Christmas is 5 days away, Fall is but a faint memory, and with that so is the Fall Into Reading challenge. You can view my original post here.
Our host, Katrina has asked us to answer a few questions:
Did you finish reading all the books on your fall reading list? If not, why not? I did not finish all of my books (but I did read one of them TWICE). I got 7 out of 11 read. Last month my oldest was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and hospitalized. Although I kept a book with me, we were in classes learning the procedures of drawing up insulin and administering the shots, as well as nutrition basics with diabetes. We've kind of been on overload.
Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along? I had planned on adding a couple of books, as I was breezing right through them for a few weeks. However, I did not change my list. After reading the Twilight Saga, I did look up Stephenie Meyer's website and read the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun.
What was your favorite book that you read this fall? Least favorite? Why? You have to ask? Hands down my favorite was Twilight, and you can read my review here. The whole world Stephenie Meyer has created is hard to let go of. It's a love story and let's face it, who doesn't enjoy a good love story? Plus, vampires. It's a match made in Heaven for me. I was so addicted I hooked my 12 year old niece on them and she has blown right through them. I even bought her Breaking Dawn for Christmas! I also hooked one of my Stampin' Up buddies and she has continually wrote me emails cursing me. LOL She can't put them down and is now returning the favor to her daughter's. Mwahahaha! I did not have a least favorite. I enjoyed every one of the books I read, including sTORI Telling.
Did you discover a new author or genre this fall? Did you love them? Not love them? Aren't you tired of me talking about Twilight yet? LOL That was by far my new genre with Stephenie Meyer as my new author. YES, I LOVED them! I enjoyed the Twilight Saga so much that I think I'm going to look into Evernight by Claudia Gray.
Did you learn something new because of the Fall Into Reading challenge — something about reading, or yourself, or a topic you read about? My passion for reading has been reawakened. I take a book to the doctor's office with me, to get my pedicures, or whenever I'm going to be stuck someplace. It's so much better than thumbing through those dumb old magazines, right? Case in point, we were heading to Disneyland a couple of months ago, Hubby rolled his eyes because I brought along Eclipse. As luck would have it, we blew a tire and I had a book to keep myself occupied while he changed it.
What was your favorite thing about the Fall Into Reading challenge? I loved being able to read all the reviews and checking out what everybody else was reading. I have compiled a list of books I would like to get through in 2009.
Would you like to participate in another challenge here this spring? Of course! Count me in!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Fall Into Reading 2008...It's a Wrap!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Twilight Saga Review
I knew a movie was being made about the book, but hadn't paid much attention, I honestly did not even know what the book was about until about 4 weeks ago. A teenage vampire love story? I'm intrigued. Hubby (he's a high school teacher, he is in the know) tells me a little about how popular it is, that he had done some research on it, that Cedric Diggory is playing the main character. I had to laugh. He left Hogwarts for this? Still I was indifferent about the whole thing, but the vampire lover in me was being called. Katrina over at Callapidder Days began preparing us for our Fall Into Reading 2008 challenge. I knew which books I wanted on my list, but had some fillers. I chose to add the Twilight Saga, and if I get to them I get them. Still feeling a little indifferent. A friend from water aerobics and I were talking about books we were reading. She said she was finishing Eclipse and she didn't want to put it down to come to class. I was shocked, as I was one of the youngest in our class, that she would be remotely interested in a book that, according to everyone else, was geared for teenagers. She came the next time, finishing up Breaking Dawn, saying almost the exact thing. Intrigued. I bought Twilight that weekend. It sat on my nightstand, until...
I sat down Sunday, September 28 to begin reading. My teeth bit down, draining the ink from the pages, sucking harder and harder, as though my life depended on it, by chapter 3. I was in Forks watching a beautiful tale unfold. I couldn't help myself from smiling. I was, for all intensive purposes, in love with these characters and their stories unfolding before my very eyes. Twilight is by far my favorite of the four. I was not kidding when I said I have fallen in love with a vampire named Edward. I could hear him, smell him, feel him and see him (and he's not Cedric Diggory, but I may feel differently after I see the movie - coming out November 21 - READ THE BOOK FIRST), and he is exactly my brand of heroin. I'm sorry, I digress, I was talking about the book, not my love for Edward. Slowly, page by page, I read this beautiful love story unfold before my very eyes. I not only fell in love with Edward, but his family, the scenery of Forks, and even the villains who showed up and took over the book with such force. I even, gulp, fell in love with Bella, Edward's love, but I wasn't happy about that. I finished the book in a little over 2 days. At the end of Twilight Stephenie Meyer had included the first chapter to New Moon. You have got to be freaking kidding me! You can't leave a taste like that in my mouth and expect me to wait for the next book. It was a good thing I had hubby pick up New Moon while he was out the day before.
I went straight into New Moon, but only reading the first couple of chapters before I forced myself to bed. I got up the next morning, New Moon calling my name. I fed the kids, got a little something to eat, and dove in. I could feel it coming on, and so as not to embarrass myself, or upset my children, went into the bathroom and completely lost it. I was bawling harder than I had ... since February. I was in physical pain over this book, coming unglued, and I knew I was a lost cause at this point. I surrendered to the vampires and never looked back. Although I was frustrated at New Moon for about 250+ pages, I now realize just exactly how important those pages turned out to be for the story to continue. I was more in love with these characters and finished the book in a little over a day. Stephenie's books get longer and so it was harder to keep up the pace as which I had grown accustomed I really just needed them shot into my veins intravenously by now.
When I began Eclipse, I was so torn between the triangle taking place, I was heartbroken. I read furiously, watching this unfinished story line finally coming to an end. It was so hard not to turn to the Internet and look for spoilers, as my heart would race, and the unknown was biting at me passionately. As I finished Eclipse, about 11 pm at night, hubby and the children in bed, I instinctively reached for Breaking Dawn.
I read the first 100 pages or so of Breaking Dawn before going to bed, my latest night in my vampire seduced life, finally hitting the sheets around 1:45 am. I had questions I wanted answered and I knew I would find them in the beginning pages of the book. I had watched this story unfold before my eyes for the last 5 days and I knew I was going to hate to see it end. The end was fantastic. It took turns, it was written out of the norm, one section of the book is written by another of the characters, and the titles of those chapters were hilarious. I realize I'm out of the norm, but the chapter in which the nudger (trying not to give much away here) comes out, breathtaking! Yes, I said breathtaking. It's a vampire novel, is it not? I reread the last few pages of the book more than once last night, holding back my tears, preparing myself for the hole it was leaving in my heart. There was not another book to reach out for. The last page actually said The End.
I needed a fix late last night and finally went to explore Stephenie Meyer's website. Hubby had mentioned a fifth book, but I just looked at him perplexed. There was nothing left. Ahhh, but there was. In her brilliant, infinite wisdom, she had begun writing Midnight Sun, Edward's side of Twilight. Brilliant! Another book. My heart practically leaped from my chest, until I read her blog. Heartbroken I read that some idiot had leaked the first 12 chapters of the book on the Internet. What an ass. Yes, I cursed, but seriously, somebody has to ruin it for everybody else. She was, of course, devastated, and has not returned to finishing the book. She has, however, published those chapters on her website, but they are a rough draft. I plan to read them this week, but I just don't know if I can bring myself into Edward's head again without finishing it. He is, after all, an addiction I feel the need to continually feed.
I'm not going to lie and say these books are the best written. Stephenie uses the same descriptions over and over and over, but then again, think of her target audience. I wish she could have come up with some new descriptions of his icy, sculpted, marble chest, but hey, I am in love with that vampire, so I'm not complaining. He can bust my headboard, bite my pillows, and bruise my body anyday. I digress. The books do go up and down, but after reading all four (in a week's time), I realize the down times do mean something to the rest of the saga. I'm sorry the story is over, I'm having some serious withdrawals, I've watched the trailers...too many times to count. I still don't know if Cedric Diggory Robert Pattinson is my Edward, the one who creeps into my thoughts when I'm not looking, but I snap judged Tom Cruise as Lestat (and although he isn't my Lestat, he was darn good). I do have to say this, after searching images of Robert Pattinson Edward on the Internet, he is mighty fine to look at, and that crooked smile is killer.
I recommend you take a bite out of them too.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
My Fall Into Reading 2008 List
Many of you remember my first post was signing up for Katrina's Spring Reading Thing 2008. I was beyond thrilled to have been able to sit down and read 5 books during that time period. Summer has ended, the beginning of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL season has begun, and Katrina, over at Callapidder Days, is now hosting Fall Into Reading 2008. I have waffled over this list for more than a month now. I think I FINALLY have it nailed down! I hate to admit this, but I didn't pick up a single book this summer, so I have included a couple of books I didn't get read in the Spring. I've also included a few Christian authors, I've jumped on the Twilight series bandwagon, and...well, you'll see. I cannot wait to run around and see what everyone else is reading this Fall, you never know, I just might shake things up. Yea, right. LOL
Monday, September 8, 2008
My FAVORITE Time of the Year
By far, Fall is my favorite season. I live in the desert, so the beauty of nature's changes during Autumn are somewhat out of my reach. I love the weather change. I love the brisk night air. I LOVE orange, pumpkins, and Halloween is our favorite holiday...well, maybe our second favorite, depends on who you're asking. My first post upon starting my new blog was Spring Reading Thing 2008. Katrina over at Callapidder Days hosted and I read more books in a 12 week period than I had in over year. Woo-Hoo! My juices were flowing, my cup was half full, and I was raring to go. Summer, however, the reading stopped. I don't think I have read one book, well, nothing other than Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss that is. I have a pretty ambitious list this time around. I've been tweaking it since Katrina gave us the heads up on Fall Into Reading 2008 last month. I do know that I want to read the Twilight series from Stephanie Meyer. I also plan to read a few I was unable to get to in the Spring. Other than that, my final book list will be revealed on September 22. Do you have any book recommendations I should add to my list? I hope to get through EVERY last one of them this time.
