My nook is officially loaded

I've decided to be ahead of the game and load my nook with a ton of books so that I can quickly move from one to the next in my 50 book challenge for 2010. The books I have loaded in:

• The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks


• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon


• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stief Larsson


• Books 2-8 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris


• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (I have read this several times, but it's always fun to re-read it)


• Jason and Me by Jenna Anderson


• DEAD(ish) by Naomi Kramer


• Maximum Ride by James Patterson


• Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay


• Rumors (Book #2 of the Luxe Series) by Anna Godbersen

Now I just need to finish Columbine and Without You. I'm thinking the next one I will move to is The Last Song so I can get a quick, easy cheese-fest book in after the two non-fiction books. I'm hoping I can finish both during our trip to Florida. We leave tomorrow morning. Eek!

Mystery, sex, and vampires... oh my.

Book 6/50 is FINALLY finished! Now that the show that I was in is done, I can finally make some time for reading again. So, tonight I finally finished Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. This is also the series that the show True Blood is based on. Did I enjoy it? Eh. It's a series, so I'll probably read all of the books. However, I found it poorly written. I've heard that this one is the worst in the series, writing wise. I'm hoping the rest do get better. I'll probably wait a bit before I continue this series though. I should finish Without You and Columbine first. I'm thinking that I can at least finish one of them tomorrow since I am on Spring Break this week. That's two non-fiction books down.. then I need to find a good fiction book. I'm thinking a young adult/chick lit book is in need right now. Ah it feels good to read again.

Caught in the middle

So, I wrote this post on March 26th and I'm just uploading it now.. woops.

So, I'm currently caught in the middle of three different books:

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Without You by Anthony Rapp

I have no idea how I sucked myself into the middle of three separate books. I started reading Rapp's first. I was in a production of Rent so I had a big interest in seeing what it was like to be in it on Broadway, and to learn more about Anthony Rapp and his experiences. So, I got into that. THEN, I decided I really needed to get back into a series after loving the Hunger Games series. Which led me to start reading Dead Until Dark. I love all things vampires, and I always have. I can honestly say I am not one of those people who started being crazy about vampires when Twilight came out. It just aided me in my vampire addiction... So, alright I start reading Dead Until Dark... it's not amazing but it gives me something to read. I actually spent several bubble baths reading it. However, my lack of a schedule has stopped me from being able to fully focus on it. At this point I'm stuck in the middle of two books... and then the third one joins in.  My students are studying biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs in my English class. So, we discussed the Columbine High School Massacre, and I read them part of Marjorie Lindholm's memoir, A Columbine Survivor's Story. My students had no idea what the Columbine High School Massacre was when I introduced it, which totally left me baffled. I was in middle school when it happened. My students started asking more questions about the events, so I looked up information online. Apparently, everything that the news leaked when I was in middle school was incorrect. The fact that this information was incorrect, lead me to the novel Columbine where a journalist who had covered the massacre at the time, has compiled actual information and has laid the record straight. I can honestly say that in a weird way, I am enjoying the book. Don't get me wrong, I am not enjoying the events that took place in the massacre, but I AM enjoying the fact that Cullen is basically telling us what really happened and that everything we had heard on the news was full of rumors, lies, and speculation. I love a good conspiracy story.

So, that is where I am. Hopefully over my spring break this week I can finish all three books and add them to my challenge of 50 books for 2010. I'm flying down to Florida this week to visit family, so the plane ride will give me some good reading time (if the movie on the plane doesn't distract me).

What have I been up to lately?

I apologize for my lack of posting... I've been insanely busy. I am currently in the middle of reading like three books and can hopefully finish them soon! More importantly... my husband and I went to go see the first preview night of American Idiot last night. This is Green Day's new broadway show consisting of music from their albums American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, and a few B-sides. Keep in mind.. my husband and I are huge Green Day fans, and huge Spring Awakening fans. When we heard that the production team behind Spring Awakening were collaborating with Green Day to create a broadway show, we knew we had to go. I am so glad we went on the first preview night. First of all, Green Day was there. Second, the cast was phenomenal. I feel like the energy of being on that stage must have been amazing. I don't know if it is because this show represented my generation, but it really got to me. I was laughing, nodding, and even crying at points - all while rocking out to the music that I've come to enjoy so much. The harmonies were beautiful, as well as the new arrangements for the music. I can not even put to words how beautiful and amazing the set, lighting, and projections were. The amount of cues that the tech crew must have had was ridiculous. I LOVED IT! Some people are complaining that there wasn't a lot of book to the show, but I don't think it needed it. The acting, choreography, and emotion while telling the story, told us exactly everything we needed to know about the story. I even found myself finding symbolism in some of the characters - which really makes me excited :P Anyway, after the show, the talented cast of course came out and signed autographs and took pictures with people. It's great to see that several of the actors are so gracious to their audience. (I've noticed this from the Spring Awakening cast, and it seems that the energy has carried over to this show.) At one point the members of Green Day came out, and I strategically placed myself in their way so that they'd have to semi-bump into me. It also gave me a chance to get pictures of them when they were right next to me. Love it. Loved the cast. Loved the mob that chased Green Day down the street, haha.

Catching Fire... holy $!@#

Book 5/50. After reading the first book of The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins pulled me into her world. My only issue was that her second book, Catching Fire was not yet available as an eBook. Do I keep reading on my nook, or do I suck it up and get the book? Luckily, my husband and I checked out the library in our new town, and they actually had Catching Fire in stock. Let me tell you, this book was awesome. I loved The Hunger Games, so I was sure I'd still be hooked to this book. I actually caught myself with my jaw hanging and me going "SHUT UP! NO!" at parts. I have to say that by the end of this book I was so emotionally invested in the main characters. The third and final book, Mockingjay will be coming out in a few months... and I cannot wait!

Now that this book is over, I've decided to start the Sookie Stackhouse series on my nook. We'll see how that goes :P

Alice in Shmunderland

I cannot believe how disappointed I was with Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland. I actually preferred SyFy's made-for-TV version called: "Alice". The only performance I enjoyed in this version was Helena Bonham Carter's. Everyone else, including Johnny Depp's, were forgettable. Not to mention all of the loose ends left in scenes that were not resolved. I just did not like the movie AT ALL! (And before you tell me that it wasn't supposed to be like the original Disney film, I know. Oh, and I have read both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass). So, long story short... if you want a movie loosely based on Alice, and want to enjoy a reinterpretation of the character's, check out: