Top 11 of 2011!

Hello all. I know it's been a long (very very long) time since I last blogged, but I'm back! I was just sort of in a slump-got a bit overwhelmed with school and finals and other stuff- I thought that I just had too much on my plate and  that blogging was the thing that I should get rid of. But, I'm going at it again! I'm just going to start fresh at this, and try to keep the ball rolling this time.

So, as my first post back from a semi-hiatus, I'm doing Mia's Top 11 of 2011, even though you've probably seen tons of these list all over the blogo-sphere. But don't worry, this first list of mine will be different, with not just books but TV and movies and stuff, then with usual  book-related list after that. So, without further ado, here's my Top 11 of 2011, counting down from 11.

 Number 11. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Yes, I know this is on EVERYONE'S list, yes I know it has been mentioned on SO many blogs, and yes I know that ranting about this book has been done over and over again. But I liked it, ok! I just loved the whole dungeon-y feel and the fact that it was so much more grittier than most other YA books I've read. I was trying to think of a book to put in this slot, and this was the one that stood out the most! It was just pure awesomesauce. If you haven't read this book, then I shun you greatly recommend it.




 Number 10. The SyFy Mini-Series Event Neverland

For all of you non-mega nerds out there (or as we call them, normals) Neverland was a mini series event that aired on SyFy earlier this month. It told the "back story" of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and how they arrived in Neverland. Yes, amazing concept, I know. And guess what! It was even MORE awesomesauce than Divergent! The plot was wonderfully fleshed out and thought through, the characters were great, and the scenery was GORGEOUS! I completely fell in love with it, and that was all I thought about for 3 whole days. The only bad part? It was only 2 episodes long. But don't worry, there were hot British guys to balance that out!

Number 9. The end of the Chaos Walking Trilogy

My mind is still blown from the end of this book. There are seriously still brain and skull shards working their way out of my cerebral cortex. This whole trilogy was amazing, and it had the deepest themes and symbolism I've ever seen in YA. I can't even put the greatness into words.


But speaking of the ending of trilogies....



Number 8 1/2. The Death Cure by James Dashner

Yet another complete mind blow. And, to top it off, I read this one right before reading Monsters of Men. Do I set myself up for such shock and awe this often? Because I'm starting to think I do.









Number 8. Crush the Castle
This quickly became my favorite app of the year. Haven't played it? Go try it online. Now. But beware- it's addictive. It's like Angry Birds but way more fun.




Number 7 1/2. Totally Booksessed's YouTube channel
This channel is my most watched channel on YouTube. I follow 3/6 bloggers who make it and it's led me to find some great blogs. It great to tune into, there's a new topic every week and they can offer some great book suggestions.

Number 7.Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

This book didn't actually come out in 2011, but that's when I read it, so therefore it qualifies for the list. This is a great micro-economics book that I read while watching the Super Bowl. That sentence really does show a lot about me as a person, doesn't it?

Number 6. 30 Rock on Netflix

This past summer I found out that  the NBC show "30 Rock" is on Instant Netflix. So, of course, what did I do with this knowledge? I watched. Every. Single. Episode. That was my one great accomplishment of 2011. Huh, that's kinda sad when you think about it.






Number 5. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I fell in love with this based solely on concept. Well, not only concept....It was pretty awesome. I can not wait for the sequel, Fever.










Number 4. The Help- both the book and the movie

Amazing book and amazing movie. If you haven't seen/read it, then first off, does it get cold in the rock you clearly live under? Secondly- go read it!!!










Number 3. Jeopardy

I love Jeopardy. Actually, just trivia in general makes me happy.







Number 2. My Toilets of the World wall calendar

......I'm a strange person, aren't I? This calendar brought me much joy. Much more than it would to any regular person,










And now, the GREATEST thing of 2011......*drumroll please*....

Number 1 (or should I say number 11) is.....
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in BBC's show Doctor Who!!!

I guess I could have just said Doctor Who...but Matt Smith really is quite awesome. And very British and very handsome. I would totally tie his shoe (don't feel bad if you don't get that....In fact you should be alarmed if you do get that). I just realized that Doctor Who is on Netflix a couple of weeks ago and it has quickly become my latest obsession. If you aren't familiar with the good Doctor then do yourself a favor and check him out.

Well, that's my over-all list of 2011's Top 11, although it's probably not that accurate, given that i have a terrible memory when it comes to....stuff, and there's 13 items (I mis-numbered and then realized that I had 2 too many, but didn't want to get rid of them, hence the halves).

I'll see you in 2012! Until then, what were your top 11 of 2011? Any comments or questions on what I posted?

Halfway Through

Right now the book that I'm halfway through is Girl In The Arena by Lise Haines. In case you haven't heard about it, the main premise is about about a girl who's father was a neo-gladiator, a sport that is widely popular in this book. When her father is killed, instead of marrying her father's killer, she decides to go into the sport herself (hence the title). So far, it's good. I hadn't heard much about it, only had seen it at book stores, but it sounded interesting enough to pick up.

One of the things that I really like about it is the fact that the book references to many familiar people and things. Even though it takes place in an almost alternate reality, one that is very different than ours, it was definitely on Earth and takes place in the same time period. I really like the fact that Lise Haines included "familiar faces" so to speak, giving the reader something recognizable, which can be a really cool addition to sci-fi and dystopian books that I wish authors used more.

Right now I'm around a third through the book- on page 122 out of 324- and I have absolutely no predictions. Usually when I read a book I'm constantly predicting what will happen, but for some reason I haven't been doing with this book. Why, I don't know. I am excited to finish it though, the main character, Lyn, is whip-smart, and funny in that dry, sarcastic way. It's definiteley action packed and has a quick moving plot line, but I hoping that it doesn't get to muddled up and confusing, sort of like Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins did for me when the plot moved so quickly.

Have you read this book before, or any others that sound like it? Tell me in the comments below.

The Day In Which I Mourn the Book Characters We Have Lost

Oh, we all know the endless pain of losing a beloved book character. Especially those like me, who grow unnaturally attached to their favorite characters. And this past few months have been very sad in the world of books-Mia-has-read. So, what did I do about it? I wrote a sappy poem.

**CAUTION- CONTAINS SPOILERS-CAUTION**

Oh, the characters we have lost,

how I miss you so.

And I know

That you died for a good cause,

the sacrifice 

so the plot line could move forward.

And yes, even though you are secondary characters,

the sidekick, or best friend.

You are missed

and mourned

Like Rudy

Oh, poor poor Rudy

From The Book Thief, 

a story so beautiful

yet painful.

Why Markus Zusak, why?

You, the one who broke my heart

in a way that made me crave more

Even though it hurt so bad.

And Finnick, oh Finnick!

The one whom Suzanne Collins killed off with out 

the slightest emotion

leaving me to imagine 

the prose that should have honored his death.

But yet, I was so sad.

Why, oh why is it always the hot guy

that has to die?

Or the one you grow to love,

the character who goes through a turn-around,

or starts out lovable, as the French put it

il est aimable.

And renders you speechless when his time comes

 Like the two characters the Patrick Ness made me sob over.

Manchee, the only talking dog in history that didn't drive me crazy.

And Davy.

I can't even put my sorrow into words.

I remember the day now-

I was on the school bus, when his death

hit me like a slap in the face.

And now I am just to sad to continue this poem

which has brought up so many memories

of the ones that I loved

but lost.

Fellow readers, you know my pain

And how it can be so beautiful

the hurt that blossoms in your chest

And makes you wonder

"Is this story real?

How could it not be, as it has such a powerful hold on my 

emotions?"

But then we have to continue 

on in our lives 

One more character 

rattling around in our memories

forever, even though

it is in the cemetery

which they rattle.

I Have Too Many Books On Hold

If you don't already know this about me, I'm a huge supporter of my library. But, even though I volunteer there constantly, lately I've been attempting to not get any books from the library and read all the books that I own. This plan has failed disastrously. And now, right when I happen to be at my busiest time of the year, between school and orchestra and library duties, I have way to many books on hold that I just know are all going to come in a the same time. Here's the running list, not including the two books I already have (Girl In The Arena by Lise Haines and Delirium by Lauren Oliver). Most of these are due to the fact that I'm constantly finding new books from the YA blogs I follow and that I just got my personalized reading recommendations list back from the library

• Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher -which I have to pick up tommorow
• Crossed by Ally Condie -I'm going to have to read Matched before I read this one, since I stink at remembering what happens in books after a while, so there's another book to check out
• Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness -Oh my GOSH, it is taking so long for me to get this book, and I'm DYING from anticipation. And I'm only 6 out of 8 holds! It should not be taking so long!
• Goliath by Scott Westerfield -One of my friends said I can borrow this from him...but who knows how long it'll take for me to get my hands on it
• Divergent by Veronica Roth - Oh, thank you book bloggers for ranting about this dystopian and making me want to read it. 
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer- I'm only 2 out of 2 holds on this one, so I;m expecting it to come in pretty soon.
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson- I'm very excited for this, just because Jack the Ripper fascinates me.
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner- I actually just got this from the library for my nook, but since I have it now that means I have to re-read The Maze Runner.
• The Death Cure by James Dashner- I'm 92 out of 92 holds. So depressing.
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling- I LOVE The Office, and Mindy Kaling is one of my favorite actresses. 

So, my question is, how in the world am I going to read all of these once they come in, as well as the three other books I'm currently reading? Strategic reading? Leave your suggestion for me in the comments below!

 

November Book Count

Well, it's that time of the month again....And by that I mean I just did my monthly book count! I almost forgot, given that it seems like just yesterday it was still October. But it's November, so I got to count my books again, something that brings me much pleasure, oddly enough.

Since I just know you are all dying from the suspense, here's my grand unveiling. The total number of books that I own, as of November 15, 2011 is......271!!!!
Which mean that my total number of books grew by...2. Not that great. But, since this post doesn't have much goin' for it right now, I made a graph to supplement it.

Lovely, ain't it?

Also, I've decided to start recording the constant trafficking surrounding my bookshelves. Here's what's going on right now:

Entering-

The 50th anniversary edition of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee that I;m required to read for English.

The copy of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak that I just got done reading for English. 

Leaving-

The copy of Freakonomics one of my friends wanted me to bring in so we could look at the list of whitest and blackest names (currently residing on my bedroom floor, waiting to go to by backpack)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which I'm lending to a friend who still hasn't read them (awaiting transport to backpack)

Awaiting Visas:

The stack of books that I bought at the Whale of a Sale Book Sale and are currently on my floor, since I have no more room on my shelves.

MIA (Missing In Action):

The copy of Saving Max by Antoinette Van Heugten that I lent my Mom almost a YEAR ago, and she still hasn't given back to me. 

That's all for now, but (even though I know I promised this weeks ago and still have yet to fulfill that promise) I WILL shoot a bookshelf tour and upload it. See you then!

 

Oh Zippidee-day!

Yay! As the title may suggest, I'm super happy, because yesterday I was running down the hill from my school exit to the buses (well, actually I was frolicking through the snow with my friend Ethan) when my phone flew out of my pocket and into the snow (yes, there was snow on the ground in October. I live in Colorado. That happens here)which was almost a foot or so deep and very fluffy, and apparently, extremely hard to find a phone in. So I lost my phone is the snow, and it was out there all night. So this morning me and a bunch of my friends went to look for it, and a couple even looked during seminar(a class sort of like study hall) for it. And, finally, this afternoon I found it, because the snow melted! It is now very waterlogged and sitting in a bowl of rice to dry it out. So I'm very happy, because I though for sure I would never see it until spring!

And also, I just have to give a shout out to my amazing friends that helped my dig around the snow to find it:
Ethan, Tristan K, Tristan D, Landon (you should check out the blog Landon just started- http://coniferblog.blogspot.com), Cole, who was the one who found it and Brandon, who Cole says found it. Thanks so much. I'm gonna bake you guys cookies.

So I know that had absolutely nothing to do with books, but I needed to post something quick before doing my government homework, and didn't have time for a review or anything (but I do have a review coming soon, I promise!).

Bye!

Halfway Through (On a day that is decidedly at the end of the week)

As you may be able to tell I'm coming to you from a Thursday, because yesterday I was being totally lazy and neglected to do this post. Also, I haven't even picked up a new book since last week's post. So, since I'm not halfway through any books, I just decided to do a post on the other things I am halfway through.

Number One: My November Issue of Wired
I read Wired every month, and this one just came in the mail.

Number 2: The first season of Chad Vader: Day Manager

I recently found out this Star Wars parody show is on hulu. It's not really much of an accomplishment, given that each episode is only 5 minutes long.

Number 3: My Biology Homework

I have to create an analogy based on "A cell is like a...." then draw pictures of all the parts of a cell. Yay, drawing pictures of vacuoles! 

Number 4: An email conversation with one of my friends.

......Somewhat self explanatory.

Number 5: This senten-

As you can tell, I'm running out of things to write.

Well, I have exhausted my brain of things I am halfway through. That's all for now.