60) The Invention of Hugo Cabret-Brian Selznik

Paris, 1931. Young Hugo Cabret has lost his father, his uncle has been missing for months and it has since become his job to make sure that the clocks are perfectly run in the train station. One day, he is caught stealing from the toy shop and his father's notebook is taken from him. The toyshop owner asks questions Hugo refuses to answer and the man tells him he will burn the notebook. Hugo follows the man home and begs for his notebook back. When they reach the man's home and he closes the door on him, Hugo tosses a pebble at the window and begs the girl that appears to make sure that the man does not burn his notebook. 

The next day, Hugo returns to the toy booth and asks for his notebook back. The man claims to have burned it. Hugo goes back every day asking for his notebook and although he refuses to give it up, Papa Georges says Hugo can make himself useful. Each day he returns and little by little, he helps clean the booth and learns from Papa Georges. He also befriends the girl from the window, Isabelle. Through their friendship, they learn the truth about Papa Georges, the magic within everyone and everything and discover exactly why they are so important in this world.

This was an absolutely beautiful book. Although it tops out at about 522 pages, you can read this in one sitting. The book is comprised of mostly stunning black and white drawings that take you through the story. Everything about it comes full circle. It's such a beautiful story.

Having seen the movie, I felt it was necessary to finally get around to reading the book. I wish I had read it prior to the film's release, but oh well. It was just as exciting reading it after having seen the movie as I assume it would have been had I read it before. However, having the movie as a frame of reference was nice. The book and the movie were done so closely. Scorcese was certainly the right man to tackle this movie adaptation. I highly recommend both the book AND the movie. Absolutely proves the importance of knowing that magic is real in one way or another, books and movies.

59) Holidays On Ice-David Sedaris

Okay, I'll admit this right now. I'm a pretty big David Sedaris fan. I was excited to find a compilation of just Christmas stories alone because, quite frankly, I've never laughed as hard as when I read "Six to Eight Black Men" for the first time in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Yes, my children, that one is most certainly featured in this collection of essays.

There are a few familiar essays from his previous books, along with about six new essays. There are maybe two that are in no way nonfiction, but I certainly wasn't mad at it. I was a bit disappointed in one or two, but overall I really enjoyed this. It's a good laugh and funny to read around the holidays.

If you want to read about the adventures of being an elf in Herald Square's Santaland, it's right here. If you want to read about the customs of the Dutch at Christmas, search no further. Are you looking to read about a prostitute in the kitchen at four am? Well, my friend, you found the right book!

If you are not a Sedaris fan, I suggest at least giving him a shot. He may not be for everyone, but he is hysterical to me. Since this is such a small collection, this would be easy to start with.

58) The Throne of Fire-Rick Riordan

Sadie's birthday isn't really going as planned. After traveling to London through the Duat and ending up at her grandparents flat, she realizes something is wrong. Within seconds, things have flipped upside down. The goddess of vultures and the god of baboons has decided to use her grandparents as hosts and are trying to stop her at all costs from finding the remaining two pieces of the Book of Ra. With the help from Bes, the god of dwarves, they manage to release the gods from their hosts. Carter and an initiate from Brooklyn House, Walt, show up and they begin their journey to find the second book of Ra. Will finding the pieces of the book help save the House of Life and halt the rise of Apophis, chaos itself? Can they stop chaos from destroying the world and bring back the forgotten god, Ra?

It's a bit difficult to divulge too much of this story as it is a sequel to the book listed below, so I apologize if that did not do this book enough justice. However, I quite enjoyed this book. It was just as much of a quick read as its predecessor and even more exciting. You certainly find yourself falling in love with Bes and cheering on the Kane children as they fight to save the world from darkness and destruction. You certainly wonder how they gain so much power and admire the changes made between the two books.

I really, really can't wait for the third one in May. This absolutely set up the impending war and the third one will just set the whole thing in motion. Definitely a good read if you like history or mythology. Or just really love Rick Riordan like I so obviously do.

57) The Red Pyramid-Rick Riordan

It all started the night their dad blew up the British Museum.

It was one of their two designated nights of their year that Carter Kane and his father were allowed to visit his sister, Sadie, in England. When they pulled up to where she lived with her grandparents, Carter's dad told him he would meet him inside. Curious as ever, Sadie refused to sit inside and along with her brother, the two of them found a way to overhear their father's conversation with a strange man. Whatever they were saying made no sense to the siblings and when Sadie jumped out to ask what they were discussing, their father refused to answer and hurried them into a cab. When Carter looked back, the man had vanished.

When they arrive at the British Museum, Sadie is less than thrilled. It's one of her only nights with them and they're looking at Egyptian artifacts? Isn't that what Carter and her father spend the rest of their time doing? Traveling the world and studying everything Egypt? The three head towards the museum where the curator meets them and leads the group towards the otherwise closed exhibit featuring the Rosetta Stone. Their father keeps muttering that it's his turn to put things right and asks the children to lock the curator in his office and stay out of the room. Once the curator is securely in his office, Sadie refuses to sit still. She wants to know why they're meant to stay out of the room. They move back towards the room and notice there is a blueish glow surrounding the room. As they look in, they see their father with strange objects as he mutters something over the Rosetta Stone. The stone lights up and the room explodes. The gods of ancient Egypt are released and Set imprisons Sadie and Carter's father in a golden sarcophagus.

From there, the two discover that they are not only magicians of the ancient House of Life, but they are also the two most powerful godlings to be born in centuries. With the blood of the pharaohs, they are the only two who can go toe to toe with Set before he unleashes chaos on the world during the Demon Days. If they succeed, they can work to return the House of Life to the old ways. If they fail, the world falls to ruble and ruin.

I was slightly apprehensive when it came to this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty huge Riordan fan, but the idea of Egyptian mythology didn't really do it for me. However, it was such a great read. It's dual narrators and it was funny while also really compelling. Riordan has an extraordinary way with words which is what makes him such a fantastic talent. The characters were fantastic and once you reach a certain point, it's really difficult to put it down. While I'm more inclined to recommend Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus series (whatever, I love Percy Jackson), I would definitely recommend this series as well.

56) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight-Jennifer E. Smith

Today has been the day from hell for Hadley. She realizes that her dress doesn't fit, gets stuck at the gas station for 45 minutes, her suitcase is broken and worst of all, she's just missed her flight to London to watch her dad get married. It's an event she has been dreading which only adds to her terrible day. How could she watch her dad marry the woman who ruined her family? After talking with the airline, she manages to get the last seat on the next flight...three hours from now. Just after finding a seat in the terminal, she asks a woman to look after her bag while she runs to the bathroom. The cantankerous woman scolds her and just before Hadley can say something mean, a boy says he will watch it for her. Instead of taking him up on his offer, she takes her bag and walks away.

However, the boy follows her and the two strike up a conversation. Hadley feels something that is new to her. She just met this guy! Why would she feel like she's known him forever? Why would she feel like this is the start of something big? She finds out that they're sitting int he same row on the flight and it only intensifies her feeling. They spend the next seven hours of the flight talking, getting to know one another and flirting. When they finally reach London, Hadley doesn't know what to do. Will she ever see him again? Will her dad's wedding be as bad as it seems? Will this trip be more than she could have ever anticipated?

I really loved this book. I read it in literally a day. It seems to the be the ones that I grab on a whim that I enjoy the most. Anyway, it definitely kept you reading. You wanted to know what was going to happen next and that seemed odd to me for a love story. It wasn't cheesy or over the top. It was more than just a love story. It was a story about a girl coming to terms with a lot of aspects of her life. It's amazing that it was set only over a two day span. I definitely recommend this book when it comes out at the end of January!

55) The Son of Neptune-Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has been fighting gorgons for days, but they just won't die. Why won't they just stay dead like normal monsters? Why can't he remember how he knows what they are or where he learned to fight? He's running out of steam...and options. Suddenly, he feels a pull towards the two people standing guard at a tunnel across the freeway. Is it salvation or is it a trap? A hippie bag lady appears at his side and tells him that he has little time to decide between staying where he is and reaching the tunnel. If he chooses to cross the freeway, she asks if he would be so kind as to carry her to the tunnel. The gorgons are circling close and Percy chooses to lift the woman and make a run for it. The two guards are dressed in battle armor and tell him they'll cause a diversion until he can make it into the grounds. But where is he exactly?

Once in the grounds, he crosses the Little Tiber and puts the woman down. Quickly he turns and summons the water to crush the gorgons. How did he just do that? The bag lady smiles, spins and turns into a seven foot tall beauty sheathed in a goat skin cloak. Juno stares down at Percy and the two guards from the tunnel, Hazel and Frank, and welcomes him to Camp Jupiter. She apologizes for stealing Percy's memories and warns that trouble is coming. Without much more, she disappears and leaves the campers confused. 

After a tour of the camp and dinner, the camp begins to assemble for war games. Frank and Hazel have vouched for Percy and he falls into their ranks of the Fifth Cohort, a group that has been shamed since the 1980s. However, during the games, the three of them prove to be a triumphant trio and help win the game for their side. Just as the battle has ended, the cheering quickly stops as Mars himself appears in the middle of the battlefield. He claims Frank as his son and issues a quest stating that three demigods must head towards the land beyond the gods and face the threat that awaits them before the Feast of Fortuna. He also states that Frank must head it and is allowed to choose his companions. Mars also states that it would be wise to choose Percy because he feels Percy needs to prove himself. Frank chooses Hazel, a daughter of Pluto, as his second companion. They set off the next day, each with their own powers and each with their own secrets that could be their downfalls.

Wow. I could not say more about this book. It's a sequel to the previous book, The Lost Hero. I'm a pretty big Percy Jackson fan and was nervous that he was never to be found even though I knew that Juno (Hera, whatever) switched Jason and Percy out to help fight the bigger fight. However, I smiled like an idiot whenever I would read his chapters. He's Percy freaking Jackson, man! I mean, this was an amazing sequel. I almost cried a few times because it was so emotional. Your heart broke when you discovered Hazel's secrets, were awed when you found out Frank's skills and you felt bad every time Percy mentioned Annabeth. I mean, come on! Just the thought of Annabeth was what kept Percy motivated to carry on! And what Riordan did to tie together the two stories and the characters from both was absolutely amazing. The guy knows how to write a riveting, hilarious, can't-put-this-down book. 

The worst part? Waiting until October of NEXT YEAR for The Mark of Athena. What are you waiting for? Go pick up the first five Percy Jackson books and then these two! You won't regret it!

54) The Lost Hero-Rick Riordan

Jason has no idea who or where he is. All he knows is that he is on a bus holding hands with a girl he has never met and listening to a boy he has never met complain about their field trip. His memories are gone and no one will believe that he has no idea who they are or why he's suddenly on a field trip at the Grand Canyon. The next thing he knows, he is being attacked by storm spirits and his battle instincts kick in. Once the venti have left, Jason is only more confused. Before he can answer anything Piper or Leo are asking, two people leading a chariot of pegasi are flying right for them. Annabeth and Butch claim the other three have answers and that they were taking them where they could better discuss it.

Once they reach Camp Half-Blood, they discover that they are children of the gods of Olympus, otherwise known as demi-gods. Leo, a son of Hephaestus; Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite; Jason, a son of Jupiter. Questions pile up, but no answers are given. All they know is that at the exact moment Jason lost his memories, Percy Jackson disappeared and that something is linking the two incidents. Not only that, but the great prophecy that was made at the end of the Titan War only months before has already been put into motion. It is up to Jason, Leo and Piper to figure out how to put the demigods can end the threat and how to get Jason's memories back on a quest to save Hera.

This is what I love about Rick Riordan. He's engaging and hilarious, heartfelt and intelligent. I have learned so much about mythology through his books and I didn't even know it. This was such an amazing read. I could not put this down. And that's saying something for a book containing 553 pages of Greek and Roman myth. I thought it was really neat for him to bring in the Roman mythology and show how it differs slightly from the Greek. It was exciting.

I had no idea that this book picked up just months after the ending of The Last Olympian (finale of the Percy Jackson series). It made the book even better than it already was because, well....I absolutely LOVE Percy Jackson. You don't necessarily NEED to read the Percy Jackson series in order to understand this series, but I would definitely recommend you doing so. They were great, quick reads, really smart and funny. Read THIS for the continuation series.

(You'll want to. Trust me!)