I made it to 100 books today!!! I’m so happy. I think I’m going to write a post up about what I learned by doing this, but I’m not sure yet. I’ve definitely gotten to know myself a lot better by doing this challenge.

Here are the books that I’ve read so far this year:

1. The Sweetest Gift by Jillian Hart (3/10)
2. Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton (5/10)
3. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (10/10)
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (8/10)
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (9/10)
6. Nothing Changes Love by Jacqueline Bard (5/10)
7. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman (7/10)
8. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee (9/10)
9. Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis (9/10)
10. Shelf Life by Suzanne Strempek Shea (9/10)
11. Secrets of a Former Fat Girl(8/10)
12. For the Love of Letters by Lisa Delany (8/10)
13. The Good Body by Eve Ensler (8/10)
14. He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan (7/10)
15. Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter (7/10)
16. The Best American Erotica 2007 by Susie Bright (8/10)
17. Family Album by Danielle Steel (7/10)
18. The Blonde Geisha by Jina Bacarr (8/10)
19. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle (7/10)
20. The Giver by Lois Lowry (10/10)
21. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (9/10)
22. Area 51 (Book 1) by Robert Doherty (9/10)
23. Calico Bush by Rachel Field (7/10)
24. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (10/10)
25. Area 51: The Reply by Robert Doherty (9/10)
26. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb(8/10)
27. Area 51: The Mission by Robert Doherty (9/10)
28. Area 51: The Sphinx by Robert Doherty (9/10)
29. Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Amazing Life as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey (8/10)
30. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (8/10)
31. The Garden by Elsie V. Aidinoff (10/10)
32. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (9/10)
33. Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (9/10)
34. Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women by Nancy Madore (5/10)
35. Devil Who Tamed Her by Johanna Lindsey (6/10)
36. Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner (8/10)
37. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (9/10)
38. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (10/10)
39. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin (5/10)
40. Area 51: The Grail by Robert Doherty (9/10)
41. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (7/10)
42. Area 51: Excalibur by Robert Doherty (9/10)
43. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (8/10)
44. Area 51: The Truth by Robert Doherty (9/10)
45. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (7/10)
46. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (9/10)
47. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney (8/10)
48. The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (9/10)
49. Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (9/10)
50. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (8/10)
51. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (4/10)
52. Talk to the Hand by Lynn Truss (8/10)
53. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs (9/10)
54. The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney (9/10)
55. What Janie Found by Caroline B. Cooney (8/10)
56. Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn (9/10)
57. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher (8/10)
58. The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (8/10)
59. Fit From Within by Victoria Moran (9/10)
60. The Secrets of Skinny Chicks by Karen Bridson (9/10)
61. The Nine Modern Day Muses by Jill Badonsky (8/10)
62. Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists by Kay Greenlees (9/10)
63. I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum (8/10)
64. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (8/10)
65. My Name is Number 4 by Ting-Xing Ye (8/10)
66. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot (8/10)
67. How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot (8/10)
68. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (8/10)
69. My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson (8/10)
70. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (8/10)
71. The Eight by Katherine Neville (9/10)
72. High Risk by Emma Darcy (6/10)
73. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (8/10)
74. Hunter’s Run by George R.R. Martin, Garner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham (7/10)
75. The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton (9/10)
76. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (9/10)
77. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (10/10)
78. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (10/10)
79. My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer (7/10)
80. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (10/10)
81. Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah (8/10)
82. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (10/10)
83. Prince of Ice by Emma Holly (8/10)
84. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (10/10)
85. Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear (9/10)
86. The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling (9/10)
87. The Storyteller’s Daughter by Cameron Dokey (8/10)
88. Cross My Heart by Carly Phillips (8/10)
89. Simply Sexual by Kate Pearce (8/10)
90. Problogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett (7/10)
91. White as Snow by Tanith Lee (9/10)
92. Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling (9/10)
93. Avalon High by Meg Cabot (7/10)
94. Colters’ Woman by  Maya Banks (8/10)
95. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (9/10)
96. The Witches of Dixie: Book One of the Witchery Series by Laura Stamp (9/10)
97. On Writing by Stephen King (10/10)
98. Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott (10/10)
99. The Oracle’s Queen by Lynn Flewelling (10/10)
100. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (9/10)

If you have reviewed any of the books that I have posted about on this blog, please feel free to email me at thisredheadreads@gmail.com with the link to your review and I will add the link to the post for that book.

And for reference, here’s what the numbers mean:

1: couldn’t stand it, probably didn’t finish it
3: finished it, didn’t really like it much, wouldn’t read again
5: finished it, had mixed feelings, may or may not read again
7: finished it, enjoyed it, might read it once or twice, would recommend it to specific people
10: finished it, loved it, plan on reading again OR could see myself reading it again OR would recommend it to just about anybody

I just recently read Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear. The book is about a disease that is written into our DNA and later gets activated. It’s causing women to miscarry and the fetuses look grotesque… it turns into a world-wide epidemic. The story was quite fascinating… but what was even more interesting was a piece of synchronicity that occurred while I was reading this book.

The book was talking about how a lot of information about genetics was discovered by studying flies. That evening, I was talking with somebody about Sarah Palin, who, while talking about needing to do more for those with special needs, suggested we cut funding for things like… studying flies.

This happens to me CONSTANTLY, though. Something I’m reading about will occur in real life or something related to it will “cross my path”. Isn’t it weird how that happens?

I’ve been updating my “Books Read in 2008″ list. But I realized that I haven’t really spotlighted any of my recent reviews. So, for your reading pleasure:

These are all YA novels.

I’m trying to improve my reviews, but I’m not quite sure how to go about doing so. In addition, I sometimes wonder: if I’m reading a book that tons of other people have read, do people really want to hear about it? I don’t know. It frustrates me.

So, I’m asking for a favor. Two, really.

1. If you have a few moments, please review the list of books I’ve read so far this year. If you have any questions or would like to see a review on a book that I haven’t reviewed yet, please let me know. I’d also love it if you’d read some of my latest reviews and let me know what you would like to know more about each book or anything I left unanswered (please leave those comments on this post).

2. How do you keep your blog fresh? And do you plan out what you’re going to do ahead of time? Do you rate the books? If so, how? Any other book blogging tips? I’m interested in how other book bloggers maintain their own blogs.

Thanks in advance for helping me out!

Here are the books that I’ve read so far this year:

1. The Sweetest Gift by Jillian Hart (3/10)
2. Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton (5/10)
3. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (10/10)
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (8/10)
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (9/10)
6. Nothing Changes Love by Jacqueline Bard (5/10)
7. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman (7/10)
8. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee (9/10)
9. Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis (9/10)
10. Shelf Life by Suzanne Strempek Shea (9/10)
11. Secrets of a Former Fat Girl(8/10)
12. For the Love of Letters by Lisa Delany (8/10)
13. The Good Body by Eve Ensler (8/10)
14. He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan (7/10)
15. Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter (7/10)
16. The Best American Erotica 2007 by Susie Bright (8/10)
17. Family Album by Danielle Steel (7/10)
18. The Blonde Geisha by Jina Bacarr (8/10)
19. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle (7/10)
20. The Giver by Lois Lowry (10/10)
21. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (9/10)
22. Area 51 (Book 1) by Robert Doherty (9/10)
23. Calico Bush by Rachel Field (7/10)
24. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (10/10)
25. Area 51: The Reply by Robert Doherty (9/10)
26. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb(8/10)
27. Area 51: The Mission by Robert Doherty (9/10)
28. Area 51: The Sphinx by Robert Doherty (9/10)
29. Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Amazing Life as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey (8/10)
30. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (8/10)
31. The Garden by Elsie V. Aidinoff (10/10)
32. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (9/10)
33. Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (9/10)
34. Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women by Nancy Madore (5/10)
35. Devil Who Tamed Her by Johanna Lindsey (6/10)
36. Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner (8/10)
37. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (9/10)
38. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (10/10)
39. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin (5/10)
40. Area 51: The Grail by Robert Doherty (9/10)
41. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (7/10)
42. Area 51: Excalibur by Robert Doherty (9/10)
43. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (8/10)
44. Area 51: The Truth by Robert Doherty (9/10)
45. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (7/10)
46. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (9/10)
47. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney (8/10)
48. The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (9/10)
49. Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (9/10)
50. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (8/10)
51. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (4/10)
52. Talk to the Hand by Lynn Truss (8/10)
53. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs (9/10)
54. The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney (9/10)
55. What Janie Found by Caroline B. Cooney (8/10)
56. Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn (9/10)
57. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher (8/10)
58. The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (8/10)
59. Fit From Within by Victoria Moran (9/10)
60. The Secrets of Skinny Chicks by Karen Bridson (9/10)
61. The Nine Modern Day Muses by Jill Badonsky (8/10)
62. Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists by Kay Greenlees (9/10)
63. I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum (8/10)
64. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (8/10)
65. My Name is Number 4 by Ting-Xing Ye (8/10)
66. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot (8/10)
67. How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot (8/10)
68. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (8/10)
69. My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson (8/10)
70. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (8/10)
71. The Eight by Katherine Neville (9/10)
72. High Risk by Emma Darcy (6/10)
73. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (8/10)
74. Hunter’s Run by George R.R. Martin, Garner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham (7/10)
75. The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton (9/10)
76. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (9/10)
77. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (10/10)
78. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (10/10)
79. My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer (7/10)

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” – Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

“Life isn’t divided into genres. It’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you’re lucky.” — Alan Moore

“Tell all truth but tell it slant.” – Emily Dickinson

“You’d find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair,” said Anne reproachfully. “People who haven’t red hair don’t know what trouble is.”

- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I’ve always felt a fondness for Anne. Poor little Anne who tried so hard to be good, but was so curious and sometimes let her temper get the better of her. Reminds me of me. I also always loved her for her red hair and her “Anne with an e” bit – my middle name is Anne. Yep, with an E.

“An author doesn’t necessarily understand the meaning of his own story better than anyone else.”

- Lewis Carroll

For this challenge, I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Book Thief, and The Eight. They were all very good. I probably wouldn’t have picked up ANY of them on my own, but I’m glad I read them. I think my over-all favorite was The Book Thief, but The Eight was so very intriguing. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was quite a different change of pace for me, though a good read as well.