Book 34 - The Town

My thirty-fourth book was The Town by Chuck Hogan. The book was made into a movie, directed by Ben Affleck. He also starred in it along with Jeremy Renner (who was nominated for an Oscar for it), Jon Hamm, and Blake Lively. The book is about four friends, Doug MacCray, Jem Couglin, Dez Elden, and Gloansy Magloan, who live in Charlestown, famous for having the most armored car robberies in the US. It just so happens that many of these jobs have been done by Doug and his friends. During one of these jobs, on a bank this time, they have unexpected trouble and Jem (the troublemaker) takes a hostage, the manager of the bank named Claire Keesey. When they leave her, alive and unharmed, at the beach, the FBI is suspicious. But so are the thieves. So, Doug decides to follow her. But instead of just following her, he soon finds himself talking to her and, after that, falling in love with her, surprising his friends and, most of all, himself. Doug is prepared to leave "the Town" with her, but before he can, he is sucked into one last job, the biggest one they have ever pulled...and this job very likely could be their last.

Book 33 - Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights

My thirty-third book was Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights by Jen Calonita. The last book left off with Kaitlyn just finishing the last episode of her hit TV show, Family Affair, and about to head off to NYC for her Broadway debut. So, this book starts out with her heading to New York. She is excited at first with the new environment, but soon starts to miss her home and her boyfriend, Austin. It doesn't help that he's at a co-ed lacrosse camp and some girl named Amanda keeps answering his phone. Kaitlyn tries to focus on her play, a teenage comedy/drama called Meeting of the Minds. But this is hard when you have distractions coming at you from every direction, such as her gorgeous new co-star, Dylan, her rival in the theater, Riley, her frenemy turned friend, Sky Mackenzie, won't leave her alone, and her boyfriend being increasingly distant. If all of this wasn't already enough to worry about, she also keeps thinking about the critic's reaction to her performance, which she is convinced will be bad because of Riley's continued abuse...can Kaitlyn pull it together before opening night? Or will this be as much of a disaster as the events in Paparazzi Princess??

Book 32 - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

My thirty-second book was The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. I had never read anything by this author, I just happened to pick this up at Barnes and Noble. (That's a pattern with me...and that's also how I find authors I like, by chance.) This book is about Frankie, who goes to a boarding school that used to be all boys. Because she's a feminist, she is very annoyed by this. She is also annoyed by the fact that her new boyfriend, Matthew, has been lying to her about something and always ditching her for his guy friends. She eventually finds out that Matthew is a member of the all-male secret society called The Order of the Basset Hounds. She doesn't really want into this club, she just wants the option. She figures out a code that, of course, the boys can't figure out and finds the secret book called The Disreputable History, which has secrets from past Basset members. She uses this book to come up with a plan to infiltrate the Basset Hounds and prove that girls are better than boys once and for all. (Hey...it's true...)

Book 31 - Smart Girls, Smart Choices

My thirty-first book was Smart Girls, Smart Choices by Megan Clinton. It's a book about what choices to make and what not to make. She also uses movies, like 27 Dresses, Sydney White, 13 Going on 30, and The Proposal to talk about different problems like being Addicted to Approval, Hanging with the Wrong Crowd, and Not Being Able to Let Your Hair Down. Her writing is very clear and easy to understand. It's only her second book, which makes it pretty cool that its already this good. I would reccomend this book if you're wanting a good devotional type book.

Book 30 - Falling in Love with English Boys

My thirtieth book was Falling in Love with English Boys by Melissa Jensen. This was one of the books I just happened to pick up at Barnes and Noble. I hadn't heard of the author or read anything by her before and I hadn't heard of the book. I just saw it and thought the cover looked interesting and, after reading the back, thought the summary looked interesting, too. Catherine is visiting England, although she doesn't want to be, and meets Will. While she's there, she starts a blog, which is how the whole story is told. She also starts reading the diary of Katherine Percieval, a girl from Jane Austen time who is the daughter of the woman Catherine's mother is studying. Katherine meets the exciting poet named Thomas Baker. Both of the girls stories mirror the others as they both search for freedom, life, and the kind of love Jane Austen wrote about.

Book 29 - Elyon

My twenty-ninth book was Elyon by Ted Dekker and Kaci Hill, part of the Lost Books series. This is the last book, or at least the last book I have. I'm not going to say much about this book, because I didn't like it as much as the others, which some of the others I didn't really like either. But I'm just glad I'm done and I can say I've read the whole series. ...sigh of relief...

Book 28 - The Bad Beginning

My twenty eighth book was The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket, the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I have read the entire series, several times, but I decided to read this one again. I loved it just as much the second time as all of the others. The Baudelaire's (aka Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) mansion is destroyed and their parents killed in a fire. They are put in the care of the evil Count Olaf by the not-very-bright banker, Mr. Poe. Count Olaf wants their fortune so bad that he does very despicable things (like trying to force Violet to marry him by holding her baby sister, Sunny, hostage) before disappearing. This oversight by Mr. Poe leads the poor orphans in the "series of unfortunate events" the series is named after, with Count Olaf chasing them wherever they go. If only Mr. Poe had known...

Book 27 - Sean Griswold's Head

My twenty-seventh book was Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt. This book is about Payton, who finds out her father has MS. Her school counselor tells her to pick a focus object, something that she can focus on to keep her mind off of her dad's health. She's supposed to pick an inanimate object, but, instead, she pick's Sean Griswold's head. Sean has sat in front of Payton since the third grade, so she figures this is a subject she knows pretty well. She doesn't really know him, aside from exchaning a few sentences about a quiz or loaning him a pencil. But she has been staring at the back of his head for six years. It will be easy, right? What she doesn't realize is that her slightly crazy friend Jac is also focusing on Sean, not on his head, but the boy. And Jac's goal isn't to get the boy for herself but to get the boy for Payton because she figures Payton needs a little pushing. But, when Jac pushes Payton too far, will they still be able to be friends? And what about Sean Griswold...will Payton ever get to know him or will he always be the boy with the big head that sat in front of her in class?

Book 26 - Mockingjay

My twenty-sixth book was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (the third book in the Hunger Games Trilogy). I loved the other two books. This book, as many third or fourth books do) seemed a little forced. Like, she had to make up an ending to the series, and this was the best she could come up with. Katniss has survived two Hunger Games and is now in Rebel custody, along with a couple of refugees from District 12. Peeta, not to mention Johanna, has been captured by the Capitol. The rebels have set up base in District 13, which everyone thought was dead and gone, but is really surviving without the Capitol. After many months, and Katniss agreeing the be the Mockingjay, a symbol for the rebellion, the ruler of 13 agrees to form a rescue team to get Peeta. But when he comes back, he's not anything like the Peeta she once knew. And no one knows if they'll ever be able to get that Peeta back again...

Book 25 - I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend

My twenty-fifth book is I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison. I just found this book at Barnes and Noble (I had never heard of the author...I just thought the title sounded cool) and got it. I've had it for a while, but just haven't gotten around to reading it. I finally read it this week and I'm glad I did. The book is about Jane Austen's cousin, Jenny Cooper (who's real name was Jane Cooper...but you can't have two Janes in a book about Jane Austen). Jenny risks her life and her reputation to send a letter to her aunt about Jane's health (she really did that in real life. She is considered to have saved Jane's life...thank goodness for that). When her Aunt Austen comes to get Jane, she decides to take Jenny home with her too, as Jenny is an orphan and Mrs Austen doesn't want Jenny in the horrible boarding school either. So, Jenny goes from her horrible life at the boarding school (and equally horrible life with her brother and sister-in-law before that) to the exciting and sometimes glamorous life at the Austen household. They are not rich, but they still get invited to balls, which Jenny gets to experience for the first time (in fact, the author based Jenny's first ball on Catherine's trip to the Assembly Rooms in Bath in Northanger Abbey). Overall, a good read, in addition to giving the reader a taste of what it might have been like to be a friend of Jane Austen's.