I MADE IT!

Well, to 50 at least.

50 books in one year. Although I had to reassess my goal, I'm still glad I was able to reach it. Now, when should I start trying again for 100? I think after the wedding ;)

Blog posts still to come for the following books:

#44 - Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
#45 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
#46 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
#47 - Heist Society by Ally Carter
#48 - Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad
#49 - Life of Pi by Yann Martel
#50 - Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

Thanks for following my year long journey. Can't wait to see where the next one takes me!

Book #43 - Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

Just visualizing Zac Efron as the tortured Charlie St. Cloud made reading this novel that much more enjoyable.

Okay, it wasn't the only thing that made it enjoyable. I'm glad Charlie St. Cloud was made into a movie, because otherwise, I don't know that I'd ever been exposed to it. And that would've been a shame.

This book had all the elements that make a good book, at least in my opinion. I'm not talking about Pulitzer Prize winning literature. Instead, an interesting, heartfelt tale that makes the weekend that much more satisfying because you're curled up with it. It's a love story, with a supernatural twist and a pinch of a mystery, all rolled into one. Like I said, can it get any better?

At times I felt like Nicholas Sparks should've written this novel. The story seemed reminiscent of his many books I've read before. But what made it Sherwood's (and not Sparks') was the supernatural element of Charlie being able to see and communicate with spirits. He meets he younger (dead) brother Sam every day at sunset in the cemetery to play catch because of a promise he made when they were in a terrible accident, which also happened to be the cause of Sam's death. Charlie is paralyzed by his catch date with Sam, and has stopped himself from living his own life in order to keep his promise. He then meets Tess, an accomplished young sailor about to set off on a solo race around the world. Charlie and Tess fall in love but the relationship is not without it's difficulties. Ultimately, Charlie learns that he needs to rejoin the living to set himself free, and that his brother will be with him always, regardless if they meet to play catch every day.

The book really made me think about the balance of life and loss, because it's a delicate line to navigate. You don't want to seem like you're moving on too quickly, but then you can't get stuck in the past without driving yourself mad. But, if you're lucky, like Charlie finally is, you'll be able to figure out the best way to move past the tragedy and loss in your life, and take advantage of the opportunities that are still left for the taking.

Book #42 - The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

I've never read the Sex and the City novel, but I decided to give The Carrie Diaries a try. This book introduces us to Carrie Bradshaw when she's still in high school and her group of teenage friends. Sadly, Carrie wasn't as ground breaking in high school as she tended to be in the SATC series. She's actually quite predictable, and a very different Carrie than the 30-something version I know and love. But, it doesn't mean she can't evolve into that person -- no one wants to be who they were in high school for the rest of their lives, including Carrie Bradshaw, I'm sure.

As a 17-year-old, she already has some of her most famous qualities -- including her adventurous sense of fashion -- and the desire to become a writer. But this Carrie is also very different; she's a virgin, a romantic, a standout on the swim team, and is willing to do what boys want in order to keep them interested in her.

I think the best part (and the worst) of this book is that we know what Carrie's future holds. Not in the sense that we know which boy she'll end up with, or where she'll go to college. But in the sense that we know soon enough, she'll be painting Manhattan red with her faithful companions, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha, regardless of how 1979 turns out.

Book #41 - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I have mixed feelings about Eat, Pray, Love. And I blame those on the millions of opinions I received about this novel before starting it. Who hated it, who loved it, who thought Gilbert was selfish, who thought she was brilliant... the list goes on and on.

So when I began reading, I tried to do so with an open mind. If anything, I didn't love or hate Liz; I was jealous of her experiences (not the life she was running away from). Honestly, how amazing would it be to travel the world for an entire year!

My favorite section of the book was definitely her time in Italy. Being able to travel aimlessly throughout such a beautiful country and eat whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, sounds divine. But the part that I was most envious of was her immersion into the culture and ability to learn the language. I've always longed to be bilingual, and one day I will be, but Liz's ability to leave it all behind for a year and simply follow her heart made me wish I could be in her shoes.

I also enjoyed her spiritual journey throughout India and Bali. Since I've not had much exposure to eastern practices, it was hard for to understand what she was trying to accomplish. However, I could relate to her longing for greater relationship with God. It seems she met so many characters along the way - at times I wonder if this was truly non-fiction - and that she truly accomplished what she set out to do when she left her life in NYC for a year of self-discovery.

Book #40 - Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts edited by David Baggett and Shawn E. Klein

I came across this collection of essays in the bargain book section of Barnes & Noble a couple of years ago. I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and since I can't re-read any books as part of this challenge, I decided to pick up Harry Potter and Philosophy in order to gear myself up for the release of HP7 Part 1 next month.

The only ethics/philosophy class I ever took in college was regarding ethics in journalism, so my knowledge on the subject was somewhat sparse. But the authors of the essays in this collection apply their passion for philosophy to their passion of Harry Potter. It's enlightening and interesting to see these academic interpretations of the themes within my favorites books. Like Hogwarts, the book is divided into four parts, with essays that touch upon the key values of the four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor.

These essays uncover the deeper meanings within Harry's adventures, as well as the relationships within the first five books (it was published before the completion of the last two novels.) Although I've loved reading every book in this challenge, Harry Potter and Philosophy took me back to the critical reading and thinking I've been lacking since college. Learning about Aristotilean ethics, reading observations on feminism, racial discrimination and morality or just discovering what dementors have to do with happiness in reality, were all scholarly treats found in this collection to satisfy any Potter buff.

The Final Month

I know, I know, I am getting smoked by this reading challenge. Obviously the only way I could read 58 books in the next 25 days would be to develop super powers. However, I've decided to re-evaluate my mission, and I think hitting 50 is a pretty good goal. Besides, no one runs a marathon without running the half first, right?

So be on the lookout as I finish my final books (and posts) in the coming weeks. More to come!

Book #39 - Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch

My friend Jamie and I often spend our lunch hours sitting in silence reading. It's a good way to get away from the craziness at the office and have a little down time. She recommended that I read Time of My Life because she "looooooved it." So I decided to take her advice and pick it up.

This novel follows the standard formula of the main character not liking her current life, and wonders what it would've been like if she married her college boyfriend instead. Jillian is then magically transported back seven years, to the time when she's still living in New York City with her then-boyfriend, Jackson. As Jillian tries to avoid meeting her real husband, Henry, she realizes that her life then maybe wasn't as amazingly perfect as she remembered.

I liked that it was not only about second-guessing your choice about who to marry. But it gives us a glimpse into what it would be like to do things differently with your friends or interacting with your parents in a way that's more beneficial to your personal growth. Jillian finally understands what I think we all know deep down: there is no "perfect" life -- no perfect husband, perfect house, perfect family, perfect job. And only when we stop frantically trying to find or create that scenario, can we truly be happy.

Book #38 - The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares

I have long been a fan of Ann Brashares. I absolutely adored The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants novels and I'd been wanting to read some of her other works for a while. I read a blurb about The Last Summer (of You & Me) in one of the many magazines I receive each month, and I decided to place a hold through CPL.

I am always captivated by a good coming-of-age story, and that's exactly what this book is. It follows two sisters, Alice and Riley, and their very different friendships with their summer neighbor, Paul. The three have been spending the summer together on a fictional island near Manhattan for as long as they can remember. Paul and Riley have always been best friends; Paul and Alice have always wanted to be something more.

At times, I almost felt as if I was reading a Nicholas Spark book (and lord knows I love those, too). There was the perfect mix of love, longing and sadness in The Last Summer (of You & Me) to create a great novel. We watch as Alice and Paul transition into their new relationship, and can sympathize with Riley as she gets left behind. I don't have a sister, but this novel made me truly feel the bond between Riley and Alice, and it made me sad that I could never experience such a special relationship with one.

Book #37 - Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

What? Another Bride Quartet novel, you say? Yes, I can't seem to help myself! When I saw the third installment was available, I knew it wouldn't be long before I headed to Cleveland Public Library and requested it for my reading pleasure.

The third novel follows the story of Laurel, the baker of Icing by Vows, the wedding planning company owned and operated by the four friends. Like its predecessors, Savor the Moment quickly sets up Laurel's happy ending; after years of searching for Mr. Right, she realizes he's been under her nose all along. Actually this story line began in book #2, but I don't really mind. There's just so many feel-good wedding elements crammed into each novel, it makes a bride-to-be like myself automatically interested.

We follow Laurel as she tries to sort through her trust issues (created by her father, surprise, surprise), her new relationship and the constant work that inundates Vows. Like all of the other novels in the series, all ends as you'd expect, which is the good and bad thing about Roberts' work -- we all want the girl to get her guy at the end, but sometimes we also liked to be surprised. As we read more and more about the four friends, Roberts does continue to develop them more and more, making the reader feel like you've become a part of this intimate club.

Book #36 - Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

I don't think I ever read Beezus and Ramona as a child. So to be safe, I decided to pick it up, especially after reading an interview with its iconic author Beverly Cleary about the release of the movie.

One thing that Cleary mentioned in the interview was that she wants the story of Beezus and Ramona to remain a timeless one. That's why in the book (and the movie) they're aren't any indicators of what year or decade it is; discussions of the latest technologies, like TVs or cell phones. Instead, Ramona and Beezus occupy their time reading books, dolls and playing games with each other and friends.

What I found particularly interesting about this book is that like most children's books, it tries to teach the reader a lesson. But what makes it different, is that the lesson doesn't hit you across the head. Instead, you learn something -- like how to be patient with your siblings, or why it's okay to be different -- in a more organic way.

I think Cleary has definitely achieved her goal. The story of these two sisters will remain one that children will read for another 50 years, without feeling dated or irrelevant. It's heartfelt, cute and best of all,Ramona's antics are just as entertaining as any of the latest games and TVs shows out there today.