Thursday, August 25, 2011

Recent Reads Recap

In an effort to fill the little hole in my heart since leaving Paris in June, I've been doing a lot of reading at home.  I did a good amount of that abroad, of course, but being home for the summer gives me time to catch up on my "fun" reading.  I got a bunch of books from a friend shortly after I got back, visited the library a few times (speaking of, I really need to go again soon... withdrawals?), had my birthday (more books from the aforementioned friend), visited Borders after their closing announcement, and going through my bookshelf as well as previous piles of books donated by my very generous friend (Sandy; have I told you lately how much I adore you?!).

...  I would try to get more, because that's just how I am, but with everything I've gotten recently, there really is no immediate need.

So, if I've been doing all this reading, then...  Where are the reviews? xD

Apparently, me reviewing is like me running.  Once I get into the habit, I'm good to go.  Last summer I ran five (sometimes six) days a week, and it was lovely.  I'm not even much of a runner (that's my brother).  Still, it was enjoyable and once I made it into a regular thing, I wanted to do it all the time!

...  Then I went on vacation.  What a derailer!

Anyway, now that I'm getting back into running (and planning on keeping it up throughout the semester), it's time to really get back into reviewing.  I picked it up for a reason, didn't I?

So, for the sake of commencement, here is what I've read over the past few weeks:
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
- Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
- Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- Wither by Lauren Destefano
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
... and surely some others.

I attempted to read Matched by Ally Condie, but I didn't get very far, as I'm feeling very "dystopianed-out" right now.  Then I tried switching over to The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, but wasn't feeling it at the time.  Those are both titles I've been meaning to read and will eventually get back to.

As for Harry Potter...  Well, I just like rereading the series.  I'm nearly done with the second book right now.  Now that I'm much older, I love reading the earlier books: it's like starting over.  There are so many little details that have just been lost in my mind for the past several years.  I've read the fifth, sixth, and seventh books much more recently (since I was still in high school when they were published), but I was so young when I started at the beginning.  It's been nice revisiting Harry's world, especially since the final movie was released.

I plan on referring back to this list in the future so that I can finally review the books I did finish.  I really do like recording my thoughts; I just wish I could devote more time to doing so.

Thanks for reading!