Books read in 2009, part one

[odette_river]

Spoiler alert.

january ;

	1. Sovay by Celia Rees young adult | historical fiction | 404 pages January 1 The plot was interesting, I won't deny that. A lot of the characters were interesting. However, Sovay herself really annoyed me. She wasn't that bad of a heroine, but at the same time she seemed too lucky. She was able to do stupid things with little consequences. Also, I thought Captain was a better match for her. And there seemed to be too many useless characters. Take Gabriel. He had potential, and then at the end...nothing happened with him. Why?
	2. The Unknown by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction | 166 pages January 1 This is the one where the Yeerks infest horses. I'd forgotten how good it was, but it's awesome. It has conspiracies, X-Files references, Cassie being awful at being a spy, confused Air Force people, racehorses, and gratuitous use of the Gardens. What more could you ask for? Plus, Visser Three being freaked out by the person wearing the big animal suit in the parade was awesome.
	3. Impossible by Nancy Werlin young adult | realistic fiction/fantasy | 373 pages January 2 I think maybe I've been reading bad books lately. This was really well written and interesting. There wasn't as much magic as I would have liked, and the elf seemed to be more like the Lone Power than anything else, but I suppose you can't have everything. I definitely recommend it, though.
	4. In the Convent of Little Flowers by Indu Sundaresan adult | realistic fiction | 213 pages January 3 A bunch of short stories about India. They were interesting, though I confess I'm more interested in the overseas Indian experience or the mystical India experience. It seems to me that most of the stories about India that I've read have to do with the whole arranged marriage deal. At this point, I think I get it. The last story in particular was interesting, though.
	5. The 5-Minute Iliad and Other Instant Classics by Greg Nagan young adult | nonfiction, parody | 221 pages January 3 Crime and Punishment was especially good this time around. I even sort of want to read it now, just because I think it could be pretty amusing, if you don't take it too seriously. 1984 has also inspired me to come up with my own dystopian future, just for the fun of it.
	6. The Discovery by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction January 5 Courtesy of Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED. And yeah, David is creepy. But I sort of feel bad for him, at the same time. At least a little.
	7. The Threat by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction January 6 Courtesy of Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED, again. The singing of "A Whole New World" was pretty epic, I must say. And the cliff hanger! I promised myself I wouldn't read #22, and that I'd wait for the final book to come out from the Radio Drama crew, but ahh!!! The suspense!!! (Even though I know what happens. Still.)
	8. Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce young adult | fantasy January 8 I love Rosethorn. This book wasn't even about her. But I love her anyway.
	9. The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan young adult | realistic fiction | 210 pages January 9 This was Spoon River Anthology, but slightly better. Still, there were enough flashbacks to Spoon River that I couldn't really deal with it.
	10. The Andalite Chronicles by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction January 9 Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED, again. I'm loving the accents. It was really epic, even when Loren turned into Miss Piggy.
	11. Troy by Adèle Geras young adult | historical fiction/fantasy | 358 pages January 13 It was pretty annoying how the people kept forgetting when they talked to gods, but other than that, it's not bad.
	12. The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction | 349 pages January 15 This is the kind of book I want to read more often. It's a science thriller, but with kids. Awesomeness. The whole "humanity is a disease!!!" bit was a little much for me, but I liked everything else. Even the time travel. I think I could almost buy into it. Or, at least, it's so complex that I have to buy into it because I haven't grasped it yet.
	13. How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel H. Wilson young adult | non-fiction | 171 pages January 16 There was actually a lot of information in here. I feel a lot more prepared now. I've been watching a lot of movies that involve the robot menace lately, which had me worried.
	14. grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters young adult | realistic fiction | 151 pages January 17 Not too bad, but certainly not too good, either. The stories all seemed too short. It rarely felt like there was enough character development, at least for me. They were more like vignettes, or something.
	15. Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein young adult | historical fiction | 393 pages January 19 Pretty good. Interesting, at least, though Rosanna annoyed me to no end. I guess I'm more interested in women soldiers. I was so happy to see the one in there, if only briefly.
	16. Cathy's Key by Sean Stewart young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction/fantasy | 215 pages January 19 I liked it. The character of Jewel really confused me, but I liked it. For instance, the whole immortality thing is dealt with a lot better than in Twilight.
	17. The Far Mosque by Kazim Ali adult | poetry | 64 pages January 19 I really like Ali's (or Professeur Kazim's, as he will always be to me) poetry, though I'm not sure why. Of course, it also makes me feel like he's judging mine and finding it completely inadequate. ...Which he probably is.
	18. Forever Princess by Meg Cabot young adult | realistic fiction | 383 pages January 23 So much better than the last one. I was freaking right about J.P. That's all I'm saying. Also about all of Boris's cryptic messages, though those were a lot more obvious. I'd have liked more funny moments, but Grandmère texting/e-mailing was pretty awesome. More good lines from Lars would have been nice, too, but I guess he's a man of few words.
	19. Soulless by Christopher Golden young adult | realistic fiction/horror | 310 pages January 24 I really enjoyed this. It's about the zombie apocalypse, but the zombies talk, which makes things even more disturbing. And they remember things, like who their loved ones were. So they come back to eat you. The author managed to make the book a very cinematic experience, including many different characters without it becoming confusing.
	20. How to Build a Robot Army by David H. Wilson young adult | non-fiction | 171 pages January 25 Not as intriguing as the previous book about the robot menace. I guess working with robots now creeps me out a little bit. There's always the problem of having a shut-off switch somewhere and yet somehow stopping the vampires from pressing it. But there were some helpful tips about warding off werewolves and the like.
	21. Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve young adult | historical fiction | 333 pages January 27 Another instance of Arthurian Legend retold. I really liked this one. It strangely slipped between present tense and past tense, which was somewhat distracting, but overall it was awesome. It presented a different way to look at things, which I rather liked. It also played with gender roles realistically and very thought-provokingly.
	22. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins young adult | realistic fiction | 257 pages January 28 This was a quick enjoyable read, with good stuff about India. Like Kathak. Which I am a big fan of, even if I've never taken a single Kathak class. I found Jazz's omg!I-can't-help-anyone mindset a little over-the-top, but other than that it was good.
	23. In Mozart's Shadow by Carolyn Meyer young adult | historical fiction | 347 pages January 31 This was more like a very extended character history for a role play than anything else. Fiction is generally made up of summary and scenes, and this was all summary. Also, for being about Mozart's sister, there was a whole lot about Mozart.

february ;

	24. The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes young adult | historical fiction/realistic fiction/fantasy/horror | 163 pages February 3 A series of short stories through time all set at the same haunted château. While I enjoyed the atmosphere quite a bit, I was hoping that the stories would have something more in common than they actually did. The only real connection they seemed to have was the château itself. Even the final story didn't bring about a revelation as to why the people these stories, in particular, were important.
	25. The Solution by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction February 4 So. Intense. How was this a kids' series? Really?
	26. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher young adult | realistic fiction | 288 pages February 5 I didn't enjoy this as much the second time through, possibly because I found almost all of Hannah's reasons petty. Yeah, depression and suicide have nothing to do with reasonable reasons, but that was still mildly annoying. I do like how everything connects, though. It's a pretty reasonable look at high school life.
	27. The Answer by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction | 157 pages February 15 Oh man. This read-through, it struck me how completely awful this is for Jake. He's got to make these horrible calls and has all this crazy responsibility. I'm still not sure how I stand on flushing the Yeerks, though. And Tobias seems like he's really grown up all of the sudden.
	28. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway young adult | realistic fiction | 313 pages February 17 A lot like the Princess Diaries books, except instead of being a princess she has a break-up song written about her. And it tried to be a bit hipper. Her best friend and her father were pretty awesome, though.
	29. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka young adult | realistic fiction | 269 pages February 21 A look at a polygamous community. I would have liked to see more about the people who were accepting of the culture, as opposed to the people who broke away, but I guess that would be harder to do. It certainly was still interesting, though the alternating viewpoints didn't seem strictly necessary. There would perhaps have been more character development if only one or two narrators were picked instead of three.
	30. Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole young adult | realistic fiction | 351 pages February 24 Very interesting. In particular, I liked the "sometimes I'm gay / sometimes I'm straight" dichotomy that Laura had going on for a while. That didn't stick around, but I think it would certainly ring true for some people. On a completely different note, I liked the bits of Spanish thrown in, but not so much the bits of random English slang. They started to bother me after a while, for some reason.
	31. The Beginning by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction | 159 pages February 26 I'll be honest. Parts of this book will make you so mad. And parts of it you will love. Oh, Animorphs. I'll never forget you.

march ;

	32. Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin young adult | realistic fiction | 262 pages March 4 This is a lot like Michael Grant's Gone, but shorter and without the super powers. It's hard to compare the two, since they're both different ways of looking at the same concept. This one does the whole how-would-kids-react thing well, but without a whole lot of fascinating insights into individual people. It's more about the events and less about a few kids. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
	33. Avalon High by Meg Cabot young adult | realistic fiction/fantasy | 288 pages March 4 Because at the core, the whole Arthurian saga is really just high school drama. With a bit more blood.
	34. The Mayflower Project by K. A. Applegate young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction March 9 I'm going to read the whole Remnants series. For real, this time. This one is my favorite, of the books from the series I've read in the past. As I recall, they get way too weird for me later, but right now it's just humanity against nature, which I can full support.
	35. Destination Unknown by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction March 11 The weirdness factor hasn't become completely overpowering yet. But that baby is already too freaky for its own good.
	36. Them by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction March 11 The weirdness factor is starting to become a problem. And the characters are starting to have a problem with the whole likable factor. And yet somehow it's still working.
	37. Nowhere Land by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction March 15 If this all ends up being Billy Weir's dream I will be so mad.
	38. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George young adult | fantasy | 317 pages March 18 A really enjoyable re-telling of "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon." Also, I've started to believe that centaurs have no mouths. I was shocked and terrified when the centaur smiled. Curses, Animorphs. Curses.
	39. Mutation by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction March 18 Okay, we may be reaching the weirdness threshold here. Although the McDonald's, oddly enough, reminded me of The Andalite Chronicles in a big way. What is with KA and weirdness in McDonald's? And, now that I think about it, there's the whole Happy Meal with extra happy thing, too.
	40. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell young adult | realistic fiction/horror/mystery | 180 pages March 20 Not as good as I thought it would be. There was a little too much reality and not enough ambiguity. But still pretty good.
	41. Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall adult | realistic fiction/future world fiction | 207 pages March 22 Very good dystopian novel concerning women and the line between protest and terrorism and cult.
	42. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Siminer young adult | realistic fiction/fantasy | 247 pages March 24 Post-apocalyptic fiction with fairies. An interesting premise that ended up being pretty stereotypical, but was worth reading at least once.
	43. Gravel Queen by Tea Benduhn young adult | realistic fiction | 152 pages A story about being a teenager that wasn't all about being a lesbian. I liked that. It had the standard fight with the best friend, the standard confusing romantic relationship, and the standard non-communication with the parents, but it worked well.
	44. Hannah's Winter by Kierien Meehan young adult | realistic fiction/fantasy | 205 pages March 26 An easy blend of fantasy and reality set in modern day Japan. While, it turns out, the narrator is only twelve years old, I still had no problem enjoying the book or relating to her. The one annoying thing was the cop-out diary entry that they found that explained everything at the end. Other than that, a good read with a lot of amusing but believable characters.
	45. The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction | 224 pages March 27 The Remnants series without the weirdness factor and with only teenagers, both of which I think are good improvements. Less weirdness makes it easier to focus on the actual characters and not just trying to figure out what's going on. Only teenagers makes it more realistic when the kids are the ones in charge.
	46. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson young adult | realistic fiction | 370 pages March 28 This is the third or fourth time I've re-read this book, and after every re-read I think I'm never going to read it again. And then I'm always wrong. I think maybe it's because I resonate with so many of the characters in the book. It's like I wrote it, in that I can see a little bit of myself in each of them.
	47. Breakdown by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction March 29 Still weird. Possibly even weirder, what with the whole baby deal that was revealed at the end. I did like the bit of the insight that we got into the aliens, though, even if it broke out of the only following the humans thing that the series had pursued earlier.
	48. Running Out Of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix juvenile | realistic fiction | 184 pages March 30 A really good book, even if it's for kids. Fantastic premise. Well told.

april ;

	49. Damosel by Stephanie Spinner young adult | historical fiction/fantasy | 198 pages April 9 A re-telling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake. A good idea, but nothing happened. The story was the same old Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle with nothing to make it interesting. There was a brief moment when Guinevere almost became a fleshed-out character, but that was not worth reading the whole book to see.
	50. The Gnostic Mystery by Randy Davila adult | realistic fiction | 197 pages April 17 It looks like something akin to The DaVinci Code, but don't be fooled. It's actually one long lecture on the Gnostics, which could be interesting...if that's what you're looking for, and not an actual mystery.
	51. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson young adult | realistic fiction | 278 pages April 22 Intense, as a book about anorexia pretty much has to be. I liked Elijah's character a lot, which is probably what made me accept the ending. I didn't really like how ballet sort of secondarily factored into the story. If you're going to do a ballet and anorexia story, do it, don't try to skirt around it, or it just comes off as bizarre, at least to someone in my situation. Was ballet a problem or not? If it was a problem, why didn't it get more page time? And what kind of serious student of ballet calls herself a ballerina except to make a joke?
	52. Mystify the Magician by K. A. Applegate young adult | fantasy/realistic fiction | 200 pages April 24 Definitely my favorite Everworld book. Really epic. I used to hate that things started going down in both worlds, but now I really like that aspect. It signifies how much the gang has changed since they were first dropped in Everworld. And April! And Rent! So much good stuff.
	53. Isolation by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction April 29 I think I read this one over too long a time period, because I ended up mainly just confused. I liked the fight scene at the end, though, with reality and virtual reality colliding. And I like Billy's "am I human?" conflict. But there are way too many characters. I don't have them straight at all.
	54. Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue young adult | fantasy | 228 pages April 30 I really wanted to like this, but I just couldn't get into it. It was occasionally interesting at times, but eventually got predictable. There are only so many times that you can tell the "plucky girl from a fairy tale falls for a woman instead of an oppressive man" story. Don't get me wrong, I like that story, but not over and over again. I especially liked the "Beauty and the Beast" re-telling, but with that one, too, I thought that it stopped just as it got to a point where it could really explore gender roles.

may ;

	55. Light Years by Tammar Stein young adult | realistic fiction | 272 pages May 5 Interesting, if you want a look into Israeli culture. I don't have anything fantastic to say about it, or anything really bad, either.
	56. Back to Before by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction | 179 pages May 9 I really like AU story-lines a lot, and this is a particularly interesting one. The way things end is a little lame, but I can forgive that for the intensity of the rest of the book.
	57. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan young adult | realistic fiction/horror | 308 pages May 14 Post-apocalyptic fiction with zombies. Yeah. That's right.
	58. Bloomability by Sharon Creech juvenile | realistic fiction | 273 pages May 18 So I've re-read this a lot over the years, and I honestly have no idea why. It feels like there's a lot going on, but I can't actually tell you what any of that stuff is.
	59. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson young adult | realistic fiction | 370 pages May 19 Yes, I read it again. It was very applicable.
	60. Pretty Things by Sarra Manning young adult | realistic fiction | 259 pages May 20 This had a good message: you can question your sexuality and be confused and that's fine. But other than that, there was basically no substance to it.
	61. Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn young adult | historical fiction | 309 pages May 22 I'm going to fangirl miscellaneous scientists madly, so I sort of liked this. But at the same time, there was nothing fantastic, and the twist at the end - while somewhat led up to - was really not needed. Way to mess with history, I say.
	62. Heirs of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 240 pages May 23 So a lot of the dialogue was really lame. Spouting off famous/cliché quotes from the original trilogy does not make for good EU material. But the plot itself is pretty good.
	63. Forever Princess by Meg Cabot young adult | realistic fiction | 383 pages May 24 I was still so right about J.P. SO RIGHT.
	64. How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt young adult | realistic fiction | 227 pages May 26 Not a bad book. I enjoyed the part about building the house. The high drama got to be a bit much, but overall not too bad.
	65. Mother, May I? by K. A. Applegate young adult | science fiction May 26 It's interesting to see how the group is fragmenting, but I feel like I haven't had time to actually get to know the characters. When the one guy died, I wasn't sorry at all. Not even for a minute. And even with Senna, who was all crazy!witch, I was still a little sad.
	66. Gone by Michael Grant young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction | 558 pages May 28 Oh man. This was good. I love Diana. And I am so excited for the sequel.
	67. Shadow Academy by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 206 pages May 29 Better than the first one. This gets pretty intense, actually.
	68. The Lost Ones by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 240 pages May 30 The first time I checked this out of the library, it was because Leia was on the cover. A lot has changed since then. Oh, Tenel Ka. How I love you.
	69. Jedi Under Seige by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 240 pages May 31 Epic battle and the reason why we should all ship Jaina/Zekk.

june ;

	70. Diversity Alliance by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 223 pages June 1 Zekk rocks.
	71. Delusions of Grandeur by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 219 pages June 1 Ooh, the plot thickens... And Lowie is really being an idiot.
	72. The Reaction by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 1 Courtesy of Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED, as usual. Jeremy Jason McCole!!
	73. Jedi Bounty by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 215 pages June 2 This got really Jacen/Tenel Ka shippy. To the point that it was almost uncomfortable, the amount of UST there was.
	74. Return to Ord Mantell by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 215 pages June 2 Anja is a pretty interesting character, actually. It'll be cool to see where this goes.
	75. Trouble on Cloud City by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 183 pages June 3 Like the title suggests, they run around on Cloud City and replicate Luke's dive off the bottom.
	76. Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel young adult | realistic fiction | 165 pages June 3 A book about one teenager's struggle with cancer. I found it really gratifying that he was an athlete. Interestingly, I have the sneaking suspicion that this was also a book about God, but it managed not to be preachy at all, and I'm not even sure if anyone believed in God by the end.
	77. Crisis at Crystal Reef by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta juvenile | science fiction | 198 pages June 4 The best Jacen/Tenel Ka line ever. Tenel Ka says Jacen has good eyes because he spotted something. Jacen says Tenel Ka has pretty eyes. I laugh.
	78. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray young adult | historical fiction/fantasy | 403 pages June 4 This was my second reading of this, and I realize now why, despite the fact that I should like this book, I really don't. That would be because I hate all of the characters. The four girls don't seem to actually care about each other at all. They're stupid and petty and selfish. Even Gemma, who I should be able to sympathize with, her being the narrator and all, I can't stand. She whines almost constantly. It's exhausting.
	79. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray young adult | historical fiction/fantasy | 548 pages June 6 Better than A Great and Terrible Beauty, with interesting Felicity/Pippa undertones all over the place.
	80. After by Amy Efaw young adult | realistic fiction | 342 pages June 7 A really touchy subject that Amy Efaw manages to deal with tastefully and with a certain amount of grace. I highly recommend.
	81. Alice Alone by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor young adult | realistic fiction | 229 pages June 8 Ah, irony. The main character breaks up with someone named Patrick.
	82. The Discovery by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 9 Pretty intense.
	83. Hunger by Michael Grant young adult | realistic fiction/science fiction | 590 pages June 11 Oh man. Way intense. There was so much blood, and that girl who died but didn't die - that basically brings up all the buried alive fears I've ever had. Not enough Diana by any means, but I really like Caine's development.
	84. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr young adult | realistic fiction/fantasy | 389 pages June 11 I liked some of this and was also annoyed by some of it. The bit in Faerie really didn't make sense. I'm supposed to believe that some random mortal who just happens to be the Summer Queen's boyfriend is special enough that the Queen of Faerie, who's supposed to be unchanging, wants him as her son? I'm not buying it, sorry.
	85. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray young adult | historical fiction/fantasy | 819 pages June 15 Lol, lol, lol. Felicity/Pippa became canon. I am amused. But what was up with Circe? Suddenly she became redeemed? Yeah, not really believing that one.
	86. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden young adult | realistic fiction | 284 pages June 16 Animorphs, but without the aliens. Pretty good so far. We'll see how things progress. (On an unrelated note, this cover looks so scary. Especially in this kind of quality.)
	87. The Invasion by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 16 I'm trying for a re-read of the whole series. I'm listening to the ones that Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED has done, which takes a lot more time than reading them. But it's more fun, too.
	88. Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor young adult | realistic fiction | 322 pages June 17 Another Alice book. There's so much shoved into them. But it's all pretty relevant to growing up. And they're strangely addictive.
	89. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman young adult | realistic fiction/future world fiction | 280 pages June 17 Dystopian future done pretty poorly. The idea was good, but I really couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. And the parents did stupid, stupid things and just figured that the kids could deal with it.
	90. Dangerously Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor young adult | realistic fiction | 294 pages June 19 I'm getting a bit annoyed by the portrayal of Lori and Leslie. At every dance, they always wear pants. Now, fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But come on! Lesbians can wear dresses too!
	91. Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor young adult | realistic fiction | 272 pages June 20 Alice exhibits the ability to be completely fickle. Pamela get saved by complete chance. And yet it's still strangely addictive.
	92. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green young adult | realistic fiction | 228 pages June 22 Amusing book, with a lot of random trivia answers thrown in. Only a few of the characters actually seemed to have depth, but that didn't bother me too much. The most bothersome thing was that I know someone very like Colin, and it's therefore quite shocking that Colin managed to have so many girlfriends. Also, I could see the ending from about the second chapter. But still! It was a cute little book.
	93. Country Girl, City Girl by Lisa Jahn-Clough young adult | realistic fiction | 185 pages June 23 A book for the young end of the YA spectrum about a girl just discovering that she might like other girls. A good story to tell, and a good story told well.
	94. The Visitor by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 23 I'm not too far behind on the re-read....
	95. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter young adult | realistic fiction | 263 pages June 24 I am so seeing the Rachel/Joe Solomon/Abby love triangle. Too bad there isn't a fandom for this, or it would be epic.
	96. The Encounter by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 25 Thanks to Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED, I have now caught up with my re-read. And I'm actually sort of ahead.
	97. Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks young adult | realistic fiction | 488 pages June 25 I enjoyed this a lot. It was rather like The Night My Sister Went Missing in that it explores the secrets in several people's lives after a crime has been committed. But the fact that the crime the narrator really cared about was never actually cleared up? That was not so cool.
	98. The Message by K. A. Applegate juvenile | realistic fiction/science fiction June 26 Animorphs: The Radio Drama, UNCENSORED still. Awesome stuff.
	99. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins young adult | future world fiction | 374 pages June 27 I'm pretty wary of books that people recommend to me, but this one was awesome. I really like the idea, and it was well played-out. I thought Katniss was a little stupid where Peeta's feeling were concerned, but otherwise it was pretty awesome.
	100. The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci young adult | realistic fiction | 204 pages June 29 Just the way this is constructed so tightly never ceases to amaze me.
	101. Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor young adult | realistic fiction | 269 pages June 30 The latest Alice book. David, the priest-to-be who was almost Father Peter leaves, I fear for good. :( He was definitely my favorite character, and he only appeared about once a book. Also, I did not see that ending coming.

part two
post for 2008
to read
goodreads account

Comments

[savepureness.livejournal.com]

i definitely have to check your list carefully, considering how our tastes match in that area; unfortunately, most of the books won't be available here, but it's worth trying to find them nevertheless :D.

[meg14.livejournal.com]

I left a comment on your "to read" post about Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood. Well, I finished it, and I really, really enjoyed it. I definitely think you would find it fascinating, so check it out. (Not that your list needs to be any longer.)

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

Yay! There are so many books I want to read (the list I linked to is only the tip of the iceberg), but since you recommend it, I'll definitely move it up there.

[latine.livejournal.com]

Oh, goodness, how were you able to read so many books and being halfway through 2009? I am beyond impressed, I am shocked.

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

Ha, yeah. I read a lot. But they're mostly YA, so they're a bit shorter than your average adult book, if that helps. ;)

Just here for a brief hello...

[rainbowstevie.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, someone else with a reading list! And with authors I've read. (came here by way of your link on polloftheday) It's been ages since I read Animorphs, but I've been curious about Wintergirls for a while, and I didn't even know that particular book of Rees's existed. *jots notes to self*

Tomorrow, When the War Began and its sequels have stayed with me for years; intense stuff, but amazing. Oh, and The 5-Minute Iliad sounds like the best thing ever.

I really like your thumbnail pics of the books, too - it adds a lot of visual interest.

Re: Just here for a brief hello...

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

Yay for books! And I totally recognize stuff on your list too, including some books I've been meaning to read for a while. *bumps First Daughter up on her list*

And thanks! It's a new thing I'm doing this year, because I thought it might be easier to go back over the list really fast if I had all the covers right there. Plus, they're pretty. :)