October Update

Hey everyone!

It's been hard for me to post lately since I'm so busy with school, but I had a little time today so I thought I'd update you. I figured I'd tell you the books that I've read in the past month (not many) and what I'm currently reading and sometime soon I'll hopefully give you a review on those books.

So I have read

Among School Children
12th of Never
Warriors Don't Cry
Black Notice

And I'm currently reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.

Hopefully I'll come back with reviews soon.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Sad news

Hey everybody!
I come bearing sad news. So, it's been really hard keeping up with my reading and I barely post anymore because I'm so behind. And school had been so overbearing and I have to read school books that don't fit in with my letters. So I think this is going to now be a more casual thing where I'll post my reviews here every once and a while when I finish a book and if it fits into an animal name then YAY! But if not I still read it.

In happy news, I just got my copy of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Can't wait to read it. I also, just wrote a short story that I would like to post on here when it's more fine tuned.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Aunt Jane's Hero

So I just read Aunt Jane's Hero by Elizabeth Prentiss. I would give you a summary of it but I don't really know what the whole plot was. It had a lot to do with converting to Christianity.

Z
E
B
R
Aunt Jane's Hero
S

I start reading this book thinking it's going to be an easy read, but man that was painful. There was no storyline, yes the characters were the same throughout the book but I had no idea what was going on. It obviously didn't flow since there wasn't much of a storyline and it would make huge jumps. For example, talking about two characters getting married and the next minute they had a two year old. Where did their baby come from? It just appeared. A BIG issue was there was at least 10 mistakes a page. 10!!! Seriously, figure out how to spell. A lot of this problem though could be because it was a Kindle book but feel was spelt feci, I don't know anyone who spells feel like that. I'm a religious person in general and if you're not don't read this book. It was all about converting to Christianity and finding Christ. I guess it had a good message if you could understand it. It definitely challenged what I thought as my religion. Also, the title made no sense, no place in the book did they talk about Aunt Jane's Hero. Finally, the ending. I won't give anything away but the ending was not meant to be part of this book, it was like it was taken out of another book and slapped in there.I do not recommend this book, but if you want to give it a try, all the more power to you.

So, starting in September I'm going to review some old books I've read that won't count towards this challenge, just so my posts aren't so spaced out.

I'm going to read Angela's Ashes next.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

And the Mountains Echoed

Hey everyone! I was a little unattached from the world for a while. I went on a trip to West Virginia and Virginia. Well, I got a lot of reading done and finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. This book was about family ties and how poverty and war can change the connection that a family bears.

J
And the Mountains Echoed
C
K
A
L

This was an excellent book. This book was such a powerful book and Hosseini's word choice definitely played a part in that. This book truly shows how words can impact. This book showed the bonds between family members and how strong they can be, which was another piece that made the book more powerful because we've all felt strain between family members and how much love for family members we have and this really made the book more relate-able. I loved the glimpses of the characters background, when you only got a little bit at a time. One thing that was a little confusing was the timeline, there were points that it wasn't clear if it was a flashback or not. Also, there were a lot of extra characters that I felt didn't need to be included, they didn't add anything to the story. With these extra stories it felt like a lot of short stories that sort of connected to each other. It was almost like he took the most round-about way to get to the end just to add pages. This was one of the best books I've read for this challenge so far. Since I'm very close to my family, I really felt for the family in this book. I highly recommend this book.

I'm going to now read Aunt Jane's Hero.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Along for the Ride

Sorry I didn't update you guys, but I started and finished Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. I think for the time being I'm just going to give up on All Enemies, sorry :( . Along for the Ride is a teen Chic Lit book about a girl who is academically inclined and who didn't have much of a childhood. She goes to visit her father for the summer before going off to college and finds something she wasn't expecting.

G
O
R
I
L
L
Along for the Ride
S

Next to Stephen King, Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. I found this book was a guessing game. Although, it was a typical teen plot and somewhat predictable at the beginning I was playing the "Guess What Will Happen Next" game. Sarah Dessen is like the female version of Nicholas Sparks. This book followed the guidelines to a good book. First, the chapters and breaks in chapters ended with a powerful sentence or a cliff hanger to make you want to keep reading. Second, I could really feel for the characters. When the main character was nervous, I was definitely nervous. I also, got very frustrated at the main character, which like I always say is the key to a good book. At the end of the book, I got very worried that things weren't actually going to work out the way I wanted it to. There were a few nit-picky things about the book. First, the main character had a few beers throughout the book and I found it weird that the alcohol didn't affect her when it was clear she had never had any alcohol before. Second, there were a few swears throughout the book and I understand it's a book for teens but swears ether need to be cut out completely or like full on. The ones that were in the book seemed out of place because that wasn't really the type of writing style that was used. Finally, the cover was very misleading. I know, I know, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but seriously. This cover made the book look like it would be about some girl who has it all and isn't socially awkward, and honestly I think that would turn away a reader. If I didn't absolutely love Sarah Dessen I might not have read it due to the cover. It turned out to be a really good book, and if you're into teen Chic Lit, read this book. It's an excellent beach and summer read.

I'm going to read And The Mountains Echoed. Since, it's a new book I hope you haven't become jaded of reviews about the book.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Angel Sister

Yay! I made it to 1000 pageviews!! Anyway on book related topics, I finished Angel Sister by Ann Gabhart. This book takes place in the 1930's when a little girl is dumped off at the local church, the church has to decide what they think is best for this little girl.

K
Angel Sister
N
G
A
R
O
O

So I really liked this book, at first it was very jumpy and a little confusing but it smoothed out. This book has flashbacks which I love in books because I get part of the characters' past. Gabhart also nicely tied together three generations which was awesome to see how the different generations felt on certain topics. I was surprised at how much religion was intertwined in this book, there was a lot of quoting the Bible and the big question "Do you believe in God?" came up A LOT. So, if you're not into religion I wouldn't suggest this book. I had such a nervous feeling reading this book because I felt for the characters and I was nervous for certain ones. I had such wide range of emotions reading this book. One night I was sobbing, the next I was so angry at the book. This book is radiating with so much hate and tension you could cut it with a butter knife. There were even a few Romeo and Juliet type romances in the flashbacks. I related to the character Kate the most, she and I definitely share the same personality and character traits. I don't think this book closed nicely, I think relationships were left of hanging I didn't like it and I don't think justice was served. There is another book after this one but the ending didn't make you feel like you needed to read it.

So, I'm going to try to read All Enemies again, but I may come back to you soon with a back-up book.

And thanks to all of you for sticking with me!

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Stuck

Hey! So the book All Enemies by Robert Hugh McCauley, is the father of friend of mine from high school. My friend was adopted from Russia and was part of the inspiration for this book. It's a very political book with many technical terms and right now I'm having a hard time focusing on reading it especially since I'm not really a political person. I feel like it's important for me to read this book because it's written by someone I know and I want to diversify (real word?) the genres that I'm reading and broaden my horizons. So I promise by the end of this challenge I will have read this book, but right now it's too much. I'm going to read a book called Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart and hopefully soon I'll finish All Enemies.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Hey everyone! I just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, which I'm counting only as on book. Sorry, it took me a lot longer than it should have. I've been so busy and sick lately. But this is a classic story most people have read about a little girl who gets lost in this crazy mixed up world and comes in contact with many different creatures.

Angels and Demons
R
M
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
D
I Am Legend
L
L
O

So I had never read this book before and I really wish that I had, but better late than never. This is definitely a book I will read again and again and to my children. The chapters are short so it makes it a quick read. Carroll is truly a clever writer to be able to create this world is crazy and twisted and exactly opposite of ours, which makes it so much fun and you can really escape reality in this book. The creatures were brilliant and so like the whole story so creative, and the descriptions were so well done you could really see what he was talking about. It's also funny, which it's hard to get an adult to laugh a children's book. I thought it was funny how everything was taken very literally, something that doesn't happen now a days because we don't say what we mean. I liked how there were real poems in there, not just ones Carroll wrote. I found myself forgetting I was in Wonderland and not in Oz. The characters and worlds are so similar. If you have never read it, go out and buy a copy and start right away. Such a good book.

My next book is a book called All Enemies, which was written by an old friend's dad. I'll give some more background in a later post. Also, I'll be writing a statistics post later this week.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Angels and Demons

I promise I haven't abandoned you. I just finished Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. This is a great mysterious, suspenseful book about a Harvard symbologist who is called to help find a murderer who is suspected to be part of an underground organization that was thought long deceased.

Angels and Demons
R
M
A
D
I Am Legend
L
L
O

I love this book. It is a quick read because the chapters are shorter and the book is so captivating. It is so creative and the book really comes to life when Brown uses real life references to statues and building that are still standing. As I was reading this I started remembering bits and pieces but I think my knowledge of this book and The Da Vinci Code kind of blurred together because parts of the book I thought were in the other book were in this one and vice versa. Even though I have read this book before, it was a long enough time span that the book was still fairly unpredictable. There are so many twists and turns throughout the book. Dan Brown had to be very knowledgeable about history, religion, and science to write this book. It was truly a work of genius.It is a good idea when reading this book to have Google open at all times. I used it a lot, especially to look up certain sculptures and buildings referenced in the book. It was nice also to do some extra research on Christian rules and the underground group that resurfaced.

I'm going to read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as one book.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

I Am Legend

I finished I Am Legend by Richard Matheson last night. I was unaware, until I started reading, that this had short stories along with the story "I Am Legend". This book includes, "I Am Legend", "Buried Talents", "The Near Departed", "Prey", "Witch War", "Dance of the Dead", "Dress of White Silk", "Mad House", "The Funeral", "From Shadowed Places", and "Person to Person". All of these stories had some kind of supernatural element to them. I need to start a new word, since none of my current words have any "I"s in them:

A
R
M
A
D
I Am Legend
L
L
O

This book was amazing! I really liked it and it was a quick read. My favorite stories were "I Am Legend" and "Prey" both of these had excellent concepts and they were written so well. My least favorite though was "Dance of the Dead", not that it wasn't well written I just wasn't a fan of the concept. All of the stories ended with a cliff hanger ending that made you think, which is a really nice ending when you aren't obligated to read another book to find out. It just makes you think. Since most of the stories were really short, I didn't really take notes of criticism or praise. I did take notes for "I Am Legend" though since it was longer. It flowed nicely and all the other stories did as well. I thought that vampires were stupider, but I guess I've been watching too many zombie things and just assumed that all undead creatures were dumb. I was wrong. It's scary to think that this could actually happen and the way he wrote it made it seem possible.

So now I'm going to do things a little differently. Since I don't know what to read next, I'm going to start with "A" and work my way down the alphabet, for the most part. I'm going to read Angels and Demons (hence why I chose ARMADILLO to start). I read this book six years ago, when I was just getting back into reading. So, it will be nice to read it now that I'm older and appreciate it more.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Angel in a Fur Coat

I'm back! I didn't think I'd be back so soon, but I was closer the end than I expected. Angel in a Fur Coat by Cynthia Enuton is a cute book about how angels go through training to become dogs and help humans. This is the first book in a series of three following a little angel named Sparky through training. That leaves me with three letters left in ELEPHANTS:

Ender's Game
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
Angel in a Fur Coat
Narrative of Fredrick Douglass
Two Towers (The)
S

I started reading this book because unfortunately I can't read in the car and I had a three hour car ride ahead of me. I had this book on my Kindle and, although its a very robotic voice, my Kindle will read it to me. This is nice so I can read on long rides. There isn't much to say about this book really. It's harder reading children's books as an adult because it's meant to be simple for children to read, but you also notice little details and appreciate it more. This book was definitely made for children. Putting that aside, it was a very cute story fit for younger children. It had a great concept behind it and this crazy, little dog could make her way into any reader's or dog lover's heart. I didn't like the ending because it basically forces you to read the next book. There's not much else to say other than it was a pretty good book for what it was and was very cute.

I am going to start I Am Legend in memory of Richard Matheson.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Xenocide

Hey everyone!

I'm writing this post during the commercial breaks of Under the Dome! :) So exciting!!!
But anyway, I finished Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, the third book in the Ender's Game series. This book is a science fiction book continuing on the fight for a planet called Lustiania and against the ever morphing descolada virus. I have now finished my "X"s.

Xenocide
E
N
O
P
S

I think I've gotten better at analyzing and reviewing books but we'll see what you think. This book was a little bit different than the other two books. This book was very philosophical and more science-y and religious than the other two books. You really have to focus on what you're reading in order to understand what's going on and even then the it's such an abstract concept that it's hard to grasp. Card had to really think out of the box for this book, it was crazy. This book had a lot of plot holes and it jumped around a lot. Although it's nice a few old characters return, I don't think it's necessary. I didn't feel any frustration with this book. Maybe a little but not enough to make me get up and pace. There wasn't really any excitement either. Similar to the first two books, there's some mature content. This series has really gone down hill and I'm going to wait to read the next book for a while. The only reason I'm reading the next book is because the ending of this book made me feel like I need to continue, it doesn't tie things nicely. The first book was the only book that tied things nicely at the end and didn't make you feel like you needed to read the next book.

I'm almost one with this cute book called Angels in a Fur Coat. After I finish that I'm going to read I Am Legend in memorium of the late Richard Matheson.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Frustration and Excitement but Mainly Frustration

I say this a lot, but I wanted to reiterate this point. If a book makes you feel so frustrated you have to walk away, it is a very well written book. If it makes you feel frustrated but you can handle it and keep reading, it's a good book. If you feel no frustration, it is not very well written and might not be worth reading. That's a way I judge my books and how I rate them. It's important to have some feelings when reading a book and I personally think frustration or anger is the most important because the author is getting to you. The other most important emotion is excitement, the excitement to move on with the book, or when you squeal with excitement at something that just happened.

Just some food for thought.
Mackenzie

Add On

Hey everyone!

I'm adding a little extra project to my reading challenge. I added an "s" to every animal, except the animals that need "es"s. Just thought I'd give myself a little extra challenge, if I have time for it.

Also, I'm going to be changing the way I review books. I'm going to give a short, non-spoiler alert summary because I feel like just giving you a review doesn't do much.

Happy reading!

Mackenzie

Happiness Project Revisted

As I promised, I have created my own Happiness Project blog. I will probably blog more frequently on there just because there is more to keep people updated on. So if you read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and would like to read another as I go through all the toils and snares of life, feel free to follow my other blog as well and get a look into my life beyond books. Follow the link below and keep reading!



My Happiness Project


Thank you!
Mackenzie

Under the Dome

What a birthday present, I finished this monster of a book and boy do I have a lot to say about it. But first,

B

Under the Dome

Confessions of a Mask

K

Okay, where to start, where to start with Under the Dome by Stephen King. This book is full of twists and turns.It was nice that in the beginning of the book it had a map and list of characters and relationships, it was a nice touch. I love Stephen King's writing style and this concept was so fully developed and creative. I like how he puts a lot of references from his other books in this book and also a lot of real world references, it really ties the book to our world and makes it seem like there is a possibility of this happening. My only problem is with Stephen King's endings, I'm not always left satisfied and if you read this book you'll know what I mean. I just wish there was more justice. There were a lot of characters I forgot I didn't like at the beginning and then liked at the end and vice versa. There were a lot of times I got so mad at this book that I couldn't read it for hours, but it was a good frustration, and that feeling always happens in good books.This was an awesome book, that tied all loose ends by the book, I highly, highly, highly recommend it. It also made me appreciate the air I breathe more.

I plan on continuing with Xenocide, sorry for the delay.

Keep reading!

Mackenzie

Check In

Hey everybody!
So I just wanted to do a little bit of check-in so I don't leave all of you completely in the dark. I'm still only about a quarter of the way through Xenocide, I haven't been reading it much due to my assignment of reading Under the Dome. I am halfway through the book, which means I have been reading, on average, twice as many pages a day, than I said I would. It's an excellent book and I hope to finish it within the next week or so.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

My First Assignment!

I have received my first assignment, so I'm putting Xenocide aside for the time being because this assignment has a time limit. A friend of mine asked me to read Under the Dome before the TV series starts at the end of June. So I started that last night and I'm not a fast reader but if I read 30 pages a day I'll finish in time. I'm determined to finish it in time for my friend. If you have any suggestions of what I should read, let me know!

Also, I have reached 500 page views! Yay!

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Procrastination Station

I'm writing this post as an apology, I'm such a procrastinator. Well, I usually procrastinate before doing my homework by reading, but I also procrastinate when I'm reading. When I get towards the end of a book, I procrastinate because I don't want it to end. When I start a book (shocker) I procrastinate because I'm not quite ready to let the last one go. That's what I'm dealing with right now. I'm about 50 pages in, I'm trying, I swear.

Keep reading! And don't procrastinate like me!
Mackenzie

Speaker for the Dead

I finished Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card last night.I think I'll put that in OCTOPUS.

O
C
T
O
Palestine
U
Speaker for the Dead

There is a lot I have to say about this book. First, I'm not really sure if I liked this book or not. I'm pretty sure I did but I'm still kind of on the fence. I saw a lot more positive reviews than negative which made me feel good going into it. The beginning of the book was really confusing and I wasn't quite sure how it all fit together but after the first few chapters it started to make sense. Then there was the whole idea that this is also a children's book, but again there are so many complex and mature subjects that children shouldn't be learning about so early. My niece is an advanced reader going into third grade and this is something she would want to read but I probably wouldn't let her (partially because she isn't my own child and her mom would be in the awkward situation of explaining). Also, the vocabulary was so rich and more advanced than I would have expected. There were times when I had to look up a few words. But I did like the concept of this book, it was a lot more mellow than the last book and there were times it brought me to tears. This book brings science fiction alieny stuff together with murder mystery. It's fun trying to figure out what's going on in this town full of secrets. I would say this isn't as good as Ender's Game but it still is a very good book. This book was actually meant to be the original book and Ender's Game was the prequel, but Ender's Game became much more popular.

My original intentions of reading this series was so I could get to Xenocide because I needed another "X", little did I know I would get completely sucked into Ender's world and all the characters he comes in contact with. Xenocide is a little bit longer (and by a little bit I mean 200 pages) than the last two books so it might take me a little bit longer to read but I will try my best to get it done in a timely fashion. I have Relay for Life this weekend so I'm not sure how much reading I'll get done but I will try my hardest.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

James Patterson

I have many favorite authors and James Patterson is in my top 5, especially his Women's Murder Club Series. As you can imagine, I was very excited when I finally got 12th of Never (it came a little late because it had to be forwarded to my new address). I have now run into a little bit of a problem. 12 is not a letter in the alphabet and I don't want to wait until after I finish this challenge to read this book. What do you propose I do? Maybe it should be a bonus read? Or maybe use the first letter of the title? Let me know what you think I should do.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

P.S. I apologize for any missing e's in my post, I'm missing the e key on this keyboard.

Decisions, decisions

So I've decided to read Speaker for the Dead the 2nd book in the Ender Wiggin series. That's all for now.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Ender's Game

I have finished the 13th book for this challenge! Yay! So I just finished Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card this morning. That means I'm more than halfway done with ELEPHANT

Ender's Game
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
A
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass
Two Towers (The)

4 of 5 stars

 So occasionally I will read some reviews (without spoilers) before I read the book. This book I decided to read the reviews while I was in the middle of the book and almost all of them were bad, the most I saw it get was three stars. I thought it deserved better. A lot of the reviews were written by adults reviewing a children's book and I think that's where the problem lies, that these adults don't have the mindset of a child when going into this book. But overall, I thought it was an excellent book. I gave it four stars. The pros of this book were it was quick and easy to read and it had a very good story line. I'm a sucker for sci-fi and it's quite possible that this is what will happen to our world eventually. I had one problem with the book. It's a children's book but there were some situations that were a lot more mature than I thought should be included in a children's book. There were also quite a few swears throughout the book, most commonly used was "bastard". There were just some things in there that I felt didn't need to be put in and the book would still have the same effect. Also, the end was very anti-climatic, there could have been a lot more build up, but it is was it is and it was an overall good book. With most books there were a lot of times I had to get up and walk away from the book because I was so frustrated with what the characters were doing, but that's what makes a good book. A book that makes you feel something towards it.

I haven't decided whether to go onto Speaker of the Dead the second book of this six book series or Return of the King the final LOTR book. I will let you know soon what my choice is. As always let me know if you have an opinion on any book I read or if you have any suggestions of books I should read.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Two Towers

At last! I have finished The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm almost done with ELEPHANT and by almost done I mean like almost half.

E
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
A
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass
Two Towers (The)

I know it took me forever to read this book but honestly I really enjoyed this book. It started off on an exciting note with a battle so the first part of the book was really exciting and most of the book was really engaging, with a few slow parts in between that was basically travelling. It was overall a good book and I personally absolutely love Sam. I like how these books end and begin with exciting events which is because it was originally meant to be one book. Although, middle books are hard it was still well written and Tolkien  finds thrilling events to put in the story to keep it going. But again there was the lack of female characters. I'm pretty sure there were none in this book at all. But anyway, I plan on watching the movie after finals are over next week.

I'm now reading Ender's Game and then I'll probably read Return of the King.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Just an update

Hey everyone! So I just wanted to give you an update. Its been a quick, busy few weeks since I last posted. I have finals coming up so I've been preparing for those. My sister had get confirmation today, so we had a nice little party. And on a sad note, I'm close to Boston so its also been a sad few weeks as well. But you're probably curious as to what I've decided to read, well I'm almost done with The Two Towers. I picked it up again when I couldn't decide what to read, and I have gotten through it fairly quickly. So if you have any suggestions on what I should read next, feel free to leave a comment.

Until then...
Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Confessions of a Mask

I also finished Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima today, so you get a bonus post.

I guess we'll start:

B
U
Confessions of a Mask
K

This book was such a sick, twisted story. It was very well written and flowed smoothly but the main character was very disturbing, more at the beginning of the book than at the end. The author uses so much detail and really paints a picture for you and it is so well written. Mishima also writes with big emphasis on the five senses. The main character, Kochan, becomes really confusing in the middle of the book and I couldn't follow his thinking easily. Other than that it was a really good book but it's not for the faint heart or those who get easily offended.

I'm not sure what I'll be reading next but I will let you know when the time comes. Also, if you want to see what books I've read in the past or am currently reading (in case I forget to mention it again) friend me on Goodreads. Here's the link:
Goodreads profile

Happy reading everyone!
Mackenzie

Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass

I read Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass as Written by Himself for my history class, and it was short notice so I didn't tell you in advance.

E

L

E

Persepolis (The Complete)

Happiness Project (The)
A
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass

T

This book was very inspiring. What Fredrick Douglass and all other slaves went through is horrible. I was very impressed with this book because the book is written eloquently and by a slave, it was just very impressive that a slave could have so much motivation to learn to read and write. His story is truly inspiring and I highly recommend it.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Stats

So I thought today I would give you an update with all of the animals and add in all the books I have read so you can get a sense of how far into this I am.

A
R
M
A
D
I
L
L
O

B
U
C
K

C
O
B
R
A

D
I
N
G
O

E
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
A
N
T

Funniest Cop Stories Ever (The)
E
N
N
E
Chemist (The)
Fellowship of the Ring (The)
O
X-It

G
O
R
I
L
L
A

Hobbit (The)
E
D
G
E
H
O
G

I
G
U
A
N
A

J
A
C
K
A
L

K
A
N
G
A
R
O
O

L
I
O
N

M
O
N
K
E
Y

N
A
R
W
H
A
L

O
C
T
O
Palestine
U
S

Perks of Being a Wallflower
E
A
C
O
C
K

Q
U
A
I
L

R
A
V
E
N

S
N
A
K
E

T
U
R
K
E
Y

U
R
C
H
I
N

V
U
L
T
U
R
E

W
H
A
L
E

X
E
N
O
P
S

Y
A
K

Z
E
B
R
A

That's eight books I've read so far. Not too bad. I have no letter F's anymore, I have one P and one X left and I have five animals started. Now I want your opinion, should I try to finish it letter by letter (read all A's then B's, etc.) or should I finish it word by word (Finish ELEPHANT, then FENNECFOX, etc). Let me know what you think

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Happiness Project

I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin earlier today. Yay, finally!

E
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
A
N
T

So before I started reading this book my sister told me she didn't like this book and to make sure that I am happy as I'm reading this. I can't really judge that statement since I suppose I was relatively happy when I was reading it, so just a warning. There were a few sections of the book that I can't relate to yet, ex. marriage, children, but it was still interesting to read. This is a book that I will definitely go back and read over and over so I can milk every piece of advice out of it. Also, if you don't want to start your own happiness project there are definitely a lot of simple easy tips that you can use on a daily basis that will take up a minimal amount of time. Overall, I thought it was a fairly good book, and to state the obvious, especially if you want to find happiness or appreciate appreciate the happiness you already have.

I will be starting a happiness project but not until June, and I will blog about it, so if you want you can follow me to that one as soon as it starts.

I am now reading Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima, the final book for my literature class.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Jamilti and Other Stories Part II

Okay, so Jamilti and Other Stories by Rutu Modan took me an hour to read. It's a book full of short comics. There isn't much to say about this book, it was good and the drawings were excellent (it was nice that most were in color). The stories were quick and for short stories with barely any words to a page they usually created a nice story. In comic books generally, I love the subtle details of the pictures that add so much to the text if you notice them and I felt like this book did this successfully. I didn't like it as much as the last two graphic novels I read for this class because there wasn't a full story line throughout the book and I liked how the other two were true stories. On a side note, the last story reminds me of Misery by Stephen King (one of my favorite books), in a very vague way.

I will probably be writing a post later with my review of The Happiness Project, just as a heads up.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Jamilti and Other Stories

So I am again reading two books. In addition to The Happiness Project I am also reading Jamilti and Other Stories, which is for my literature class. Since there isn't much writing in this graphic novel I'm not counting it for the challenge but I will still write a review here.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Questions

So I've been trying to post more often. So today I'm going to ask you guys if you have any questions that you want me to answer. Please comment with one or more questions if you have any.

I am so close to being finished with The Happiness Project. Soon.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

What do you read?

So I personally will read anything that is put in front of me, but my favorite authors are Jodi Picoult and Stephen King, to name only two. But my question for you tonight, is what kind of books do you like to read and/or who are some of your favorite authors?

Night all!
Mackenzie

100 pageviews!

So I know it's not a lot, but I made it to 100 pageviews! Woohoo! This is pretty exciting. Also, I have bronchitis and won't be going anywhere for a few days which means I can get caught up on reading. Yay! And on a random side note, In addition to being a book worm I am also a theater geek, and I saw Les Miserables last night, the play not the movie, and it was fantastic! I went against my normal rules and saw the movie and the musical before I read the book, and now I really want to read the book but probably not for during this challenge just because it is soooooooo long. But anyway, I'm off to get some rest and do a little reading.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Hey guys!
Sorry, I haven't posted I was on vacation this weekend, which means that I forgot to mention that I started and finished reading Perks of Being a Wallflower. So I have used up all the p's and f's in my alphabet. Finishing Perks of Being a Wallflower gives me:

Perks of Being a Wallflower
E
A
C
O
C
K

So this book was incredibly good. Definitely as good as everyone tells me it is. It is a very singular and intimate book. What I mean by that is, that it is written in letter form to a person who doesn't know who the main character is, so as opposed to a diary, the main character, Charlie, isn't worried about being found out or having his diary found, so he can be very open with this person. It singles the reader out as if they're the person receiving the letters. This book does show you what high school is about and how fitting in isn't always easy, although most of us know that by now. It gives insight to the unwritten initiation into high school. Overall, this book should be on a must read list for most people. It may sound like the "typical" book for a teen, but it's so much more than that.

Another note: I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I've paused reading The Two Towers. I'm just losing steam with it. I'll definitely come back to it before this challenge is over. But I am reading The Happiness Project, and I think I may start my own happiness project, but I'll keep you posted on that.

Ta-ta for now!
Mackenzie

Palestine

So I have finished Palestine by Joe Sacco. That gives me

O
C
T
O
Palestine
U
S

That means I have started four animals started, hopefully I can finish one soon. So since I just read The Complete Persepolis which is also a graphic novel, I'll compare them a bit. At first I like The Complete Persepolis  better but as I got further into the book I decided that I like Palestine better. I think maybe because I got more point of views in Palestine but it's hard to say. In Palestine, the drawings were definitely better and more detailed, but in both books the drawings carried so much meaning, which is very important. A lot of the people in the book Palestine, are lucky to be alive. I was so shocked at how many bullet wounds those people could survive and in places like back, neck, and stomach. Also, I started comparing Palestinians to Americans. The biggest thing I noticed was age. At age 10 in Palestine, children have experienced so much and are so devoted to their country. They have such strong opinions and seem so much more mature than American children. Overall, this book was good. It's a very good book to help people understand what's happening around the world. It opened my eyes. The only big problem I had with this book, and it was mentioned at the end, was that after spending so much time in Palestine the author became biased almost against Israelis. He only got one side of the story, but that's typical in life.

On a side note: There's this great website about book blogs and it organizes book blogs quite nicely, I suggest if you're looking for another book blog to read check out this website.
http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/

But keep reading!
Mackenzie

X-It

I finished X-It by Jane George last night. So that gives us:

Funniest Cop Stories Ever (The)
E
N
N
E
Chemist (The)
Fellowship of the Ring (The)
O
X-It

It was an alright book. I don't have much to say about this book. It kept me occupied for a while. At the beginning it was just bad, but as it got to the end it got better and I liked the story better. This was a romance with not much romance but a lot of drugs. The plot wasn't the greatest and it was predictable. It just wasn't the greatest writing.

On a side note: Someone suggested I read Perks of Being a Wallflower so I'll probably be reading that in the near future but the point of this side note is if there is a book you want me to read, I'm happy to take suggestions as long as they fit with my remaining letters and my guidelines.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

February 22nd, 2015

I know its so long away and if I can shorten it I will. But for now that's my deadline. I know its a long ways away but I'm hoping some people will stick with me until the end.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Three books

So right more, I'm reading three books. The Two Towers (yes, still), X-It (I'm limited for x books and I need two), and finally Palestine (another graphic novel for my lit class). Hopefully I'll finish all of them soon

Keep reading!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while
Mackenzie

Lord of the Rings Series

I have figured out why the first Lord of the Rings book was so hard for me to get through. Lord of the Rings was not meant to be three books, but if it wasn't it would be a very, very long book. So the first book is pretty much like the beginning of a normal book, where you are getting to know the background and the characters and it's kind of slow. Then you hit the second book and it begins in a battle and off you go from there. Therefore, The Fellowship of the Ring equates to the beginning of one book and it picks up speed as you go through the series.

On another note, without giving away anything for those of you who haven't read it, but for those of you who have, in the first book with Gandalf, I knew there was more.

But anyway, back to reading The Two Towers, which is the second Lord of the Rings book for those who are unfamiliar with it.

Happy reading!

Mackenzie

Guidelines

Hey there! So I haven't actually set any rules for my challenge. I don't really have any other rules to set other than that all books from now on have to be more than 100 pages. There was only one book I read that I counted that was less than 100. But from now on that's my rule. Oh and no rereads unless it was before 2010. If you have any other suggestions for rules let me know.

As for The Two Towers it's going a lot faster than The Fellowship of the Ring. Hopefully, I'll finish soon.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Fellowship of the Ring

So, thanks to having a snow day, I have finally finished The Fellowship of the Ring. That took me a lot longer than it should have but... Now I have:
Funniest Cop Stories Ever (The)
E
N
N
E
Chemist (The)
Fellowship of the Ring (The)
O
X
Yay! Progress!
So I really liked this book, but there wasn't a lot of action going on in this book. It was kind of slow going, unlike The Hobbit which was very fast paced. The ending was a perfect break to continue into the next book. So far, my favorite character is Sam Gamgee, he's so loyal and sweet. My favorite creature is the Balrog. There is just something so interesting about it and the way its described. This book is a fantastic fantasy and very imaginative, all the creatures and places are carefully crafted. I suppose I will go onto The Two Towers next. I hope I can get through it a lot faster. But first I'll watch the first LoTR movie and see how it compares.
Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Complete Persepolis Part II

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, I just moved to a new house and we don't have internet set up yet, so I have limited posting time. But I finished The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. So that leaves:

E
L
E
Persepolis (The Complete)
H
A
N
T

Yay! Three animals started!

4 of 5 stars

But as for my review of the book. It was an excellent book. I had to read it for my lit class. It was a quick read (mainly because it was graphic novel), and it gave a lot of insight to Iranian history which I really liked, even though I'm not a history fan. Her story was a typical leave home, get into some trouble story. I admired her ability to speak her mind no matter who she was taking to(especially since I'm the quiet type) Overall, it was a good story, if it wasn't for my class I wouldn't have read it but I'm glad I did. I'll hopefully watch the movie soon and compare the two.
As for The Fellowship of the Ring I have about a hundred pages left. I how to finish it sometime this week.
Anyway, happy reading!
Mackenzie

Things I've Noticed

Okay, so I have yet to finish either of my books, but I wanted to note a few things I've noticed about The Fellowship of the Rings.

First, unlike The Hobbit there were female characters in this book, but not many. I'm about halfway through and there have been probably about four or five women.

Second, it's incredible how well they know their directions, it amazes me how they can figure it out. If I had to try and get around without a GPS or even a compass, I'd get lost in a second.

Finally, I find that J.R.R. Tolkien doesn't describe the creatures very well. That might be because he can't really pinpoint what each creature truly looks like. I also, might have just missed what each creature looks like. For example, the Barrow-wights. There was kind of a description of them having long arms but that was all I remember reading about what they look like. Maybe it's just me or maybe it's meant to be that way, to let the reader do the imagining for once. It makes sense too because no matter what the author writes, description wise, some people have their own picture in their mind, whether it's what's written or not.

Well, that's my rant for today.
Keep reading!

Mackenzie

The Complete Persepolis

I'm currently a college student and I'm taking a literature class in school, so some of the books I read for this challenge will be from this class. I'm supposed to start The Complete Persepolis sometime this week and I will be reading the and The Fellowship of the Ring. Yes, I'm still reading this but at a slightly quicker pace than before. I'm counting The Complete Persepolis under the letter P because it was originally just called Persepolis, so this seems fair to me.

Keep reading!

Mackenzie

The Chemist

I just finished reading The Chemist by Chris Blewitt so I now have:

Funniest Cop Stories (The)
E
N
N
E
Chemist (The)
F
O
X

Well, that's progress. As for my review for The Chemist by Chris Blewitt it was good for what it was. It was based on a true story that happened during Prohibition. It was really a bare bones story, I would have liked more to it, there was a lot that could have been filled in, but it was still a pretty decent story. I would probably suggest this to someone who likes to read books about America's history. I thought it was interesting and I might be tempted to pick it up again at a later point.
One another note, I'm making very slow progress on The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm hoping to pick up speed soon.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Reading Two Books

Sometimes when I accidentily leave home without a book (another crime in my head) I read a book on my Kindle on my phone. Hence why I'm reading The Chemist now too. So I'm conitnuing on with two books for FENNEC FOX. I think I'll finish The Chemist first.

The Funniest Cop Stories Ever

So I have finished The Funniest Cop Stories Ever and so it's now time to review this book, but first:

Funniest Cop Stories Ever (The)
E
N
N
E
C
F
O
X

Why did I pick such a long animal name? I have no idea. But anyway, so this book in my personal opinion was not very funny. I definitely have heard funnier cop stories. Maybe if you're a cop you will appreciate it more, so if you have any cop friends suggest it to them. I bet they'll get a kick out of them. But it just wasn't a book for me.

So, I'm continuing on with FENNEC FOX and I'm going to read The Fellowship of the Ring since I have read The Hobbit I wanted to continue on with the series. This one will probably take me a little bit longer to read but hopefully I'll stay on track.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Grumpy Cat

So, I love my job! I work in a small toy store in my hometown and I do story hours occasionally. Today happened to be one of those days. I read a book called Grumpy Cat which is really just a lonely cat. So then after I got to do a craft and we took the real Grumpy Cat's head and drew bodies for it. It was a lot of fun and I personally love Grumpy Cat so I enjoyed it. If you haven't heard of or seen Grumpy Cat look him up. So cute! And no, I don't count Grumpy Cat on my list because it was a picture book and took five minutes to read.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Second thing

Hey everyone!
I haven't finished The Funniest Cop Stories Ever  yet but I plan to do that later tonight. But I still wanted to post today...So this post is about the second thing you should know about me and books. I am a book hoarder. I probably have enough books in my house to do this alphabet challenge, like three times completely but I think once will be enough. I have a mini library in my house and my parents (my dad especially) gets very frustrated when I bring home new books because I have no room, anywhere. But I continue to get books and I will continue to read and hopefully some day read them all. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to this same problem. Another problem I have is if I buy one book in the series I have to get them all, and I won't read the first one until my series is complete. Stupid problem but I can't help it.
Okay, I'm going to stop wasting time on the internet and hopefully finish my book before work (my job is pretty awesome).
Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Hobbit

So as I said in my last post I would review the books I read. So I decided to start on HEDGEHOG. So far I have, drum roll please:
Hobbit (The)
E
D
G
E
H
O
G
So far so good. We'll make it eventually.
So as for my review for The Hobbit, there are so many things I could say about it. But first and foremost what an excellent book. This was one of the rare times I saw the movie before I read the book ( a crime in my mind) and of course, as in most cases, the book was better. The book is perfect for anyone who wants a quick fantasy read. Usually, there was a lot of action to keep the reader's attention which is great because I don't have a very long attention span. There were some parts in the book that made me question it but those were few and far between. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it so I'll keep my mouth shut. But this should definitely be on a list of books to read at least once, especially if you are a fantasy fan. It's even suitable for children over seven-ish. The language wasn't hard and it didn't go into gory details during battles. But anyway, great job Tolkien.
Also, a funny story about finishing The Hobbit. I'm taking a literature class and after a long day I have it at 4:30. So, at this point I'm still deperately trying to finish reading. So, my teacher is talking about the book for class and I'm pretending that The Hobbit is the class book. Finally, I finished withing the first ten minutes of class and could go about listening to the class discussion.
Well, I'm off to do some reading before going off into dreamland, so onto my next book which has no part in HEDGEHOG, The Funniest Cop Stories Ever by Scott Baker and Tom Philbin.
Ta-ta for now! And happy reading!
Mackenzie

Let's do this!

Hi, I'm Mackenzie. First thing that you should know is I'm an avid reader although I don't always read very fast because of school work and such, but I love to read. So I discovered this Animal Alphabet Challenge. You take an animal name for each letter of the alphabet and then for each letter of the animal's name you read a book that begins with that letter. Sounds kind of confusing but I hope you'll understand in a few moments. So I found this challenge as I was reading The Hobbit so I have already taken the liberty of filling out one of my h's. Also, as I go I'll provide my views on the book. So here are my list of animals:

A

R

M

A

D

I

L

L

O

B

U

C

K

C

O

B

R

A

D

I

N

G

O

E

L

E

P

H

A

N

T

F

E

N

N

E

C

F

O

X

G

O

R

I

L

L

A

Hobbit (The)

E

D

G

E

H

O

G

I

G

U

A

N

A

J

A

C

K

A

L

K

A

N

G

A

R

O

O

L

I

O

N

M

O

N

K

E

Y

N

A

R

W

H

A

L

O

C

T

O

P

U

S

P

E

A

C

O

C

K

Q

U

A

I

L

R

A

V

E

N

S

N

A

K

E

T

U

R

K

E

Y

U

R

C

H

I

N

V

U

L

T

U

R

E

W

H

A

L

E

X

E

N

O

P

S

Y

A

K

Z

E

B

R

A

So that's my list and we'll see how this goes.