Books by the Quarter: 2/4

***I started a "Books by the Quarter" segment in early 2012, but that, like much of my blog, fell by the wayside.  Since I'm on Christmas break, I've had time to update this.  Please enjoy 2 of 4.  :)

April

I finished up some books for class--reference and databases.  Great reads (insert sarcasm font here).

I also read book #1 of a few young adult trilogies:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone wasn't as great as I'd hoped it'd be, but I'm still excited to see where the rest of the series ends up.
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I listened to If I Stay on audiobook at work and in the car.  It was really intense and I'm not sure if I would've enjoyed it more in reading it then listening to it.  It's narrated by the main character and the narration was a bit obnoxious whiny teen at times.  It was a good book though.
****


I read Wither, the first book in the Chemical Garden series, and I was pretty hooked on it.  I wanted to read the rest of the books immediately.  I'm very hooked on dystopian and/or it-hasn't-happened-but-could-feasibly-happen-in-the-future books, and this one didn't disappoint.
****


The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was a book like none I'd ever read before.  It's about a girl who can taste people's feelings in the food they make.  For someone who loves food, this would be horrible.  Good quick read.
****

May


Looking for Alaska is another genius book by John Green.  I'm slowly trying to make my way through everything he has read, and this book was amazing.  Full of teen angst and real world teenage drama, and as is typical with Green's books, an element of heartbreak.
****


Shatter Me is another popular dystopian young adult novel.  While the premise is somewhat less apt to happen, it was still a decent read.  I'm not chomping at the bit for book #2, but I'll surely read it when it comes out.
***


50/50 was an interesting tale of Dean Karnazes crazy marathoning shenanigans.  Looking for some running inspiration, this did the trick.  I especially enjoyed the accounts of the marathons I had done.
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Hana was a novella in the Delirium series (book 1.5) that I read on a short flight to Green Bay, WI.  It helped fill in some gaps of the story.
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I had heard great things about the Graceling Realm series, so I picked up book 1.  It was an interesting story, but didn't move nearly as quickly as I'd like, and come to expect out of a YA book.  I haven't yet sought out the remaining books in the series, but will.  At some point.
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MWF seeking BFF was a fun quick read, on the flight home from Green Bay.  The author journaled her search for friends in the post-college real world.  It was a relateable journey and an entertaining read.
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June

June I was consumed with reading many many children's books for my Children's Materials and Services course.  I will list those books here with a rating but no snippet/recap/thoughts unless the book was ZOMG SO AMAZING that I just had to.

Another of my favorite reads for 2012. I would describe it as a modern day Wrinkle in Time of sorts. Amazing.
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My review here.
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My review here.
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My review here.
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I also read Jen Lancaster's newest book Jeneration X.  I enjoyed it much more than her last two books, and much prefer her memoirs to her fiction, loosely based on her personal experiences.  She's always extremely relateable and L-LOL (literally laughing out loud) funny.
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