Number 102 -- Matched

Have you read The Giver, Unwind, or The Hunger Games? Like the dystopian storyline? Then you've got to read Matched by Ally Condie.

This story focuses on The Society and begins with a young girl turning 17 and meeting her "match;" the young man The Society has chosen for her. Though the ceremony goes as planned, the information she is given about her match includes the picture of a different young man. What could it possibly mean?! Is it a mistake? The Society doesn't make mistakes!

I've heard that dystopian storylines are going to be more prevalent in YA literature, and that writers are moving away from the supernatural (vampires, werewolves, etc.). I like both, so we shall see what comes out next year. Regardless, if the story is well written, I will want to read it!

Speaking of reading....I finished this story while on a weekend vacation to Beaver's Bend State Park with my family. There are no tv's there and we spent our days walking the trails, driving and looking at deer (we saw 45 the first day!), and reading. My husband and daughter both finished a book while we were there as well. Nice to just sit in a cabin and read in the quiet with your family around you, and the fire crackling in the fireplace!

Number 101 -- Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

This is my first audio book to discuss on my blog, but I listen to audio books all the time! I have them in my car, on my iPod and playing from my computer. My husband shakes his head when he comes into the house and hears a book blasting from the computer while I cook or when I'm vacuuming and he can't talk to me, because my iPod is all the way up so I can "read" while I work. It makes housework much more enjoyable!

I like James Patterson and have read many of his Alex Cross books. This one is different, in that the story is told by Alex Cross from one of the stories his grandma used to tell him as a boy. Set in the early 1900's, the story follows a young white lawyer who is sent back to his home town in Mississippi to investigate nearby lynchings. The story goes behind the scenes with several characters and reveals their struggles for safety in a corrupt and volatile period in our history.

Number 100! -- Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

"It was not a face stroked into creation by God's loving hand, but battered into shape by the Devil's hammer." What a way to describe the antagonist in a novel!

Revolver is set in the early 1900's in the Arctic wilderness. A boy finds his father dead on the ice, learns about secrets from the past, and fights for the survival of his family. Interesting gun facts are sprinkled throughout the novel as well.

I originally pick this book up because I am intrigued by guns. My husband is retired military and carried a gun for many years during his service. I've grown up around them and am not afraid of them, when they are used and stored properly and when those around them are educated about safety. The revolver, in particular, has always been one that fascinates me with it's simplicity and beauty.

What I like about Sedgwick's book is that the revolver has a story of it's own and is intertwined into the life of the young man in the novel. That story is much deeper and has more value than you might expect on the surface. Going to have to read more by this author!

Number 99 -- Mistletoe Murder

Everyone needs a guilty pleasure. I've said before that I'm not big on the cheesy romance novels (if you are, I don't judge -- just not for me). However, I love a cheesy mystery. And I don't use the term "cheesy" with disdain....I LOVE it! It's a total guilty pleasure!

Mistletoe Murder is the first in the Lucy Stone Mysteries set in Maine. This one obviously takes place around Christmas and is full of twists and turns. Set in a delightful town, I look forward to reading more of Leslie Meier's books. She has 17 other Lucy Stone novels around specials days on the calendar. Check out the website Stop You're Killing Me to see the whole collection.

BTW, Stop You're Killing Me is a great site to make sure you haven't missed the next book in your favorite series, or find a new series you might like to read.

How do I keep count?

To keep up with my book count, I use an Excel worksheet that my wonderful father created for me. I list the day I start reading a new book, the day I finish reading it, the title, author, type (Adult, YA, fiction or nonfiction) and number of pages. I like being able to see how many of a certain type of book I read and how many pages I average for the year. At the bottom of the list is a SUM of all the pages I've read and an average of pages per book. Right now, I've read over 30,000 pages, so I'm averaging about 308 pages per book.

Not bad, if I do say so myself!

I think I might add a genre column to see more specifically what types of books I read and make sure I'm hitting lots of different topics instead of my old mystery/suspense standby. Of course, if you want to keep a list of books you read, you don't have to be as detailed as I am. The list does come in handy though, when I can't remember if I've read a book and can search back through the years to see if it's on the list.

FYI...in 2008 I read 81 books (avg. 355 pages - 28,775 total pages) and in 2009 I read 79 books (avg. 329 pages - 26,013 total pages). I haven't decided what my goal for next year will be yet. I'll have to decided before January 1st.