johanna414 is reading in 2014!

My girl, Scout, just looking for a good book to read...







Last year I managed to read just under 90 books, and was pretty impressed with myself! I had considered raising my goal to 100 for this year but decided to stick with the 75 again since it is promising to be another busy year. In addition to hopefully finding a full time library teaching position, I am starting to plan my wedding! Knowing myself though, I'll still manage to find plenty of time for reading.

Since I'm reading at such a quick rate lately, I decided i might as well add a fun bingo challenge... Let's see how I do with this!



B1 - Son of the Shadows
B2 - The Selkie Spell
B3 - Cinder
B4 - Daughter of the Forest
B5 - Steelheart

I1 - Howl's Moving Castle
I2 - Fortunately, the Milk
I3 -
I4 - The Raven Boys
I5 - Annihilation

N1 - Gone Girl
N2 - Mort
N3 -
N4 - The Hero
N5 - Over Sea, Under Stone

G1 -
G2 - Siege & Storm
G3 - Legion
G4 -
G5 - Scarlet

O1 - Wool 2: Proper Gauge
O2 - Naked in Death
O3 - Under the Black Flag
O4 - A Wizard of Earthsea
O5 - Bitterblue

My Favorite Books of 2013, in no particular order:
•The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
•Persuasion - Jane Austen
•A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
•A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin
•The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett
•The Body of Christopher Creed - Carol Plum-Ucci
•Beauty Queens - Libba Bray
•Fire - Kristin Cashore
•The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
•Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

January:

1. Paper Towns by John Green
2. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
3. Naked in Death by J. D. Robb
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
5. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
6. Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
7. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
8. Wool 2: Proper Gauge by Hugh Howey
9. The Hero by Robyn Carr
10. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
11. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
12. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore*

February:
13. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
14. Legion by Brandon Sanderson
15. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier*
16. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
17. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
18. Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier*
19. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
20. The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss
21. Mort by Terry Pratchett
22. Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie
23. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
24. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
25. Deerskin by Robin McKinley*

March:
26. Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
27. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
28. Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly
29. Austenland by Shannon Hale
30. Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn
31. Entreat Me by Grace Draven
32. The Female Thing by Laura Kipnis

April:
33. Divergent by Veronica Roth
34. Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon*
35. The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
36. Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier*
37. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
38. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
39. Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
40. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

May:
41. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb*
42. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
43. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
44. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
45. Wild Montana Sky by Debra Holland
46. Starry Montana Sky by Debra Holland
47. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
48. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier*
49. The Changeling Sea by Patricia Mckillip
50. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder*

June:
51. Perfect Timing by Catherine Anderson
52. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
53. The Selection by Kiera Cass
54. The Elite by Kiera Cass
* - my favorites reads so far

Welcome back! I've got Shadow and Bone on my list - how do you like the series?

drneutron - I am absolutely loving the series! They are very well-written, and I'm always a fan of fantasy stories with a strong female lead. I hate that I have to wait for the 3rd book to come out...

I do a lot of house/pet sitting while my friends, coworkers, family members travel. It's a great way to make a little extra money, hang out with some adorable fur babies and, in some cases, pretend I get to live Ina really nice house instead of the tiny little place Tony and I rent. I do start to miss Tony and the kitties when it's more than a few days though. Currently, I'm staying at little farm caring for 3 dogs, 2 horses, 2 goats, 2 pigs, 5 chickens and a duck! I've got another week there and then I move right on to my next job, a regular client. I am sure by that time I'll be more than ready go back to my own home, pets and bed! But at least in the mean time I'll have plenty of time to read!

Wow! I only have to look after seven adult cats and two foster kittens!

It looks like we have some of the same tastes in books. I just finished Siege and Storm as well (another abrupt ending, sigh). Have you read Throne of Glass or anything by Maria V. Snyder?

>6 hairballsrus: hairballsrus - It has certainly been a learning experience with all these animals! I've got a sick chicken living in the heated garage right now (at least I think she's sick... not really sure how to tell if a chicken is sick!) I volunteer for a local rescue and my fiance and I have been talking about getting into fostering once my pet sitting has calmed down a bit. We would really like to foster a dog, but our roommate's cat is very aggressive towards dogs. He is very sweet, and is best friends with our two kitties, but will literally launch himself, claws out, at any dog he sees... so we will be waiting on a dog... That being said, at some point this year, we will probably take in a litter of kittens to foster for awhile!

I hate having to wait for the next book in the series!! I am currently asking myself why I didn't wait until Leigh Bardugo finished the series before I even started it! I am going to have to try Throne of Glass; my fiance likes anything about assassins so maybe it will be something we'll both enjoy!

I just finished Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson and it was really good!

>5 johanna414:: That's wonderful! We have a cat/dog sitter who stays at our place when we travel, and she's amazing. It's also her full-time job, and she rarely even sleeps in her own bed, she's so fully booked with the animal-sitting jobs!

>8 scaifea: Thats how I'm starting to feel! I haven't slept in my own bed in almost a month! I expect that during the summer months, when most people are taking vacations... but not in the middle of winter! Although the clients I am sitting for now travel all the time. They are away so much that I actually have my own bedroom in their house! Fortunately, their dog and 3 cats all really love me, so it isn't too difficult when their people are gone. They will be home tomorrow though, and I will be in my own home until March!

Just finished reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore and I cannot even explain how much I love this series!!!!

So far this year, I am having really good luck with my reading choices! I lost a lot of sleep last night reading Daughter of the Forest; I just got too caught up to put it down. Picked it back up immediately after work and I'm still a little lost in the mystical world of ancient Ireland... So good!

Oh, Daughter of the Forest sounds good... wishlisted!

12> you won't regret it! The writing and the story are absolutely beautiful! I've ordered a couple more of her books, including the sequel to Daughter of the Forest. Can't wait!

I cannot even contain my newfound love for Juliet Marillier!!!! Son of the Shadows was a completely different reading experience as Daughter of the Forest, but in no way less beautiful. I still stayed up until 4am reading despite having to get up for work at 6:30... And I just placed an order for several more of her books!

>14 johanna414:: Whelp, that clinches it - moving her up the wishlist. I love those up-til-4am books!

I just finished Wildwood Dancing and really enjoyed it, but I didn't get completely sucked in like with the other two... I think I will take a break from her, and read a few other authors, then go back to the Sevenwaters series!

So, I have been all about the fantasy lately! Just finished Deerskin and now I am starting Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier.

Just finished Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn and really enjoyed it. I wasn't really expecting to (I think the cover put me off a bit) but it was recommended by a friend so I thought I'd at least give it a chance... found myself pleasantly surprised!

Taking a bit of a break from pleasure reads as I just accepted a new part-time job doing home tutoring for a high school student. She is having some emotional trouble that is preventing her from attending school, so the district is paying me $25 an hour to tutor her. She is reading 1984 for English class, a book I have somehow never read, so I am trying to catch up on that!

Here's another Bingo challenge, just for fun… I don't think I'm going to worry too much whether the books are YA, just as long as they fit the topic.



B1 - A book with a female heroine - Deerskin
B2 - A book set in the future - Glory in Death
B3 - A book set in the past - Child of the Prophesy
B4 - A book that made you cry - Heir to Sevenwaters
B5 - A book with an incredible fight scene -Rhapsody

I1 - A book set in a high school - Crank
I2 - A book with a break up - Paper Towns
I3 - A book with magic - Entreat Me
I4 - A graphic novel
I5 - A book you heard about online - Austenland

N1 - The last book of a trilogy - Child of the Prophesy
N2 - A book without a love triangle - The Wretched of Muirwood
N3 - Free square
N4 - A book based on a myth - The Lost Hero
N5 - A book set in another world - Dragon Prince

G1 - A book with a color in the title
G2 - A book that became a movie - Divergent
G3 - A book set in the summer - The Dream Thieves
G4 - A "classic" YA book -
G5 - A book with an epic love story - Entreat Me

O1 - The first book in a series - Hounded
O2 - A book set in Paris
O3 - A book with a dragon - Dragon Prince
O4 - A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe - Daughter of the Blood pretty sure there was a wardrobe... there was definitely a witch
O5 - A book with music - Charlie All Night

Heir to Sevenwaters and Seer of Sevenwaters pretty much clinched it… Juliet Marillier is the best!

My fiance and I just moved into a new house, so my reading time has been pretty limited... I've been sticking to simple romances that I can put down easily so that I don't completely neglect to get all the unpacking done... That being said, The Rosie Project did draw me in and I spent an entire afternoon on the patio reading it. Nothing got done that day!