Reading Challenge 2012

Whew!  I made it!  I set a goal of 20 books for myself for last year, and I made it by the skin of my teeth.  That 17-18 hour ride down to The Keys definitely helped.

As I look over the books I read, I have a few favorites.

Angel on Board (EJ Thornton) was the most thought provoking book I read.  This book made sense to me; even now I will stop and thank my guardian angel for things I took for granted before I read it.  Coincidences?  I think not.

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery):  What a classic!  I just happened to read it right before I saw a local group perform the play.  I can't believe I hadn't read this before.  I also read Anne of Avonlea, but I guess I forgot to add that book in the challenge.

A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness) was recommended to me by YS.  He had to read it over the summer.  It was a dark book, but well worth the read.  A little boy's mother is sick with cancer, and the monster holds his real fear, one that he has to face in the end.  If you read it, make sure you have tissues for the ending.  The idea for the book was passed on to the author, since she was dying of cancer.  Even though the book was written for the middle school age child, it is well worth the read.  If you have most of a day to read, read this book.  It could easily be read in one day, if you don't have anything more pressing.

Wicked and Son of a Witch (Gregory Maguire):  I will never see "The Wizard of Oz" in the same way again.  It took me a while to get through Wicked, but it was a good read.  Dark and a bit depressing at times, that's probably why it took me a while to get through it.  I haven't seen the Musical...yet.

The Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins):  I wanted to read these before the movies came out, and I'm glad I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books.  I had an extremely hard time putting them down.  I definitely think it helped to read the first book before the movie; there were a few things they had to leave out, so it was good to have the background.

I've decided to up my goal for this year to 25 books.  I've already completed 1 (thanks to the drive home!), and have started 2 more.  I think I can, I think I can!

Do you have any books that you read that you can recommend?