So, for January, tanabata from In Spring It Is The Dawn asked us to listen to Japanese music and talk a bit about it.
For some reason, I was a bit reluctant at first. I had listened to Japanese music in the past - in a rather obsessive way, even, compared to my usual music-listening self. In general, I switch the type of music I listen to several times throughout the day. The louder music to wake up, to get my brain running - then some background noise while I'm at work, to shut out the other sounds in our building (it really distracts me to hear loud steps or phones ringing all the time).
But when a friend of mine first introduced me to Japanese music (through a Japanese TV series, Hanazakari no kimitachi e (you really should watch the first few episodes at least, if you haven't already!), I listened to Japanese music exclusively for a few months. Nothing else, not my usual changes throughout the day, just the few CDs I could get a hold of.
Which leads me to the first music video I'd like to share with you:
This is the theme song for Hanazakari no kimitachi e: Peach, performed by Ai Otsuka. And the video should show a lot about the quirky-crazy characters in this show!
Some more of the old favorites I re-visited in January were Arashi, for which I'll give you their music video for their song We Can Make It!:
This song is one I play twice during the last 15 minutes when I'm out running on my own. I'm not good at balancing my running, so I end up tired way before I'm back home *sigh* And the video makes me smile. Why is it that Japanese boy bands always look so funny in their MVs?
The next one is I'll Be With You by KAT-TUN. One of these young men also played in a TV series. Japanese artists can do a lot of things, not just sing and dance.
And here's a song that is so different from the first few, but I still really love it - I am Fantasy by Hakuei!
And one last video before I go to bed. This is probably the first song after Peach that I listened on repeat, because I enjoyed it so much and it was so different from what I knew before. It is Orenji no tayou by Gackt and Hyde. unfortunately, it is not the entire song (it's over 5 minutes and I couldn't find a good video with them both in it):
If you would like to listen to the song in full, here's a Final Fantasy X video with the song:
Have fun listening and a big thanks to tanabata for getting me to listen to Japanese music again!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Japanese Music
January summary
So, the first month in a new decade is over. Can you believe it? It's the 4rd decade for me, at least the third I get to live for at least part of the time. And I'm only 25 (well, for another 2-3 months)...
Anyway, enough about my age, let's get to the truly relevant stuff, the books I read, bought, abandoned, and much more. I have the feeling, Januarys are always the worst for my Mt. TBR, along with April and September / October when the new semester starts and I use buying books for my classes as an excuse to buy some more for me. But still, I managed to read a good number of books, many of which I bought within the last two months (I keep those on a special shelf, when I remember to put them there and not on the regular shelves).
bought
1) Dia Reeves: Bleeding Violet
2) Nicholas Sparks: Dear John
3) Maggie Stiefvater: Shiver
4) Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile (graphic novel)
5) Melissa Walker: Violet on the Runway
6) A.J. Jacobs: A Year of Living Biblically
7) Jennifer R. Hubbard: The Secret Year
8) Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak
9) Courtney Summers: Some Girls Are
10) Courtney Summers: Cracked Up To Be
11) Yoko Ogawa: The Housekeeper and the Professor
12) Anna Jarzab: All Unquiet Things
13) Ninni Holmqvist: The Unit
14) Rachel Ward: Numbers
15) Jen Nadol: The Mark
16) Jaclyn Dolamore: Magic Under Glass
17) Julie Kagawa: The Iron King
18) Kristina Springer: The Espressologist
read
1) J.K. Rowling: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
2) Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile (graphic novel)
3) Jennifer R. Hubbard: The Secret Year
4) Ann Aguirre: Grimspace
5) Michael Anthony: Mass Casualties
6) John J. LeBeau: Collision of Evil
7) Dia Reeves: Bleeding Violet
8) Yoko Ogawa: The Housekeeper and the Professor
9) Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak
DNF
1) Chimananda Ngozie Adichie: Half of a Yellow Sun
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Japanese Literature Challenge III - my results
Here is what I read:
1) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 4-7
2) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 6-9
3) Yuna Kagesaki: Cheeky Vampire Vol. 7 & 8
4) Mayu Sakai: Rockin' Heaven Vol. 2
5) Mayu Shinjo: Kaikan Phrase Vol. 5
6) Yasushi Inoue: Der Tod des Teemeisters (Memoirs of the Priest Honkaku)
7) Yoko Ogawa: The Housekeeper and the Professor -> review coming soon!
Book Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (graphic novel)
| Author | Agatha Christie, Francois Riviere (Editor), Solidor (Illustrator) |
| Title | Death on the Nile |
| Publisher | Harper Collins |
| Date of Publication | July 16, 2007 |
| Page Count | 48 |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-725058-5 |
| Series | Hercule Poirot / Agatha Christie Comic Strip |
I've been a fan of Agatha Christie's mysteries for as long as I know about her mysteries, so I had to get this graphic novel when I saw it in the used book shop! And as soon as I was on the train that day, I started reading it. There was just nothing that could keep me from it - not even my then current book!
In Death on the Nile, Hercule Poirot is in Egypt for a vacation. While he is on a cruise on the Nile, a murder occurs and it is, of course, up to the master investigator to figure out who did it.
The drawings are kind of old school, which fits wonderfully with the story. It brings out the dated, but loveable aspects of Agatha Christie's mysteries as well as those of Hercule Poirot, who is an old-fashioned man and an old-fashioned private investigator.
All in all, Death on the Nile is a great adaptation, and I can't wait to get my hands on the other graphic novels in that series:
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Murder on the Links
- The Secret of Chimneys
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- The Man in the Brown Suit
- The Big Four
- The Mystery of the Blue Train
- Peril at End House
- Hallowe'en Party
- The Secret Adversary
- And Then There Were None
- Ordeal by Innocence
- Endless Night
- The Murder at the Vicarage
- Murder in Mesopotamia
- Cards on the Table
- Dumb Witness
Friday, January 29, 2010
blame game time (January 29)
I'm still playing catch up with some old posts - like posts from the very first day of this year...
This time, the following books were indirectly recommended to me, which means the bloggers get a point. Let's see who has the most points at the end of June 2010!
O Juliet by Robin Maxwell, recommended by Kristi @ The Story Siren, Lorelai @ Tattooed Books
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer, recommended by Kate @ The Neverending Shelf - and she gets two points because it's already ordered (or, it should be at my parents' by now!)
Lex Trent versus the Gods by Alex Bell, recommended by Becky @ The Bookette
too much in too short a time
Sorry I haven't been around much this week. Next week, most likely, won't be much different. Right now there's so much going on I don't even know where to start.
One of our cats, Karlheinz, has been missing since last Sunday. (Yes, that his him, in my closet - he likes it there!) 
From what one of our neighbors said to us (Mom, Dad and me), we are pretty much certain he killed him and dumped him somewhere. In short, I'm devastated! He is the sweetest, funniest cat. He constantly chases shadows, he's really into this. Otherwise, he sleeps, eats, and snuggles up to us. He wants to be close to us. He never harmed anyone on purpose and would never do anything! What sick person would do something like that??? (Well, besides our neighbor who clearly has lost the last of his marbles a long time ago.) And we don't even have proof he did anything.
I just want my cat back! I want him back for us, and for his brother (Sano), who is sad and keeps looking for him. We actually don't dare letting Sano out, as we're scared something will happen to him. Damn it, we have "our boys" since they were a week old. We take care of them, we love them, we feed them, look for them, they're family! I keep thinking, just, please, let him come back! Now, tonight, tomorrow morning. Just let him pop back up on our door.
And this is the time I'm supposed to study for exams and prepare presentations. So not happening! I have a presentation and an exam on Tuesday, another test on Wednesday, then a presentation on Friday and the week after, I have an exam on Wednesday. Yay - not!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Hidden Treasures (February through March)
Well, it is time for the second Hidden Treasures! For this, I will let you look at my Mt. TBR again and the first one to pick a book for me and post it in the comments will have picked the book for me to read within the next two months. Basically, the idea is that we all have so many unread books, there must be some hidden treasures we keep ignoring or missing. If you want to join in and have someone pick a book for you, just leave a link in the comments.
Thanks to Wendy @ Caribousmom, I now even have a wonderful button for this event. Thanks a lot, Wendy!
Last time you picked Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark for me. I didn't finish Half of a Yellow Sun, as I couldn't get into the story, no matter how far I read (I managed to get to page 100), but I'm still working on Dead Until Dark and so far I enjoy it a lot!
For this time, I have two things for you to consider when you pick a book for me:
1) My semester is almost over, so I'm very busy with term papers and presentations and exams.
2) Once the semester is over I'll be working on a slightly bigger project, in part also for this blog.
So please pick a book that is easy to read of fairly short (i.e. under 300 pages)!
So, to know what books you can choose from, I uploaded my list on Google docs: My Mt. TBR! Have fun browsing my list and pick me something nice!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
In My Mailbox (Jan 25)
In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books I found in my mailbox and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie. To join in, please visit Kristi's blog!
My voice is still not what it used to be, so no vlog this week either. I usually like doing a vlog for this event, but well, maybe next week.
This week I got:
Rachel Ward: Numbers
Somewhat early, and I can't wait to read it! When Jem looks in people's eyes, she can see the date they will die. 
Jen Nadol: The Mark
A debut novel I'm really curious about. I read so much about it already!
Jaclyn Dolamore's Magic Under Glass
I'm curious to see the new cover the publisher will use, so maybe I will just get another copy once it is out with the new cover as well. I took a short peek at the girl on the cover and while I wasn't sure from the pictures I had seen online, looking at the cover in front of me, I can see the controversity. She is definitely pale for a character who is supposed to be "of darker skin".
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Under construction!
I'm currently trying to figure out whether I'd like to use a new template for my blog, so things might be a bit iffy. Once I'm done I'll let you know!
By the way, as my blog's 4th birthday is coming up in less than three months, I'm currently working on a giveaway for you all. And who knows, maybe my blog will reach 50 followers around that time. I'll then add an extra giveaway for my dear followers to thank you all :-)
Review Survey - help me make them better!
Now, I'm still trying to figure out how to make my reviews better. For this, I have created a short survey and I really hope you can help me by answering these three short questions for me.
If you want to take peek at the last three reviews I wrote (for reference), here you go:
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
- Mass Casualties by Michael Anthony
- The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
And for the form, please check out this site!
Thanks already for helping me :-)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Book Review: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
| Author | J.K. Rowling |
| Title | The Tales of Beedle the Bard |
| Publisher | Children's High Level Group |
| Date of Publication | December 4, 2008 |
| Page Count | 109 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7475-9987-6 |
| Series | Harry Potter |
I can't begin to tell you how long I've been craving to read this book! I never got around to buying it, but now I got it for Christmas and couldn't hold back from reading it. Now, J.K. Rowling compiled five fairy tales as told to wizard children: translated by Hermione Granger, commented by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and annoted by J.K. Rowling.
I had a wonderful time reading these fairy tales and Professor Dumbledore's comments, especially because they reminded me in the stories my Mom and Grandma told us when we were kids. The stories were easy to follow and I had finished them rather quickly. The commentary, though, was another story. For Dumbledore's part, J.K. Rowling used a number of words I hadn't heard of before.
What made the book even more fun for me to read where the tidbits I saw while reading Dumbledore's notes. One of these was the name of philosopher Bertrand de Pensées-Profondes - a philosopher with "profound thoughts" as a last name? How cool is that! And later on, in the same commentary on "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump", Rowling mentions a French sorceress, who was convicted of witchcraft (like the main character in the story who turns herself into a rabbit to escape her pursuers), named Lisette de Lapin. And "lapin" happens to be French for rabbit or bunny.
Now while I wouldn't call it a must-read for everyone, fans of Harry Potter while have a good time reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard and when you buy it, you will also be helping the Children's High Level Group (CHLG), founded by J.K. Rowling and Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne. The CHLG is a non-governmental organization helping children live in small group homes or families (their own, foster or national adoptive parents) instead of those large institutions that become more and more common.
For more information on the CHLG check out their website!
Friday Follow
I just found this wonderful celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades at Shelly's blog ! Now, you can join in every Friday to get some more followers - and, mostly, to find more great blogs!
Here's how you can join the celebration:
- Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below - Only need to on one blog
- Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots - We will follow you back
- Follow as many blogs as you'd like to have followers
- Comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow
- Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow
By the way, you don't have to sign up in each of these Mcklinky's, once you add your name and link to one, it'll show up in all of them!
blame game time!
Siren by Tricia Rayburn, recommended by ExtremeReader @ Extreme Reader Book Reviews
Girl In The Arena by Lise Haines, recommended by Kristen @ Bookworming in the 21st Century
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting as well as Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble (+2 as I already pre-ordered it) and Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire, recommended by Kate @ The Neverending Shelf
The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizake, recommended by Kristen @ BookNAround - I wasn't certain about this one before, but reading Kristen's review I'm certain I want to read this one!
Dream Life by Lauren Mechling, recommended by Kim @ The Book Butterfly and Lenore @ Presenting Lenore
They Never Came Back by Caroline B. Cooney and Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey, both recommended by Kristi @ The Story Siren
Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson and Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, both recommended by Nina @ J'adore Happy Endings
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, recommended by Ann-Kat @ Today I Read...
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Book Review: Mass Casualties by Michael Anthony
| Author | Michael Anthony |
| Title | Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq |
| Publisher | Adams Media |
| Date of Publication | October 18, 2009 |
| Page Count | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4405-0183-8 |
In Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq, Michael Anthony tells his experiences from one year in Iraq as an OR medic. Summarizing this memoir simply is not possible without giving away too many details or leaving question marks hanging in the open, so I won't even attempt to do this.
While I read Mass Casualties, a childhood friend of mine, who is a lot like a big brother to me, was in Afganisthan, so it was both an emotional as well as a though-provoking read for me. Without whitewashing the events or taking a side in the ever-present question of righteousness of the war, Anthony tells it the way he remembers it (with confirmation from his fellow soldiers).
Anthony's experiences in Iraq and with his fellow soldiers are in part shocking, to put it mildly. While I expected some of what I read, I would never have expected it to be just so deceptive, so many orders that don't make much sense from a non-military point of view, and so many events and behaviors non of us would call honorable. But that is what makes this book so good, the honesty with which everything is portrayed.
With Mass Casualties, Michael Anthony wrote a wonderful diary-style memoir about his experiences during his time in Iraq, which I enjoyed reading.
(On a personal note: Any recommendations or ideas how to make my non-fiction / memoir reviews better? I'm very open for suggestion and advice!)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Book Review & Win a Copy: Collision of Evil by John J. LeBeau
| Author | John J. LeBeau |
| Title | Collision of Evil |
| Publisher | Oceanview |
| Date of Publication | September 21, 2009 |
| Page Count | 323 |
| ISBN | 978-1-933515-54-0 |
The American backpacker Charles Hirter is out hiking in the Bavarian Alps when he is brutally murdered. His brother Robert, a CIA operative flies to Germany to bring his body home and to find out more about the murder. The German detective in charge of the case, Kommissar Franz Waldbaer, faces a hopeless investigation as there are neither clues nor motives nor suspects. Being used to working alone - and also perfectly happy with this - Waldbaer at first seems rather annoyed at Robert Hirter's insistence on joining the investigation, but soon they uncover a truth born in a dark time in history, the Third Reich, that weaves together with a very present threat of radical Islamist terror.
While some may say the general plot idea is nowadays overused, I can only say if it is, I certainly didn't notice that while reading John J. LeBeau's debut novel, Collision of Evil. It is obvious he knows the trade, having worked in CIA operations for numerous years himself, most of them outside the US and in part even in locations that experienced actie terrorism. With this knowledge, LeBeau created a plot that is believeable, maybe even too believeable for those who like to think they're safe right where they are. Throughout the book, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering whether the main characters would find the important clues on time to prevent the looming act of terror from happening.
All in all, there were two minor aspects I didn't like too much. One was the lack of depth in characters, which I am very willing to attribute to this being LeBeau's debut, and the other is the title. In fact, I don't think there was a collision of two evils, rather, I would say it was two evils working together and combined their forces. My experience is that authors don't have much say in titles, which is not always the best of choices.
Adding everything up, I can only say I want to read more of John J. LeBeau's thrillers and I would love to take one of his classes (he is a Professor of Strategy and Security in the College for International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany).
As a German, I also really have to add this one: His depicting of breakfast in smaller German hotels is great! Here's a short quote to illustrate this a bit. Charles Hirter is still at the hotel, having breakfast at the hotel breakfast room:
He lingered over a cup of strong Tchibo coffee, toyed with the remains of a sunflower seed roll, and leafed idly through the sports section of the International Herald Tribune.
Everyone here knows Tchibo coffee, everyone drank it at one point. And sunflower seed rolls? Whenever I get some rolls, it's got to be sunflower seed rolls, they're the real deal ;-)
And this is how you can win your own, autographed copy:
John J. Le Beau is giving away a signed copy of his book, Collision of Evil, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 4893, for your chance to win. Entries from Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Book List (Jan 19) & Tuesday Teasers (Jan 19)
The Book List Meme is a weekly event hosted by Rebecca @ Lost In Books.
For this week the theme is: 3 Characters I Love To Hate
1) Bella from the Twilight series. because she got so whiney in the second book.
2) Bubbles Yablonsky in the Bubbles series because she is really TSTL.
3) Cynthia Bigge (Lincoln Barclay's No Time For Goodbye), because she was one annoying character I won't ever forget. Maybe even the most annoying character in literature ever...
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly event hosted by mizb17 @ Should Be Reading. To play along, click the aforementioned link :-)
The rules:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
BBOOOMMM!!! A mortar hits.
source: Michael Anthony - Mass Casualties (p. 86)
Monday, January 18, 2010
In My Mailbox (Jan 18)
In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books I found in my mailbox and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie. To join in, please visit Kristi's blog!
This week, I won't do a vlog. I've been out cold this weekend (and still am) with a 24x? hour bug that left me first with a horribly sore throat (I'm talking about "swallowing isn't possible" here), then motion sickness whenever I moved only the slightest, and right now I'm dealing with head cold-like symptoms that make it difficult for me to breathe, so talking is not an option right now (great thing when you know that I have to give a presentation tomorrow!)...
So, to make this short, here's what I found in my mailbox this week:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
I ordered this book for the THIB! Twenty Minute Book Club Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Linus's Blanket, and because I've been dying to read this book for a few weeks now (ever since I first heard about it).
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
I heard so many interesting things about this book, I just had to get it!
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
Same as with Some Girls Are, I heard so many good things about the book, I couldn't resist.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
I am curious about the book and it is part of the Japanese Literature Book Group over at tanabata's blog, for which discussion will start in about a week (so I better hurry!). By the way, is it just my copy that has a "fizzy" cut for the pages or was that the publisher's decision for the book in general?
All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
I just had to order it after I saw Anna @ Book Nerds tweet about it. Now it's happily on my shelves waiting for me to read it (rather sooner than later, I'd guess).
And one last, that should be waiting in my mailbox since Saturday, but which I haven't saved yet due to unforseen circumstances (see symptoms mentioned above):
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
This one is also for the THIB! Twenty Minute Book Club Challenge.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Series Challenge 4 - reviews and summaries
So, it's about time I wrote up a post to gather all the reviews and summaries.
The reviews so far:
1) Samantha: Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin
The summaries:
and thus, the Mystery Read-A-Thon begins
1) Give us five fun-facts about you.
I really have to figure out how to make buttons, so we have a button for the 4th Mystery Read-A-Thon in summer!
I completely forgot we'll celebrate my uncle's 50th b-day tonight. Sorry! Just prepared the panna cotta, will then make some mousse à la vanille.
Earlier this week I was worried what I would do if my male (but not gay) hairdresser would leave, and today Mom tells me he took over from the previous owners, so there's no need to worry.
I have two cats - they're brothers and we found them in our garden, sick with the cat flu or something like that and only the two of them survived :-( But they're hilarious! (Pictures will follow later this month, or maybe a vlog.)
I've semi-successfully weeded out Mt. TBR so now I'm back to about 300 books. What a relief!
2) What is on your TBR stack for the next two days?
John J. LeBeau's Collision of Evil - I'm excited!
Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark
3) Do you have any specific hopes and plans for this read-a-thon?
I want to finish the book. Everything else is a bonus.
4) Did you participate in the Mystery Read-A-Thon in the past?
Yes, I participated during the first read-a-thon, but couldn't make it for the second
5) If you already participated, can you give the new participants any tips on what to do and what not to do?
Don't overdo it, take short breaks - and keep hydrated... Nothing is worse than forgetting to drink something while reading and then having a headache. And pick shorter books for in between! Otherwise: Send everyone out so you can read and order-in.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Book Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
| Author | Jennifer R. Hubbard |
| Title | The Secret Year |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Date of Publication | January 7, 2010 |
| Page Count | 192 |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-01153-7 |
Julia and Colt have been secretly seeing each other for a year when Julia dies in a car accident. She is from the Black Mountains, the rich part of town where country club parties are a regular event, while helives in the flats and it is an unusual thing that his brother even attends university. Keeping their relationship a secret - even from Julia's boyfriend - at first was not problem, but when she is dead, he can't even mourn her openly. When he receives Julia's journal made up in letters for him, he relives their year together while simultaneously trying to Especially now that he feels he played a part in her death?
What a debut! Jennifer R. Hubbard created a male lead character I could feel for. His pain, his grief practically jumped out of the pages while reading. While everyone, Julia's friends, her family, her boyfriend Austin, is allowed to openly grieve, Colt can't show his feelings, his loss, so it is all restricted to his thoughts and, to a part that is only visible to the reader, to his actions. He was was head over heels in love with Julia, so losing her shook his world as nothing else in his life did.
Hubbard begins to tell the story of a couple no one would be able to picture together with Colt finding out Julia is dead. He gets a phone call from a good friend, Syd, and from then on, we get to see his feelings, the emotional roller coaster he is in. From the beginning, is thoughts, feelings and actions are visible to us, Colt grew on me throughout the book and I was so very sad to see him go as I closed the book after reading the last page.
With Julia, it was quite different. At first, she is a likeable character, one we only get to know through Colt's eyes, and later through the letters to him she wrote in her personal diary (which she never intended to show Colt). It seems she is overwhelmed with the expectations everyone has for her, her family, her friends, her boyfriend, and maybe even society. She is, after all, the daughter of rich parents, she has to be perfect.
After a while, though, Julia's actions and her behavior seemed a lot like that of a spoiled brat. She might not mind getting somewhat dirty, but only when she wants to. Everything has to go her way, her meetings with Colt (whenever she wants it), them ignoring each other throughout the day when they're at school. It's her way or no way, which is even visible in her diary.
I can't wait to see more of Jennifer R. Hubbard's books on Mt. TBR. And I hope it will be sooner, rather than later.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Musing Mondays (January 11)
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy bookshelves.
Are your bookshelves strictly books only? Or have knick-knacks invaded? Do your shelves also shelve DVDs? Photos? Why not snap a photo – I’m sure we all like to spy on other’s shelves!
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.
Now, I already posted my bookshelves a while ago (they're now filled with more books, but otherwise it looks the same). As I am not with my bookshelves, you'll have to make do with these shelves (or maybe I'll vlog with them in the background one say)...
I absolutely love my bookshelves and I have sorted all my books first by read and unread and then by author. My new bookshelves, who also divide my room) hold my DVDs and the unread books and the old shelves hold the books and mangas I already read.
Other than that, I only have a few knick-knacks on my shelves: three scented candles (vanilla, chocolate chip cake and some caramel-y dessert), a pen that looks a lot like that yellow bird on Sesame Street, two wooden mini-puzzles, one in form of two cats, the other in form of a bear. Oh, and the plastic and cloth flowers I got at various flea markets/festivities and the wooden rose a good friend of mine gave me as a present are all on top of the shelves, where nothing else would do much use (I can't reach up there anyway, so why not put those up there?)
Monday, January 11, 2010
In My Mailbox: lots of books
Time for another vlog! This time around, I'm going to share with you the books I read between December 30 and January 6 and the books I bought so far in 2010. Links (to GoodReads.com) for the books can be found below...
As mentioned in the vlog:
books read
in 2009
Vicki Lewish Thompson, Jill Shalvis & Rhonda Nelson: Better Naughty Than Nice
Sarah Mayberry: She's Got It Bad
in 2010
J.K. Rowling: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
books bought
Melissa Walker: Violet on the Runway
A.J. Jacobs: The Year of Living Biblically
Dia Reeves: Bleeding Violet
Christa Holder Ocker: auf Wiedersehen
Maggie Stiefvater: Shiver
Agatha Christie Death on the Nile (graphic novel/comic)
Nicholas Sparks: Dear John (movie tie-in)
challenges mentioned
World Religion Challenge
THIB! 20 Minute Book Club Challenge
And an addition, because it arrived in the mail on Saturday, but I didn't get it until today:
Jennifer R. Hubbard: The Secret Year
Note: In Your Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren. For more IMM posts and to post your link go her blog.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Bloggiesta - the summary
It's getting late-ish here and I can't concentrate any longer, so I'll call it a Bloggiesta and go back to reading for the rest of the evening.
Today, finished up officially following all Blogger bloggers where I could find the follow button.
Then I wrote my bio to send to Nicole at Linus' Blanket for her blog to include it in the That's How I Blog post (For those who haven't listened to it yet, even though I think most already know this great show, That's How I Blog is a web radio show on Blog Talk Radio hosted by Nicole where she interviews/chats with book bloggers and even has a 20 Minute Book Club at the end. And this book club even has it's own challenge!). Now all I have to do is take a picture of me and I can send it off to Nicole. I hope that's the case tomorrow!
Now, with these tasks, I completed the following during this Bloggiesta:
- updated blog rolls at this blog and at my German blog
- created gravatar and added it to blogger and twitter
- worked out a new review template that you will seen early this week
- edited labels on all blog posts
- created favicon, but couldn't add it
- created link on blog to follow me on twitter
- created sign up for posts right on the blog
- finished a few old reviewlets
- now officially following the bloggers I've been subscribing to for many, many months
- wrote bio for Nicole to put up
Now, there is still a lot to do, but I think I did okay for this Bloggiesta and maybe I'll just dedicate the week after my term finals to working on my blog. Oh, no! That's the carnival week, so let's say the week after that!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My second Bloggiesta update
Now that the second day for the Bloggiesta at Natasha's blog, Maw Books Blog is almost over (at least for me here in Germany), I figured it's about time I write another update.
Yesterday I updated my blog rolls for both my English blog here and German blog. Then, I also finally got myself a gravatar which I now use for my blogger profile and on twitter.
Today, I worked on my review template (which you'll see very soon, so let me know what you think!) and I fiddled with the labels on all my posts. Now it should be a lot more organized. I also created a favicon, but so far I haven't figured out how (or where) to upload it so that I can even think about putting it up there. (If you can help me, please, please let me know!)
Also, you can now follow me on twitter with the help of a cute button on the right side and you can even sign up to get my posts via e-mail.
Now, I have also finished up a few reviews I started writing a while ago. Technically, they're only reviewlets, though, because I waited far too long to be able to write a proper review...
What is left for this weekend (besides finally getting my a** up and work on the essay due next Friday) is thinking about who could be my blogging buddy (if you have an idea or could help me there, send me a short message at dreamworldofabookaholic AT googlemail DOT com - I'm generally very shy when it comes to meeting people or introducing myself to people, which doesn't really help me going out there, I'm afraid!) and work on a few more reviews.
45th Bookworms Carnival - Series
Welcome to the 45th edition of the Bookworms Carnival!
I had picked series as my theme - and I was refering not to a specific series, but to each and every series you can come up with. In case you're wondering why I picked this theme: I have been hosting the Series Challenge for the past 3 years and we're now in the 4th year. In case you want to sign up, it's not too late, even though the challenge has been going for about a month already.
To get everyone in the mood for series, Samantha from Bookworms and tea lovers wrote a wonderful post on her love for series. And I can sign each point she brings up!
On top of this, she also has a post with each of the series she's reading at this point - and keeps adding the links to her reviews.
Let's start the series themselves with some posts on the first books in new series, the books with which it all begins.
Jackie at Literary Escapism submitted a review for Nancy Holzner's Deadtown, a paranormal mystery starring a young demon slayer. The second book is already in the editorial process.
Then, Jackie also sent in a review for The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay, another new urban fantasy series for which the second book is already in the making.
Two other reviews Jackie submitted are for Anya Bast's Wicked Enchantment and for Tiger by the Tail by Kaye Chambers
Jo of Ink and Paper sent in a few books that are first in a series - series which she will continue (so check out her blog later on, for more reviews!). Forgive me if I don't say something to each of these books!
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels Book 1) by Ilona Andrews
The Summoning (Dark Powers Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments Book 1) by Cassandra Clare
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Night Rising (Vampire Babylon Book 1) by Chris Marie Green
Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan Book 1) by Kim Harrison
Fallen by Lauren Kate
The Sweet Scent of Blood (Spellcrackers.com Book 1) by Suzanne McLeod
Wake (Dream Catcher Book 1) by Lisa McMann
Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires Book 1) by Chloe Neill
Evermore (The Immortals Book 1) by Alyson Noёl
Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy Book 1) by Michelle Zink
And from her YA blog, Once Upon a Bookcase, Jo submitted the review for Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja
Wow, that's a wealth of first in series books! Admittedly, I only know one of the books Jo reviewed, City of Bones, and I can tell you it is a great YA series, and I also have a few of the books either on Mt. TBR or on my wish list.
And Monica of Monniblog submitted two first books in a series:
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, a series about a group of women of different ages, different backgrounds and very different personalities who regularly meet at a yarn shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, a series many of you already know and a book I'm in fact reading right now. Sookie Stackhouse is a psychic who, by chance, gets drawn into the world of vampires and murder.
Of course, the first book in a series is only the beginning of a story. In the later installments we learn even more about the characters and the world created by the author.
Jackie at Literary Escapism sent in a review for Smolder by Melina Morel. This is the third in the series revolving around the Institut Scientifique.
Monica of Monniblog has a review up for the final installment of Terry Goodknd's Sword of Truth series, Confessor.
Swapna Krishna offered up a great review for Small Favor by Jim Butcher, the tenth in the series revolving around Harry Dresden, a wizard who investigates cases that link to the paranormal world.
Beth of BethFishReads has a wonderful review for the 10th installment in MC Beaton's Hamish Macbeth, Death of a Charming Man. This is indeed a wonderful series and if you haven't checked it out yet, do so!
I also got some submissions for full series or bigger parts of series.
Jodie from Book Gazing has reviews for the first two books in the Temeraire series:
Temeraire by Naomi Novick
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novick
Heather from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books reviewed all 8 books of Laurie R. King's Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series. In order the books are:
The Beekeper's Apprentice
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Letter of Mary
The Moor
O Jerusalem
Justice Hall
The Game
Locked Rooms
The Language of Bees
And then Jo of Ink and Paper also sent me a long e-mail with lots and lots of reviews for series she read, and I'm not going to keep any to myself.
Weather Wardens Series by Rachel Caine
Ill Wind (Weather Wardens Book 1)
Heat Stroke (Weather Wardens Book 2)
Cassie Palmer Series by Karen Chance
Touch the Dark (Cassie Palmer Book 1)
Claimed by Shadow (Cassie Palmer Book 2)
Embrace the Night (Cassie Palmer Book 3)
Curse the Dawn (Cassie Palmer Book 4)
Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost
Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress Book 1)
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress Book 2)
At Grave's End (Night Huntress Book 3)
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress Book 4)
Wicked Series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
Witch & Curse (Wicked Omnibus 1) - Part 1: Witch
Witch & Curse (Wicked Omnibus 1) - Part 2: Curse
Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr
Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely Book 1)
Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely Book 2)
Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely Book 3)
Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy Book 1)
Frostbite (Vampire Academy Book 2)
Raine Benares Series by Lisa Shearin
Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares Book 1)
Armed and Magical (Raine Benares Book 2)
The Trouble with Demons (Raine Benares Book 3)
Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent
Stray (Shifters Book 1)
Rogue (Shifters Book 2)
Pride (Shifters Book 3)
Monica of Monniblog also has reviewed quite some chunks of series.
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
Uglies and Pretties
Extras
Specials
The Tudor Court novels by Philippa Gregory
The Constant Princess
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Boleyn Inheritance
The Queen's Fool
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn
XYZ series by Karen Rivers
X in Flight
Y in the Shadows
Marg of ReadingAdventures wrote one long review for the books in Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series.
Gilion of Rose City Reader also reads a few series:
Cara Black's Aimee Leduc series, which is set in France.
James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series
Lee Child's Jack Reacher series featuring the famous former military police man turned PI.
John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series
Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series (We all have heard of Gorky Park, I believe?)
Julia Spencer-Fleming's Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne series starring a former army pilot turned Episcopalian priest and the local police chief.
And last, but certainly not least, Beth from BethFishReads has a good review of Chris Grabenstein's John Ceepack series featuring John Ceepak, a fromer MP serving in Iraq who retired from the army with PTSD.
Monica of Monniblog even sent in her answers to the questions I asked along with my call for submissions:
What is it about series you like most?
I think it's the continuation of the story. If it's a good story, you want to know more and more about the characters and continue on the journey with them.
And do you remember the first series you read?
To be honest, the first types of series I fell in love with were movies. I was in love with trilogies as a kid: original Star Wars, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones.
Do you prefer to have something on the covers that links the books (like the yellow background and the comic-style guy on the “for Dummies” books to give only one example) or don’t the covers matter to you that much?
After studying design, I find that I enjoy a similar style, especially in font. I think that Harry Potter managed this well.
Phew, that's it for the submissions! I hope you enjoyed all the series and maybe even found a few new ones you'd like to try.
Also check out the next editions of the Bookworms Carnival (and maybe submit some reviews):
Edition 46 hosted by: Beth at Beth Fish Reads
Deadline for submission: January 23, 2010
Theme: Books about food or books that feature food (I’d accept culinary mysteries for example or novels centered around food)
To submit a post, email: bfish.reads AT gmail DOT com
Edition 47 hosted by: Jessica at the Bluestocking Society
Deadline for submission: February 12, 2010
Theme: Books to Movies
To submit a post, email: thebluestockingsociety at gmail dot com
Friday, January 8, 2010
Bloggiesta - the first update
So, it's about time for my first Bloggiesta update.
So far I have taken care of the blog rolls both here and at my German blog. If you want to be on my blog roll and I have missed you (sorry, it's been a bit crazy with all the names), please let me know!
And then I finally got myself a gravatar! You can also see it in my profile on blogger and on twitter. (By the way, follow me on twitter, if you'd like!)
Now I'm off to write a review, before I have to really get back to my work for university (I have an essay due next Friday on travel lit and a book I haven't read in quite a while and four presentations on four very different subjects the week after.)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
good or bad? I can't make up my mind...
On the bright side, I don't have much reading time during the next two weeks (I have one essay due January 15 and four presentations the week after), so it would be really hard to have another new book lying around, knowing I'd feel very, very guilty if I started reading it before all the other things are done!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The 2nd Bloggiesta is coming up!
I can't begin to tell you how glad I am the 2nd Bloggiesta hosted by Natasha @ Maw Books Blog is coming up next weekend: January 8 through 10!
Now that I have started blogging both in English and German in early 2009, I have two blogs to maintain, which has been a bit tricky at times.
For this blog, I have to do the following:
- write reviews (or at least reviewlets for the older books) for the following books:
- Robert Fate: Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption
- Harry Kemelman: Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home
- Peter O'Donnell & Jim Holdaway: Modesty Blaise - The Gabriel Set-Up
- Sam Savage: Firmin
- Karen Tei Yamashita: Tropic of Orange
- Cormac McCarthy: The Road
- Rachel Caine: Glass Houses
- MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unreturnable
- Will Eisner: The Spirit
- Alan Bennett: The Uncommon Reader
- Martin Millar: Lonely Werewolf Girl
- P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast: Marked
- Agatha Christie: Star Over Bethlehem
- Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese
- Hester Browne: The Little Lady Agency
- Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar
- Sarah Mayberry: She's Got It Bad
- Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis & Rhonda Nelson: Better Naughty Than Nice
update blog rollwork on review templateget gravatar (finally!)- prepare template posts for future reads including picture & links
For my German blog:
- finally transfer old posts to new blog
update blog rollwork on review template
That should be far more than I can handle, so I'll leave it at that.
Friday, January 1, 2010
year's end summary - part 2: books bought
Striked through titles are those I already read AND reviewed or deleted from Mt. TBR for other reasons.
1) Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey and Other Works
4) Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
5) Charlotte Bronte: The Professor
11) Libba Bray: A Great and Terrible Beauty
12) Jim Butcher: Storm Front
13) Rhys Bowen: Her Royal Spyness
15) Kathryn Lilley: A Killer Workout
16) Alice Kimberly: The Ghost and Haunted Mansion
17) Jin Xing: Shanghai Tango (audio)
18) John Katzenbach: The Analyst (audio)
20) Rhys Bowen: Evan's Gate
21) John Sandford: Rules of Prey
26) Tohko Mizuno: In A Distant Time 10
29) Rachel Gibson: Tangled Up In You
30) Cindy Gerard: Show No Mercy
39) Stephenie Meyer: New Moon
40) J.R. Ward: Dark Lover
42) Holly Robinson Peete: Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching The Game! A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football
43) Rhys Bowen: Evans Above
45) Lorna Barrett: Murder Is Binding
46) Margaret Grace: Malice In Miniature
47) German book on ADD
48) Steve Mosby: The 50/50 Killer
51) Florentine Dame & Elizabeth Weydt: An Grenzen
52) Lora Leigh: Nauti Boy
53) Lisa Kleypas: It Happened One Autumn
54) Julie James: Practice Makes Perfect
57) Bram Stocker: Dracula (for university)
59) Julia Hoban: Willow
60) Michael Karpin: Tightrope - Six Centuries Of A Jewish Dynasty
61) William Boyd: Restless (Bookcrossing)
62) Adriana Trigiani: Lucia, Lucia (Bookcrossing)
63) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Half Of A Yellow Sun (Bookcrossing)
64) Philip Roth: American Pastoral (for university)
67) Oscar Wilde: An Ideal Husband
68) Italian language learning mystery: Dottor Bianchis Letzter Wille (Dottor Bianchi's Last Will)
69) Paul Robertson: Road To Nowhere (Bookcrossing)
71) Michail Bulgakov: The Master & Margerita (birthday gift from dear friends)
72) Virginia Woolf: To The Lighthouse (won during 24 Hour Read-A-Thon)
74) Emily Listfield: Best Intentions (review copy)
76) Sophie Kinsella: Remember Me?
77) Stephenie Meyer: Eclipse
78) Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture
79) John Boyne: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
80) Emily Dickinson: Wilde Nächte (The Letters of Emily Dickinson) (gift)
83) Ann Aguirre: Grimspace (gift certificate)
84) Lisa Jackson: Twice Kissed
85) Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends & Influence People
88) Scott Westerfeld: Uglies
92) Natsuo Kirino: Real World
93) Jean Hager: Blooming Murder (Bookcrossing)
94) Nadine Dajani: Cutting Loose (review copy)
95) Sally Koslow: The Late, Lamented Molly Marx (review copy)
96) Susan Crosby: The Rancher's Surprise Marriage
97) Sarah Dunn: Secrets Of Happiness (won - thanks Beth)
98) Robert Fate: Baby Shark's Jugglers At The Border (review copy)
100) Jeanine Frost: Halfway To The Grave
103) Kristan Higgins: Fools Rush In
104) Jill Shalvis: Double Play
107) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unpopular
108) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Uneasy
109) Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games
111) Haruki Murakami: A Wild Sheep Chase
113) Kristan Higgins: Too Good To Be True
115) Rhonda Nelson - The Hell-Raiser
116) Lisa Kleypas - Mine Till Midnight
117) Rachel Caine - Midnight Alley
118) Benyamin Cohen - My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith
119) Tanya Huff - Blood Trail
120) Amanda Quick - I Thee Wed (Bookcrossing)
121) Jon Krakauer - Under The Banner Of Heaven
122) Jill Shalvis: Instant Gratification
124) Sarah Mayberry: She's Got It Bad
125) Patricia Davids: Speed Trap (can I blame the author? she told me about it and I couldn't resist LOL)
126) Tzipi Caton: Miracle Ride - A True Story of Illness, Fate, Humor - And Triumph
128) P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast: Betrayed (review copy)
129) P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast:Chosen (review copy)
130) P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast:Untamed (review copy)
131) Josh Bazell: Beat the Reeper (review copy)
132) Nick Sagan: Edenborn
133) Alan Bradley: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
134) Melissa Marr: Wicked Lovely
136) Wolfgang Schorlau: Das München-Komplott (German mystery)
138) Eckard von Hirschhausen: Die Leber wächst mit ihren Aufgaben (German book by comedian)
139) Lernkrimi Italienisch: Mord in der Scala (Language Practice Italian: Murder at the Scala)
140) Jeffery Deaver: The Vanished Man
141) Melissa De La Cruz: Masquerade
142) Georges Simenon: Maigret et le clochard
143) Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, Rhonda Nelson: Better Naughty Than Nice
145) Michael Anthony: Mass Casualties (review copy)
146) Dan Brown: Da Vinci Code (in French, gift from a dear friend!)
148) Danielle Joseph: Shrinking Violet (German holiday swap - Buecherblogs)
149) Elizabeth Scott: Living Dead Girl (Holiday Swap)
150) Cindy Pon: Silver Phoenix (Holiday Swap)
151) Hester Browne: The Little Lady Agency
152) Haruki Murakami: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
153) Alyson Noel: Evermore (mixed up Evermore and Evernight, which I actually wanted to get - oh well!)
154) Charlaine Harris: Living Dead In Dallas
155) Kenneth Oppel: Silverwing (Christmas present from a dear friend)
156) Catherine Clément: Le voyage de Théo (for university)
157) Nick Sagan: Everfree
158) Joy Fielding: Still Life (another Christmas present)
159) Lev Grossman: The Magician
160) Laura Schaefer: The Teashop Girls (pre-ordered in May)
161) Janet Evanovich: Naughty Neighbor (Bookcrossing)
162) J.K Rowling The Tales Of Beedle The Bard (secret santa - Literaturschock)
163) Ally Carter: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (secret santa - Literaturschock, yes, I did get 2 books)
As a result, I added 107 books to Mt. TBR for 2010 *sigh*
year's end summary - part 1: books read
A short note on the side: I will update the links as I write the reviews. I'm still waaay behind, sorry!
1) Oscar Wilde: A Woman of No Importance
2) Patricia Davids: Military Daddy
3) Linwood Barclay: No Time For Goodbye (audio)
4) Meg Cabot: Jinx
5) Vicki Myron: Dewey
6) Marie Ferrarella: Protecting His Witness
7) Natalie Anderson: Bought - One Night, One Marriage
8) Suzanne Brockmann: Prince Joe
9) Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 1
10) Johann Maier: Judentum & Judentum - Reader
11) Jill Shalvis & Jacquie D'Alessandro & Jamie Sobrato: Heating Up The Holidays
12) Merline Lovelace: Devlin and the Deep Blue Sea
13) Marie Ferrarella: The Bride With No Name
14) Rutu Modan: Exit Wounds
15) Naomi Alderman: Disobedience
16) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unappreciated
17) Nalini Singh: Slave to Sensation
18) Agatha Christie: The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side
19) Robert Fate: Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues
20) Meg Cabot: How To Be Popular
21) Robert Fate: Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption
22) Marco von Münchhausen: Zeit gewinnen mit dem inneren Schweinehund (time management)
23) Lori Wilde: Lethal Exposure
24) Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 2
25) Eun-Ah Park: Sweet & Sensitive 4
26) Eun-Ah Park: Sweet & Sensitive 5
27) Tess Gerritsen: The Mephisto Club
28) Meg Cabot: The Princess Diares - To The Nines
29) Harry Kemelman: Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home
30) Elie Wiesel: Night
31) Jill Shalvis: Flashpoint
32) Jennifer LaBrecque: Yule Be Mine
33) Cara Summers: Come Toy With Me
34) Leslie Kelly: Slow Hands
35) Abby Gaines: Married By Mistake
36) Peter O'Donnell & Jim Holdaway: Modesty Blaise - The Gabriel Set-Up
37) Beth Andrews: A Not-So-Perfect Past
38) Sam Savage: Firmin
39) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 4
40) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 5
41) Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan 15
42) Maju Sakai: Rockin' Heaven Vol. 2
43) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 16
44) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 17
45) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 18
46) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 6
47) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 1
48) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 2
49) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 3
50) Yuna Kagesaki: Cheeky Vampire Vol. 7
51) Lawrence Kaplan: House Of Ghosts
52) Yuna Kagesaki: Cheeky Vampire Vol. 8
53) Jong Eun Lee: Shi Hwa Mong Vol.1
54) Susan Crosby: The Rancher's Surprise Marriage
55) Jacqueline Baird: Marriage At His Convenience
56) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 7
57) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 8
58) Maju Shinjo: Kaikan Phrase Vol. 5
59) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 9
60) Kristan Higgins: Just One Of The Guys
61) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 6
62) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 7
63) Karen Tei Yamashita: Tropic Of Orange
64) Allison Leigh: A Weaver Wedding
65) Janice Kay Johnson: Snowbound
66) Cormac McCarthy: The Road
67) Jill Shalvis: Flashback
68) Merline Lovelace: A Question Of Intent
69) M. Reufsteck/J. Stoeckle: Die kleine House-Apotheke
70) Charlotte Douglas: Mystique
71) Elizabeth Young: Asking For Trouble
72) Jill Shalvis: Instant Attraction
73) Carly Phillips: Hot Property
74) Dani Sinclair: Secret Cinderella
75) Julie James: Just The Sexiest Man Alive
76) Donna Kauffman: The Cinderella Rules
77) Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Heaven, Texas
78) Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Lady Be Good
79) Nalini Singh: Visions Of Heat
80) Rachel Caine: Glass Houses
81) Patricia Davids: A Military Match
82) Nick Sagan - Idlewild
83) D.D. Barrant - Dying Bites
84) Jill Shalvis - Storm Front
85) Sara Orwig: Wyoming Marriage
86) Friedrich Duerrenmatt: Die Panne
87) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unreturnable
88) Jay Asher: 13 Reasons Why
89) Will Eisner: The Spirit
90) Alan Bennett: The Uncommon Reader
91) a great book you'll hear more about as soon as possible!
92) a great book you'll hear more about as soon as possible! (not the same as #91 in October!)
93) Martin Millar: Lonely Werewolf Girl
94) Cassandra Clare: City of Bones
95) Gareth P. Jones: The Thornthwaite Inheritance
96) Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child: Reliquary (audio)
97) Yasushi Inoue: Memoirs of the Priest Honkaku
98) P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast: Marked
99) Agatha Christie: Star Over Bethlehem
100) Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese
101) Hester Browne: The Little Lady Agency
102) Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar
103) Ralf Schmitz: Schmitz' Katze
104) Sarah Mayberry: She's Got It Bad
105) Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis & Rhonda Nelson: Better Naughty Than Nice
December summary
148) Danielle Joseph: Shrinking Violet (German holiday swap - Buecherblogs)
149) Elizabeth Scott: Living Dead Girl (Book Blogger Holiday Swap)
150) Cindy Pon: Silver Phoenix (Book Blogger Holiday Swap)
151) Hester Browne: The Little Lady Agency
152) Haruki Murakami: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
153) Alyson Noel: Evermore (mixed up Evermore and Evernight, which I actually wanted to get - oh well!)
154) Charlaine Harris: Living Dead In Dallas
155) Kenneth Oppel: Silverwing (Christmas present from a dear friend)
156) Catherine Clément: Le voyage de Théo (for university)
157) Nick Sagan: Everfree
158) Joy Fielding: Still Life (another Christmas present)
159) Lev Grossman: The Magician
160) Laura Schaefer: The Teashop Girls (pre-ordered in May)
161) Janet Evanovich: Naughty Neighbor (Bookcrossing)
162) J.K Rowling The Tales Of Beedle The Bard (secret santa - Literaturschock)
163) Ally Carter: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (secret santa - Literaturschock, yes, I did get 2 books)
Read
98) P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast: Marked
99) Agatha Christie: Star Over Bethlehem
100) Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese
101) Hester Browne: The Little Lady Agency
102) Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar
103) Ralf Schmitz: Schmitz' Katze
104) Sarah Mayberry: She's Got It Bad
105) Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis & Rhonda Nelson: Better Naughty Than Nice
DNF
7) Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife