Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge 2010

I'm so excited about this challenge! Gilmore Girls was my favorite show and I still watch reruns all the time (when my dad messed my cable up the DVDs were all I had to watch :P), and I've always wanted to read what Rory read- which is a lot. She took a book with her everywhere- like I do :) (I even took one with me to lunch last year... that didn't work out so well :P)

General rules (copied from the official blog, found here... hope I'm not breaking any rules):

The challenge will officially run from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. You can begin reading now and anything that you're not more than half way through right now can be counted.
Crossover books from other challenges are allowed. A lot of the books on the list have also been made into movies and those will count as well.

There are three levels of participation:

Emily: Read 5 books from at least two different categories.
Lorelai: Read 10 books from at least three different categories.
Rory: Read 20 books from at least four different categories.


Here is the very long list of books you can choose from:

Classics

Austen Jane Northanger Abbey
Austen Jane Emma
Austen Jane Pride & Prejudice
Bronte Emily Wuthering Heights
Bronte Charlotte Jane Eyre
Browning Elizabeth Barrett Sonnets From The Portuguese
Cervantes
Don Quixote
Chaucer Geoffrey Canterbury Tales, The
Dante
Inferno
Dante
Divine Comedy, The
Dickens Charles David Cooperfield
Dickens Charles Little Dorrit
Dickens Charles Great Expectations
Dickens Charles A Tale of Two Cities
Dickens Charles Our Mutual Friend
Dickens Charles A Christmas Carol
Dickens Charles Oliver Twist
Dickinson Emily New Poems of Emily Dickinson
Flaubert Gustave Madame Bovary
Heaney Seamus Beowulf: A New Verse Translation
Homer
Iliad, The
Hugo Victor Hunchback of Notre Dame, The
Lawrence D. H. Lady Chatterley's Lover
Melville Herman Moby Dick
Poe Edgar Allen Raven, The
Shakespeare William Othello
Shakespeare William Henry IV, Part 2
Shakespeare William Julius Caesar
Shakespeare William Romeo And Juliet
Shakespeare William Hamlet
Shakespeare William Henry V
Shakespeare William Merry Wives of Windsor, The
Shakespeare William A Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare William Richard III
Shakespeare William The Sonnets
Shakespeare William Macbeth
Shelley Mary Frankenstein
Stowe Harriet Beecher Uncle Tom's Cabin
Thoreau Henry David Walden
Tolstoy Leo War And Peace
Tolstoy Leo Anna Karenina
Twain Mark The Jumping Frog of Calavares County
Twain Mark Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire
Candide
Wharton Edith Roman Holiday
Whitman Walt Leaves of Grass


Childrens/Young Adult

Anderson Hans Christian Little Match Girl, The
Baum L. Frank Wizard of Oz, The
Baum L. Frank Scarecrow of Oz, The
Blume Judy Deenie
Brothers Grimm
Rapunzel
Carroll Lewis Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chbosky Stephen Perks of Being A Wallflower, The
Collodi Carol Pinocchio
Granowsky Alvin Goldilocks & The Three Bears
Grimm Brothers
Snow White and Rose Red
Hinton S. E. Outsiders, The
Keene Carolyn The Nancy Drew Series
King-Smith Dick Babe
Lofting Hugh Doctor Doolittle
Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Yearling, The
Rodgers Mary Freaky Friday
Rowling J. K. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
Rowling J. K. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone: Book 1
Salten Felix Walt Disney's Bambi (based on Original Story by Felix Salten)
Seuss Dr. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Sobol Donald Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective
Thompson Kay Eloise
White E. B. Stuart Little
White E. B. Charlotte's Web
Wiggin Kate Douglas Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm


Modern Classics

Albee Edward Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Beckett Samuel Waiting for Godot
Burgess Anthony A Clockwork Orange
Dostoevsky Fyodor Demons (translated by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky)
Du Maurier Daphne Rebecca
Faulkner William Sanctuary
Faulkner William As I Lay Dying
Faulkner William Sound and The Fury, The
Fitzgerald F. Scott Tender is the Night
Fitzgerald F. Scott Great Gatsby, The
Forster E. M. A Room With A View
Ginsburg Allen Howl
Heller Joseph Catch-22
Hellman Lillian Children's Hour, The
Hemingway Ernest Snows of Killimanjaro
Hemingway Ernest Sun Also Rises, The
Hemingway Ernest A Moveable Feast
Hemingway Ernest To Have And Have Not
James Henry Daisy Miller
James Henry Art of Fiction, The
Joyce James Finnegan's Wake
Joyce James Ulysses
Kafka Franz Trial, The
Kafka Franz Metamorphosis
Lawrence & Lee Jerome & Robert Edwin Inherit The Wind
Lee Harper To Kill A Mockingbird
Mailer Norman Naked & The Dead, The
Mencken H. R. Mencken's Chresthonomy
Mencken H. R. My Life As Author & Editor
Miller Henry Sexus
Miller Arthur Crucible, The
Mitchell Margaret Gone With The Wind
Nordhoff & Hall Charles & James Norman Mutiny On The Bounty
Orwell George Nineteen Eighty-four
Parker Dorothy Portable Dorothy Parker, The
Plath Sylvia Bell Jar, The
Proust Marcel Swann's Way
Rand Ayn Fountainhead, The
Salinger J. D. Franny And Zooey
Salinger J. D. Catcher In The Rye, The
Shaefer Jack Shane
Steinbeck John Grapes of Wrath, The
Tolkien J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Rings: Lord of the Ring Book 1
Tolkien J. R. R. The Return of The King: Lord of the Ring Book 3
Vonnegut Kurt Slaughterhouse Five
Welty Eudora Collected Stories of Eudora Welty, The
Williams Tennessee A Streetcar Named Desire
Woolf Virginia A Room of One's Own
Woolf Virginia Mrs. Dalloway

Non-fiction

Albaret Celeste Monsieur Proust
Albom Mitch Tuesdays With Morrie
Assorted Authors
Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism
Binyon T. J. Pushkin: A Biography
Bolles Richard Nelson What Color Is Your Parachute? 2005
Bourdain Anthony Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
Bugliosi & Gentry Vincent & Curt Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Butler Judith Gender Trouble
Capote Truman In Cold Blood
Clinton Hilary Rodham Living History
Clinton Hilary Rodham It Takes A Village
Collett Anne Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals
Cook Blanche Wiesen Eleanor Roosevelt
De Beauvoir Simone Second Sex, The
De Beauvoir Simone Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter
Denison Isak Out of Africa
Des Barres Pamela I'm With The Band
Didion Joan Year of Magical Thinking, The
Eggers Dave A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Ehrenreich Barbara Nickel And Dimed
Faludi Susan Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women
Fodor Eugene Selected Hotels of Europe
Ford Ford Madox Good Soldier, The
Franken Al Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Friedman Milton A Monetary History of the United States
Gibbon Edward History of the Decline & Fall of The Roman Empire, The
Gibson William Miracle Worker, The
Harvard Joe Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico (33 1/3 Series)
Hersh Seymour M. My Lai 4: A Report On The Massacre And Its Aftermath
Huffington Arianna Pigs At The Trough
Irvin Jim Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion, The
Johnson Spencer Who Moved My Cheese?
Kagan Donald Outbreak of the Peoponnesian War, The
Kagan Donald Peace of Nicias & The Sicilian Expedition, The
Kagan Donald Archidamian War
Kerouac Jack On The Road
Lee/Neil/Mars/Sixx
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
Lipton Lawrence Holy Barbarians, The
Macaulay David New Way Things Work, The
McCarthy Mary A Bolt From The Blue & Other Essays
McCarthy Mary Group, The
McNeill & McCain Legs and Gillian Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
Meyers Phillip Vanishing Newspaper, The
Milford Nancy Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Moore Barrington Social Origins of Dictatorship & Democracy: Lord & Peasant in the Making of the Modern World
Moore Michael Fahrenheit 9/11
Nietzche Fredrich Portable Nietzche, The
Pagels Elaine Gnostic Gospels
Plath Sylvia Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, The
Rubin M.D. Theodore Issac David and Lisa
Sherman Wiliam Tecumseh Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman
Sinker Daniel We Owe You Nothing - Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews (Edited)
Spinoza Baruch Ethics
Steves Rick Europe Through The Back Door, 2003
Suskind Ron The Price of Loyalty: George W Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill
Taylor Hobart Chatfield Moliere: A Biography
Thompson Hunter S. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Thompson Hunter S. Fear & Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72
Thurman Judith Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette
Tzu Sun Art of War, The
Vidal Gore The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000
Waldo Myra Myra Waldo's Travel & Motoring Guide To Europe
Weisberg Jacob George W Bushisms: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit & Wisdom of Our 43rd President
Woolf Thomas Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The
Wurtzel Elizabeth Bitch In Praise of Difficult Women


Rough Guide To Europe, The 2003 Edition


Compact Oxford English Dictionary, The


several biographies of Winston Churchill

Other

Allende Isabel House of the Spirits, The
Allende Isabel Eva Luna
Bloom Judy Gospel According To Judy Bloom, The
Brown Dan DaVinci Code, The
Bukowski Charles Notes of a Dirty Old Man
Davies Robertson Manticore, The
Dubus III Andre House of Sand And Fog, The
Ellis Bret Easton Less Than Zero
Erdrich Louise Love Medicine
Eugenides Jeffrey Virgin Suicides, The
Faber Michel Crimson Petal and the White, The
Farrell Henry What Happened To Baby Jane?
Foer Jonathon Safran Everything Is Illuminated
Gogol Nikolai Vasilevich Dead Souls
Goldman William Marathon Man
Grafton Sue R is For Richocet
Grafton Sue S is For Silence
Hathaway Katharine Butler Little Locksmith, The
Hornsby Nick High Fidelity
Kaysen Susanna Girl, Interrupted
Kennedy William J. Ironweed
King Stephen Cujo
King Stephen Shining, The
King Stephen Carrie
King Stephen Christine
King Stephen Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
Kohner Frederick Gidget
Lerner Alan Jay Brigadoon
Levin Ira Rosemary's Baby
Marquez Gabriel Garcia One Hundred Years of Solitude
McCourt Frank Angela's Ashes
McDonald Gregory Fletch
McEwan Ian Atonement
McMurtry Larry Terms of Endearment
Metalious Grace Peyton Place
Parker Dorothy Complete Stories
Powell Dawn Complete Novels/Novels 1930-1942
Powell Dawn Selected Letters of Dawn Powell
Pressfield Steven Legend of Bagger Vance, The
Puzo Mario Godfather: Book 1, The
Reger Roger Emily The Strange
Rilke Rainer Maria Letters to a Young Poet
Robert Henry Robert's Rules of Order
Segal Erich Love Story
Sexton Anne Complete Poems, The
Stein Joseph Fiddler On The Roof
Styron William Sophie's Choice
Susann Jacqueline Valley of the Dolls
Tan Amy Joy Luck Club, The
Toole John Kennedy A Confederacy of Dunces
Uhry Alfred Driving Miss Daisy
Webb Charles Graduate, The
Wells Rebecca Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The
Welty Eudora Collected Short Stories, The


Bhagava Gita, The

**************

I'm doing the Lorelei challenge (10 books, 3 levels). My books:

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
Atonement by Ian McEwan
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
1984 by George Orwell
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

I was going to read that book about The Velvet Underground, but I don't know what it is/can't find it :P But I LOVE VU! And I was also going to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- has anyone read it and liked it? I'm not sure, I might read it just for fun. Another that didn't make the cut was Swann's Way- I'm reading it, but no way would I EVER review it. There's a sure way to make me look like the biggest dork ever :P

Anyone else doing the challenge? It sounds really fun :)

Book review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher/Release Date: Harper Collins (March 2, 2010)
Pages: 480
Rating: * * * * */5
Summary: What if you had only 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: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day 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.

*************

I've put off my review of Before I Fall for a few days because I didn't have words to describe how much I loved it. Is it too early to declare this as my favorite book as 2010?

First off, the characters. They were horrible at first, and kind of hard toconnect with for me- I guess it's because I'm a geek and am nothing like people like the mean, pretty girl Sam and her friends were. But that quickly changed- I quickly felt more and more connected to them, despite how horrible they were, and kept hoping Sam could realize what terrible creatures he and her friends were, and could save herself, her friends- and Juliet. I liked Sam, not because she was a good person by any means, but because she told the truth, in a tone full of almost unsettling candidness. They were all very well-crafted, with plenty of detail- something you don't often see in a debut novel.

As to the plot, it was exciting, heart-racing and heart-breaking. It had something for everyone in it- romance, mystery, friendship and family, mystery, and teenage angst, all wrapped up in beautiful prose and tinged with fantasy and an almost supernatural element, with a satisfying, if heart-breaking, ending.

Speaking of the writing, it impressed me as well- unsettlingly and candidly, in a perfectly believable voice and tone, Sam reflected back in an almost wistful tone, with a slight sigh of regret to it, on her short life, her mistakes and regrets, on that final day- until, suddenly, we reach her death... and start all over the next morning. I loved seeing the choices Sam made each day she started over, seeing how the tiniest things, such as not being late- totally changed what was supposed to happen. Again, the writing was much more skilled that many debut novels.

"Before I Fall" is a haunting, heart-breaking, exciting and utterly worth reading new novel- buy it, I promise you won't regret it!

Many thanks to Lauren Oliver herself for giving me a complimentary review copy.

Hunger Games Book 3!

Hey everyone! So, you've probably already heard about this, but I haven't, and it's my blog, so I'm posting it and you're just gonna read it! *ahem* Sorry, another moment of power gone to the head.

Anyways, I just saw the new Hunger Games cover:




Huh. I was sure it was emerald green, for some reason. But I like the blue- very icy, and I like the title. I absolutely can't WAIT to see what happens in the end!

(Just for the record, I'm Team Katniss. Meant to put it on my sidebar :P)



(PS- does anyone know if I did a Catching Fire review? It's been a while... *cough*)

Teaser Tuesday: In A Heartbeat

Note: This excerpt is from an uncorrected advance proof, and may not be the same as the corrected, complete version.

I started reading In A Heartbeat last night- I am in love, I couldn't put it down! The writing flows like poetry, and this teaser is what I think is a good example of it.

For those of you that don't know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme in which people share excerpts from books they're currently reading- NO SPOILERS!

This is from page 6 of In A Heartbeart, by Loretta Ellsworth:

I think I'm dead. Really dead, as in no longer on Earth. I feel removed from my body, like a balloon that someone let loose and is floating up into the ozone. I try to push through it, but it's like pushing through water- more fog fills the gap. If I'm dead, I hope I don't have to stay here forever- I hate gray. I'm more of a purple person, like Grandma.
"Help!" I shout. no one answers. I feel alone and it scares me. I don't want to be here. I want to be back at home finishing my performance. Or at home in my bed, having a bad dream. Or even in the hospital, drugged up and hurt, with a bad headache, but still alive. The only thing keeping me from screaming is that my life is playing out in bits and pieces in front of me. You know how when people on TV die, their lives flash before their eyes? That's kind of how it is for me. Fragments of my life are laid out in front of me like a photo album. All I have to do is remember a moment and there it all is. Every detail!
Of course, right now all I can do is focus on the negative. Some things don't change with death. I'm starting with the last meal I ate, my own personal Last Supper.

Sorry that was kidn of long- I wanted all that included :P

Anyone Else Upset About This???

I know this is kind of odl news to some of you- I heard it months ago- but I just saw that HarperTeen confirmed that: a) Disney is directing it, and b) MILEY CIRUS is going to be the star.

Is there a person in the world approving of this? I love Wings, what I've read of it (the librarian saw it in my bag when it was way overdue and got all furious on me and said i had to give it back... eep!)- and as of late, I don't think Disney has been doing such a good job of their movies like this. And Miley Cirus? She can't act!
I'm sorry, but... NO.

What do you guys think? Pro, con, neutral? I jsut don't want to see this really excellent book not done justice to.