21. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

20. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

I don't think I need to right a summary of this book because it's pretty self-explanatory. Alison Weir is an amazing historian and author and I am well on my way to reading all of her books.

19. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I tried to avoid reading this book because it regarded religion, but I am happy to say that I gave in and read the book. It changed my view about love and religion and finding happiness.

18. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

I suck at keeping this blog updated. My friend recommended this book to me and I did not enjoy it. I'm not really into mythology and fantasy fiction. There was a big cliffhanger at the end but I highly doubt that I'm going to read the sequel.

17. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda's life is turned upside down when a meteor crashes into the moon and brings it closer to the Earth.

[edit] I'll write a proper review soon.

16. Cell by Stephen King

On the first of October around 3pm est, a "pulse" is sent through cell networks turning anyone who was on the phone at the time into a mindless killer. The "phone-crazies" start running around killing anyone that crosses their path. Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is in Boston at the time of the pulse. Clayton meets Tom McCourt and Alice Maxwell, and the trio escape to Malden as Boston burns to the ground. The people who were affected by the pulse are out during the day, and sleep together at night. Clayton and others find out quickly that the "phone people" are all connected to each other telepathically. The "phone people" at night seem to be rebooting (they sleep in crowds where multiple stereos are set up playing music), and as the days progress they are able to telepathically communicate and are no longer killing.

Clayton and his friends desperately try to make it out of the city and into Maine, meeting new people and destroying as many phone people as possible.

15. Under the Dome by Stephen King

The town of Chester's Mill, Maine is suddenly cut off from the outside world when an invisible barrier comes down, trapping everyone inside. Many injuries and fatalities occur during the first day (plane crash, multiple car crashes, Duke's pacemaker explodes). Jim Rennie, the town's second selectman(who already has a significant influence over the town), uses the barrier as a way to rise to power and rule over the town. Rennie expands the police force by employing his son(who suffers from excruciating migraines from an undiscovered brain tumor) and his reckless friends. Life under the dome changes significantly in just a few days.

While the government is unsuccessful in trying to break through the dome (using cruise missiles and deadly chemicals), Jim Rennie is manipulating the town in believing that he is doing everything that he can for the town, when he's actually running the largest drug lab on the east coast. A few individuals who cross his path throughout are framed, blackmailed, and even murdered. Dale Barbara, Julia Shumway, and a few others try to find a way to stop Rennie (who is enjoying his power and influence under the dome) and find out what or who is keeping them trapped.

14. Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

A historical fiction novel about the two lives of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The story starts with Anne leaving her home in Brussels to live in the French court. The king comes upon Anne at her home in Hever (the king is currently having an affair with her sister Mary) and has Wolsey invite Anne to court. After being a mistress for years, Anne finally bumped Katherine of Aragon off the throne. After one daughter and a few miscarriages, Anne executed and Jane Seymour swiftly replaced her. Jane was able to give Henry a son, but she died a few days after giving birth.

Meanwhile, Catherine Howard is growing up in the house of her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. According to Plaidy, Catherine was involved with a few men before she was sent off to court. By the time she was Queen, everything her grandmother had tried to cover up had caught up with her. Like Anne, she was brought down quickly by members of the council and was executed. But unlike Anne, Catherine was not given a trial. (I also believe that Catherine Howard was guilty of adultery, unlike Anne.)

13. The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir

The Lady in the Tower is essentially about the last four months of Anne Boleyn's life. Anne's trial and execution has always been surrounded by mystery and scandal. Weir gives us a glance into the circumstances leading up to the arrests, the trials, execution, and everyone who played a big part in her destruction. Weir examines every piece of available evidence and gives us her own insight on what happened during those months.

A review I found that will be able to explain much more.

I don't want to ramble on about Anne Boleyn, because this entry will turn into a novel. I generally believe that Anne was innocent, and Cromwell and others constructed a case against Anne and others by fabricating evidence to rid of her. "In her favour, there are a multitude of compelling factors: the fact that she was involved in a life-or-death power struggle with Cromwell; his admission to Chapuys that he 'thought up and plotted' her fall; the incongruity of the charges, particularly that of plotting the King's death; the alteration of the dates in the Kent indictment; the discrepancies and illogicalities in both indictments; the striking absence of any evidence of Anne indulging in extra-marital affairs during the three years of her queenshop, and of any real proofs of infidelity; the fact that no female attendants(without whose co-operation Anne could not have contrived any illicit meeting with her 'lovers') were arrested with her; the fact that four of her co-accused were convicted first, thus prejudicing her own trial; that crucial documents are missing from the case records in the Baga de Secretis; the superficial nature of the surviving evidence; the disbanding of Anne's household and the summoning of the executioner before her condemnation; the King telling Jane Seymour in advance that Anne would be condemned; Anne and others voicing the suspicion that there was some other reason for her fall than the crimes of which she was accused; her repeated denials of her guilt, and -above all- her last confession, in which, both before and after receiving the Holy Sacrament, she maintained her innocence" (Weir).

12. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Pahalniuk

Shannon McFarland is a disfigured woman who used to be a successful fashion model (until her "accident"). In the hospital she meets Brandy Alexander, a transsexual who helps her gain a new life and a new identity. At first, the reader thinks that either Evie Cottrell (the narrator's supposed best friend) or Manus Kelley (the narrator's ex-fiancé) are the ones responsible for blowing off her lower jaw. By the end of the book, you find out what really happened Shannon, and who Brandy and Seth really are. I have to admit, it's a pretty fucked up book.

11. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's wife is a love story about Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire. Henry has a genetic disorder that causes him to travel through time at random. Clare first meets Henry when she is six, and Henry is thirty six. Henry frequently visits Clare when she was a child and she grows up knowing that one day they will be married. Their timelines converge, they get together, they fall in love (although Clare has been in love with Henry since she was a child), and they get married. Clare and Henry go through a rough couple of years while Clare goes through miscarriage after miscarriage. And if I say anything else I am going to completely ruin the book and probably cry. I loved this story and now it's time to watch the movie!

10. Queen Isabella by Alison Weir

An unbiased biography of Queen Isabella of France. I am too tired to give a full summary but historians have given Queen Isabella a terrible reputation throughout the centuries, and I wanted to know more about her. It shocked me that she was given such a bad reputation when King Edward was a horrific ruler. After being neglected for 20 years by her husband and watching the "favorites" rule, she escaped to France. She befriended Edward's enemies, invaded England, and put her son on the throne. Historians bash her for involving herself in an adulterous relationship with Edward's enemy Mortimer and for executing the Despensers, but compared to King Edward's reign, she's a god damn saint.

9. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

Queen Elizabeth has always been a favorite of mine. I've read many books on Queen Elizabeth, but I haven't read much about her life before her reign. The Lady Elizabeth is about Elizabeth's childhood and her life right up to Queen Mary's death. Elizabeth grew up without a mother and without much affection from her father, King Henry VIII. Her teenage years were surrounded by scandal, gossip, and the bloody reign of Queen Mary.

8. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Revolutionary Road is set in 1955 and is revolved around the lives of Frank and April Wheeler. I don't know what it was about this book, but I loved/hated it. The Wheelers didn't... love each other. Their relationship was full of hatred, drunken fights, and affairs. They seemed like the perfect couple in front of their friends/neighbors but they were slowly falling apart. The ending in the book was even more depressing than the movie.

"That was when he said that if it hadn't been for that note he thought he would've killed himself that night." I'm probably going to rent the movie now, so I can bawl my eyes out like the little girl that I am. I can't help but love Winslet and DiCaprio together.

7. The King's Favorite by Susan Holloway Scott

I finished this book two months ago, but I've been so busy with my classes that I forgot about updating this. This is the story of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II. I really liked that Scott wrote about Nell's life before she became involved with King Charles. She didn't focus completely on their relationship, which was a nice change. Nell was one of the few in history who remained faithful to her lover, and it was unfortunate that she was screwed over in the end. She had such a great energy. God damn it, history bothers me sometimes.

6. Duma Key by Stephen King

Stephen King has always been a favorite of mine, but I haven't read any of his novels since high school. Instead of reading his earlier novels, I decided to read Duma Key. It started off as a novel highly unlike King's usual novels. There didn't seem to be anything strange or paranormal about it. The story is about Edgar Freemantle, a self-made millionaire that barely survives a horrific accident on one of his construction sites where a crane crushes his truck. Although Edgar survives, he is left without a right arm and severe injuries to his head. His accident left him with terrible mood swings and thoughts of suicide. After attacking his wife Pam twice, she files for divorce.

The real story begins when Edgar decides to rent a beach house on Duma Key. He starts to become involved in painting which quickly becomes an obsession. Edgar eventually discovers that there are secrets to the island, and that he has some sort of "power" with his paintings. I won't say any more, because I don't want to ruin an amazing story. Seriously, my favorite of the year.

5. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

I love to read about European History; especially during the Tudor period. The White Queen is about the family that preceded the Tudors - the Plantagenets. It's about Elizabeth Woodville, a widow of the House of Lancaster who seduces and eventually marries King Edward IV of the House of York. It's full of love, betrayal, murder, and mystery. It may not be my favorite Philippa Gregory book, but I really enjoyed it. It's part one of her new series, and I can't wait until the next book comes out.

4. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

It took me a while to get through this book. The beginning was a little slow and it was hard to get into. But about halfway through I was sucked in. From learning about Hanna's past, to figuring out why she did some of the things that she did. Michael's reactions throughout the book shocked me as well. I still don't understand why he didn't send letters along with the cassette tapes. Damn it, Michael!

I've been distracted with classes, work, and Adam. But now I'm back.

3. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

This book reminded me why I love Dan Brown so much. It's so hard to put down a book by him. I regret waiting so long to read it. I never knew how much history there is in Washington D.C.

The Lost Symbol focuses on Freemasonry and the entire story takes place in Washington D.C. Robert Langdon is invited to speak at the capital by his friend and mentor Peter Solomon (a 33rd degree Mason). Professor Langdon arrives for his lecture to find the room completely empty. What he does find is the severed hand of Solomon, which leads to a 12 hour chase throughout the museums and buildings in the city.

Dan Brown made me cry twice while reading this book. Twice. Damn you Dan Brown! Reading the Lost Symbol makes me want to hop on the next train down to the capital.

Adam is coming back in two days. I'll say it again. Two days. It hit me today that I get to spend the next two months with someone that really cares about me. I'm not looking forward to classes in a week, but I can't wait to be back at UMass.

My classes this semester are going to be a challenge. I foresee many hours in the library.

Math 300 - Fundamental Concepts of Math
Math 331 - Differential Equations
Compsci 121
(And two random gen eds. I haven't decided what I wanted to take. A lot of the classes I'm interested in are closed. I know I can always go to the professor and override that though.)

So... what to take? Here are some of the classes that I'm interested in taking...

Classics 224 - Greek Mythology
Anthro 150 - Ancient Civilizations
Econ 103/104 - Intro to Micro/Macro
Sociology 106 - Race, Gender, Class & Ethnicity

If I take that Anthropology course it covers the last two requirements that I need. I haven't decided... :(

Any ideas?

2. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

The Looking Glass Wars is the true story of Alice in Wonderland. It had a slow start for me and I almost stopped reading it, but I gave it a chance. This book is for a younger audience, but definitely an entertaining read. The white rabbit is actually Alice's tutor, Bibwit Harte and the Mad Hatter is a humorless bodyguard called Hatter Madigan. Alice in Wonderland wasn't my favorite Disney movie as a child and I never actually read the book by Lewis Carroll. The Looking Glass Wars is part one of the trilogy, and I'm definitely going to read the next two this year.

I was having a fairly normal day today. I woke up at 8am for a doctor's appointment. I had some blood taken for testing, and made an appointment for a PFT at the hospital. This afternoon I had lunch with Ricky at No Problemo (finally, a chicken burrito!) and then I spent a few hours (and a few dollars) at Baker Books. I spent the rest of my afternoon at home, reading and watching a Man vs. Wild marathon with my father.

Around 6pm, I heard fighting outside of my house. I live in a very poor part of my city, so this is nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, I chose to ignore it. About 10-20 minutes later, I heard a woman scream - out of the ordinary. I looked out of my window, but I couldn't see what was happening up the street. I put it out of my mind and decided to go back to watching television with my father. Another half hour to an hour later, my mother came home telling us that there were five or six cop cars outside and a news van.

Of course I decided to go outside, I'm curious! Two houses away from my own, three people were murdered. MURDERED! The house was taped off and news reporters were running around. I can't believe that I sat on my ass and ignored everything. I feel sick my stomach that someone 200 ft away from me was murdered while I sat on my couch and watched television.

This isn't the first time that there's been a murder on my street, but this is the first time that it has really affected me. I heard someone scream for help and I did nothing about it. I'm a terrible person.

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

My first book of 2010. I've been meaning to read this book for years. The Hitchhiker's Guide was an entertaining read, although it was a little too short in my opinion. The beginning was a little confusing for me. Arthur Dent. Aliens. Bulldozer. Beer. Earth is zapped. But once all of the characters were introduced, I was sucked right in. I wish Trillian had more of a background. She was definitely overlooked. But all in all, a great book to start off my year. :)

I really want to see this movie now as well.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

I drove up to Brockton like I did last year. I drove to Bry's and from there we went to Greg's party with Nia, Armin, and Julio. It was packed at Greg's and there were a ton of people that I didn't know. Everyone decided to poke fun at me for last year, which I wasn't expecting. I'm glad it's over with and someone else is the victim though. I've had enough ridicule for one year, thank you! I didn't really drink much. I didn't feel comfortable there for some reason. I don't know.

There used to be a New Year's party at my grandmother's house every year but for some reason there isn't one this year? No delicious food today... :(

New Year's resolution: READ.