My reading plan this year is to read 12 books. I know that is a drop in the bucket to some of you, but for me, it's kind of a big deal. I get so caught up with life and writing and editing my own books, admittedly, I don't make enough time to read. I wish I did, but I don't.
I have one rule. I'm going to take at least 9 of them from the books I already have on my shelves and not by more than 3 new ones. The majority of books I own, I've never read. There are just sitting there staring at me begging to be read.
So I'm going to break them down into months. I've not started January's book yet, but I'm heading on a long weekend this week, and I'm going to start (and maybe finish) then.
January:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth. This of course is the 2nd book in the Divergent
(on my shelf)
series. I LOVED Divergent, and it's time to finish the series.
War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies
grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge,
and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful.
Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt,
radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully
embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by
doing so.
February: Allegiant by Veronica Roth. 3rd book in the Divergent series. See above.
(to purchase)
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
Ooooooh. (shudders) Note: I cannot wait for the Divergent movie coming out this year.
March: The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner. Most of you who read my blog should know by now that Gae is a very good friend of mine. I have been waiting for this sophomore book of hers for what seems like forever (as have many). It sounds so amazing...you should put it on your list too.
(not on my shelf, but pre-ordered so counting as already owned)
Summer has begun, the beach beckons—and Francesca Schnell is going
nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and
Francesca’s the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is
about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. At loose ends, Francesca trails her
father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There
she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost
eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s
possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads
Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to go—and
it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall
in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.
April: Auracle by Gina Rosati. This is one of my 2k12 peeps. There are still so many 2k12 books I have to read (and 2k11 for that matter as that's where I started), but this one is next on my list.
(on my shelf)
Trapped outside her body, Anna sees and hears but cannot touch the one she longs to hold.
Anna
has a secret: she can astrally project out of her body. But when
there's an accident and her classmate Taylor gets into Anna's body, what
was an exhilarating gift threatens to become a terrifying reality. Anna
and her best friend Rei form a plan to set things right, but they don't
anticipate the feelings that are beginning to grow between them. Auracle
by Gina Rosati is an exciting, sensual novel that explores the
relationship between body and soul and the power of a single touch.
May: Something by John Green. I have a few books of his books on my shelf and I'm not sure which I want to read first. I believe I have
Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson Will Grayson and
Fault in Our Stars. I don't think I want to read the latter yet. Any suggestions on which I should read first?
(on my shelf)
June:
Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach. I read the first book in this series, Stupid Fast and LOVED it! Herbach is funny, but there is also an element of emotion and thoughtfulness in his writing.
(to purchase)
Hey Aleah,
I miss you. Because there's
some serious donkey crap going on right now. I'm supposed to be at
football camp, but noooo ... Andrew had to go missing! So because of my
stupid little brother, I'll probably lose my chance at a scholarship and
end up being nothing special.
I'm pretty sure Andrew
ran away to Florida, and now Gus and I have to drive cross-country to
get him. Did you know Gus used to think
Miss Piggy was
hot? Anyway, Andrew once told me I needed to get my head out of my butt.
So that's what I'm trying to do. How about a kiss for luck?
Felton
July: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I heard this is a great story and has a cutting theme in it, so I thought I'd read it, since I wrote about a cutter as well.
(on my shelf)
Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker
faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to
cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly
spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she
barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the
town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian
mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit
too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the
psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and
survive this homecoming.
August:
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This book sounded so cool. I bought it a couple years ago and never read it. It's time.
(on my shelf)
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha
Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday,
February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it
turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the
next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one
miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and
discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
September: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller. I met Trish through my ex-husband's cousin before either of us had book deals. Then as luck and coincidence would have it, our debut novels were both released in 2012. I've been wanting to read this for awhile. I'm going to read it this year.
(to purchase)
When Travis returns home
from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his
brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by
nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into
Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school,
that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of
each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family
problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that
might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible
sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.
October: The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride. I was introduced to Kristina by a mutual friend and writer, Brady Allen. He was one of Kristina's professors. She was part of the class of 2k10. I've had this book on my shelf for a couple years. It's time I read it.
(on my shelf)
When Tessa's best
friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's
life changes completely--she shies away from her other friends and
stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped
her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact,
and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she
tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before
Noelle--now Elle--was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the
charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while
trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries
to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to
live her own life and put herself first.
November:
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I've heard so many great things about this book and it's set in 1986, when I was in high school. How can I not read it?
TWO MISFITS. ONE
EXTRAORDINARY LOVE.
It's 1986 and two star-crossed teens are smart
enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and
desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your
own first love--and just how hard it pulled you under.
A cross between
the iconic '80s movie Sixteen Candles and the classic coming-of-age
novel Looking for Alaska, Eleanor & Park is a brilliantly written
young adult novel.
December:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Because it's about time.
(on my shelf)
Sylvia Plath's shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel of a woman falling into the grips of insanity.
If I finish all these...I will start on these next...
Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Where things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan
Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendara Blake
(which can be preordered by clicking on the title, by the way :). So far I've ordered buttons (which I received in the mail yesterday, squee), and silicone bracelets and am looking into other stuff, trying to come up with some original ideas. I pose a question to you. What kind of SWAG do you want to get from authors? Aside from the regular bookmarks, stickers, and such.
, but piano version. Not sure about the video, but I like the song. (on the One Republic station)
. I fell asleep, because I was so tired, not because the movie was boring, but I fully intend on watching it this weekend.
by Sylvia Plath, so I think I'll stick with that one.
