Tag Archives: Jenn

May 1, 2013 · 8:37 am

May Monthly TBR

montly tbr

Jenn created Monthly TBR to show up the books you hope to get to within the upcoming month, and I love it. Feel free to visit her blog and join in! You know you wanna.

Good morning ya’ll!! It’s May! I can actually hear lawn being mowed and birds chirping. It’s wonderful.

So, let’s take a look at how I did in April, shall we?

Oh yeaaaa.

Oh yeaaaa.

Not too shabby! I read a total of 13 books in April. Out of the ones above, I never got around to A Mercy or A State of Wonder, and I DNF-ed The Marriage Plot. But then I read some books not featured above, including Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, My Beloved Brontosaurus, The Song of Achilles, and Holes. So basically, I am STILL kicking 2013′s ass when it comes to reading.

Now let’s take a gander at my May pile! It’s kind of large, because I know that the Bout of Books readathon is coming up! ALSO, this pile is unique in that there are NO library books in it! These are all books that I own. I really need to work on reading some of the books I already own, and I realized last month that the majority of my TBR piles seemed to be books from the library.

May Monthly TBR

From the top…

  • The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy by Heather Blake – This is the third book in a cozy mystery series I like.
  • The Telling by Ursula K. le Guin – Some sci-fi/fantasy by a really great author.
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding – A book I’ve been meaning to read, and is on my Classics Club list.
  • Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare – This is (of course) the No Fear, easy-to-read edition. Also counts for my Classics Club list, although I don’t think it’s listed on there at the moment… I never intended to read two Shakespeare plays, somehow.
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling – Readalong! I actually don’t know if we’re finishing it in May or not, but I’m assuming we are.
  • The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling – Also for the readalong, of course.
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba – Non-fiction about a boy in Africa who builds a windmill.
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Been meaning to read this classic dystopia for AGES.
  • Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami – Fiction, honestly don’t remember when or why I bought this, so figured I should check it out.
  • The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester – More non-fiction, about the Oxford English Dictionary.
  • The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – Yet more fiction I own that I should get around to reading.
  • Space Chronicles by Neil DeGrasse Tyson – More non-fiction, and this is probably the book that I’m MOST excited to read out of this whole pile.
  • The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin – Non-fiction about why we should attempt to colonize Mars, and how to go about doing it.
  • Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea’s Family, Friends, and Other Victims – Some comedy to keep things light.

 That is FOURTEEN books. I must be crazy. Plus, even though these are all from my own shelves, I do have 3 books waiting for me on hold at the library that I want to try to fit in as well… apparently I plan on not doing anything but reading this month.

So, what are you guys hoping to read in May? Come tell me! Obviously I need more book recommendations…

~Sarah

20 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 1, 2013 · 4:52 pm

April Monthly TBR

montly tbr

Jenn created Monthly TBR to show up the books you hope to get to within the upcoming month, and I love it. Feel free to visit her blog and join in! You know you wanna.

Hooray, April! My April pile is kind of huge, but let’s take a look at how I managed in March, mmkay?

March Monthly TBR completed

 

Woot! Look at all those red lines! The only one I never got to was Boneshaker, which is disappointing. Also I got about halfway through The Map of Time before I DNF-ed it. It just wasn’t holding my interest. In addition to the 8.5 books I read above, I also read The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding, The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon R. Green, and The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon. Take that, March!

Now, on to the April pile!

April Monthly TBR

 

Yes, that’s Gabby sniffing the books in that picture. Anything, from the top…

  • The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright – A general fiction pick that has been on my shelf for a long time now.
  • Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare – My classic pick for the month! Cause I really want to see that Joss Whedon movie that’s coming out, but I want to know the story already. This is one of those wussy editions that has the layman’s English on the opposite page, cause DUDE Shakespeare baffles me sometimes.
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - We’re already halfway through this for the HP readalong.
  • Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde – Because I really want to catch up with this series!
  • Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines – Zombies and superheroes. I’m so excited to start this book.
  • The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides – I’m really trying to make a dent in the amount of unread fiction on my shelves…
  • The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy – This kid’s book looks so fun!
  • Nexus by Ramez Naam – This is a new sci-fi book that’s gotten a lot of really good reviews lately.
  • A Mercy by Toni Morrison – Again, fiction I need to read. Also, it’s really short.
  • Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing by Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman – A non-fiction pick. I’m reading this book right now. IT’S SO INTERESTING.
  • The Disaster Diaries by Sam Sheridan – This is a non-fiction about a guy trying to make himself as apocalypse-ready as possible.
  • State of Wonder by Ann Patchett – And yet MORE unread fiction from my shelves. You guys, I have a problem.

OKAY, so this may seem like a lot. But there are TWO readathons this month (the Weekday Readathon and the Dewey Readathon), so you know, that’s why I tried to pick a few shorter books. Plus I have a kid’s book in there. I’m optimistic!

I’m thinking about trying something for May – only reading from my own shelves, no library books. Which will be SO hard, but I really need to work on reading some of the hundreds of books I already own. What do you think?

What are you guys hoping to read in April? Tell me!

~Sarah

 

 

22 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR, To-Read

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 1, 2013 · 5:00 am

March Monthly TBR

montly tbr

I am sooooo looking forward to my March TBR! Jenn created Monthly TBR to show up the books you hope to get to within the upcoming month, and I love it. Feel free to visit her blog and join in!

Ummmm… February was a disappointing reading month for me.

SAD.

SAD.

Only 3 out of 9!!! Whaaaaat? I only read 5 whole books in February, and the first halves of 2 others. I can only really blame it on being really kinda busy – I worked 70 HOURS in one week this month, plus V-Day and my birthday. That’s a lot of stuff happening. I started The Prince and the Pauper but didn’t finish it – it was SO SLOW. So in addition to the 3 books in the picture, the other 2 books that I read were One Good Earl Deserves a Lover and The Black Lung Captain, which was the sequel to Retribution Falls. I’m disappointed I didn’t get around to Me Before You, but it was about two weeks overdue at the library so it had to go back.

Let’s move on, shall we? My March pile is FULL of amazing.

March Monthly TBR

Might wanna click to embiggen.

From the top…

  • Hell to Pay by Matthew Hughes – This JUST came out, and it’s the third book in the To Hell and Back trilogy I like so much. Super psyched to read it!
  • Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray – Already halfway through it for a readalong, so I’ll be finishing this one this month for sure.
  • The Return Man by V.M. Zito – I have been wanting to read this zombie novel for a while now. It’s about a guy who is hired by people to find their zombified loved ones and put them at peace. Intrigued, I am.
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - Also halfway through this for the readalong, so it’s a guaranteed finish.
  • Just Six Numbers by Martin Rees – My science pick of the month. Hoping to actually get to it!
  • Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - LOVED the movie, and I bet I’m gonna love the book too!
  • Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell – Been waiting for this for ages!!! Also just came out on Tuesday. Might start this today, if I’m not feeling too wretched (getting my wisdom teeth out, probably as you’re reading this).
  • Moloka’i by Alan Brennert – Historical fiction about a leper colony that I’ve been meaning to try out for a while, and Katie liked it so now I’m looking forward to it even more!
  • The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma – Ummmm it’s about authors and time travel with steampunk elements? YES PLEASE.
  • Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – I saw this at the library and it looks really good. Something about steampunk-zombie-airship adventures, so obviously it sounds super cool.
  • The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (not pictured) – This is the 3rd book in the Tales of the Ketty Jay series and I ordered it from The Book Depository, so hopefully it will get here within the next two weeks so I can devour it!

Yeah that’s a lot of books. But two of them are already half-finished and I am just SOOOOO EXCITED about all the others!!!

What’s on your to-read list for March?

~Sarah

16 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , ,

February 1, 2013 · 6:30 am

February Monthly TBR

montly tbr

 

Yay, it’s February (one of my absolute favorite months) and it’s time for a new TBR pile! Jenn created Monthly TBR to show up the books you hope to get to within the upcoming month, and I love it. Feel free to visit her blog and join in!

So let’s see how I did with my January TBR, okay?

How did I do? AMAZING, that's how.

How did I do? AMAZING, that’s how.

 

Ya’ll, I kicked January’s ASS. I read 12 books total. I read 10 from the pile above (the only one I didn’t read was The Marriage Plot, which I never got around to.) I also read Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell, and The Baby Boon by Elinor Burkett. It helped that two of these books were Harry Potter books which are super easy to read, and I also participated in TWO weeklong readathons last month. It was the best. I’m just really happy that I started 2013 off on a good note, actually taking the time to read more.

So, let’s hope I can keep that up in February! Here’s the pile:

to read pile

Click to embiggin if you must.

From the top…

  • The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, so I got it out of the library. Also, it’s on my Classics Club list.
  • The Unnatural Inquirer (Nightside #8) by Simon R. Green – Already started this one, just need to finish it. I like reading the Nightside books at the gym, although that’s tapered off lately since I started doing treadmill intervals and spending less time on the arc trainer. And generally just being lazy.
  • The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain – Also on my Classics Club list! It’s teeny, so should be a quick read.
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling – Readalong!
  • Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding – I saw this described somewhere as Firefly, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and steampunk all rolled into one. I’m planning on starting it today, it sounds so cool.
  • The Thing About Thugs by Tabish Khair – Saw a review for this on Tika’s blog and it sounded really good. And I need more literary fiction in my life. I think.
  • More Guns, Less Crime by John R. Lott, Jr. – I’ve had this for a while and figured it would be an interesting time to read it since it’s a hot topic right now, but now that I’m typing this I’m thinking I might look for something else similar. This WAS written in 1998 and while I’m sure the points are the same and still apply, I really prefer reading newer non-fiction. We’ll see what happens.
  • Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – Again with the literary fiction. This one sounds good though, I think it has to do with assisted suicide and stuff, so it should be interesting.
  • The Space Chronicles by Neil DeGrasse Tyson – The science-y pick of the month!

There’s only 9 books in this pile, so I feel pretty good about getting most of them read. And I’m sure I’ll find other books that grab my interest as the month goes on, cause that always happens.

What’s on your to-read list?

~Sarah

 

 

12 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , ,

January 1, 2013 · 12:39 pm

January Monthly TBR

Monthly TBR

Happy New Year! (Again.) It’s January 1st, which means this is the first Monthly TBR post of the year. How exciting! Monthly TBR is a monthly meme that Jenn created to showcase the books that you’re hoping to get read this month. It’s SO handy and motivating. But before we get to this month’s list, let’s see how I did in December, mmkay?

December Monthly TBR completed

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I didn’t do to well on last month’s pile – 5 out of 9 isn’t too bad, but I was already at least halfway through Echo in the Bone before the month started. I actually technically read 11 books in December – the 5 from the picture above, plus The Truth About Santa by Gregory Mone, plus the first 5 The Walking Dead books. Which I know are graphic novels, but if it has pages between a cover shut up I’m counting it.

And now it’s a new month and a new year, and I am starting off this month optimistic, excited, and determined! There are SO many books I’m looking forward to!

image

Click to embiggen, if need be.

 

There are 11 books in this monster of a pile, but considering that there is a Bout of Books readathon next week, and 2 of these books are easy-breezy Harry Potter books, it should be do-able. But let’s go through them, from the top…

  • Jam by Yahtzee Croshaw – I’m starting this today. I have been waiting at least a month to read it, and my little brother got it for me for Christmas. It’s about the apocalypse via people-eating jam. FUN TIMES, I bet.
  • Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne – Because it’s short, and it will count as a Classic Club read.
  • The Stand by Stephen King - Okay, so this book sounds really good, but MAN it is huge. It’s freaking 1500 pages, apparently at the library they only had this fancy “uncut” edition, which is 400 pages than the book was when it originally came out. Imma try it. And hopefully I love it, because I’m sure Laura will never forgive me if I end up hating the only Stephen King book I’ve read in over a decade.
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – Readalongggg!
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling – READLONGGGG! This is going to be amazing.
  • Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio – A gift from my Secret Santa (who I still don’t know who that was and if it was you then you’re the best and thank you!), and a book I’ve been looking forward to reading for a while.
  • Hyperspace by Michio Kaku - My science-y pick for the month. I really like Michio Kaku, and the honeyman got this for me for Christmas.
  • The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides – Because I bought it months ago, and I feel like I should read more literary fiction. Whatever the hell that means.
  • Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys - This was SUCH a popular book a year or two ago, and I have a copy that I still haven’t read. And I figured it would be a good, quick YA pick for the readathon next week.
  • Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – I originally heard of this book at Anastasia’s blog, and it sounds so fun! So I checked it out of the library, which means I should definitely try to read it within the next 3 weeks. (I am the worst at actually reading the library books I check out.)
  • The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - I’ve seen this book around the blogosphere, and it’s apparently about what goes on with some people when for some reason, the Earth’s rotation starts to slow down. Interesting.

 

So there we have it! The size of the pile may seem ambitious, but I’m so excited, and I think I’m going to finally get off the internet and go read for the rest of the day.

What books are you planning to read next?

~Sarah

 

 

18 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 1, 2012 · 5:00 am

December Monthly TBR

 

OK, time for a new to-read pile! Monthly TBR is hosted by Jenn at Booksessed, and it’s an awesome way to push yourself to read more and have some sort of reading plan. You should play along, if you want to then click that link.

Well, let’s recap November, hmm?

Well, November SUCKED for me. I had such a great pile, but I was derailed by being really busy, hosting Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, and a wicked toothache. I only finished THREE books this month – The Fellowship of the Ring, Manhunting, and the fifth Nightside book (not pictured). I got about a quarter of the way into Medical Apartheid but then hit my major reading slump, and by the time I was ready to start reading again, it had been two weeks since picking up this book and I just didn’t feel like going back to it. UGH. If I don’t come back to it sometime this month, it’s going to be on my “ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ OR I WILL DIE” list for 2013. It’s just… difficult to read (because of the subject matter – it’s really well written.) Oh, and I’m about halfway through An Echo in the Bone now.

OKAY, so new month, right? I know I’m probably not going to get a lot of reading done this month either, but I like to give myself lots of options.

From the top…

  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum – I’ve been looking forward to reading this since late last year.
  • Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – Carried over from last month…
  • Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth by Simon R. Green (Nightside #6) – I added a lot of Nightside books to this list, because they’re really fun, short, and quick reads. And let’s face it, that might end up being all my attention span can handle this month.
  • Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green (Nightside #7) – Ditto.
  • The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon R. Green (Nightside #8) – Samesies.
  • Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb – Carried over from last month, but I really want to read it because Jenn recommended it!
  • Antimatter by Frank Close – My desperate attempt to fit in one more science-y read this year. I almost took it off the list, but then I started reading the first chapter while I was waiting for my phone to restart, and I decided to keep it here. Hopefully I get to it soon.
  • The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn – I’ve had this freaking book forever, because it looks pretty and Christmas-y. But I remember it starting off kind of boring… so we’ll see if I actually read it or not.
  • An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon – Well, obviously I’m going to finish this.

So there we have it! I don’t have super high expectations of reading most of this list… but I’m going to try.

What’s in your TBR pile this month?

~Sarah

7 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , , ,

November 1, 2012 · 5:00 am

November Monthly TBR

 

I straight up love this Monthly TBR that Jenn created. I feel like it’s been motivating me to read so much more. So thank you Jenn! :-)

Let’s see last month’s pile, hmm?

 

 

Obviously I didn’t read all of them – 6 out of 10. Not terrible… I kind of DNF-ed The Casual Vacancy and The 4% Universe cause I just wasn’t feeling them. And I went to start Frankenstein the other day, but realized that I don’t like the version I have (I need to get a copy of the 1818 edition). I did read a total of 11 books in October though! I read the next three books in the Nightside series, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? so yay!

Alright, wanna see this month’s TBR pile? I know you do….

 

Ta-da!

From the top…

  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – Technically a re-read, but I haven’t read it since 4th grade and I honestly don’t remember most of it.
  • Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – Christmas! I think this might be a fun read, with the rush to Christmas shop this month.
  • Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie – One of the few Crusie romances I haven’t read, and this pile needed some fluff.
  • Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb – Which Jenn actually recommended to me last year I think, and I’ve had sitting on my shelf for ages. I want to finally read it!
  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien – Because I’m disappointed that I hadn’t started these books yet, and I really do want to read them.
  • The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander – Because I like reading stuff set in Russia during the fall.
  • Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington – I really want to read/finish this book, I just keep putting it off because it’s 400 pages of tiny-print depression and disgust at history (well, white-dominated evil history).
  • The Quantum World by Kenneth Ford - My science-y pick this month. I’d really like to get one more good physics read in before the end of the year. I actually won’t mind if it takes me until the end of December to read this one, I just want to read it. And there’s review questions for each chapter! (I’m a HUGE NERD.)
  • An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon – The only Outlander book that I’ve only read once before. Also the only one that I actively disliked after I finished it, because of a huge stupid thing that happens near the end. I wanted to throw the book across the room. So, we’ll see how I feel about it this time around. And I SOOO can’t wait for the next book to come out next year. (BTW, isn’t that green slime color awful? The hardcover was a nice black and brown, but they made it this ugly color when it came out in paperback so that it would stand out on the bookstore shelves. And that it does.)
  • (Not pictured) More Nightside books by Simon R. Green, obviously. Because they’re fun and quick and awesome.

 

I’ll be happy if I can finish at least 5 books from this pile*, but either way, I am EXCITED! Bring it, November!

What are you guys hoping to read this month / before the end of the year?

 

~Sarah

 

*Okay I just realized that I need to read 27 more books in order to reach 100 books this year. Soooo really, I’d love to read all of this pile plus like 6 more…

4 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , ,

October 1, 2012 · 4:38 pm

October Monthly TBR

 

Wooooo! Time for the new Monthly TBR, hosted by the awesome Jenn at Booksessed.

So, I’m pretty happy with my reading for September. Here’s how I did with last month’s pile:

 

4 out of 7! Not too bad. Buuuuut I also read another 3 books that weren’t in my original pile - Radioactive, Drop Dead Healthy, and Costume Not Included (review comings this week). So hey: 7 books total, a little over 3000 pages… pretty good month, considering what the rest of this year has been like. Also, painting those red lines over the books I read was crazy satisfying.

For my October pile, I want to read ALL THE BOOKS. This pile could have easily been 20 books tall. I was able to narrow it down to a still-t00-ambitious 10…

From the top…

  • Something From the Nightside by Simon Green – This paranormal series looks really interesting, and my friend has read a couple of them and seems to enjoy them.
  • An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn – Cause Jenn sent this to me and I wanna catch up on the Bridgertons and I love Julia Quinn. And I need some romance in this pile.
  • Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce – Have been meaning to read this for-ev-er.
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Cause I still haven’t read it, and it’s a classic, and it’s Halloween month.
  • The 4% Universe by Richard Panek - Bought this today! Science-y book about the universe, really really really wanna read it. Like I wanna go lay on the couch and start it right now. But I can’t, cause you know… I’m doing this.
  • The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde – This isn’t technically a new release, but it just got re-released in the US, and I didn’t think it came out until tomorrow, but Barnes and Noble had it out today and I was so excited I bought it instantly.
  • Coraline by Neil Gaiman – READALONNGG!!!
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  – ANOTHER READALONNGG!
  • The Diviners by Libba Bray – Eeeeek! So psyched to read this!
  • The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling – Which I’m currently reading and hoping to finish in a couple days.

Yeah… it would be a MIRACLE if I actually finished all of these. I mean, there’s a couple short fluffy books in there, but still. Hopefully Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon * later this month will help!

Soooo whatcha wanna read this month? Make a list, link it up!

~Sarah

* Sorry this post is so link happy. It had to happen.

6 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , ,

September 3, 2012 · 9:44 am

September Monthly TBR

 

So, Jenn at Booksessed is quite a genius and created this monthly meme to showcase what books you want to or are hoping to read this month. I used to do this ages ago and fell out of the habit, but I think it’s an awesome way to kind of focus and motivate yourself to get lots of reading in. This meme gives me the perfect reason to start doing this again, plus I get to post pictures of my books, which we all know is half the fun :-)

If you want to join in, take a picture of your books and/or list them in a post and go to this post to link up. Do it! Do it!

 

Thank you, Instagram, for making my books look even more amazing than they already do.

 

So here’s my books! In order…

  • The Damned Busters by Matthew Hughes, which I’m already almost halfway through and I’m enjoying.
  • Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett, who is an author local to my area.
  • Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey - this is the 4th Sandman Slim book and it just came out and I’m SO EXCITED to read it, but I’m waiting for the honeyman to read it first cause it’s his book.
  • My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler – Something fluffy, funny, and probably pretty skanky. But I REALLY need to start reading more books from my “biography/memoir” shelf.
  • The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin, the science book I want to read this month. Especially with the recent landing of Curiosity on Mars.
  • Gilead by Marilynne Robinson – Have been wanting to read this for about 7 years. Bout time I got to it, right?
  • A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon – Cause I need a dose of Jamie & Claire, so it’s time for another re-read.

There is like ZERO chance I’ll get to read all of these this month, but a girl can dream!

What books do you hope to get to this month? Go to Jenn’s post and link up so I can see!

~Sarah

 

6 Comments

Filed under Monthly TBR

Tagged as , , , ,

July 31, 2012 · 8:00 am

The Graveyard Book Readalong Ch. 7 & 8

Awwwww! It’s over! *tears up* I’m sad that this is the last post, this was a really fun book to readalong with and discuss every week!

So how does Bod’s story end?

Well, first he’s a bit mopey because Silas and Miss Lupescu have been gone for what seems like ages and he’s a bit lonely. And THEN we find out that Scarlett is back in town! Hooray! Her and her mom have moved back and she’s kind of forgotten about Bod and the graveyard until she winds up there one day and meets a nice little old man named Mr. Frost and then that night her and Bod have a reunion in her dream. So of course her and Bod kind of meet again and catch up and he shares with her his sad family story and Scarlett asks Mr. Frost to help her learn more about that family 13 years ago that was murdered, you know, for a friend. (Meanwhile, Silas and Miss Lupescu are off doing mysterious but dangerous things.) Then Mr. Frost says he learned a lot and for Scarlett to bring her friend over so he can share what he learned and it turns out Mr. Frost is Mr. Stabby Jack Frost and HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT COMING???  And then some other Jacks show up and chases and stuff ensue… and of course Bod comes out alright and then it’s time for him to leave the graveyard and finally experience life.

So, questions!

1. We see the return of Scarlett, were you happy to see her again? Do you think her mother paid her enough attention?

Yes! Yay Scarlett! And her mother seemed more attentive this time around, although she was a little over-protective now. Oddly, she let her 5-year old daughter do whatever she wanted but now that she’s a teenager she has all these rules. I’m a little sad at how Bod’s friendship with her ended, but in my head I like to imagine they meet again someday.

2. Getting a ride from a “friendly” stranger when it’s raining…yay or nay?

Oh hell no. NO. And this is exactly the kind of situation that makes me think ALL GIRLS SHOULD CARRY WEAPONS. What if he had tried to force her?

3. Did you figure out “Stabby Jack’s” (best nickname ever, Sarah!!) new tactic before it was revealed? Evil genius or just creepy evil?

Thanks Jenn :-) And no, I did not see if coming. This creepy random old guy introduces himself as Jay Frost and lives in Bod’s old house, and I STILL never saw it coming. I’m ridiculous. It was creepy evil genius.

4. Final thoughts on Ms. Lupescu?

:-(

5. Do you think it’s a good idea to send Bod into the world at age 15?

I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea… He’s definitely more mature than a normal 15 year old boy. And at least Silas hooked him up with money and a passport. I am a bit confused as to why he had to leave the graveyard at 15 though… was he no longer welcome there because he was no longer in danger? If so, why did he slowly lose his abilities over the course of a month or two?

6. Were you touched by any goodbye more than the others?

Silas and Bod’s goodbye was sad. I was hoping they would head off into the world together, at least for a while so Silas could teach him a bit more about the ways of the world.

7. Where do you think Bod will go and what will happen to him?

I like to think that he goes off into the world to read all the books and see all the places, before coming back to his hometown as a fit and healthy old man who meets up with Scarlett, gets married, dies, and gets to live in his graveyard again.

8. Final thoughts on Silas? Is he a vampire or some supernatural other?

Vampire! Vampire! Vampire!

9. Are you glad you read The Graveyard Book and would you take a chance on reading Gaiman’s other YA works?

I really, really enjoyed The Graveyard Book and I am looking forward to reading his other YA / childrens books. I liked this a whole lot more than I did American Gods. I wonder if I should try Stardust next? Or maybe there will be a Stardust readalong in the future? (She says hopefully.)

Thanks so much for hosting Jenn! This was a blast!

Sarah Says: 4 stars

2 Comments

Filed under 2012 Challenges, 4-star, Fantasy, Read-A-Long, YA

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,