Partial "Read" List (as of October 19, 2012)

Music: "Wonders of the Deep" by The Chemical Brothers

After drafting my partial book list for 2012, I realize that I've read A LOT of YA books this year. And that I didn't finish reading anything last July. Perhaps I overdid it last June and decided to let my brain cells recuperate? I cannot remember. 

Anyway.

January:
A Lion Among Men (Gregory Maguire) **
100 Cupboards (N.D. Wilson) ***

February:
Maniac Magee (Jerry Spinelli) ***

March:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (R.L. Stevenson) **

April:
Cirque du Freak: Vampire Mountain (Darren Shan) *
Cirque du Freak: Trials of Death (Darren Shan) **

May:
Freak the Mighty (Rodman Philbrick) **
Kit's Wilderness (David Almond) *
Fish-Hair Woman (Merlinda Bobis) **

June:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Mark Haddon) *
Holes (Louis Sachar) - second reading ***
Dandelion Fire (N.D. Wilson) ***
Odd is On Our Side (Dean Koontz) **
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney) *
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Jeff Kinney) **
Salingkit (Cyan Abad-Jugo) ***

July:
OMGWTFBBQ. I didn't read anything?!

August:
Bell Prater's Boy (Ruth White) **

September:
The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) ***

October:
Joey Pigza Loses Control (Jack Gantos) *
The Chestnut King (N.D. Wilson) **

So that's 14 YA novels, 5 "regular" novels (because calling them "adult novels" sounds wrong), and 1 graphic novel, so far. I wonder how many more I can add to the list before the year ends?

Legends:
* Hmm, okay, I guess :-/
** Liked it :-)
*** Loved it! Definitely a great read! :-D

Experimental Reads: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Hunger Games, A Wrinkle in Time, and (gasp!) Twilight

Music: "Maskara" by Eraserheads

To cap off the year, I’m planning to do a marathon of YA reads—one title per week for four weeks, starting December 1. And not just any YA title, but four of the most popular books written by female authors, just so I can compare them with each other.

(I have no idea why I'm posting this now.)

So yes, it goes without saying that I’m including the first book of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and (gasp!) Twilight series in the list. The Hunger Games I’ve already read (twice?), but I don’t mind reading it again because I enjoyed it very much. I only read the second book in the HP collection, waaaaaay back in college, and Ginny pissed me off so much I decided not to continue with the series anymore after that. But I’m willing to give it another shot, because a lot of people have told me that the second book is the worst volume in the series. And while my brief encounter with Eclipse (about three to five pages, where Jacob delivered his infamous “Let’s face it. I am hotter than you.” line) changed my perception of vampires and werewolves forever, I figured it would only be logical to include Twilight in the list, and see how many pages it will take before I throw the book against a wall. Literally.

Last but not the least in the list (what?) is A Wrinkle in Time, which is a little different from the first three titles, but famous in its own right. I can’t even remember when I first read the book—three years ago, maybe? But I do remember enjoying it a lot, so I really don’t mind reading it again.

Now I just need someone to lend me his or her copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Twilight. Because I don’t want to invest on an HP book until I’m sure I will finish the series, and I definitely do not want to waste money on a Stephanie Meyer title.