2011 Reading Goal

So, one of my goals for 2012 was to read 12 books.  I didn't have any specifics on what kind of books they were, how many pages they needed to be, etc.  Yes, I realize these are big factors, seeing that, at times, one book can be over twice the length of another.  However, I didn't want to get pedantic.

Anyhow.  Drumroll please....

I fell short.  Whop whop.  Eleven books.  Just one shy.  I didn't make it.  I feel like a failure.  I kid.  Oh well.

Here's a list of the books I was able to finish:

1)  Save the Assistants by Lilit Marcus
2)  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (Editor's sidenote:  This book took me FOREVER - I would like to blame partially for my not being able to meet my reading goal.)
3)  Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
4)  What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
5)  My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
6)  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
7)  Summer in the City by Candace Bushnell
8)  Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
9)  Love At First Bark by Julie Klam
10)  If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White
11)  It Was Over When by Robert K. Elder

I THOUGHT about staying home all day Saturday reading to make the goal, seeing that I am already into Mindy Kaling's 'Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)', and it seemed like a quick read.  However, instead, I just decided to up the ante for this year - I will do 13 books to make up for the missed one this year.  I am thinking I will have more time to accomplish this.

Did anyone else make any reading goals?  Were you able to keep them?  Do you feel my goal was a little weak?  Did you lose respect for me for not making it?  Don't answer that.  

Book Review!

It's here!

As I've mentioned before, I'm part of the BlogHer network.  About a month ago, I partook in their book club.  We read Sarah Dessen's 'What Happened to Goodbye'.  The link above features my ever-so-insightful commentary on the matter.  In all seriousness, it was a good book and I'd recommend it.  Details in the link above.

Book Club.

So I have been chosen by my new blog network to review a book.  (Well, quite a few bloggers have also been chosen.  Regardless, I like to think I'm special.)

The book is 'What Happened to Goodbye' by Sarah Dessen.  I have heard the author's name before but never read anything by her.  I believe she's typically a teen author.  However, I often times enjoy teen books more than adult lit because the characters typically have more depth and the story line is usually slightly less formulaic.  Or, perhaps, in my life - I read the most when I was a teen, and I could relate to the other angsty teen characters, whereas now, when I read, I rarely find a character to which I truly relate.

I think the central theme of the book is starting over.  Recently, a good friend of mine and I had a discussion about starting over and new beginnings - I shall have a lot to say about this in a later blog post.

My blog network, of course, has some specific guidelines on the review.  They stated that we, the reviewers, must make sure it's a good quality book report - we cannot just say we did or didn't like it, we have to say why.  This makes me nervous.  I cannot remember the last time I wrote a 'book report'.  (Does reviewing a book on amazon.com, or better yet, THIS BLOG, count?).  Anyhow - hopefully I can find my high school AP English notes quickly.

Review of said book to come.