Books:

I've finished a few more books:

School's Out - Forever: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson was good, but I'm not too keen on the novel's teen-speak. I found Max a difficult character to love, but I know I missed a lot of backstory by starting with book two.

Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of animal fiction. I'm not a cat person either. Despite my affinity for dogs, I enjoyed Into the Wild (Warriors, Book 1) by Erin Hunter. I don't know if I could read the entire series, or the Seekers and Survivors offshoots, but Hunter is a talented storyteller. I understand her popularity and can appreciate her fanbase.

Shiver is a great read and offers a new take on werewolves. I really like Maggie Stiefvater's writing style and how poetry plays an integral role in her storytelling. Linger, her follow-on novel, is also well-written, but for me, its story is less captivating. Even so, I'm invested enough in the characters to read the third book, Forever.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams is a fantastic ride. At moments it reminds me of Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, but its story is unique. (I sure am glad to be a Topsoiler). There are several more books in the series, but my local library only has the first and fifth books.

I still want to read Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments Series, but I'm waiting for my turn to read the first book. I am currently reading Wildwood by Colin Meloy.

Books: Reading Plan

There's not a lot of room in our new apartment, so we've decided to place all of our books and large bookshelves in storage. We're going to make the most of the base library instead. As a family we're only allowed to check out ten books at a time, so we'll be visiting the library a lot.

I've decided to read all of the library's young adult and intermediate fiction, which is a few hundred books (to be read in three years). I've only just begun, but here's what I've read so far:

I really enjoyed Condie and Clare's books, and I'm anxious to read the rest of both series. Then again, I like dystopian and steampunk fiction (Clockwork Angel isn't strictly steampunk, but it does have some of its elements). Unfortunately, the base library doesn't have the other books. It does, however, have Clare's entire Mortal Instruments Series. I'll check those out next.

I wasn't as impressed with Marked. The character relationships didn't feel authentic. I'm not emotionally invested in any character, so I have little interest in continuing the series at present. But I'll try again later.

I think my reading plan is a good one, and I'll continue to post my progress here.