July 12, 2013

• Books I’ve Read (So Far) In 2013

  Yep, I’m starting my book list already! Last year I read a total of 182 books and I’m hoping to beat that number this year. Here are the lists of books I’ve read from the previous years:

  Books I’ve Read (So Far) In 2012

  Books I’ve Read (So Far) In 2011

  Books I’ve Read (so far) In 2010

  Books:

  
  

  The Truth About Cats by Alan Snow – Cats are really from space and they came to Earth to control humans! It sounds like a funny story, but it was just okay.

  A Braid of Lives: Native American Childhood edited by Neil Philip - This book contains stories from the childhood of Black Elk, Luther Standing Bear and many others. It was a good read along with nice pictures.

  Faith Moments: Saint Kateri Tekawitha by Anne E. Neuberger - This is a short biography of Saint Kateri Tekawitha. It is very good though. It’s well-written and I love the pictures in it.

  The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter – I don’t think this is a book that needs any explaining. I first read it when I was very young and decided to revisit it now that I’m an adult. It’s still a nice read.

  The Song of the Banded Tree Snail and Other Tales of Space Travel by J.E. Glaze – I will post my review of this soon.

  The Twisted Witch and Other Spooky Riddles by David A. Adler – Some of these were pretty good and funny.

  The Pumpkin Heads by A.K. Roche – This is about a town of people who became known as pumpkin heads, due to a strict law of having to have their hair a certain length and they had to use a pumpkin, because they lost their cutting pot. It was a strange tale, but a bit interesting. However, I didn’t really enjoy it.

  A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero by Gina Capaldi – This is a short biography of Carlos Montezuma, but it is very good and well-written. I really liked it.

  Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill – I read this many times as a kid and decided to read it again as an adult. Still very enjoyable and I think it is easy to see why I loved it as a kid.

  Never Say Boo to a Ghost and Other Haunting Rhymes edited by John Foster and Korky Paul – It was

  a nice and fun book of poetry.

  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – This book was wonderful. I’ll be posting my review on it eventually.

  Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen – This was a really cute book about a young who raises a dragon.

  Ghost Graveyards and Spooky Spots by Cameron Banks – This is a book of true paranormal stories, which is based on the stories seen on Haunted History. I liked the book.

  The Restless Dead by Jim Razzi – This is another book of true paranormal stories and I honestly very much enjoyed this one. I’d like to add this to my own collection of books.

  The Chinese Book of Animal Powers by Chungliang Al Huang – This was a nice book. I liked the illustrations.

  The Haunting of Derek Stone: The Red House by Tony Abbott – This is the third book in the series and I have to say, what a twist in this one! I honestly wasn’t expecting, but it definitely explains some of the stuff Derek has experienced. 

  Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz – This is Jean Fritz’s autobiography. She explains that some parts were fiction, but the events were true. It’s about her life in China, she lived there until she was 13. I thought it was a very good book.

  Disney’s Pocahontas: Hello, Funny Face by Margo Lundell – I read this just because I like the cartoon.

  Wild Witches’ Ball by Jack Prelutsky – A silly poem, but an enjoyable read.

  The Moon Over High Street by Natalie Babbitt – Joe goes to visit his cousin and meets Mr. Boulderwall, who seems to have lots of plans for him.

  This is Natalie Babbitt’s newest book. I don’t think it is her best book, but I did like it. It is worth a read.

  The Haunting of Derek Stone: The Ghost Road by Tony Abbott – This is the final book in the series, well it is at least the end of the story in the book. From reading the author’s website, he might eventually write more books with the character Derek Stone.

  The book was great and I really hope there will be more Derek Stone books.

  Rainy Rainy Saturday by Jack Prelutsky – This is a book of poetry about what to do on rainy days.

  Fairy Poems by Laura Ingalls Wilder – It was a cute book of fairy poems.

  Destiny, Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice – I won this from a goodreads giveaway and it was a pretty goo book.

  How Chipmunk Got His Stripes by Joseph Bruchac – This is a story about how bragging isn’t good.

  Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers – This is the author’s adaption of Chief Seattle’s speech. It was a nice book.

  Lives and Legends of the Saints by Carole Armstrong – This was an interesting book. I like reading about the Saints.

  Saints and Angels by Claire Llewellyn – I liked this book too. It also had some about Angels as well.

  The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney - It was in 2009 that I read the first book of this series and loved. Well, I’ve finally read the second and loved it as well. Tom’s been the Spook’s apprentice for about six months and a lot has happened. He just bonded a Ripper and soon he’ll have to help his master deal with the Bane.

  Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien – This book was just okay. It was well-written, but I just couldn’t really get into it.

  The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams - I think this was read to me when I was a kid, but it’s been such a long time that I didn’t really remember it. It’s a little sad, but a nice story.

  Haunted Summer by Betty Ren Wright - This is about a haunted music box. Not the best book I’ve read by Betty Ren Wright, but still a very enjoyable read.

  Ghost’s Hour, Spook’s Hour by Eve Bunting - I’ve read a few other books by this author and enjoyed them. This one was just alright.

  The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - Well, I’m not sure there is anything I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said. I think it is amazing. Very well-written and exciting story with great characters. I love it. It is a favorite now and I cannot wait to read the second book.

  Chester by Melanie Watts - This is supposed to be about a mouse, but Chester, the cat, makes it all about himself. Very funny book.

  The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson – Cute book. I liked it.

  Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschnenmoser - I really enjoyed this one. It’s very cute story about animals waiting to see snow for the first time. 

  Winter Poems by Barbara Rogasky - This collection of poems was just okay.

  The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney - Great just like the first two. Can’t wait to read the fourth book.

  I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan - There is movie based on this book that I’m sure many people have watched, or at least, heard of it. I’ve never seen the movie. But I really wanted to read the book. It is suspenseful and a real page-turner. I quite liked it.

  The Dragon and the Unicorn by Lynne Cherry - Nice book about how important it is to take care of our earth.  

  Dark Hollow by Brian Keene - What can I say about this book? It was crazy, that’s for sure. It was a good read though and I just couldn’t wait to read what happened next. However, I will warn you. This is an adult book. There is cursing and some very graphic scenes. It’s not often I read books like this.

  Heroes for My Daughter by Brad Meltzer - This is a great book. I definitely recommend it. 

  The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney - I’ve already put books 5 and 6 on hold. That should tell you already how much I liked it this book.

  Halloweenies by David Wisniewski - Funny book with five stories based on classic horror movies.

  Grow Your Handmade Business by Kari Chapin – Helpful book about starting your own craft business.

  Beyond Birth and Death by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada – Interesting book about how we are more than just a physical body.

  Chester’s Back by Melanie Watt – Chester is back again and causing trouble. Funny book.

  Chester’s Masterpiece by Melanie Watt – This book is “by” Chester. He has taken and hidden all the author’s stuff so he can write his masterpiece. I think this is my favorite out of the three books in the series.

  A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan – When she died, the grandmother gave a gift to each of her grandchildren. One was given the gift of dance, another the gift of music and the other was given a very special gift, one that her grandmother had.

  I thought the book was interesting, but it wasn’t as good as other books I’ve read by Lois Duncan. Still enjoyable read though.

  The Last Apprentice: Wrath of the Bloodeye by Joseph Delaney – This is book number 5 in the series. It was great.

  The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons by Joseph Delaney – Book number 6 in the series. What I like about this book is learning more about Tom’s mother. It’s surprising who she actually is.

  Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt – Well, this is about Scaredy Squirrel and he seems to scared of a lot of stuff. Fun book.

  Cirque Du Freak: Hunters of the Dusk by Darren Shan – Darren has changed quite a bit in this one, but I still enjoyed it.

  Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – This was a book I was really excited to read, but I just couldn’t get into it. Not sure if it was the author’s style of writing, but I just couldn’t get into the story.

  The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting – This is quite a good picture book. A bit creepy too. It would be great for Halloween.

  Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt – Scaredy Squirrel makes his own beach because the real one is too dangerous. Fun read.

  Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt – Scaredy finally makes a friend in this one. Enjoyable like the other ones.

  The Last Apprentice: Rise of the Huntress by Joseph Delaney – Book 7 in the series. Bony Lizzie is back in this one and causing all kinds of trouble.

  The Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney – Book 8 in the series. Tom, the Spook and Alice are in Ireland this one. They had to flee the County due to war.

  Scaredy Squirrel at Nighty by Melanie Watt – Scaredy doesn’t want to sleep. Too many bad things can happen when you’re asleep, so he wants to stay awake. It’s interesting to see how he keeps himself awake all night.

  Cherokee Summer by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith – This is a non-fiction book about a 10 year old Cherokee girl who is a member of the Cherokee nation. This is actually a really good book. Not very long, but interesting and informative.

  Beyond the Pond by Jennie Samuel – I won this from a goodreads giveaway. I thought the book had an interesting story. It’s not one of my favorites I’ve won from goodreads, but I did like the story.

  The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin Witch Assassin by Joseph Delaney – This is book 9 in the series. This is from the point of view of Grimalkin, instead of Tom this time. It still connects to the story of the other books and actually picks where the last left off. It’s just with this book, the reader follows Grimalkin instead. I liked learning more about Grimalkin and her story in this one.

  The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead by Joseph Delaney – Book 10 in the series. This one is very intense and sad at times.

  Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party Melanie Watt – Another enjoyable entry in this series. 

  Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones – Great book. I’ll post a review of this eventually.

  The Imdian Way Gary McLain – This was a nice book of stories that taught good lessons. I really like the illustrations.

  The Last Apprentice: Slither by Joseph Delaney – Book 11 in the series. This one was different, but still good.

  The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare – This was a really good book. Very nice story.

  The Last Apprentice: The Spook’s Tale And Other Horrors by Joseph Delaney – This wasn’t a main entry in the series, but rather, a collection of three short stories from three characters in the series. Probably my favorite was John Gregory’s story about how he met his future Master. Next would be Alice’s story, which I liked a lot too. Third was Grimalkin’s story, but it was just a repeat of what I already knew about her. Good book though.

  The Last Apprentice: The Spook’s Bestiary by Joseph Delaney – This is John Gregory’s book on creatures from the dark. So again, it is not a main entry in the series, but instead it is a guide of creatures the Spook has encountered or at least knows of. There is also some stories in this book about John Gregory and some creatures he has faced. There are notes from his apprentices too. I quite enjoyed this book.

  Taken by Thomas Cook – This is a novel based on the mini-series. It was good, but moved at a very fast pace. I think it would have been better if there were more than one book. I still liked it though.

  (Poe)try by Rebeka Renae – Nice book of poetry.

  Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas by Melanie Watt – As always funny and enjoyable.

  Ghosts and Gravestones of Savannah Georgia by John F. Stavely – Good book of true ghost stories. Makes me want to visit Savannah, Georgia.

  Ghost Stories of Lancaster, PA by Tim Reeser – I learned about some haunted places I didn’t know about before. One place is very place to me. I liked this ghost book.

  It’s My State: South Carolina by Debra Hess – Since I want to move to South Carolina, I decide to read a book about it.

  Spooky Pennsylvania: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore by S.E. Schlosser – This book has stories from many places in Pennsylvania. All were interesting and the book was very well-written. This is a book I’d like to own one day.

  Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson – This is the sequel to If You Come Softly, which I read a few years ago and loved. Not as good as the first, but I still really liked it.

  Lost in Foreign Passions by Debra Kamza – This book was very good, very well-written and I plan on posting a review of it.

  The Last Apprentice: A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney – Another collection of stories from characters of the series. It was really good. I liked it more than the other collection of stories.

  Quotes for Kids by Lisa Meyer – Some of the quotes chosen I liked, but overall, didn’t really enjoy this book much.

  The Hooded Man by Jay Bennett – This was quite good. Very suspenseful and it kept me guessing until the end.

  Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan – It’s choosing day and Will really wants to go to battleschool, but he’s not chosen for it. Instead, he is chosen as the Ranger’s Apprentice and Will isn’t sure if he’s going to like being a Ranger or not. 

  Good book. A little slow at parts, but overall, interesting story with likable characters.

  Halloween ABC by Sarah Albee – It’s an ABC book, but Halloween themed. It was cute, but just okay.

  Spooky ABC by Eve Merriam – Another ABC Halloween themed book. I liked it. The poetry was good.

  Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke – Cute book about a Princess who wants to do normal things like cleaning the house.

  Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson – This is a book I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while. But it was very disappointing. I didn’t really enjoy it. I read this for the 50 States challenge. It was set in Georgia. 

  Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – I had saw the movie for this when it was released on DVD. I loved the movie and have wanted to read the book for a while. When I joined the 50 States Challenge, I think it would be a good time to read this since it is set in New York. It started out nice enough, but quickly just turned into me not liking it. I don’t mind cursing. I’ve read many books with cursing, but this book had the F word on almost every pages and the one page I counted it and it was said 26 times or more. Not a very enjoyable read for me.

  Goody Hall by Natalie Babbitt – Hercules is an actor, but has left his acting troupe for another job. He’s decided to become a tutor and one is needed at Goody Hall. But it seems there is a mystery to be solved at Goody Hall and along with his student, they start to put the pieces together.

  This book was a little slow to start, but overall, ended up being very good. I really liked it.

  Spongebob Squarepants Deep-Sea Tales: 6 Salty Sea Stories by Terry Collins – It was a fun book. I liked it.

  Pemba’s Song: A Ghost Story by Marilyn Nelson – This is about an African American girl named Pemba. She and her mom move to Connecticut, which is why I chose to read it for the 50 States Challenge. I thought this book sounded great. I love ghost stories and books with characters of another race/culture. But I honestly didn’t like this book much and it was because of the main character. The story is interesting enough, but the author just turned Pemba into a stereotype and I didn’t like that. 

  Finding My Place by Traci L. Jones – This book also has an African American girl as the main character and it is set in Colorado. It is another read for the 50 States challenge. Unlike the previous three books I’ve read for the challenge so far, I really liked this one. It is a great story, Tiphanie, the main character, is a strong female character. And I think the book teaches that anyone can be racist.

  On The Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming – I read this for the 50 states challenge. It is a book with stories from ghosts about how they died. I thought it was interesting and unique.

  A Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem – Jayne, who is 13 years old, goes to stay with her Aunt over the summer in Williamsburg, Virginia, who lives in the home of their ancestors. During her stay, she begins to see a ghost.

  I thought this would be a book that I liked, but it turned out to be even better than I thought it would be. It was very good.

  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – I read The Hunger Games last year and liked it. I thought this one was better. I liked Katniss more in it than the first. I thought in the first book she wasn’t a very likable character.

  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – I thought this was the best book out of all three and although it seemed to be a happy ending, I think in a way, it still felt sad.

  Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan – This is the first in a trilogy and I read it for the 50 states challenge. Really liked this one. I want to read the other two books.

  Ghost Ships by Kevin Hile – This book was okay.

  Mysteries Unwrapped: Haunted U.S.A by Charles Wetzel – There were a lot of well-known true short stories in this book. Not one of my favorite ghost books, but enjoyable. I liked it.

  The Indian School by Gloria Whelan – This book is about a girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle that run an Indian school. I read a review that said this book was racist, but I don’t think it is. Rather, it doesn’t give all the information regarding what went on in Indian schools. It did show the aunt being harsh and controlling the children to do things her way, like cutting their hair, speaking english and changing their names, which all did happen. But it is a children’s book and perhaps the author didn’t want to frighten children, but give them a little history that when older they could learn more about. It is a nice story of friendship and acceptance despite differences.

  Civil War Ghosts by Daniel Cohen - This is a book of true stories about civil war ghosts. It is quite good and I’d recommend it to those who love true paranormal books.

  Ghosts & Poltergeists by Gurney Williams – Didn’t really like this one.

  Devil’s Footsteps by E.E. Richardson – This book was quite good. I’ll be reading more by this author.

  Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi – This book is about Lady Jane Grey, who became Queen at 15 and only for nine days. Later, she was beheaded. It was good book and I learned a lot about Jane Grey. She had a sad life though.

  Haunts: Five Hair-Raising Tales by Angela Shelf Medearis – Some good spooky stories.

  The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks – A cute and fun story. I really liked it.

  Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge – Well, this book is basically about a town where every Halloween teenage boys have to kill October Boy and whoever does this, wins and gets to leave town to fulfill their dreams. I didn’t enjoy the book like I thought I would. It could be confusing at times, as it jumped around quite a bit.

  Nancy Drew: The Kachina Doll Mystery by Carolyn Keene – I really enjoyed this. Nancy Drew is a great character.

  The Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn – Not one of my favorite books by this author, but it was still good.

  Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin – This book is about cats who were born with wings. They were born in the city, but it’s not safe there for them. So they leave to try and find a safe place for them.

  This is a short book, but it is good. Very good. I love it.

  Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix – This book was really good. I’d recommend it.

  Proud To Be Amish by Mildred Jordan – This book is about a girl who is Amish and her struggles with worldly things. It was a good read. Kept me interested the whole time I was reading it.

  Gentle Ben by Walt Morey – I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book when I first started reading it or not. But I really enjoyed it. It is about a boy named Mark and a brown bear named Ben. They become friends and Mark eventually becomes Ben’s owner. He loves Ben and takes very good care of him. I loved it because I saw it as a story about the bond between a human and an animal.

  Wolf by the Ears by Ann Rinaldi – This is a historical fiction book about Harriet Hemings, who is considered to be one of Thomas Jeffersons’ child he had with one of his slaves. I thought it was very good. I could relate to Harriet in some ways.

  Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – I’ve read two other books by this author and didn’t really enjoy them, but decided to give this one a chance, as it sounded very good. I just honestly couldn’t get into it.

  Dalemark Quartet Book 2: Drowned Ammet by Diana Wynne Jones – I really enjoyed this book. Quite a good read.

  In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi – If you’ve read my review, then you will know how much I liked this book.

  Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber – This is about a girl who has multiple personalities. It’s a good I’ve been wanting to read for a while, but the style of writing made it hard to get through. 

  Inkspell by Cornelia Funke – I loved this book. Just as much as the first one. I need to get my hands on the third book and read it soon.

  Haunted Gettysburg: Eye Witness Accounts of the Supernatural by Jack Bochar and Bob Wasel - I read this because you all know how much I love Gettysburg and ghost hunting as well. This is one of the best ghost books I’ve read. Very well-written and interesting. I’d definitely recommend it.

  The Mud Pony by Caron Lee Cohen – Retelling of an old Native tale. Nice story. I think it teaches that we are not alone, even if we think we are.

  More Saints: Lives and Illuminations by Ruth Sanderson – Nice book about many different Saints.

  Manga/Graphic Novels:

  
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Part 1 by Akira Himekawa – This is the beginning of the series and I thought it was a little slow to start, but as it goes on, it gets better.

  Amulet, Volume 3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi – Emily and friends are searching for a city in the clouds. They think the people there could help them. Great volume just like the first two.

  Amulet, Volume 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi – This volume was just wow. So much happened. I can’t wait to read volume 5.

  Stone Rabbit #2: Pirate Palooza by Erik Craddock – This time Stone Rabbit releases the spirit of a pirate.

  ICP: The Pendulum Tome – This is all 12 issues of the Pendulum comics, plus a few bonus issues. I liked it when I first read it and liked it on my re-read.

  Codename: Sailor V Volume 1 by Nakoko Takeuchi - The first volume and it was really good. I am looking forward to reading volume 2.

  I Luv Halloween #1 by Keith Giffen – This is another book I was really looking forward to reading. I found it two years ago and the library finally got it. It was disappointing. Very disappointing.

  Amulet, Volume 5: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi – The story continues in this volume. Had to wait a while before I could borrow it from the library, but it was worth the wait. Now I have to wait for volume 6 to be released.

  The Dreaming Volume 1 by Queenie Chan – Twins Jeanie and Amber are accepted into an Australian boarding school. But when they get there, they find out the school has lots of secret. I really liked this.

  The Dreaming Volume 2 by Queenie Chan – This volume continues the story and Jeanie tries to find out more about the school.

  The Dreaming Volume 2 by Queenie Chan – This is the third and finale volume in the series. I’m not going to reveal anything that happened, as it could spoil it for anyone who decides to read the trilogy. But overall, I liked The Dreaming. The story was good, interesting, suspenseful and I just wanted to know more about what was going on. While this volume answers some questions, others are left unanswered. Really good manga.

  11th Cat, Volume 1 by Mikyung Kim – This was okay. Much, much later is when the story gets interesting and that’s the only reason I’d like to read another volume in the series, to see if it continues to get better.

  Bone Handbook by Jeff Smith – Well, this is exactly what it says it is – a handbook for the Bone series. It’s a nice read. It has character profiles, information about the author and even some pictures of early Bone comics. Any fan of the series will love this.

  
  

  Currently Reading: 

  
  

  The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

  Total read so far: 137

  • 3:27 am
  • 36 Comments