Book #4 - The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith

So this fall, I began watching the new series, "The Vampire Diaries" on the CW. I love, love, love Twilight, so I figured vampires + teenage angst = masterpiece.

The show has been entertaining enough, so I decided to read the first book in The Vampire Diaries book series as part of my challenge. Poor L.J. Smith. Stephanie Meyer totally ripped off his idea. Granted there are some differences, but the basic premise is the same - a smoldering, attractive male vampire poses as a teenager at a high school, where the beautiful girl he can't resist, Elena, pursues him. Elena first thinks Stefan hates her because Stefan can't stand to be around her. Eventually they get together, he tells her his secret, and chaos ensues. Sound familiar?

The Awakening was much better written, and in my opinion is more age-appropriate for the young adult readers it's intended for than Twilight. Don't get me wrong - if it came down to Team Edward or Team Stefan, I'd still side with Cullen, for sure. The story was engaging, but I'm not dying to read the next installment, as I was with New Moon. But if you have a weekend, I would definitely recommend picking up this book.

Book #3 - I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

I don't even know where to begin describing this book and the author, Tucker Max. He is craaaaaazy. I don't know if I even knew someone as crazy as him in college, and at times, my college could get wildly out of control. This book, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, contains some of the most outrageous stories, stories I couldn't make up in my wildest dreams.

Most of Max's chapters include a lot of drinking, a lot of sex and a lot of random girls. At times I was honestly embarrassed to be laughing, afraid that the person next to me at Starbucks would know I was chuckling at Max and his extremely inappropriate tales.

I would go into detail, but I'm pretty sure my grandmother keeps tabs on this blog, so there's no need to shock her. But if you're okay with cussing, sexual explicit descriptions and promiscuity, I would definitely read this book. Although many would call me a prude, or even a goody-goody, I laughed out loud at Tucker Max and all of his antics. I can't wait for the film version to be released on DVD in January, and to be laughing uncomfortably at "Tucker Max Drunk" once again.

Book #2 - The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

My reaction to reading this book was similar to how I felt after I saw the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" the first time. Everyone had been telling me how great it was, how amazing and enjoyable they found it. When you build something up that much, it's often impossible to meet the high expectations.

Had I not heard all the buzz about Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, I think I would have been able to enjoy the lessons in the book, and not just the sentiment of it, a bit more. Pausch is a young father who is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, and he uses his last lecture, and eventually this book, to share his insights about life not just for readers but mainly for his three young children.

A coworker told me before reading that this book was a balance of ego and humility. At times I had trouble seeing beyond the ego. But Pausch had some thoughtful words threaded between his tales of personal and professional successes. The one that resonated with me the most was the idea that you cannot have rights without responsibility. Whether those are social rights, inherent personal rights or just rights that accompany being an adult, you need to be cognizant of how you use them and the impact they can have on others.

Sadly, Pausch passed away, and I have yet to watch the online video of his last lecture that inspired this book. But his idea of leaving a lasting legacy, whether it's one simply for your family or one with a much larger impact or purpose. is one to think about. Pausch is right that you never know what tomorrow will bring, so you need to start living today.

Book #1 - The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

I just finished the first book of the project, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, which falls into my recommended reading category. It was suggested to me by fiance, and I think it's the only book he's ever read recreationally in his adult life, so I decided if he enjoyed it, so could I.

This book was much better than the movie. Entirely different, but still so much better. In the novel, an assassin, Jason Bourne, loses his memory and is trying to figure out who he is. He's struggling with reconciling his own instincts about his past with what he's learned about himself from fragmented memories and outside sources. While I was reading, I decided that this could be one of the worst things that could happen to a person: losing your past and struggling through the present, all while being unsure if you can even have a future.

In the end of the novel, Jason uncovers the truth about himself (which took him until the third movie to do) and he's able to begin rebuilding his life. It made me realize that life is best experienced one moment and one day at a time. Even though Jason Bourne was unable to live his life any differently, it allowed him to rediscover who he was.

Although I'm not an amnesiac, or an assassin, I am similar to Jason Bourne. At twenty-four years old, and albeit safely within the confines of my own little world, I too am figuring out who I am with each day and each moment that passes.