Fiction Adiction

Hello, my name is Kate and I'm a compulsive listener. I really think this might be an adiction, and I'm just waiting for my friends and family to step in and do some sort of intervension. A few weeks ago I actually read/listened to 2.5 books in one day. In the month of September, I read or listened to 19 books. I listened to at total of 14 audio books, I read 4 books on my kindle, and I managed to read one book on actual paper. Here is a list of all the books I "read" in September along with a quick review.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson - Memoir - A funny and heartwarming story of growing up in the 1950's. Basically the exact opposite of Mad Men.

The Queen on Babble by Meg Cabot - Chick-Lit - A sometimes humerous tale of a world class blabbermouth. This book is much more R rated than Meg Cabot's YA novels.

Heartsick by Chealsea Cain - Thriller - I'm normally not a huge fan of serial killers, but I really enjoyed reading Chealsea's description of Portland. The setting was almost like a character.

Sweetheart by Chealsea Cain - Thriller - More serial killer fun in PDX. My biggest complaint is that Chealsea described the Fremont Bridge as ugly at one point. That is my favorite Portland Bridge, I'm even semi-friends with the engineer that built it. I'm a little bit offended.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - YA - An oddly hopeful story about abandoment and child abuse. I really like Sarah Dessen and recomend all of her books.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - YA - Slow to start and at times gut renching. Has a graphic rape scene that may be more than some teens want to read. But it deals with a very serious issue in an honest and positive way.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - YA - More light hearted than many of Sarah Dessen's books, this one is about griefing and self discovery.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen - YA - I would say read all of Sarah Dessen's books except this one. It is about domestic violence and was really more than even I could handle. It may be to much for a lot of teens.

The Misfits by James Howe - YA - A funny story with a quirky voice. I enjoyed this look at slightly more normal tweens.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart - YA - A comp title to the YA novel I recently wrote also about theater freeks at summer camp. I liked Dramarama but hope that my novel has more universal appeal. Dramarama is taylored more exclusivily to a theater freek audience.

Gossamer by Lois Lowery - Childrens/Paranormal - When I was ten Anistatia Krupnick was my favorite character, I still love Lois Lowery and like the way she does paranormal. This book is about dream givers.

1491 by Charles C. Mann - Non-Fiction - Once upon a time I was an anthropology major. I wrote my thesis on the colaps of the bronze age, but have to admit I found the appocoliptic nature of the small pox epidemic on Native American's equally fasinating. How maniacal is it that I love learning about the extinction of civilizations.

The Secrete Order of the Gumm Steet Girls by Elise Primavera - Childrens - A whimsical sequil to The Wizard of Oz, where Dorthy's desendet and her friends have to fight off the Wicked Witch of the Wests sister for control of the rubby slippers.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - Childrens/Paranormal - Not as gripping as I would have liked. An interesting story but I always felt a bit detached.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman - Childrens/Paranormal - I felt the introduction of Will really got the story going. I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - Childrens/Paranormal - Clear religious theme that is anti-christian. May offend some readers, but I enjoyed the new spin on a 5000 year old story.

The Fountainhead by Any Rand - Drama - It is about an architect, which is almost a structural engineer, so I liked it. But it did drag a bit in some parts.

Story of a Girl by Sarah Zarr - YA - This story does a good job of showing the consiquences of making stupid mistakes as a teenager. It was honest and believable, and a little bit sad.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - YA/Paranormal - An intersting view of the afterlife. The prolog is told from the POV of a dog. I really liked that and was a bit sad to find that the rest of the novel was told by a human.

Joke of the Day

During the French Revolution a priest, a lawyer, and an engineer were all sentanced to exicution by gillatine. The priest was brought to the gillatine first, the exicutioner released the handle and the knife fell a few inches before catching in the air. The priest exclaimed, “It is a sign from God, proving that I am innocent.” The people all accepted this miricule and the priest was released unharmed.

Next the lawyer was brought to the gillatine. Again the blade stopped in midair. The lawyer proclaimed, “Justice has been served. Clearly I am an innocent man.”

Finally the engineer approached the gillatine. For a third time, the blade failed to fall sparing the man’s head. He looked up at the apperatous and said, “I could fix this for you.”