Book: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman

I went into reading this knowing only that it was part of the His Dark Materials series. I've heard of the Golden Compass, but the cover put me off when I was the target audience, and assumed that the book would not resonate as much with adults. However, I'm surprised that this is marketed for kids, because the story is definitely complex and deals with themes and ideas that are pretty big to grasp. Also, I came across words that I didn't know which would have been very confusing for me if I was younger (and also didn't have a kindle with a built in dictionary allowing me to look up the definition of any word instantly!).

Goodreads

Book count: 10
Movie count: 4
Other media: 3  

Book: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

I read this book in about two days, but that doesn't necessarily reflect how much I enjoyed it. I think that this was definitely not as good as the first Hunger Games book. After the first book I was wondering what sort of twist they would take in the second book in order to get the characters involved in the games again. I think I sort of groaned when I read what ended up taking place. The description of the actual games was less interesting than the that of the first book, but the games were not the main point of this book, so maybe that's forgivable. I'm eagerly awaiting a chance to read the next book, but only for closure, not necessarily because it's a great, well-written book series.

Goodreads

Book count: 9
Movie count: 4
Other media: 3 

Book: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

This book is so popular right now, I couldn't ignore it any longer. Plus, another benefit of reading on a kindle is that no one can see the book cover and know what you're reading, which would have made me hesitant if I had had to read this on a hard copy of the book.

I liked the first half of the book more than the second half, because I thought that it went from adventure plot to romance plot towards the end, and hinted at more romantic elements in future books. Which is fine, but not really what I thought I was getting into, although I should have figured, with the story being so popular. But, I enjoyed it overall, and eagerly awaited the first of the month so I could get the next installment of the series for free on kindle. (Why didn't they publish it in one book? Why 3? I think one book would have been more appropriate here, but I guess it would not have been a profitable and easy for the masses to digest.)

Goodreads

Book count:8
Movie count: 4
Other media: 3

Book: He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know by Jessica Valenti

I didn't really like this book. Maybe I've been reading too many academic texts, but I found the informal tone to be a bit off-putting. I also thought that some of the material was rather repetitive and that the arguments were often flimsy. I think that maybe this would be a good book for someone younger that me, who's just starting to think about gender differences in society, who maybe needs a bit of a helping hand and friendly tone to help them understand.

Goodreads

Book count: 7
Movie count: 4
Other media: 3

Book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

First book read on my new kindle! First of all, I was hesitant to get a kindle, because what about flipping pages and other integral parts of the book reading experience?! But, I was won over by the ease of holding the kindle vs holding open a book and how light it is compared to the weight of an equivalent number of books.

I was also hesitant to read this book, mostly because it's so popular, but I did really enjoy it. I wasn't sure that a plot involving 9/11 could be not cheesy or cringeworthy, but I thought that it was entirely appropriate.

Goodreads

Book count: 6
Movie count: 4
Other media: 3