Happy New Year!

So I know I haven't updated in AGES yet again, but it's been a busy month! Now that it's January and there are a million less things to do, I'll be updating much more often - I promise! 

I'd also like to note that I read my goal of 55 books this year and if you want to see them, I'm on Goodreads! You can see all the books I read this past year! 

If you haven't read (or listened to!) The Help I urge you to drop whatever it is that you're doing and visit your local library - or buy it. It is INCREDIBLE. The audiobook is phenomenal and when it ended I nearly cried because the story had filled me up, made me laugh and cry for three full weeks as I drove from work to home, to the grocery store, and to friends houses. This book was my best friend for a while. (My boyfriend became very tired of me going on and on about it every time I talked to some of my friends about books - but he hasn't listened to it yet and he should!) 

In any case, it will pick you up, pull your heart out of your chest, throw it on the ground mercilessly and walk away. But you're going to love that about this book. Just read The Help, it's life changing. Also it's Kathryn Stockett's DEBUT. All I have to say is you go girl! Just amazing. 

I also finished The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. This was about an Amish girl, Katie, getting ready for her Rumspringa (for those of you who don't know this is when Amish kiddos get to go out and explore the world and return whenever they want to or they can stay outside of the Amish for the rest of their lives - big decisions for young folks!)
Just as she's preparing for this exciting time in her life, she's unable to leave because the Elders of the village have decided that it's not safe in the Outside anymore. The Outside world has become a dystopian nightmare and evil creatures (SPOILER ALERT, but not really, vampires!) are roaming the world. Katie becomes even more headstrong than in the past (and she's also pretty pissed that she doesn't get to do her Rumspringa) and helps a hurt young man at the edge of the village one day even though she's forbidden to go near him.

I really liked this young adult novel. It was dystopian (of course), there was a little romance (mostly cheesy, but oh well), and the heroine was an intelligent, yet still believably sixteen year old girl.

It wasn't my favorite book by any means, but I did enjoy it for what it was. It was also pretty graphic for a YA novel. If it bothers you to read about limbs being ripped off and such, this may not be for you.

I'm still reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, which I LOVE and I'm starting a few other things. While I was at the library last Friday, not one or two or three books came in for me, but FIVE did. So I need to spend some serious time with my books over the next few weeks. That means more updates and reviews for YOU!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, readers!

For the past few weeks, I've been reading a variety of things! In the spirit of Halloween, I'm actually reading a horror story. That's right - the girl who sleeps with a night light every night is reading a HORROR story. It's amazing, too. Cheesy, but amazing - and I'm loving it.
It's entitled Breed by Chase Novak.

I think I enjoy it so much because it's sci-fi horror, really. The basic plot is that Alex and Leslie want to get pregnant and cannot. They have no lack of money (since Alex is from the famous Twisden family) and try everything they can to no avail. Alex refuses to adopt and finally they decide to try one more fertility treatment from a Dr. Kis in Slovenia. Leslie immediately becomes pregnant (with twins no less) after their trip and although Dr. Kis is a weird dude, they go along with his treatments which include getting painful injections of a goby fish (SPOILER ALERT: The doctor fails to realize until it's too late that the goby fish eat their own young - yikes!) 

Fast forward ten years later and the twins are ten years old and are afraid of their parents who have very strange tendencies...

So all in all, I'm very enjoying this animalistic sci-fi. At least for now. 

My little sister (not very little, she's eighteen) is reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer, which I'm going to read next. It's about a cyborg, Cinder, who is eighteen and going to a ball. That's all she's told me thus far, but I'm excited to read it next since I'm all about the dystopian teen lit this year apparently. 

Now for a bit of personal stuff - I was able to dress up and be two different characters because I just adore Halloween so much. Last Friday night I was Elle Driver from Kill Bill and Saturday night I was Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones! Note my awesome tattoo that says "Fire and Blood" drawn by my lovely boyfriend (who was Walter White from Breaking Bad!) Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of me being Elle Driver AKA California Mountain Snake because all the pictures that I had were taken AFTER my eye patch broke. Boo. (At least it was only 99 cents at iParty!)

Hope you all have an amazing Halloween!