The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson was pretty funny --- and pretty scary for many of the same reasons. I keep picturing this general trying to walk through the wall of his office (yes, he failed). I am curious to see the movie also, but I am having trouble imagining how a movie version could possibly work.

Books: 165/150 = 110.0%
Pages: 39,932/36,000 = 110.9%

Gastroanomalies: Questionable Culinary Creations from the Golden Age of American Cookery by James Lileks is absolutely hilarious. I was giggling out loud.

If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser is about DeShawn, who is growing up in the Douglass Project, living with his grandmother and his sister, in an apartment with bullet holes in the windows from all of the gang activity, and where most kids have seen at least one dead body by the time they are twelve. The story follows him as he grows up and shows how he first plans to stay in school and stay of the project's gang the Disciples, but then changes his mind when he sees how he and his family are going hungry and how the closest thing the project has to a hero to look out for them is Marcus, the leader of the Disciples.

Books: 164/150 = 109.3%
Pages: 39,673/36,000 = 110.0%

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison is about Madison Avery, a high school girl just trying to live her life even though she is actually dead after being killed by a dark reaper. However, Madison stole an amulet from the dark reaper and that amulet seems to be the only thing holding her to the earth and giving her the illusion of still being alive; now the dark reaper is after her to get back his amulet and to destroy her soul, and the only thing standing between her and the dark reaper is a light reaper and a quirky little guardian angel. I look forward to reading the next book in this probable series.

Books: 162/150 = 108.0%
Pages: 39,275/36,000 = 109.0%

Somebody by Nancy Springer is about a girl named Sherica, though for the past 10 years she has had many other names. She and her dad and her brother move around a lot, and each time their names and their hair colors change - even her birthday changes. Lately Sherica has begun to question just why they move so often, changing their identities. She also begins to notice that the stories her dad tells about her mom and their past don't always add up and even change small details from time to time. Now that she is 15 (at least she thinks she is 15) Sherica decides it is time to get to the bottom of the mystery that is her life and her past. Very good book.

Books: 161/150 = 107.3%
Pages: 39,043/36,000 = 108.5%

Pressure by Jeff Strand was a bit of a brutal read about a guy whose life keeps butting up against that of a budding and then full on serial killer as they grow up. Pretty messed up, but not in an Edward Lee or MFD Psycho kind of way.

Meridian by Amber Kizer is about a girl named Meridian who he a weird problem: whenever animals get near her they tend to die, causing her classmates to call her names like Reaper. As she approaches her 16th birthday, the weird phones calls start. Then on the day she turns 16, there is a bad accident in front of her house. Though Meridian only witnesses the accident, it causes her to be in great pain. Then her parents tells her she is in danger and is a danger to them and her little brother Sam as well and that she must go to live with her great-aunt who can explain everything to her. Her aunt explains to Meridian that she is a Fenestra, a being who helps the living transition to being dead when it is their time to die. Unfortunately, there are those who work against the Fenestra and want to destroy them in order to bring all souls over to darkness, and there seem to be a hell of a lot of people in her aunt's town who hate her and her aunt and what they are. I liked this one a lot and hope there are more, though I thought the story did have a couple of problems and logic problems.

Books: 160/150 = 106.7%
Pages: 38,926/36,000 = 108.1%

I had to take a break from young adult fiction and read a couple of grownup books.

First I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy - I really wanted to read the book before seeing the movie. I really liked it. I am a little embarrassed to admit that this is the first McCarthy book I have ever read.

I also read Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Book 1) by Simon R. Green. Yay! I've found another series I like! Thanks to Jenn for suggesting it!

Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee is about 17-year-old Shawna. Her mom Penny left her and her dad to be with a woman named Fran 10 years before and they have a two sons Arye and Schmule now and Shawna has never forgiven her mom and resents these other people in her mom's life, and has a deep fear that everyone will find out that her mom is gay and will think that she is too. When her mom dies suddenly Shawna is thrown into contact with her mom's "other" family. Shawna's dad Jack is a very hateful man (seriously, he is a dick) and he resents Penny's other life so much that he sets out to ruin Fran, Arye, and Schmule's lives like he feels that Penny ruined his, and he will stop at nothing, including using Shawna, to do it. It was interesting to see how Shawna began to get through her deep-seated homophobia - especially when she finds out that her best friend is also gay, etc., etc. One reviewer on Amazon said that she got so into the book that the characters made her mad by what they said and did, and I have to say that I felt the same. Shawna drove me crazy for a lot of the book (spoiled, whiny, homophobic), but I realize that it was necessary so that her journey would be more dramatic.

Books: 156/150 = 104.0%
Pages: 37,754/36,000 = 104.9%

In the Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is about Mary, a girl who lives a couple of hundred years in the future after a huge "infection" than turns most of the population into zombies (or the "unconsecrated," as they are called in the book). The zombies reside outside the village in the woods, separated from the villagers by a massive fence to keep the zombies out - and the villagers in. The Sisters say that there are no other villages beyond the forest - that in fact, there is nothing else beyond the forest that is filled with the unconsecrated, but Mary's mother has always told her stories of the world before the infection, including stories of the ocean, which Mary has always wanted to see for herself. One day the fence is breached by the unconsecrated, and Mary has to choose whether to take her chances in the chaos of the village, or to escape into the unknown beyond the fence.
I loved this book and read it all in one sitting last night. It kind of bothered me that a lot of things weren't resolved, but I see another book is coming out that might explain more of the story, albeit from another point of view. And I will just say one more time, "ZOMBIES!"

Books: 155/150 = 103.3%
Pages: 37,394/36,000 = 103.9%

Sprout by Dale Peck is about Daniel "Sprout" Bradford, a 16-year-old gay teen with green hair and an alcoholic and eccentric father. His mom died when he was twelve and his dad moved them from Long Island to Kansas. Needless to say, he didn't feel like he really fit in. He has a secret, but it's not any of the previously mentioned things, and he might even tell you if he feels like it. The book is pretty quirky and I liked it.

Books: 154/150 = 102.7%
Pages: 37,084/36,000 = 103.0%

Soul Enchilada by David MacInnis Gill is about "Bug" Smoot, whose recently dead grandfather signed away both of their souls to the devil for a car: a 1958 Cadillac Biarritz. And now Mr. Beals, aka Beelzebub is here to repossess the car, and her soul. The book was fairly funny and had a sweet, but non-sickening romance aspect to it.

Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes by Gerald N. Callahan PhD was very interesting, though I was kind of hoping that he would go more into the psychological and sociological aspects. Very informative though.

Books: 153/150 = 102.0%
Pages: 36,807/36,000 = 102.2%

My Parents are Sex Maniacs: A High School Horror Story by Robyn Harding is about 16-year-old Louise, whose brother Troy catches their dad getting a blow job from Louise's BFF Sienna's mother. Needless to day, things for Louise kind of go to hell after that. First of all, Dad runs off with the other woman, Mom wears the same pair of sweat pants for 10 days in a row, Louise is afraid that Troy will be emotionally scarred forever, she falls in love with a guy who turns out to be gay, and her relationship with Sienna changes for the worse - oh yeah, and Mom starts dating Louise's math teacher. The book is angsty and funny and I really enjoyed it.


Books: 151/150 = 100.1%
Pages: 36,265/36,000 = 100.1%

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma was pretty cute, though I liked Azumanga Daioh much better. :-)

Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 3 by Ume Aoki was good also, but again pales in comparison to Azumanga Daioh.

Books: 151/150 = 100.1%
Pages: 36,265/36,000 = 100.1%

Fat Hoochie Prom Queen by Nico Medina is about Madge Diaz, a "fat, foxy," popular, and confident high school senior who decides to run for prom queen against high school diva (and teen TV star) Bridget after they have a bad argument, and now both of them will do whatever it takes to beat the other one out for the title. And, of course, there are some huge secrets that are going to come out - including a picture of Madge lying drunk and passed out next to an empty Krispy Kreme box in a football stadium. Yep, the book was pretty funny and I really enjoyed it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is told from the point of view of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives with her mother and her 12-year-old sister Prim in an outlying district from the capital, which keeps the districts in line by making each district send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 each year to compete in the Hunger Games, an extended survival game and fight to the death that is broadacst each year on live TV, and from which only one will come back alive. This year Prim has been selected to be one of the tributes, so Katniss takes her place in the games, knowing that she has probably just signed her own death warrant. This book was amazing. Okay, granted, I have an affinity for post-apocalyptic dystopian novels, but this one I thought was unusually good. :-D

Books: 149/150 = 99.3%
Pages: 35,945/36,000 = 99.8%

Eighth Grade Bites (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Book 1) by Heather Brewer is about Vladimir Tod, a 13-year-old who is a vampire because his father was a vampire, although his mother was human. Vlad is just trying to be as normal an 8th grader as possible, and without anyone but his best friend Henry knowing his secret. He only drinks blood that his aunt Nellie brings to him in the form of blood bags (that are about to expire) from the hospital - O positive is his favorite. He brings peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to lunch - okay, so there are capsules filled with blood in them - and gets bullied and called "goth boy" even though he is just naturally pale, what with being a vampire and all. I'll admit the idea of him dunking a chocolate chip cookie in a cup of microwaved blood made me a bit queasy. Now Vlad finds out that his parents who died under mysterious circumstances may have been murdered, and it looks like whoever killed them is after him too. Oh yeah, and there is the possibility that Vlad is destined to fulfill some great prophecy.

Books: 147/150 = 98.0%
Pages: 35,365/36,000 = 98.2%

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti is about Marisa, a teen who is into photography and her violin and who is about to start a new school year, hoping this year will be much better than last year when she acted weird because she was depressed and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Marisa has a best friend named Sterling, who loves to cook, and who has a tendency to go for older guys, and who has lately begun to form online relationships with guys she meets on the internet. This year Derek, Marisa's big crush finally asks her out and they start dating. There is also Nash, a boy Marisa has known forever and rekindles her friendship with, but she doesn't really see him as boyfriend material, though they do have a lot of fun together. Yeah, you get the idea. There's also a lot of relating life to John Mayer songs in the book. The book annoyed me for a variety of reasons, but I didn't hate it. Whatev.

Books: 146/150 = 97.3%
Pages: 35,183/36,000 = 97.7%

Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1 by Shiho Inada was okay. I'll check out one more probably.

Books: 145/150 = 96.7%
Pages: 34,861/36,000 = 96.8%

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is about Dru Anderson, a sixteen year-old girl whose mother was killed years ago by a vampire and whose father is a monster hunter. Needless to say, Dru and her dad move around a lot because sometimes the monsters hunt back - which is what finally happens when Dru's dad gets turned into a zombie and sent after Dru. Dru herself has what her grandmother always called "the touch:" Dru can sense danger and sometimes has prophetic dreams, plus she seems to be growing into some pretty impressive powers of her own. Plus, her dad trained her as a monster hunter herself, so she has at least a slim chance of survival. She also meets a boy named Graves who is bitten by a werewolf while trying to help Dru and is turned into a loup-garou (a half werewolf), and between the two of them they might have a fighting chance.

I really liked the book. I was amused that her dad often referred to vampires as "those undead bastards," and by the fact that Dru mentions that she and her dad lived in Baton Rouge for a while where there was a nest of werewolves. Who knew? The writing wasn't too smooth in places in this one, but it was still a lot of fun.

Books: 144/150 = 96.0%
Pages: 34,637/36,000 = 96.2%

The Season by Sarah MacLean is about a 17 year-old English girl named Alexandra Stafford who is due to make her society debut in the spring of 1815 ("the Season"), though she really doesn't see the point of it all and has no desire to marry. But her mother leaves her no choice but to suffer through it along with her two best friends Ella and Vivi, though they are more interested in discussing politics such as the English war with Napoleon-led France. To make things more interesting however, Alexandra uncovers a plot to murder family friend Gavin, Lord Blackmoor, a young man for whom she is developing feelings stronger than friendship.

The book didn't suck like I thought it would; it was actually quite readable, just not my style.

Cheeky Angel, Volume 1 is about Megumi, a beautiful freshman high-school girl who was boy until a sorcerer changed him/her into a girl when he/she was nine. Now Megumi wants to beat up all the guys who keep coming on to her. It's pretty funny.

Books: 143/150 = 95.3%
Pages: 34,344/36,000 = 95.4%

Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed by Paul Trynka was an awesome read. I never thought about Iggy being an essentially separate entity from Jim Osterberg. Okay, and I am now afraid of (and for) Iggy in many ways. And I know what he looks like naked.

Books: 141/150 = 94.0%
Pages: 33,801/36,000 = 93.9%

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee is about a teen girl named Maybe (short for Maybelline, her mother's favorite mascara), who doesn't live up to her ex-beauty-queen mother's ideal of a beauty queen daughter: she wears over-sized men's t-shirts and tons of black eyeliner. Maybe's mother is about to get married for the seventh time and husband-to-be number 7 is a total scuzzball who tries to rape Maybe. And of course, Maybe's mom blames Maybe, so Maybe decides it's time to run away and try to find her real dad. Maybe takes off to California with her two best friends Ted and Hollywood to find him and tell him she exists. The only problem is her mom would never tell her who he is and also never told him that Maybe was ever even born. Despite my description the book isn't all that dark. It has a hopeful tone, though I thought the ending was TOO optimistic, which kind of annoyed me.

Books: 140/150 = 93.3%
Pages: 33,417/36,000 = 92.8%