Some book chatter.

I read. I read a lot. I'm aiming to hit 100 books this year, after my 52 in 52 challenge in 2011. Currently I'm sitting at 58/100, but I just finished two of the best books I've read in a while, which made me think maybe I should start doing some reviews? I mean, I don't want this to be a book review blog exclusively, but I may throw a couple in here and there.

The first book was Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne. Basically, a series of escalating disasters hit- everything from a hailstorm to a chemical weapons spill- and a group of kids/young adults find refuge in a big-box store. And holy crap is it good. There's a little bit of everything here. Family tension between the siblings that manage to be stuck there together, a bit of romance between some of the older kids, comic relief from the youngest elementary children. It's also sad: everyone outside is dying. There's action and a bit of suspense. Plus, I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic novels,  and this is like, a mid-apocalyptic novel which is even better. There's only one thing that really pissed me off about this book, and it's something I've noticed happening a lot lately- surprise sequel.  I really loved this book a lot, but I was not prepared for it to end where it did. The sequel to the book, Sky On Fire, isn't set to come out until summer of 2013, and that sucks a lot.

The second was Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson. This one is a lot less complex, honestly. It's the story of a young man who finds a job at an arts and crafts store to meet chicks and get laid. He gets laid, but spoiler, not a chick. This is a great LGBT novel, mostly because it does what a lot of David Levithan's novels do- it's a love story, and there is a little tension over the LGBT-ness of the relationship, but it's not the point of the novel, which I love. It's a great feel good story, despite the fact that it's not 100% smooth sailing. I finished this book in just a couple hours and when I was finished with it, I just felt content, which I think is the best way to feel when finishing a book.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm always open for book suggestions, so if you've got any, let me know? My goodreads account, for anyone interested, can be found here. :)