – 4/19/2011
NurtureShock, by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman – 4/22/2011
The Tapestry of Love, by Rosy Thornton – 4/25/2011
Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson – 4/27/2011

April Total = 5
Year-to-Date Total = 18

It was a solid four-star month across the board! Everything was great and interesting in its own way.

Book Club

My new neighborhood book club read These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner. I think this one makes the rounds of all book clubs eventually, and I can see why. Up next month is Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier.

My other book club had a good discussion of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. It was a quaint British mystery with a great heroine, Flavia. Up next month is The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursual K. Le Guin.

Challenges

This year, I’m not officially joining or tracking progress in any challenges other than these three perpetual challenges.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 7/11 (+5 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 20/89 (+8 Honor books)

April Highlights

• The Pulitzers were awarded. A Visit from the Goon Squad won the award for Fiction.
• I reviewed Rosy Thornton’s The Tapestry of Love. But mostly, I read.

That’s it. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

Here is an abstract of my literary doings in March.

Books Read – March 2011

These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner – 3/12/2011
The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls – 3/16/2011
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak – 3/19/2011
Getting the Girl, by Markus Zusak – 3/21/2010

March Total = 4
Year-to-Date Total = 13

While I enjoyed every book this month, I Am the Messenger was my favorite! I love that Markus Zusak.

Book Club

My new neighborhood book club read The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. Our meeting was pretty small, but the two of us that read it, enjoyed it. It’s interesting and sad, without being too depressing. Up next month is These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner.

My other book club had a good discussion of These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner. Most people enjoyed the book, and most of us loved Captain Jack in particular. Up next month is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley.

Challenges

This year, I’m not officially joining or tracking progress in any challenges other than these three perpetual challenges.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 7/11 (+5 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 20/89 (+8 Honor books)

March Highlights

• It was a slow month around here. I reviewed and held a giveaway of Table of Contents. Lorren from The Story Girl was the lucky winner.
• I also got to spend an evening with Markus Zusak. There will definitely be more about that later. For now, check out Suey’s excellent posts (with video!) here and here.

That’s it. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!