52 Books, 52 Weeks, Only More to Come...

I did it. What does it matter if it's the last day and I only had a few hours to spare? I finished reading 52 books in 52 weeks. It wasn't easy at all. I struggled at points. Some books were long, some were short. Some I disliked strongly, others I fell in love with. But I kept reading and each new book opened up my mind to new ideas, experiences, and understandings. Books really are beautiful.

Sometimes it is hard to find time to read. Life gets in the way. Heck, life gets in the way of most things I want to do: write, travel, explore, etc. But I believe reading is a key essential of life. As my favorite character from Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister, so shrewdly puts it, “I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow." Back at ya, Mr. Lannister.

If you hate reading, I encourage you to give it another chance. No one likes to be told to read when they are at school, but reading for your own pleasure is an immensely wonderful thing. So, please READ.

Why not make some superlatives for all the reading I did this year. People like lists, right? I like lists.

Favorite Book: The Arm of the Starfish and/or The Amber Spyglass really surprised me.

Least Favorite Book: The Hunger Pains - just god awful trash!

Longest Book: The Goldfinch -  it was over 1,000 pages and went on and on...

Favorite Character: Lizbeth from the Millenium Series

Least Favorite Character: Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians, BY FAR. He's the WORST.

Biggest Letdown: Allegiant - Why, Veronica Roth, why? Just a terrible ending...

Favorite Author from these 52: Madeleine L'Engle or Agatha Christie - Old Ladies, FTW.


2014, you've been a weird, challenging year. I accomplished a lot of things, but I still yearn for more new and exciting adventures. I'm always hopeful at the end of the year/beginning of the new year and I won't change that. I've always been an optimistic person.

So, as I go into 2015, I know that I want to see more, create more, and be more alive. I'll be doing the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge again. I'll finally finish my first book and also some of the many screenplays I'm writing.

2015 is the year to put myself out on the ledge, get vulnerable, and live...


So cheers to that. See ya on the other side, brotha!

-ben josé

Below follows the 52 books I read in 52 weeks, 2014 Edition.

1.  Heir to the Empire - Timothy Zahn
2. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
3. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
4. The Fall - Albert Camus
5. Candide - Voltaire
6. On Writing - Stephen King
7. Divergent - Veronica Roth
8. Carrie - Stephen King
9. Redwall - Brian Jacques
10. The High Druid's Blade - Terry Brooks
11. The Arm of the Starfish - Madeleine L'Engle
12. The Accidental Billionaires - Ben Mezrich
13. Sparkling Cyanide - Agatha Christie
14. The Shining - Stephen King
15. The Wishong of Shannara - Terry Brooks
16. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
17. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
18. The Hunger Pains - The Harvard Lampoon
19. A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle
20. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
21.  The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
22. Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
23. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
24. House of Secrets - Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini
25. A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
26. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
27. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
28. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
29. The Magicians - Lev Grossman
30. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
31. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
32. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
33. Inferno - Dan Brown
34. An Acceptable Time - Madeleine L'Engle
35. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
36. Animal Farm - George Orwell
37. The Egypt Game - Zilpha Keatley Snyder
38. Dark Force Rising - Timothy Zahn
39. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
40. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
41. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line - Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
42. Aurorarama - Jean-Christophe Valtat
43. The Beautiful and Damned - F.Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Seventh Tower - Garth Nix
45. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
46. Dragons in the Waters - Madeleine L'Engle
47. The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
48. The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie
49. Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
50. A Floating City - Jules Verne
51. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner
52. Yes Please -  Amy Poehler

Day +5: Finished, But NO STOPPING

Everyone give a "WHOOP" because I "won" my third straight NaNoWriMo. On the last day of November. With 2 hours to spare. TWO! It came down to the wire and I was writing non-stop on the last weirdly rainy in LA day. But I did it. 50,000 more words done. Only problem is... wait for it... waaaait for it.... I'm still not done with my novel. *Price is Right fail music plays*

Still not finished. But now my novel has a staggering 193,853 words. That is an insane amount of words. I wonder if I have yet worked the words "kumquat" or "fart" into any of the 193,853 words. I don't think I have actually. And that is an INJUSTICE.

Holding myself from constantly editing my writing has obviously led to this momentous occasion. But I must still hold back. I need to finish the novel first. You may be questioning my sanity or if I'll ever finish, but fear not, I have a fun fact to share that will hopefully instill as much hope in you as Katniss instills hope in the people of Panem (which is a lot, despite herself).

My novel takes place over a short period of ten days in a row.  And we follow eight characters over the course of those ten days. That's not the long of a period of time, so how come it is taking so long, Ben? I shall ignore your question, and just gladly tell you that I am currently on the last day of those ten days. So the end, it is near!

I only have 24 more hours to get through... and even though everything in my novel has been building up to this last day and it is the climax and everything relies on it and, oh god, I can't screw this part up!

Blog reader? Are you there? I'm probably talking to the void of the internet at this point. But just know. THE END IS NIGH.

OH, also, I still am doing the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Yea, so I'm a bit behind. I have to read 11 more books in the next 26 days! AHH! So, excuse me while I go lock myself in my room.

Until next time...

- ben josé