50 Book Challenge

I have been sick in some form or another for most of the month of June, and barely a scrap of makeup has touched my face. In fact, lately it's taken all my energy just to wash it. I'm getting better, but now I have a cold (yay!) so I'm moping about and carrying on like I'm dying as I'm wont to do when minor ailments befall me.

I'm lagging terribly behind with my 50 Book Challenge (first post here) - and I would have read loads this month except that it hurts to lie down or sit for long periods of time, so I can't find a comfortable position for hours of reading. WOE IS ME. However, I'm still confident I'll hit 50 before year's end. Just think of me as the hare in that story. Wait, no - the tortoise. Or turtle. Or whatever.


12. Election. I love this book and the movie - there was a youtube clip doing the round recently of the original film ending, which is similar to that of the book. I'm glad they changed it - the movie ending was better. This is a quick, funny read about a teacher who sabotages the school election to stop a student he hates from winning. You've probably all seen the movie.
*Trufax: from the moment I first saw that movie, I've always imagined Natasha Stott-Despoja to be exactly like Tracy Flick. Come on, once you see it you can't unsee it. Of course, you may have no idea who that is, in which case, get a hair cut you young whippersnappers, back in my day, blah blah blah.

13. Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America. I like to read US-centric books like this, because I feel that sometimes we're not that far off following suit (the first of those odious kiddie pagaents hits our shores this month). It's about how forced positivity is actually detrimental to society - and also kind of creepy. Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a great book about the minimum wage workers of the US called Nickel and Dimed. This one wasn't quite as absorbing, but still an interesting read.

14. The Strain. I'm not going to go into my feminist rant about my hatred of Twilight and everything it stands for, but I will say this: vampires are supposed to be SCARY. I'm sick of these wishy-washy 'monsters' in books and films who are all romantic and sappy. I remember reading Salem's Lot when I was a kid and it scared the crap out of me. As much as I loved Interview With The Vampire back in the day, I blame Anne Rice for the influx of angsty, emo vampires. That Louis was such a whinger. Anyway, The Strain, written by Guillermo Del Toro and some other guy no one cares about because he's not Guillermo Del Toro is proper horror. Terrifying, evil, soulless vampires who just kill, kill, kill. This is the second time I've read it and both times I was sleeping with lights on in the house for a while after. He'd better make it into a movie.

15. The Wishbones. Another Tom Perotta book. I just like his stuff - it's easy to read, not too deep. Not quite chick lit for blokes, but sometimes dips a toe in there. This is about a 30-something guy who still lives with his parents, plays in a wedding band, and accidentally proposes to his girlfriend. An entertaining, breezy read.

16. The Hunger Games. I had no idea what this was about - all I knew was that it was a YA novel (which, to be honest, would usually have me running a mile) and everyone was banging on about it non-stop, so when I saw it in Big W I bought it to see what the fuss was about. As with most YA novels I've read, it's very over-written (what is it with editors these days - SLASH AND BURN PEOPLE), but the bones of the story is really good. I'll be buying the second one on my next Book Depository jaunt, and I've passed it on to Noodle Arms to read, as I think she'll like it.

*That pile up there is my "next to read" stuff. Trying to decide what to go for next.