I couldn't resist this challenge!

I normally don't like to commit myself to challenges just for the fact that I feel like a failure if I don't complete them. Yes, call me a pessimist, but that's just the way I am. When I saw this challenge, however, there was no way I couldn't sign up. J. Kaye's 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge was just up my alley. As you all know, I'm a teen fiction addict and spend a lot of my time reading these books just because they're A:) fun and B:) easy reads. I feel there is no way I could possibly mess this one up.

If you'd like to join, just go to the link posted above and sign up. You don't have to have a book blog to join. Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

2. Read 12 Young Adult novels. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

3. Challenge begins January thru December, 2009.

4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

Easy enough, eh?

Here is my preliminary list. Since I change my mind extremely often, I figure this list will change several times over the year.

1. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

2. That Summer by Sarah Dessen

3. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

4. Killer by Sarah Shepard (Released July 2009)

5. The Clique by Lisi Harrison

6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins

7. Paper Towns by John Green

8. Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

9. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

11. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

12. Airhead by Meg Cabot

I Like You by Amy Sedaris

I've been a big fan of David Sedaris for a while now. Through his books, I've gotten a glimpse of his crazy sister Amy. I always like reading about her because she seems like the kind of person I would love to invite to a party. She's quirky, spontaneous, and a little crazy. That's just my style.

When I found out she wrote a hospitality/cooking/entertaining book, I just knew I had to read it. She starts off by writing, "This is not a joke cookbook." While I must say I laughed plenty of times while reading it, there is definitely some substance to this book. During the Christmas holidays I used quite a few of her recipes and people raved about them.

One of the recipes was "Tattletail's Vanilla Cupcakes" which is in the "And Rabbits" section of the book. She explains her outrageous idea of starting a business focused around her pet rabbit, Tattletail. They sell cupcakes, cheese balls, and other goodies. The idea is so crazy I just had to giggle. I made the cupcakes just as the recipe said and they turned out great. I didn't make my own frosting as she suggested, but bought the premade kind at the store. I iced those babies up, alternated green and red sugar sprinkles, and I must say they were devoured quite quickly. So yummy.


I also used 2 of her cheese ball recipes and took the balls to my mother's for Christmas. The one that most everyone enjoyed was the "Lil' Smoky Cheese Ball." It was very easy to make; just take shredded Gouda, cream cheese, butter, milk, steak sauce, and chopped nuts. Let me just tell you, that makes a gigantic cheese ball! There's nothing "Lil'" about it. The other cheese ball, "The Heavyset Cheese Ball," I made just for the novelty factor. You shape the cheese ball into a pine cone shape and use whole almonds in layers to make it look like a pine cone. Add rosemary garnish on the top and you're all set. While this cheese ball was also delicious, it is for a more adult pallet.


Heavyset Cheese Ball

While these are just a few that I've tried, there are so many other good recipes in this book. However, she doesn't just give great recipes but also plans out meals, tells you how to properly fill out invites, explains how to be a good guest (never go number 2 in someone's toilet), explains how to make a F*ck It Bucket, tells you how to entertain elderly people (I love how she used the huge font throughout this chapter), and gives you many uses for pantyhose.

If you're wanting to read a new hospitality book and want to laugh in the process, you'll love this book. It helped me remember that cooking and entertaining is supposed to be fun, not a hassle.

I made a lot of friends this year..

It's New Year's Eve and another year in reading is complete. While I would have, and probably COULD have, read more this year, here is my list:

BOOKS READ 2008
(In no particular order)
1. Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps by Allan Pease and Barbara Pease
2. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
3. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
4. The Bombshell Manual of Style by Laren Stover
5. Closing the Deal-Richard Kirshenbaum and Daniel Rosenberg
6. How to Set His Thighs on Fire by Kate White
7. Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes by Allan Pease and Barbara Pease
8. Bookends by Jane Green
9. Crazy In Alabama by Mark Childress
10. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
11. Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares
12. Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Finnamore
13. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
14. The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
15. Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson
16. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
17. The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
18. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
19. How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot
20. Navy Wife by Debbie Macomber
21. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
22. The Perfect Family by Carla Cassidy
23. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
24. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
25. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
26. Milk In My Coffee by Eric Jerome Dickey
27. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
29. America by Jon Stewart
30. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
31. god Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
32. Flawless by Sara Shepard
33. Perfect by Sara Shepard
34. Entertaining by Malcolm Hillier
35. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
36. The Other Woman by Jane Green
37. Long, Lean, and Lethal by Heather Graham
38. One For The Money by Janet Evanovich
39. Little Stories by Jeff Roberts
40. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
41. Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
42. Wicked by Sara Shepard
43. Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
44. More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
45. The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World by Carley Roney
46. I Like You by Amy Sedaris
47. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman


Looking back on this list makes me smile. While there weren't too many books I read this year that I can envision being classics one day, I did have a lot of fun with my reading. This past year for me was the year of the Twilight series, Pretty Little Liars, Memory Keeper's Daughter, Amy Sedaris, Marilyn Manson, Jane Green, weddings, and Stargirl. It's been pretty eclectic and all enjoyable. I hope next year brings me more great finds.

I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve and a fantastic 2009!

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
Ages: 10 and up
Release date: February 10, 2009

I just had the pleasure of reading a very unusual book. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman is a novel targeted towards readers 10 and up, which follows best friends Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher on their journey to discover the odd happenings of the deserted "Dredge" in their town. What makes this book unique is the fact that it's told in journal format, written by Ryan, and also allows the adamant reader a chance to go online and view videos sent to him by his friend Sarah. Since Ryan's accident in the Dredge, the friends are told by their parents to keep away from each other. Through email and video correspondence, which the reader gets to experience as well, they try to piece together the mystery behind the abandoned dredge.

I had quite a bit of fun reading this book. I flew through it very quickly because I was so eager to get to the next video. There's something captivating about being able to watch this scary story/mystery unfold before your eyes and feeling like you're learning and seeing things as the characters are.

If Mr. Carman's hope was to find a new way for young readers to enjoy reading, I think he's found it. While I'm fond of the old "use your imagination" type of reading, I agree that this style of book will find a fan base. With technology advancing so quickly, more young readers are choosing the computer over a book, and this is a nice medium. My younger self would easily have fallen in love with this book, and would be anticipating a sequel (which I sure hope Mr. Carman is going to do).

I would suggest anyone that is looking for a change of pace, to pick this book up and give it a go. You'll have a blast reading/watching it. This I promise you.

**If you'd like to get more of a feel of the book, I suggest visiting http://www.skeletoncreekisreal.com.

Tons of excitement!!

So much has happened since the last time I've updated. I feel like I have a world of news to share with you all. I'd like to start with the Christmas Swap! After coming home for lunch today, I noticed that there was a package waiting for me in the mailbox. I was pretty curious about it because it was a big parcel and I wasn't expecting any big books from bookmooch any time soon. I completely forgot the fact that I should be expecting a package from a book blogger for the Christmas swap. I guess with everything that has been happening recently, it has completely left my mind. Needless to say, I was extremely surprised to see that Lisa had sent me Book Lust and More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl.

I'm not sure if Lisa just took a guess and knew that as a book lover I would adore these books, or if by some kind of Christmas magic she found out that I have had these two books on my wishlist for quite a while now. Either way, I was thrilled to death to get them. Besides the "other" gift I got recently from boyfriend (which I will mention below), this has been my favorite Christmas gift so far! Thank you so much Lisa, you're a doll! I hope you have an "old-fashioned Christmas" as well.

Now on to my next nugget of news....I'm engaged! A week or so ago, boyfriend just couldn't wait to give me my Christmas present. After asking him several times if he was sure he wanted me to open it now, I obliged and tore open the box. Inside the box was an envelope with a card taped on the inside. At the end of the card he wrote, "I never want to lose you. Close your eyes and face me." I asked him if I had to close my eyes and he quickly replied, "Yes!" When I opened my eyes, he was on his knees with a ring in his hands. "Will you marry me?" Needless to say, I was a complete mess. I'm pretty sure I cried for 5 minute before answering yes. I'm a baby, I know. I have never been so happy about anything in my life. Oh...I'm sure you'd like to see the ring.

It's so beautiful on its own, but even more so because he put his heart into picking it out for me. So that explains why I've been a bit MIA. Most of my time over the last week has been reading this wedding book I picked up at Target the day I got engaged (I just couldn't help it). As you can see, I already have it stuffed full of print-outs, post-its, and random wedding papers. It's funny how fast the wedding madness can engulf you.

I hope all is well with you all, dear readers. This time of year is one to just enjoy the "warmness" of the season. Enjoy the cheesy Christmas songs, the great old timey movies, and spend time with the ones you love. I hope you all have an "old-fashioned Christmas filled with happy traditions." :)

Wicked by Sara Shepard

**SOME SPOILERS-BEWARE**


Wicked is the latest installment in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. After the fourth novel in the series, Unbelievable, I was a little worried about where the plot line was going to go. I mean, they found out who A was, and they apparently found out who murdered Ali. However, I was pretty suspicious about who they pegged as the killer. Knowing that Shepard intends to write 8 novels in this series, I just have a feeling that the murderer isn't who we think it is.

In Wicked we have a new A, and I have absolutely no clue who it is (it also took me a while to find out who the first A was). So now I'm scratching my head and back in the same situation I was in before. Some part of me was mad at Shepard for putting me back in this situation, and another part was a little disappointed that this series didn't end with Unbelievable. Everything was wrapped up, and now I feel like Shepard and Alloy books are just trying to milk the series.

With that being said, I must admit that these books are so addicting and I can honestly say that I will probably buy and read the rest of the series. The next book, Killer, is due out in July 2009. If you're a fan of young adult fiction, and enjoy suspenseful reads then I suggest, once again, that you all look into this series.

Spiraling...

Things just seem to be getting out of control. I haven't had the strength or energy to update lately for several reasons. My mind has been flooded with heavy thoughts about my life and where it's going. I turned 24 on November 28, and I guess you could say I'm having a bit of a quarter-life crisis. It's just a bit of a funk and I'm sure I'll be out of it in a few days.

I've also been a little under the weather the past week. It all started when I ate some bad BBQ from a local restaurant here which left me with a terrible stomach ache for the past few days.

Then there is Dewey. Like many other bloggers, I'm still not quite over her passing. It's a sad thing to have happened and I find myself thinking of her and her family often. Her death has been a shock to my system and has in a way affected my blogging. However, I have found by reading other book blogs that so many people were inspired by her, and as a result, tons of people have rallied together to make sure her projects continue to live on. In times like this, that is nice to see.

Sorry for the "blah" post. Regardless of what has happened in the past week, I have continued to keep my head in a book. I find it's the best way to clear my head and relax. When life is crazy, pick up a book.