Cannonball Read, bitches! I have a few reviews to catch up on, so here goes. Oh man, oh man, I hate writing reviews...but I'm not gonna start my 4th Cannonball Read by just documenting books, so here goes...

Cannonball Read, Book 1

Room by Emma Donoghue

The narrator of Room is Jack, a 5-year old with a unique perception of the world, in that his "world" is one Room. Because his world is so limited, he often speaks of things as singular objects; he lives in Room, he sleeps in Cupboard, he eats with Spoon, he was born on Rug. Jack's Ma does her best to try to maintain as much normalcy as possible within the confines of this room.

If you haven't read a review of Room before, or you don't like being spoiled (which is probably the best way to go into reading this book), please skip ahead. The reason for this isolation is that Ma was kidnapped as a college student, and has been held captive in this room for 7 years by "Old Nick". Old Nick built Room out of a soundproof (and virtually escape-proof) shed in his back yard, and Ma is basically there for him to have sex with and leave. Ma does her best to make sure that Jack is happy and ignorant to the horror of their situation.

A couple of pages in, I was immediately worried that the tone of the book would end up affected by the author trying to cater to a 5-year olds worldview, but the fact that Jack's life is so phenomenally different from that of a normal 5-year old allows for his thought processes to come off as believable. While there were a few dips in the story that lost my interest for a bit, the story itself is compelling enough to keep reading, if only to see where they end up. I found myself annoyed that the story ended where it did. I wanted to know Jack as he grew up and started understanding the situation he was in. So basically, Good book. Read it.

Since I haven't reviewed anything in ages (as per usual), I'm just gonna do a quick rundown of the books I've read this year. You'll easily noticed that most are a) serialized, and b) dystopian fiction, because when I get into one genre, it's hard to snap me out of it. So, anyway, absolutely not in the correct order at all, I've read:

1) Obsidian Butterfly - Laurell K. Hamilton
2) Narcissus in Chains - Laurell K. Hamilton
3) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling
4) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
5) Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
6) Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (Yeah, I read the series three times this year. I'm a freak.)
7) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling
8) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
9) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling
10) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling
11) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
12) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
13) Matched - Ally Condie
14) Crossed - Ally Condie
15) Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
16) Uglies - Scott Westerfield
17) Pretties - Scott Westerfield
18) Specials - Scott Westerfield
19) Extras - Scott Westerfield
20) Cerulean Sins - Laurell K. Hamilton
21) The Host - Stephanie Meyers
22) Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris
23) The Stand - Stephen King
24) Rant - Chuck Pulahniuk

I'm aware that I read 13-year old girl books. I'm sure I've missed something in there, damnit, and I am currently reading The Giver - Lois Lowry and The Room - Emma Donoghue. GOOD DAY!

After I roaring start, I've been slacking lately. I have read (but not reviewed) a few more books...the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy (Catching Fire and Mockingjay) and Chamber of Secrets. I know I read one more serialized book in there somewhere, but it's escaping me, so I'll have to add it later. I'd like to pretend I will review these all later, but considering my progress up to date, I'm gonna go ahead and doubt it. Anyway...reading Prisoner of Azkaban now. Look forward to not seeing my review for it here later!

4) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

It's taking everything in me to not write "OHMIGAH, it was SOOOO good!!" and call it a day, so bear with me.

In the far-off dystopian future, North America has been ravaged by some unnamed society-destroying means. America is split into 13 districts and an autocratic Capitol that rules with an iron fist. After a failed rebellion, the 13th district is wiped out. In an attempt to shame the remaining 12 districts and further demonstrate their power, each district is forced to send two teenagers, a girl and a boy between the ages of 12-18, to fight to the death gladiator style in the annual live televised Hunger Games.

*mild spoilers ahead*
The story follows a 15-year old girl named Katniss who lives in the poverty ridden District 12. Katniss spends her days hunting illegally to provide food for her mother and 12-year old sister, Prim. The book takes off almost immediately, beginning with the annual reaping in which the teenagers are chosen randomly in a lottery. Katniss has her name thrown in multiple times in order to trade for supplies for her family. Prim, who at age 12 only has her name thrown in once, is chosen for the games. Katniss immediately volunteers to go in her place.

I read this book yesterday and I haven't shut up about it. It's technically a young adult novel, so the 384 pages are a pretty quick read. The story itself is pretty fast-paced and thrilling. There is some romance, but it is minimal for now, as the story is all about Katniss's remarkable mental strenghth and ability to survive. I read it at work and ended up staying an hour late to finish it. Highly recommended.

(Oh, and my take on the Hailee Steinfield casting rumor...she's a little young for it, but I'm sure she could pull it off beautifully. I, for one, would rather see a newcomer. I just hope it's PG-13 rating allows for the movie to be as dark as it should be.)

Off the read the second book...

In an attempt to not go crazy on this insanely busy work day (it's taken me almost 2 hours to write this post), I present to you...

Books I've read so far for Cannonball Read!

1) Anita Blake Series, Book 9, Obsidian Butterfly - Laurell K. Hamilton

Mini-review because these books are reeeeally long, there's waaaay too much backstory, and there's no way I can sum them up. This book takes my favorite character, Edward, and sends Anita on a trip with him. It's awesome. Which is good because...

2) Anita Blake Series, Book 10, Narcissus in Chains - Laurell K. Hamilton

It's apparently the last good book of the series. My sister warned me several times that right around this point, the books become extremely sexual. Check it...Anita was a virgin til Book 6, has sex with her other boyfriend in Book 8, then becomes a giant ho in Book 10. By Book 11, which I'm currently rolling my eyes through, she's a great big whorebag succubus thing. It's getting insanely boring, and I'm not sure if I'll finish the series.

3) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling

Everytime I told someone I was reading Harry Potter, it was always the same conversation..."Which one?" "The first one." "Oh, you're re-reading it?" "No, I'm reading it for the first time. I know, bout time, huh?" *Person gives me crazy eyes*

I never had any interest in reading the Harry Potter series. The more people tried to tell me that oh my god, I needed to read it, the less interest I had. I didn't see either of the first movies in the theater, either...holding out until I was being forced to go see the third movie. I saw the first two, was meh about both, then went to the theater and loved the third movie. Since then I've been a pretty consistent fan of the movies (loved the last one), and with a bevy of road trips in my recent (now) past, I decided to finally read them. Well, I got through one. And I loved it.

This book was charming as hell. The first 50 pages broke my heart with lines about how Harry wasn't scared of spiders because there were plenty in the cupboard he slept in and the continuous berating and abuse by the hands of his horrid leftover family. Then comes a letter...and another...and hundreds more...that is the onset for a heartwarming endearing story. I may more or less know what's going to happen through the next 6 books, but I can't wait to read it.

I still read!
Seriously. Just not like all of you fools. ANNND since Nicole left me off the Cannonball Read this year (f*ckin bitch!), it really just means I can read all I want to and not write any reviews. Which YAY, because if you people know me at all, you know I hate/suck at reviews. I can only write reviews about Twilight and Mein Kampf, apparently.

ANYWAY, so far I've read...
-The Stand by Stephen King
-Pet Semetary by Stephen King
-The Louisiana Vampire Sookie Stackhouse Novels, Books 1-6 (and I imagine I'll be done the other 3 within the next week...)

So really, I'm doing far better without the CR, thank you, NICOLE (f*ckin bitch)!

Please don't ask me why I'm half-censoring myself. I'm tired and sick and I'm all stream of consciousness here, so just shut it.

Saints are in the Superbowl. It's Mardi Gras. I'm going with my boooOOoooyfriend to Dallas the weekend after Mardi Gras. I just had to hang up on a parent because I was coughing so bad I couldn't speak. Things are good.

Cannonball Read, Book 13

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I'm lazy, so I suggest heading over to Pajiba to read Sophia's Review here, as I feel exactly the same way about it: funny, touching, annoying end. Unlike most people, I love when films are based on novels I've read. It usually has no effect on my feelings on the novel itself. That being said, I'm extremely excited about Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones"...trailer here.

Cannonball Read, Book 12 (Is that all, really? God, I suck!)
Slam by Nick Hornby

I'm torn.
I love Hornby and everything he's written. I don't really know how not to love him. So, I'm gonna give him a pass for this one. I'll say (and hope) that he's attempting to dumb down his wit and humor for the younger crowd, as this is billed as a young adult novel.

Obligatory summary:
Sam is an implausibly immature 15-year old boy who has daily conversations with a Tony Hawk poster. The Tony Hawk poster talks back in snippets from his autobiography that usually just annoy both Sam and the reader. Sam meets a girl too pretty for him, falls in lust, has the sex, and knocks said girl up. The bulk of the book is basically Sam coming to terms with the pregnancy and trying to figure out how to deal with it.

Maybe saying that Sam is implausibly immature is naivete on my part. Maybe most 15-year olds really are this fucking stupid. It just didn't work for me. Most of the time, it seemed like Hornby was trying to write what it seemed like an adult trying to connect with a younger audience would write...rather than actually connecting.

I don't know. Apparently the book got pretty good reviews, so I'm probably being too harsh. Despite everything I've written here, I actually enjoyed reading the book. In retrospect, however, it's completely forgettable. I guess I just I expect better from Hornby.