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.  

October Book Count!

A Note to the reader: I'm trying to multitask and am attempting to blog, watch Totally Booksessed YouTube videos, and text my friends all at the same time! So if anything really off pops up in this post (ie "no way, HEs going out w/ HER!!!?? he just broke up w/ whatsherface yestrday!!" or "eeerrhghggdjag i totally screwed up that bio quiz!") just disregard it.

So on to topic, as the title of my blog may suggest, I am totally OCD about counting my books. I count my books every month and compare the numbers from month to month. And yesterday I did my October count and the total number of books I have is.....(drumroll please).....269! That means that in the past two months (249 was from the August count) I have bought 20 books, or ten books per month! At that rate.....I'm going to need a bigger bookshelf.

Well that's all for now, but next week I plan on filming a bookshelf tour and posting it (if I have time). Until then, I'll see you tomorrow with Halfway Through.

Recently, in the world of Mia's book related adventures.....

Two...what adjective do I use here, cool, amazing, intriguing? I'll settle for interesting. So, two pretty interesting book-related things have happened to me lately. Actually, wait 3! Needless to say, it's been an exciting couple of weeks.

1. Now, this first thing will only appeal to those you who, like myself, are quite totally obsessive about their books, and are even bordering on obsessive compulsive "book collector" AKA hoarder. So, to flush this story out a bit, you're gong to need to understand the back story. So there's this book I ABSOLUTELY adore, The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen. When I read it for the first time (and had my mind blown by the genius of this book- seriously, read it) I got it from the library, and the copy I read was the 1st edition hardback. as aforementioned, I loved it. Soooo, I went to Barnes and Nobles and lark, they had it in stock! I walked out with the 1st edition paperback version. Now, the covers on these two editions are totally different. The hardback = gorgeous. The paperback? Not so much. But I was content.
Now to my story. 2 weekend ago I was in Barnes and Nobles, browsing through the books. sadly, our Barnes and Nobles was remodeling so nothing was where it should have been. Literally, I was looking through books that were piled up on the floor. Since YA was pretty much scattered all over the store, and I already had my prime selection (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins-awesome book by the way)I had retreated to the bargain books section for some organized peace. And when strolling past a table of books, what do I find? A hardback copy of The Selected Works of TS Spivet, the exact same version I first read it in And what was the best part of this revolutionary find, you may ask? It was 6 BUCKS!!! Usually, this book is a wallet empty-ing 27. 95 US dollars! I was, in a word, ecstatic. So that's it. Just wanted to exclaim my excitement to the worldwide web. I'll attach pictures of my two copies of TSWOTSS below.

Hardback

Paperback

2. Don't worry, this is more relatable to regular people. Sort of. It's about a pretty funny coincidence. A bit of back story: There are exactly three facts you need to know to understand this story. A) I have a friend named Tristan who I recently introduced to the wonders of the Colorado public library system, and how to put books on hold (it was funny, he was so amazed. Even better, you should have seen when I introduced him to iTunes) B) I possible want to be a librarian someday and C) Tristan is well....a bit eccentric. So this past afternoon, he comes up to me with a book in his hand, and asks "Mia, did you hack into my library account and put this on hold?" The book was Librarianship: An Introduction, and no, I did not hack into his account, and unless he put in on there himself, it must have just been a really weird coincidence. I just found that somewhat amusing.

3. And three.....well I started this post a week ago, and I kind of forgot what the third one was...It must not have been that interesting. I suppose instead I'll write about how I almost cried while reading The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. Which the thing was, it was one of those books where when __(I would put the name of the character who died in, but I don't want to spoil anything, hence the blank) died it was so sad you just wanted to cry your eyes out, but, unfortunately for me, I was on the school bus, so I couldn't. But it was heartbreaking-ly sad. I'm still reeling from the shock. Poor poor __.

So, that's all for my book-ish events lately, but what about you? Has anything amazing happened in your world of book-related adventures? If so, tell me in the comments below!

Fall Whale of a Book Sale 2011!

So, I just came from the biggest Colorado book-stravaganza of the season- the Jeffco (Jefferson County) Library Book Sale!!! Any of you that live in Jefferson County or attend the sale know what I'm talking about when I say that this is the BIGGEST book related event ever. It's not by any means the biggest as in importance, and lost's of people coming, but the biggest in size by far. To get the jist of what I'm talking about, close your eyes and picture a large warehouse, about the size of your average baseball or soccer field. Now imagine it filled with recalled and donated library books. All of which are less than 2 dollars, or 5 for a bag-full if you go on Sunday. That, my friends, is the Whale of a Sale Book Sale (that's the official title- I didn't make that up).

As any of you who know me personally know, I'm a huge supporter of the Jefferson County library system, hence the reason (beside the cheap books) I go to the sale every year. All of the profits from the sale goes toward the library system and books for the teen's and kid's summer reading programs.

Sooo, know that you know what this magnificent sale is, here's all of the books I got: (Also, I want to add, I got all of these books for-get this- 5 bucks. Amazing, is it not?)

General Fiction:
Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
Sail by James Patterson (There was, as always, a TON of James Patterson books. I'm not necessarily a fan, but they're fun reads, Also, there was like 20 copies of Micheal Crichton's Airframe.)
State of Fear by Micheal Crichton
The Restaurant At the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
King Lear by William Shakespeare
Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben Winters
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Tooth Imprints On a Corn Dog by Mark Leyner

Biographies:
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Marie Curie: A Life by Susan Quinn

Psychology/ Economics:
Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
Everything's An Argument by Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters

Reference:
Dictionary of Literary Pseudonyms by Frank Atkinson
Forensics and Fiction by DP Lyle, MD

And, just because I love Dilbert, Journey To Cubeville, A Dilbert Book by Scott Adams

Did any of you go to the whale of a sale this year? If so, what did you get? And if you don't live in Jeffco, what's the best book sale in your area?

 

New Feature: Halfway Through

So, as many of you who frequent book blogs may know, most things written about books come after the blogger has read the book. Reviews are written after a book has been read, and often themed pieces are written again after a book is read. On the occasion that things are written about a book before it's finished usually it's before the book has even been started. So what's missing in this equation? The middle of the book!

I've decided to do a feature every Wednesday (since Wednesday is halfway through the week) on this very subject. I'm going to write a post on whatever book I'm halfway, or around halfway through. It'll pretty much be the same as a review, but instead of finalized remarks, it'll include things such as what I think of the book so far and predictions that I can reference to when I do review the book.

This weeks book is......(drumroll please)...The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak!

I'm currently reading this book for freshman English, and am around 160 pages in. For those of you that don't know, The Book Thief is a pretty famous book. It was published in 2006 and was on the NY Times bestsellers list for over 190 weeks. It's a tale about Nazi Germany, told through the perspective of death. highly symbolic and serious, hence the reason I have to read it for English.

So far, it's a good book, even though I have to annotate it. And now, a word from our sponsor: Mia's UNBELIEVABLE hatred of annotating. I hate annotating. And it's not even one of those things that I hate without reason, I have a very compelling argument of why annotating is stupid!! What happened to letting yourself be engrossed in a book? When you have to annotate, take down quotes and figurative language that you find interesting, it's like taking yourself out of the story. You go from the streets of 1940's Germany to your English classroom. And you, or at least I do, tend to subconsciously annotate, which is the great part of it! It's subconscious! You get to be engrossed in the story, but still be an active reader. Why mess with that perfect balance? Anyways, that's all.

The Book Thief is interesting. I like how it tells the story of WWII from the point of view of a German child who is in the Hitler Youth, instead of the usual Jewish family.

I'm not that far into the book, but I already have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just know something bad is going to happen. I just have this feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong. I'm not sure what it's going to be yet, but I'm having a feeling that it'll be either one giant catastrophic event, or a landslide of pain and misery, one event after another.

That's all I have for now, but I promise that in future weeks this feature will start to gain it's bearing. I'll be doing this every Wednesday, so see you next week! What book are you halfway through?

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pages: 366
Source: Library
Genre: YA Dystopian
Famous For ???: Nothing big yet......Disney bought the movie rights










Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
(Summary courtesy of Goodreads)


First off, let me just say Wow. As in wow with a capital W. I really wasn't expecting much from this book, it seemed like just another teen dystopian, with another heroine (ever notice that in most dystopians either the lead is female and leads a rebellion all by herself, of there's a seriously strong female character somewhere? Talk about the re-birth of girl power). But it was good! I had seen bloggers rant and rave about this book, but it never quite hit me that this is a really good book. 


As you can see, I loved this book. One of the great things that jumped out at me was the characters, and that's saying a lot, because often that's not one of the main reasons I say I love a book. Yes, I get severely attached to characters in quite a bit of the books I love, but I'm not one of the people that talks about character development a lot. 


For starters, Cassia is officially my favorite heroine. I loved how you could literally see her changing. It was believable rebellion, not one that was just suddenly there at the beginning of the book. Cassia started out with faith in the Society, but when she saw a "glitch", it was that growing into rebellion. And the best thing? I wasn't screaming at her in my head the whole book! She was not the whiny, clueless, love struck character, like Katniss in the Hunger Games. Finally, we get a strong lead who actually has a strong personality and is sure footed in her decisions. 


Next, (and I'm sure every teenage girl who read this book thought this was awesome as well) there's not just one hot amazing guy- there's TWO! And I know there was two in the Hunger Games, and a ton of other books, but these guys were ones who were a) likable, b) smart, and c) not mortal enemies. I could go on, but in short, both Ky and Xander were awesome, and all three of the main characters were ones I actually felt connected with.


This book really caught my attention. The cover's gorgeous, and I love that it ties into the book. Also, it's simple, yet elegant (I'm a sucker for simple book covers). And the story is great! The writing was fast-paced and was always moving, with great details sprinkled through the book on what living in the Society was like. And, quite a bit of the story deals with one of my favorite things- words! I don't want to spoil anything, but it's a great on how moving written word can be. Also, even though it is fiction, Matched deals with topics that we deal with today- things like book banning and censorship.


Overall (as my gushing review blatantly tells) Matched is a great book. The only problem? The sequel doesn't come out until November. 


So until then, what are some of your favorite dystopian novels, and what are your thought on the characters in Matched compared to other books? Tell me in the comments below!


  

The "bleh" books- ones I just can't seem to get into

We all have this problem (or at least those of us with non-existent determination). You know that book that you bought, and was all gung-ho about reading? That one that seemed really interesting on amazon.com, or that every time you saw it on your shelf you swore "this summer, I'm gonna read you, and then I'm going to be super proud of myself? But then summer rolled around and you never did read it, or every time you picked it up you decided to re-read a favorite book instead? Or you read the first 20 pages, and then just forgot about it?

Those are the books I call the "bleh" books- the ones that, however hard you try, you never can finish them, or even start them! I've had my fair share of bleh books, and decided to list a couple, just because this is a struggle I have daily.

(Oh, and I'm not bashing these books or authors at all- I'm sure they're great, I just had a hard time reading them)

The bleh-est books I've ever read- er, tried to read:
1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I've been at work at this one for around 2 months. At first I was super excited, I was like "yeah, creepy old lady, awesome!" but then I started reading another book, and well, I forgot about good ol' Miss. Havisham  and Pip. Then I tried again. Got to around halfway through, then stopped. I swear, the day I finish this book i am going to have a party.

2. Deeper by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
I read this book about...3 years ago? But let me tell you, it took me FOREVER to read. I literally had it checked out from the library for 3 months (resulting in a HUGE fine). Finally finished it and realized it was awesome. Who knew.

3. Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live As Told By It's Stars, Writers, and Guests
This is the book I'm currently wrangling with. I don't see why it's taking so long, I mean come on, I love SNL. But I just can't seem to get into it. Hm, maybe that's because the one time I tried reading it was during English when I was talking to my friends. Have to think about that.

4. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
We were going to read this in 8th grade history (I was in the GT class) but then my teacher realized that, oh yeah, Walden is like a college level book. Maybe- just maybe, 8th graders shouldn't try to tackle it yet. Sadly,  he realized this after we had bought the book, so now I have a copy of Walden that I say I'm going to read this summer. I can already assure you that I won't, based solely on the fact that I made this same promise last summer, and never read it.

5. Timeline by Micheal Crichton
I don't even want to explain this one, I'm so disappointed in myself. The thing is, I started reading it in 7th grade, then stopped halfway through. Didn't pick it up again until this summer. How could I have ignored such genius for so long!!?? Timeline is one of my favorite books, and no, I cannot say that I fell in love with it the first time I read it. I can say that I read the first half then waited a whole TWO YEARS to finish it. For shame Mia, for shame.

So that's it. I could have added more, but this list is getting long. So, what have been your bleh books? Tell me in the comments below!

Review: Airframe by Micheal Crichton

Title: Airframe
Author: Micheal Crichton
Release Date: 1996
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Inc
Pages: 352
Source: Used Book Sale
Genre: Adult Adventure/ Suspense
Famous For???: Author wrote Jurassic Park, and created TV series ER




Three passengers are dead. Fifty-six are injured. The interior cabin virtually destroyed. But the pilot manages to land the plane. . . .

At a moment when the issue of safety and death in the skies is paramount in the public mind, a lethal midair disaster aboard a commercial twin-jet airliner bound from Hong Kong to Denver triggers a pressured and frantic investigation.


AIRFRAME is nonstop reading: the extraordinary mixture of super suspense and authentic information on a subject of compelling interest that has been a Crichton landmark since The Andromeda Strain. 
(Description taken from Amazon.com, http://www.amazon.com/Airframe-Michael-Crichton/dp/0963192574/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313866412&sr=1-1)


So, for my first review I went with a classic. Well, not quite a classic, but a classic author. Micheal Crichton is one of my favorites, and since the last books of his that I read were Time Line and The Andromeda Strain, I was expecting a lot.

To say the least, I shouldn't have built up my hopes so high, at least not to start. This book had a good hook, starting with a crash scene, but from there I just got kind of...well bored. There was a lot of in-depth mechanics talk (any one who is into specifics about airplanes would probably really like this book) that filled up pretty much the entire book. Luckily, even from the beginning there were hints of suspense and seriously shady business that kept me reading, just to see how it ended.

Even if some of the content was boring, being a Micheal Crichton book, it was written great, in laymans terms even I could understand (and that's saying a lot). There was great character development, with an awesome strong female lead, and written so that you felt as if you connected with even the minor characters.

I know I mentioned that I was kind of bored by the first, say, 240 pages of the book, but the ending completely blew me away. I hadn't expected much, so it was great to finally be thrilled my this book.  

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to just anyone, but if you're either a Crichton fan, or someone with a love for planes, this is a great book, though it does take some patience.


Soooo, now that I've blabbed about what I've been reading, Crichton-wise, what's your favorite Micheal Crichton book? Or, if he isn't your style, which sci-fi writer is?

Welcome to the blog!

Well, as the heading already told you, I'm Mia, and this (gestures with hand, Vanna White style, to blog) is my book blog! I'm what you may call "totally booksessed", or a "bookaholic", maybe even "insane reader with no life", whatever word choice you prefer, but whatever way you put it, I love books, reading, writing, reading about people writing books, books about reading, all of it. So, hence the word "book" in the term "book blog", this blog should end up as the perfect outlet for me to talk about all the bookish things my heart desires. And, the public will also have a chance to hear (er, read about) all of it!

About the public reading all of this, I should add that as a first time blogger and book reviewer, I'm not exactly sure what the rules are on copyrights, and quotes, and if there are limits on what books you can review and such, but I promise to learn them quickly so that I don't like accidentally break the law or anything. Also, I will just apologize now for my awful typing. Sorry for the many typing and spelling mistakes you will no doubt see.

Now that some formalities are out of the way, I suppose I should explain why exactly I called my blog 249 Books And Counting. No, 249 is not the total number of books I have read (that number would be well into at least the 500's, if I knew what it was), nor the number of books I plan to review. 249 is the number of books that I own. or at least the number of books I owned on the first of August, I've gotten a couple since (hence the "And Counting" part of the title). Most of the books I review will be coming out of those 249 books that I own, which I should say now that I read a lot of varied stuff, from young adult fiction, to classic sci-fi, to behavioral economics and trivia books.

So that's about it, watch out for reviews, polls, and sometimes just me talking about stuff in future weeks! As a side note, I am starting school soon, so I may be a little bit too busy to post, but I'll try to post something every two or three days. Sorry this post doesn't contain much about me (I'm not very good at talking about my self) but hey, the best way to get to know someone is through their books!