Book 53: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

I am starting 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay tonight. This is the story of a blood splatter expert who is a serial killer of "bad people". He starts to worry when a string of brutal murders using his style shows up.
Lindsey is the only person I know who has read this book and she seemed to like it. Everyone has been talking about the tv show lately and it is one that I would really like to watch from the beginning if I get time. I thought I would give the first book a shot before I start watching the series.

Book 52: Good Bones and Simple Murders

I just started 'Good Bones and Simple Murders' by Margaret Atwood. This is a book of short stories and poems with twists on fairy tales and traditional stories. So far I've read the first four and liked three of them. I didn't really understand one the of the stories even after reading it three times. I guess there are some hidden meanings that just go over my head. I have been wanting to read some of Atwood's books for awhile, but this is the only one that was on the shelf at the library. Even after just a few pages, I think I would be interested in reading more of her books.

Book 51: Push

My 51st book will be Push by Sapphire. I heard about this book before I knew there was a movie, but I never got around to reading it. Then with all the hype of the movie Precious I thought I'd wait a while before reading the book.
This is the story of a girl named Precious who has a very hard life. She is raped by her father and beaten by her mother. When Precious is pregnant with her 2nd child she meets a teacher who tries to turn her life in the right direction. I am thinking Dangerous Minds meets The Bluest Eye, or some similar combo. I hope the book and movie are worth all the attention.

Completed 50 Book Challenge

I finished my last book in the 50 Book Challenge today. I can't even remember all 50 books that I read, so I'm really glad Lindsey convinced me to do this blog. There were several books that I loved and several that I didn't. I really think that the challenge helped me to finish every book I started even when I didn't think I would like it. Some I ended up really liking after I got part of the way through. I think I am going to continue the challenge and see how many books I can read by the end of a year's time. Thanks so much Lindsey for the idea!

Book 50!!!!

Yay! I'm starting book #50 today. I will be reading 'A Girl Named Zippy' by Haven Kimmel. This is a memoir of Kimmel's story of growing up in a small town in Mooreland, Indiana. She was nicknamed Zippy at a young age for the way she ran around the house. I think this will be an interesting book for me because I grew up in the small town of Gilman, Wisconsin. When I say small town, I don't mean a couple thousand people, I mean about 400. Mooreland has a population of about 300 and has since 1940, this is the same as Gilman. I think the population sign in town has said 406 people for as far back as I can remember. I'm curious to see if there are any similarities between the two towns. It's definitely a different way of life than living in a bigger city.

Book #49: The Weight of Silence

I am starting 'The Weight of Silence' by Heather Gudenkauf today. I have heard lots of good reviews about this book from everyone who has read it. It is the story of two little girls who go missing one night in a small town in Iowa. Their families are looking for the answer of what happened to the girls and find some unspoken family secrets.

Book #48: A Mercy

Today I am starting 'A Mercy' by Toni Morrison. I am a sucker for slave stories, so I always end up loving all of her books. This is a story of a young girl who is sold to a trader in exchange for a bad debt from a plantation owner. The girl's mother agrees to give her daughter away in hopes of saving her life, but the daughter feels she can never forgive her mother for her abandonment.