Buy 1 Book and Read it 2010 - Challenge complete

I officially completed this challenge too. Woohoo!  The Buy 1 Book and Read it challenge for 2010 is hosted by My Friend Amy.   I selection option 3 which was to buy 12 books and read them.  I did buy a lot more than 12, but at least I read 12 of them! haha!  I'm happy that most of the books I did buy were from used book fairs, although unhappy that those are most that have gone unread.  Most of the books I bought new or used online I have read or am scheduled to read within the next several months.

Honestly, I have to admit that I think this year I have bought less than in years passed. I'm happy because that means I read more of what I already owned, but at the same time sad because I do like to support authors by buying their books.

Here's a list of the books I read for this challenge, the reviews can be found HERE.

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
The Things They Carried by Tim  O'Brien
Paco's Story by Larry  Heinemann
One Wore Blue by Heather Graham
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
The Excalibur Murders by J.M.C. Blair
The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn McKinley
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
A Match Made in Highschool
Hour Game by David Baldacci

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Copyright: 2007
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: mystery/thriller
Pages: 311
Challenges: Buy1 Book and Read It 2010
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5


Simple Description: 
20th Century Ghosts is a short story collection.  I always find it hard to review short stories, not that I do it very often.

Here's what the back of the book says, it fives an example of 4 of the stories:
Imogene is young and beautiful.  She kisses like a movie star and knows everything nabout every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945...
Arthur Roth is al onely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when your the only inflatable boy in town...
Francis is unhappy. Francis was human once, but that was then.  Now he's an eight-foot tall locust and everyone in calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing...
Johnny Finney is locked in a basement that's stained with the blood of half  a dozen other murdered children.  In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls form the dead...




Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I was expecting ghost stories, that's not really what I got.  I hadn't read the back of the book or anything online to tell me what it was about, I made that assumption based on the title.  So at first I was a bit disappointed, the stories were different that what I expected.  The stories were a bit weird.  Then, I started to like the stories.  The stories were still a bit weird, but I liked them.   I liked some better than others, I liked the on about the boy who turns into a huge locust.  I liked the one titled The Cape.

Some of these stories felt like they ended before they should have, it felt like there was more to the story. However I wonder if that's true, or if I just didn't pick up on something.  Or maybe I walked away feeling exactly what I was supposed to.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and think several of you will. I admit I'm not a huge short story fan, but I did like these.  I hear his other book, Heart-Shaped Box, is really good. I'm looking forward to reading it one of these days.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

One Wore Blue by Heather Graham

#1 Civil War Trilogy
Copyright: 1991
Publisher: Dell
Genre: fiction
Pages: 444
Challenges: Year of the Historical, buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 4.5/5

Simple Description: 
It's the 1860's, at the start of the Civil War. Kiernan McKay is unmarried and getting older.  She knows she must decide on a marriage and soon.  The problem is that Anthony Miller keeps proposing and while she likes him, she doesn't love him.  She soon realizes that her love lies with Jesse Cameran.  The problem is that he decides to stay with the Yankee army and fight against the South. Kiernan is a Southern lady and very much a believer in the Confederates and what they are fighting for.  Kiernan knows she can't marry Jesse, even though he has asked, it just wouldn't be right since their views on slavery are so different.   However, could she marry another and love him?

Throughout this book we are shown the struggle between the two lovers as they are torn apart and reunited several times. Both characters are proud and firmly stand behind their belief.  Neither one is willing to back down even if it means losing the love of their life.  

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I'm not a big romance reader, and this is definitely a romance book. I would normally say that I don't really read romance, except that in talking with some friends I realized that the Virgin River series I'm in love with would be considered romance books.  So I have to admit that I do read some romance, but not many.   This book, you can't argue that it's not romance.  There are several "love" scenes and one of the main themes is the love between Jesse and Kiernan.  Will love be enough to bring these two together despite their beliefs regarding slavery?  That, my friend, you'll have to figure out my reading the book.

Kiernan is a very strong, female, character. I adored her.  I couldn't always agree with her, I mean she does think that slavery is ok and I most certainly do not.  However I loved that she was so strong and willing to stand up for what she believed, even if it meant losing her true love.  Kiernan had a lot of spunk and fire, you gotta love that.

Jesse is another strong character.  He loved Kiernan but wasn't willing to back down and change sides. He had to fight on the side he believed was right.  However, this didn't keep him from helping men who were hurt on both sides of the war.  (Jesse is a medical doctor)

While I don't read much about the Civil War, I keep wanting to and it is an interest to me.  This book revolves around the Civil War and I think the author did a great job with it.  She showed how families were torn apart by war, when family members fought on both sides and risked fighting against each other in the same battles.

I have to admit that I loved this book and I can't wait to get to the next one in the trilogy.  Again, I'm not a huge fan of romance, but this one has a great story line and great characters. That's what kept me reading it.
It might be hard to find this book, my local book stores didn't care it and I ordered it online, but I definitely think it's worth hunting down a copy.  I don't want to give too much away, so my description of the book isn't the best.  I went into it knowing it was a romance book revolving around the civil war and that was it. That might be the best way to do it with this one.  I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I loved it.

I am buddy reading this trilogy with some friends, so stay tuned for reviews of the next two books, we plan to read them within the next couple of months.



This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Hour Game by David Baldacci

#2 King and Maxwell series
Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Columbus Rose
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 590
Challenges: buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
Since starting their own investigation service, King and Maxwell have been busy.  Fortunately things have slowed down a bit and Maxwell is able to head out on a nice long run.  Unfortunately she finds something that puts her and King in the path of a killer.   Suddenly bodies start to pile up.  It appears to be a serial killer who imitates other serial killers.  A serial killer who doesn't leave evidence behind and doesn't seem to be following a pattern.

While  King and Maxwell aren't officially involved in the investigation, at least not right away, they do take it upon themselves to help out.   They are also trying to help out a local man who is accused of stealing from the richest family in the area, the Battles.  The two cases seem to be linked when the patriarch of the Battle family dies and it appears to be the work of the serial killer.

Things get even more intense when King and Maxwell's lives are threatened.  Are they getting too close to the killer? If they are, they aren't sure why.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I thought this was a great follow-up to Split Second.  There were a lot of twists and turns in this one.  It seemed like every time King and Maxwell turned around another body showed up or something else happened to muddy the waters.    I can't help but like the partnership between King and Maxwell.  They were great together and part of me hopes that they make it a romantic relationship in the future (even though I know that probably wouldn't be best for their work partnership).  Sometimes it seemed that King kept too much from Maxwell but you gotta love the guy anyway.  As for Maxwell, what's not to love about a girl who could kick anybody's ass?

I'll definitely be reading more in this series.  The first two have set the bar..lots of twists and turns that keep me reading well past my bed time.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann

Copyright: 1986 (original)
Publisher: Vintage Books
Genre: fiction
Pages: 210
Challenges: War Through the Generations (Vietnam), Buy 1 book and read it
My rating: 4.5/5

If you have been reading this blog than you know I've been participating in the read-a-long of this book with the War Through the Generations challenge.

Last week I gave a brief summary about what had happened so far in the book.  Tomorrow I'll be answering questions on the last two chapters of this book.

In case you missed those other posts or didn't read them all, here's a brief description about the story.  Paco is the only man left alive after an attack on his unit.  He is left for days..near death...before he is found, rescued and nursed back to health.   Now he is back in the states, out of the hospital, and in need of a job. He gets a job at a dinner in a small town and works all day, and goes back to his room at the inn at night.

We get all the info about Paco and what he went through from a narrator..one that we don't learn who it is until half-way through the book.  However through this narrator we learn more about Paco than if Paco told the story himself, or at least that's what I think.   We get flashbacks about things that happened when Paco was still in Vietnam, and we learn about what is going on with Paco present day.

This isn't a book to be read lightly.  There are several scenes that some might have trouble reading because of the honesty to them, this is war after all.  There is also a rape scene that some might have trouble with.

I personally thought all the scenes benefited the story and made the story.  How can we possibly learn about what Paco went through (or any soldier who fought in Vietnam) without getting the bad along with the good (is there good?).

I finished this book about an hour ago, on my lunch break.  Normally I don't write reviews right away for books like this, books that really make you think.  I like to take a couple days to think everything over. However, knowing I would be answering the questions tomorrow, I felt I needed to review it today.  Or maybe need is the wrong word, I wanted to review it today.

And this is a book that makes you think.  Yes it's tough to read at times.  However, those poor soldiers.  The things they saw, the things they did, the things they were ordered to do.   I just can't imagine.   I definitely think this is a book you should read.   I think this would be a great book to read in class..maybe college over high school because I could see a lot of parents being upset about their kids reading this in high school.  Regardless, I think this is a book that is best read with a group that you can talk to about it.  I think having the questions to ponder over and answer each week really helped me understand Paco more, it made me really think about this story more than I would if I had just read it on my own.

I gave this book such a high rating because I think it does a great job describing what happened to the men who served in Vietnam.  Hard to read at times, definitely, worth the read in the long run, absolutely.

Regarding the cover, loved it, thought it was perfect for this novel.  I found myself staring at the cover a lot.  Thinking about the man pictured, thinking about Paco.  I stared at the man's face..just looking at the expression.

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Copyright: 2009
Publisher: RazorBill/Penguin
Genre: young adult
Pages: 278
Challenges: young adult, buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website 
My rating: 4.5/5

Simple Description: 
Fiona is starting her senior year in highschool.  She might not be popular, but she has her best-friend Marcy and that's all that matters.  On the first day of school she finds out that the highschool is requiring all seniors to complete a course called Trying the Knot.  The kids are paired up as couples and must work with their spouse to earn money and participate in activities together.   Fiona considers herself incredibly unlucky and can prove this because she is paired with Todd Harding.  Todd is popular and dating Amber, Fiona's enemy.
Marcie is grouped with Johnny Mercer, a bigger kid, although he seems nice.  Fiona's crush, Gabe, is paired with her enemy Amber.

This book takes you through Fiona's senior year of highschool.  There are pranks between her and Todd, there are fights and verbal insults between her and, well, several kids.  There is trouble between her and Marcie.

In her senior year, Fiona learns how others view her and how maybe she could change and maybe she is a bit too harsh on others.  Fiona grows up and learns that people aren't always who they appear to be.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I loved this book!  The writing was good..the barbs going back and forth between Fiona and Todd are very funny.  I found myself chuckling to myself most of the time and sometimes I was so into the story that I giggled out load before I could stop myself.     I liked the concept of this book, the idea that in having to pretend she is married to somebody she dislikes, she actually learns more about that person and other people.  She learns that things aren't always what they seem to be.  In the reverse, those she starts to see differently also see her in a different light too.  

I can't believe this is the author's first published book, hopefully there are many to come because I would love to read more by Kristin Walker.

I definitely think this is a book that teenagers would get a kick out of.  I think they will like the story and all the funny comments.   Of course, I think a lot of us adults would like it too.

Now, I will say that a lot of the comments going back and forth between Fiona and Todd are sexual in nature.  I personally think that any high schooler reading these books is hearing the same things or possibly worse and therefore it's not a problem.  I believe the same about kids in junior high.   I don't have kids, but I don't think I would have a problem letting a teenager read this one.  I just wanted to say something to you, just as an FYI - not so you don't let kids read this but so that you know to talk to them if you so choose.

I read this book for Girls Gone Reading Blog Book Club.

This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay

Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 215
Challenges: Thriller and Suspense, Buy 1 book and read it, Cozy Mystery
New-to-me Author: Yes
Author's Website

Simple Description: 
Melanie, Angie, and Tate have been friends since the 6th grade.  They didn't think anything would come between us, then Tate got engaged to a royal, um..well...not a nice person.  Melanie and Angie have tried to like his fiancée but she's just too much.  Then Tate and his fiancée decide to have Melanie provide all the cupcakes for the 500 guests invited to the wedding.  Melanie is cool with this, she does own Fairy Tale Cupcakes, but she doesn't like how the fiancée wants 5 new flavors and copyright to those flavors.

When Melanie shows up at the fiancee's clothes shop to go over the cupcakes, she finds her dead and with a cupcake in hand.  This makes Melanie a prime suspect.

Melanie knows she didn't do it, Tate is a suspect and she knows he didn't do it.  However the fiance's rich parents are pressing the police to take action and a rival baker in the area appears to be helping the community label Melanie as a cupcake murderer.     Of course Melanie has only one option, see if she can figure out who really murdered the evil fiancée.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
Wow - what a fun cozy mystery!  I just adored this one, one of my favorites so far this year, hands down.  I loved all the main/re-occurring characters.  I can't help being drawn to this story because it's about a cupcake bakery either.  I love to bake and I love cupcakes (honestly..who doesn't?).     I also liked how Melanie was looking into the murder, but wasn't always running around. I mean, she did, but not like you see in a lot of other mysteries/cozies.  A lot of the story was about Melanie and the relationships with her friends, family, and  a future love interest.

Obviously, I highly recommend this book.  This is an excellent start to a new cozy series, I know I can't wait for the 2nd to be published.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Avon
Genre: fiction
Pages: 309
Challenges: Buy 1 Book and read it, Chick Lit
Author's Website



Simple Description:
This book revolves around three woman in their forties.  Each woman is going through a different crisis and relies on her friends for help.

Kat left St. Louis and never turned back. Well, that is until she was laid of from her job in New York City and went home early to find her boyfriend enjoying some live porn on his pc.  Her boyfriend, who is in his 20's and has cheated on her in the past.   He's not very concerned about her current work situation or how he was found and Kat realizes the relationship is over.  She hops a plane to her hometown of St. Louis and tries to figure out what to do with her life now.

Carla is an anchor at a local tv station in St. Louis.  She is loved by the audience but it appears her boss (and ex-husband) wants to replace her with somebody who is much younger and has bigger boobs.  She isn't ready to be pushed out of her seat just because of her age.  She is happy with her current (and much younger) boyfriend.

Elise is the only one of the three who settled down with marriage and a kid.  Her son is off to college though and she realizes that her marriage isn't going so well.  She rarely see's her husband, a plastic surgeon.  She is a Dr. herself, and busy with her practice, but she doesn't work as much as he does.  She feels that maybe he is cheating on her.  It's been ages since there was any intimacy between them.  In fact, she doesn't realize how long until a very cute (and younger!) local hockey player comes to visit her, somebody that she knew several years ago and finds very attractive.  Elise might not have issues with work like her two best friends, but her marriage doesn't seem to be going very well.


Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I thought this was a good book about cougars.  It makes cougars out to be real women, not the type of woman you hear about or see portrayed on tv (most of the time).  These are three very real women who happen to be attractive to younger guys.  While this might be intention for some of them, that's not the case for all of them.  You have seen women tv anchors being let go because of their age/appearance, you can see marriages breaking up because one or both of the partners doesn't feel the same way about their spouse, you can see somebody losing their job and having to make a clean start.  That's what I liked about this one, that you can imagine these characters as real women. Of course, because this book takes place in my home town I also found it fun to see where they went and lived.  I don't live in any of the area's they talked about, but that's not because I don't like them.  In fact, I don't live too far from where Elise calls home. I happen to live in a suburb with decent priced houses, low crime, and a good public school district.  Oh, and I live about 5 min from my Mom, 5 min from 1 sister, about 15 min from the other sister, and about 15 min from my in-laws.  lol!  Kat and Carla both live in cool parts of town and while I would love to live where they do, it just wasn't right for what Husband and I wanted/needed.

I definitely think several of you will like this book and recommend it. It's a good, light, fun chick lit book.  It was a perfect choice having reading something heavy like The Things They Carried.




This book is part of my collection and was bought by me (and signed the author!)

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Copyright:2009 (original pub date is 1990)
Publisher: Mariner
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 233
Challenges: War Through the Generations - Vietnam, New Author Challenge, Buy 1 book and read it
New-to-me Author: Yes



This is a short story collection.  Each of the 22 stories deals with the Vietnam War.  The stories are either about things that happened while fighting the war, being drafted, or what happened after the war.

I always find it hard to review a short story collection because I don't want to write about each story, yet if I don't how do you get an idea about the book?  I think if I do write about each story, I end up giving too much info, because it is a short story and not a full length novel.   So I'm just going to generalize about the collection as a whole and not focus on individual stories.

There were some stories I liked more than others, yet I still liked them all.   I like this book because the author says it's fiction, yet the main character is named Tim.  The stories read like it's a memoir or some other non-fiction book.  You can picture the stories happening.   I liked that the characters were the same from story to story.  No, not every character was in every story, but they all showed up more than once.  I think it helped the book flow.  It gave the book the feel that it was a full length novel and not a short story collection.  Although, I will warn you that even though it flows well, the story line does jump around.  This doesn't cause an issue with the story though.

This is only the 2nd book I've read for the War Through The Generations challenge and I'm so glad I read this one.   Even though it's fiction, I think it gives the reader a good idea about what it was like.  What it was like getting a draft card for a war you don't believe in.  Going to war and having to find a way to cope with the death and the things you have to do and the people you have to be with 24/7.  Then you have to come home and try to go back to "normal" life.

I actually finished this book on Thursday, but I wasn't ready to review it just yet.  I kept thinking about it.  In my mind, that's what makes a book stand out, one that you can't review right away because you are still trying to wrap your mind around it.

This is definitly a book I recommend to others.  Whether you are participating in the War Through The Generations challenge, interested in the Vietnam War, or none of the above, I think this would be a good book to read and ponder over.

Since my reviews of short story collections always seem to be lacking as a proper review, click HERE to go to the review page for this book at the War Through The Generations Blog.  This book has also been reviewed by several others and you can read a snippet and also click through to the individual blogs to read the full review.




This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

The Excalibur Murders by J.M.C. Blair

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Berkley Prime  Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 310
Challenges: Arthurian Challenge, Buy 1 book and read it, Year of the Historical, New Author
New-to-me Author: Yes

Simple Description:
King Arthur has been searching for the Stone of Bran and when one of his knights finally finds it and brings it to Camelot, it brings about murder.  Two of Arthur's squires, later we learn they are his sons, are killed and the stone and Excalibur are gone.

Arthur wants Merlin to figure out who the murder is and bring them to justice before the mid-winter festivities.

Merlin narrows it down to 4 people, known of which Arthur is happy to hear about. With the help of Brit, the only female knight, and Colin, Merlin's apprentice, the murders are investigated.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I had read reviews on Amazon for The Excalibur Murders and most were negative but some were positive.  The negative ones seemed like the person wasn't expecting a cozy mystery and unhappy when that's what happened.  The positive ones seemed to be from people who were expecting a cozy.

While I actually ended up liking the story, there was a lot that bothered me about it.   King Arthur is made out to be somewhat stupid. He doesn't seem like the King that we have all heard about and become fascinated with.  Merlin is pegged as merely a very educated man and not a magician at all.  I'm actually ok with that.  My issues were with how King Arthur was portrayed.  I just think he needed to be a stronger character.  Some of the banter also annoyed me.  However..I think it has potential as a series.  I'm going to put #2 in the series on my wish list, and eventually I'll get to it.



This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.
I am an amazon associate. 

The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff

Copyright: 1984
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 101
Challenges: Buy 1 Book and Read It, War Through the Generations (Vietnam)



Simple Description:
It's the 1960's and the USA is currently fighting a war in Vietnam.  Philip and Keith's parents have divorced. This had a big effect on the two boys.   Philip ends p not doing well in school and when he is unable to get into the college he wants to attend he decides to enlist in the army.  Keith ends up being on the opposite end and does drugs and becomes your stereotypical hippie.  

While training to be a paratrooper Philip is sent to watch an ammo depot with two other newer recruits.  They don't really get along but after that night they become friends.   It's the 4th of July and there is some concern that a local fire will reach them and the compound will blow up.  When it doesn't, the three men feel more confident and that they can take on the world.  Things seem to go well until there are a series of thefts at the Barracks.

Hubbord is one of those three and he seems the one most out of sort by being in the Army.  He did enlist, but feels that he was told lies and it's not really what he expected.  He has a hard time with it.

Lewis is the last of the three.  He is a very angry man.  He seems to be very unsure of himself and very socially awkward.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
The Barracks Thief is a very different sort of book.  It doesn't revolve around fighting in Vietnam or how people adjusted once they were back, etc.  It's more about these three men and how each of them end up in the Army for different reasons and react to it differently.  While I don't think I fully got the meaning behind the entire story, I thought it was interesting and a worthy read (and at only 101 pages it's a quick one!).

I've only read one other book by the author and that was This Boy's Life.  (Wow - that was back in 2006 -and my reviews then were not nearly what they are now..hopefully the ones now are better!).   The writing style of this book was different from his memoir and most other books that I've read.  I sometimes had to read sentences more than once.  Normally, this would annoy me and I would talk about bad writing style but with this book, I think it works.  I think the author wrote the sentences in such a way that you had to read them again to fully understand what was said or being implied.  

I'm also happy to report that I bought this one at my third (yes..I said third) Border's store shopping trip last week.  I first noticed the title and picked it up in hopes it was either Vietnam or WWII.   Then I recognized the author's name and remembered liking This Boy's Life.  I figured for $1, it was worth the purchase.

Buy a book and read it - The Cougar Club

I'm participating in the Buy one book and read it 2010 Challenge and I thought the best way to keep track of the books I buy and plan to read this year is to post them on my blog. Lucky you readers get a sneak peek at what's to come (eventually) and why I bought the book.

Last night I went to the kick-off, book launch, signing for The Cougar Club by Susan McBride. The author is based in STL I always try to go to a book signing for her newest release. I like to drag my Mom to them too. Although, I guess I'm not dragging her, she does enjoy going.

If you haven't read any books by Susan McBride, I recommend checking out her website for a list of books or just do a search on my blog. I've read all her books (well..I still haven't read the last in the mystery series but that's because I didn't want it to end and was saving it..I plan to read it this year though). She has written a cozy mystery series, which is what I first fell in love with. Then that line was cut by Avon and she came out with a YA series, which I also enjoyed. This book, The Cougar Club, is the first woman's fiction book.

Here's a bit about the book, which I copied from the author's website:

If you think that life—and romance—end at forty…think again!

Meet three women who aren’t about to run and hide, just because the world says they should be on the shelf and out of circulation:

Kat Maguire: her life seems perfect until she loses her high-powered advertising job and catches her live-in lover in a compromising position—with his computer!

Carla Moss: this sexy TV news anchor is in danger of being replaced by a twenty-something blond bimbo. Wasn’t it just yesterday that she was the up and coming star?

Elise Randolph: a married dermatologist, Elise thinks her plastic surgeon husband is playing doctor with someone else.

Kat firmly believes that aging gracefully isn’t about giving up; it’s about living life with your engine on overdrive. So this unofficial “Cougar Club” quickly learns three things about survival of the fittest in today’s youth-obsessed society: true friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you’re never too old to follow your heart.

Buy One Book and Read It 2010 - challenge

I know..I thought I was done with the challenges as well. I saw this button and thought it was way too cute and it needed to show itself on my blog, so I had to join.

No really, honestly, I buy the majority of the books I read. Therefore this challenge shouldn't be too hard, except, you actually have to read those books by the end of the year. Ooh..this might be a hard challenge.

This challenge is being hosted by My Friend Amy. The challenge post is HERE.

There are three different levels, I'm going with the highest which is to buy 12 books and read them by Dec. 31st, 2010.