The Hunger Games ~ 374 Pages
Even though he brightens a bit when I come in, it's clear he feels miserable. I put cool cloths on his head, but they warm up almost as soon as they touch his skin.
"Do you want anything?" I ask.
"No," he says. "Thank you. Wait, yes. Tell me a story."
"A story? What about?" I say. I'm not much for story-telling. It's kind of like singing. But once in a while, Prim wheedles one out of me.
"Something happy. Tell me about the happiest day you can remember," says Peeta.
Something between a sigh and a huff os exasperation leaves my mouth. A happy story? This will require a lot more effort than the soup.
We all knew it was coming. And here goes my rant.
I absolutely love this book series. I think they are beautifully written. But I cannot deal with the fact that they are making a movie.
Nothing in the movie is going to live up to the promise of the book. It's not like Harry Potter. They can't possibly recreate this book without blacking out critical parts. It's about kids killing each other because they are forced to. This whole thing is just going to end up like Twilight, maybe even worse. Some books (most books) are supposed to stay books. Get your own freaking ideas Hollywood! You think every book that sells well will make a good movie. It's not even close to true.
Let's face it. Twilight ruined everything good in this world. Twilight is the reason no one is afraid of Vampires anymore. Twilight is the reason all young adult books that sell even remotely well will be made into movies. Twilight is the reason why people think they are so smart because they read lots of books but all they've ever read is Twilight! Twilight is the reason I can't sleep at night. Twilight is the reason young girls IQs are dropping at an alarming rate. Twilight is the reason I hate young adult novels that come out now, it's all Vampire this and Werewolf that. Twilight is the reason kids think it's cool to dress in dark clothes that look all emo but have Edward's face on the front. Twilight is the reason I can't go into hot topic. Twilight is the reason for all the people that think they are amazing actors but really just suck. Twilight is the reason The Hunger Games is being made into a movie.
I'm not going to really tell you what happens in this book, you just need to read it. (and boycott the movie when it comes out) I think anyone and everyone in the whole world should read this book, before they ruin everything with the movie.
374 pages down with 3,327 to go... oh I'm just so mad right now...
Fang ~ 327 pages
I was so mortified I was speechless for a second. Then I stamped my foot and said, "Get back to your books!" Which was, of course, a huge mistake.
They just stared at me for a moment, then Iggy's face contorted into anger. He yanked off his iPod earphones and threw the whole thing across the room. "I can't take it anymore!"
"Hey!" I said sharply. "Those are expensive!"
"I can't help it!" He shouted. "I've been listening to how the Roman Empire fell, and all I can say is, it didn't fall nearly fast enough!"
I know what your thinking. "You JUST chewed out Twilight and other young adult books for being all about Vampires and Werewolfs, but here you are reading one." To this I say, "Fang is the name of a character, and he is not a Vampire, a werewolf, a fairy, or a wizard. He is simply a boy who had bird DNA injected into him and happens to have wings...
This book is number six in the Maximum Ride series. I was so into this series when the first two came out. The first three books are so amazing. Number four? Well, lets just say I hated it so much, I stopped reading them, until now. I will admit, I missed book number five, but I guessing very little happened because I wasn't confused at all.
I am wishing though, that the books had stopped after three. The first three made sense together. The third book wrapped everything up. The fourth? It was just so different. Just so... awful. This book is okay. I think James Patterson is an awesome writer and I loved the first three books so I though I'd give it another go. There is another book out right now in the series, book seven titled Angel (another character), but I'm still unsure about reading it. Instead, I've put other James Patterson books on hold.
I'd say read the first three, then stop. Unless you are just so crazy in love with the books you can't contain yourself. You know? Like, when you love the characters so much there could be a book about them doing nothing and you would love it. (Harry Potter is that way for me, and The Hunger Games)
327 pages down, 3,000 to go!
Excuse my rants. And expect more.
Read on,
Jamie
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Help, Matched, Radiance
The Help ~ 451 Pages
"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."
This book is sensational. I had a lot of people ask me if I liked it while I was reading it, but I don't really judge how I liked a book until I'm done with it. I'm telling you now. I loved it.
Most people recognize the book because the movie is coming out. I can honestly say that I am SO excited to see it, mostly because I think it's a book that can translate into a screen play. Not like say... The Hunger Games...
The Help is historical fiction, based in Jackson Mississippi in the early 1960s. It's told from the point of view of three different women of the time. Skeeter, a white lady who wants to be a writer, Aibileen, a black older woman who has taken care of lots of children, but leaves when they grow up, and Minny, a black woman who has a hard time controlling her temper and finds herself fired quite often.
Basically, Miss Skeeter wants to write a book about the black help in Mississippi, their stories working for the white women of the town.
I think that the movie trailer and the Wikipedia page explain it better than I just did. Sorry.
I just think that anyone who likes historical fiction should read this book.
Matched ~ 366 Pages
"The books' backs are broken; their bones, thin and delicate, fall out. The workers shove them toward the incineration tube; they step on them... my father laments the waste... But the higher officials say somethings are not worth saving. Sometimes it's faster and more efficient to destroy."
So, apparently August is romance awareness month (or something like that) at the library. They have this whole little set up where you can look at the most popular romance novels. I guess this book and post will be my celebration of that...
Matched is a dystopian novel. If you don't know what that means, I would love to copy and paste this part of the Wikipedia page to help you...
"Note that there is no one definition of dystopia that is agreed upon by all, as the term is usually used to refer to something much more specific than simply a nightmare world or unpleasant future."
Helpful isn't it? (Sarcasm hand)
Well in the case of the book, the dystopia is a government that controls where you live, who you love, what your job is, and when you will die. The time is far in the future, based in Utah even. (Probably because the author is from St. George) It is centered around a young girl named Cassia, who has just been "Matched" with her best friend Xander. (Meaning they can now date and will marry when they are 21) But through a whole set of complicated events, she has now fallen in love with a different boy, Ky.
So she loves them both and has to choose between doing what the government is forcing her to do, and doing what she wants to do/what her heart tells her. It's Xander vs. Ky.
It happens a lot in books. The heroine has two perfect but very different guys that she likes, or like her, or maybe you just like them and they have nothing to do with the story... Anyway... when it comes up in conversation, it instantly becomes, who do you like more? Are you Team friend or Team mystery guy? So, I'm going to go out there right now and let you know where I stand on these controversial (but not really) issues.
Edward v. Jacob (From Twilight)
When I was reading the books, I was so Team Edward, it was disgusting. I just loved how much respect he showed her, not to mention he was quite dashing. When the movies came out, (and I realized how much I hated Edward,) I turned to Team Jacob. He's just a ton more awesome. (A certain blogger may have influenced my views as well)
Peeta v. Gale (From The Hunger Games)
Peeta. Peeta, Peeta, Peeta. Since day one and forever. This point of view will never change. Even if the movies suck like Twilight. (By the way, have I told you how UNexcited I am for those? That's a blog for another day) The things he says don't make me want to punch him in the face like Gale.
Colonel Brandon v. Willoughby (From Sense and Sensibility)
So, John Willoughby is so freaking charming, it's hard not to love him. I mean, the man has his own Wikipedia page. But Colonel Brandon always wins my heart. He's so honorable and good, and he's charming in his own way. The scene when he first sees Marianne is my one of my favorites ever.
Will v. Jem (From Clockwork Angel)
Oh dear, where do I start? It's Jem. I guess I'll start there. Will is just too much for me. Everyone loves him because he's so unpredictable and erratic. It's for those reasons that I can't stand him. Although, this series hasn't been finished, so I might get an explanation for his behavior, but I'm pretty sure Jem will still win. (Even though I predict that he dies before the end of the series)
and how could we exclude,
Xander v. Ky (From Matched)
Xander has nothing on Ky. But I think the author wanted it that way. Wanted it to be almost obvious that Ky is the (bear with me) right guy. Xander hardly does anything charming or interesting in the whole book, but Ky does a million. So naturally, I'm going to choose Ky.
There you have it. The book is good, I was having a hard time with it at the very beginning because it came off as very shallow, but then I realized, it's part of the progression of the book. By the end Cassia sees the truth of her world, it's supposed to start shallow. The character progression is amazing (even Xander, who doesn't so much) When I was reading it, I kept thinking, "This is like Hunger Games, Twilight, and The Book Thief all mixed in one."So if your interested in how those books mix, read it. It's a fast fun read.
Radiance ~ 183 Pages
"Shaking and trembling, he struggled to consume all her pain. While I whispered to myself, over and over again, that it would all be all right. That the light always wins in the end. In all my favorite books, movies, and shows on TV - Thats just the way it always goes.
Only, this was all too real."
Once upon a time I was getting a book at the library and I saw this row of colorful books on a shelf. I liked the look of the books, so I picked up the prequel. That's how I ended up with this tiny book.
I had never heard of the series before, even though it was a "best seller", but I put the first book of the series on hold anyway. So we'll see how that goes.
This book is about a girl who dies in a car accident. Or more so, about what happens when she gets to heaven or, "Here" as they call it. She is assigned to be a soul collector, to go out and help the ghosts who are stuck on the earth plane to find the bridge to "Here".
It was a fun little read for a few hours, but I think I would suggest it to my sister who is in 6th grade. Or someone in middle school.
So, the coolest thing happened. When I totaled up the page count from these three books, I couldn't believe it, (I did it three times to make sure it wasn't a mistake) but they add up to a perfect 1,000 pages. So, with that down, I've got 3,701 pages to go. Will I make my deadline? Stay tuned! (Because I really don't know)
Read on,
Jamie
"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."
This book is sensational. I had a lot of people ask me if I liked it while I was reading it, but I don't really judge how I liked a book until I'm done with it. I'm telling you now. I loved it.
Most people recognize the book because the movie is coming out. I can honestly say that I am SO excited to see it, mostly because I think it's a book that can translate into a screen play. Not like say... The Hunger Games...
The Help is historical fiction, based in Jackson Mississippi in the early 1960s. It's told from the point of view of three different women of the time. Skeeter, a white lady who wants to be a writer, Aibileen, a black older woman who has taken care of lots of children, but leaves when they grow up, and Minny, a black woman who has a hard time controlling her temper and finds herself fired quite often.
Basically, Miss Skeeter wants to write a book about the black help in Mississippi, their stories working for the white women of the town.
I think that the movie trailer and the Wikipedia page explain it better than I just did. Sorry.
I just think that anyone who likes historical fiction should read this book.
Matched ~ 366 Pages
"The books' backs are broken; their bones, thin and delicate, fall out. The workers shove them toward the incineration tube; they step on them... my father laments the waste... But the higher officials say somethings are not worth saving. Sometimes it's faster and more efficient to destroy."
So, apparently August is romance awareness month (or something like that) at the library. They have this whole little set up where you can look at the most popular romance novels. I guess this book and post will be my celebration of that...
Matched is a dystopian novel. If you don't know what that means, I would love to copy and paste this part of the Wikipedia page to help you...
"Note that there is no one definition of dystopia that is agreed upon by all, as the term is usually used to refer to something much more specific than simply a nightmare world or unpleasant future."
Helpful isn't it? (Sarcasm hand)
Well in the case of the book, the dystopia is a government that controls where you live, who you love, what your job is, and when you will die. The time is far in the future, based in Utah even. (Probably because the author is from St. George) It is centered around a young girl named Cassia, who has just been "Matched" with her best friend Xander. (Meaning they can now date and will marry when they are 21) But through a whole set of complicated events, she has now fallen in love with a different boy, Ky.
So she loves them both and has to choose between doing what the government is forcing her to do, and doing what she wants to do/what her heart tells her. It's Xander vs. Ky.
It happens a lot in books. The heroine has two perfect but very different guys that she likes, or like her, or maybe you just like them and they have nothing to do with the story... Anyway... when it comes up in conversation, it instantly becomes, who do you like more? Are you Team friend or Team mystery guy? So, I'm going to go out there right now and let you know where I stand on these controversial (but not really) issues.
Edward v. Jacob (From Twilight)
When I was reading the books, I was so Team Edward, it was disgusting. I just loved how much respect he showed her, not to mention he was quite dashing. When the movies came out, (and I realized how much I hated Edward,) I turned to Team Jacob. He's just a ton more awesome. (A certain blogger may have influenced my views as well)
Peeta v. Gale (From The Hunger Games)
Peeta. Peeta, Peeta, Peeta. Since day one and forever. This point of view will never change. Even if the movies suck like Twilight. (By the way, have I told you how UNexcited I am for those? That's a blog for another day) The things he says don't make me want to punch him in the face like Gale.
Colonel Brandon v. Willoughby (From Sense and Sensibility)
So, John Willoughby is so freaking charming, it's hard not to love him. I mean, the man has his own Wikipedia page. But Colonel Brandon always wins my heart. He's so honorable and good, and he's charming in his own way. The scene when he first sees Marianne is my one of my favorites ever.
Will v. Jem (From Clockwork Angel)
Oh dear, where do I start? It's Jem. I guess I'll start there. Will is just too much for me. Everyone loves him because he's so unpredictable and erratic. It's for those reasons that I can't stand him. Although, this series hasn't been finished, so I might get an explanation for his behavior, but I'm pretty sure Jem will still win. (Even though I predict that he dies before the end of the series)
and how could we exclude,
Xander v. Ky (From Matched)
Xander has nothing on Ky. But I think the author wanted it that way. Wanted it to be almost obvious that Ky is the (bear with me) right guy. Xander hardly does anything charming or interesting in the whole book, but Ky does a million. So naturally, I'm going to choose Ky.
There you have it. The book is good, I was having a hard time with it at the very beginning because it came off as very shallow, but then I realized, it's part of the progression of the book. By the end Cassia sees the truth of her world, it's supposed to start shallow. The character progression is amazing (even Xander, who doesn't so much) When I was reading it, I kept thinking, "This is like Hunger Games, Twilight, and The Book Thief all mixed in one."So if your interested in how those books mix, read it. It's a fast fun read.
Radiance ~ 183 Pages
"Shaking and trembling, he struggled to consume all her pain. While I whispered to myself, over and over again, that it would all be all right. That the light always wins in the end. In all my favorite books, movies, and shows on TV - Thats just the way it always goes.
Only, this was all too real."
Once upon a time I was getting a book at the library and I saw this row of colorful books on a shelf. I liked the look of the books, so I picked up the prequel. That's how I ended up with this tiny book.
I had never heard of the series before, even though it was a "best seller", but I put the first book of the series on hold anyway. So we'll see how that goes.
This book is about a girl who dies in a car accident. Or more so, about what happens when she gets to heaven or, "Here" as they call it. She is assigned to be a soul collector, to go out and help the ghosts who are stuck on the earth plane to find the bridge to "Here".
It was a fun little read for a few hours, but I think I would suggest it to my sister who is in 6th grade. Or someone in middle school.
So, the coolest thing happened. When I totaled up the page count from these three books, I couldn't believe it, (I did it three times to make sure it wasn't a mistake) but they add up to a perfect 1,000 pages. So, with that down, I've got 3,701 pages to go. Will I make my deadline? Stay tuned! (Because I really don't know)
Read on,
Jamie
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter ~ 759 Pages
"So does it say how to destroy Horcruxes in that book?"
"Yes," said Hermione, now turning the fragile pages as if examining rotting entrails, "because it warns Dark wizards how strong they have to make the enchantments on them. From all that I've read, what Harry did to Riddle's diary was one of the few really fool proof ways of destroying a Horcrux."
"What, stabbing it with a basilisk fang?" asked Harry.
"Oh well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then," said Ron. "I was wondering what we were going to do with them."
How do you blog your very life and soul? Okay I won't be that dramatic, but the harry Potter books were, in fact, my childhood. I can remember reading Harry Potter books as early as third grade. (Harry's birthday also happens to be the same week as mine, and however old he was in the book that had just come out, that's how old I was.) Can you blame me for forming such a strong attachment?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is book number seven, the last book in the series. I decided to read the whole book before the last movie came out. It's been very interesting (event though I did this before the last movie as well) to see how true the movie stayed, and yet how far it strayed. Little scenes that help you know the characters more had to be cut for time, small things that turn out to be huge the last half of the book were kind of left out, I'm wondering how they are going to make up for these things.
I definitely pity whoever had not read this book series. If you've only seen the movies, and love them, or even like them, or even endure them, you will love the books.
I always thought that the third book would be my favorite, that is, until the seventh one came out. It wraps up the series so perfectly, and I must admit that I cry every time I read the scene SPOILER ALERT where Harry is going to die, and he's talking to his parents, Lupin and Sirius.
This book is a freaking masterpiece. I've read it three times now, and I'm still not sick of it. It's also 759 pages, which brings my countdown past the halfway mark (finally) to 4,701.
Now I'm ready for the midnight premiere! Well, almost... I still need to get my costume together.
Read on,
Jamie
"So does it say how to destroy Horcruxes in that book?"
"Yes," said Hermione, now turning the fragile pages as if examining rotting entrails, "because it warns Dark wizards how strong they have to make the enchantments on them. From all that I've read, what Harry did to Riddle's diary was one of the few really fool proof ways of destroying a Horcrux."
"What, stabbing it with a basilisk fang?" asked Harry.
"Oh well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then," said Ron. "I was wondering what we were going to do with them."
How do you blog your very life and soul? Okay I won't be that dramatic, but the harry Potter books were, in fact, my childhood. I can remember reading Harry Potter books as early as third grade. (Harry's birthday also happens to be the same week as mine, and however old he was in the book that had just come out, that's how old I was.) Can you blame me for forming such a strong attachment?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is book number seven, the last book in the series. I decided to read the whole book before the last movie came out. It's been very interesting (event though I did this before the last movie as well) to see how true the movie stayed, and yet how far it strayed. Little scenes that help you know the characters more had to be cut for time, small things that turn out to be huge the last half of the book were kind of left out, I'm wondering how they are going to make up for these things.
I definitely pity whoever had not read this book series. If you've only seen the movies, and love them, or even like them, or even endure them, you will love the books.
I always thought that the third book would be my favorite, that is, until the seventh one came out. It wraps up the series so perfectly, and I must admit that I cry every time I read the scene SPOILER ALERT where Harry is going to die, and he's talking to his parents, Lupin and Sirius.
This book is a freaking masterpiece. I've read it three times now, and I'm still not sick of it. It's also 759 pages, which brings my countdown past the halfway mark (finally) to 4,701.
Now I'm ready for the midnight premiere! Well, almost... I still need to get my costume together.
Read on,
Jamie
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Seeing Redd
Seeing Redd ~ 371 Pages
She let the book fall open in her hand. She Riffled through its pages from first to last with her imagination. To think that Alyss had been immortilized by some earth scribbler! She slammed the book shut. She tapped a long finger against its cover, under the author's name. "Find me this Lewis Carroll and bring him here!"
Why do I do things I say I'll never do?
Seeing Redd is the second book in the Looking Glass Wars Trilogy, and I said I wasn't going to read it. But I led myself to believe that I'd enjoy it a whole lot more now that I know the characters and there seems to be more conflict outside of just battles. Well, I was wrong. I thought I could finish this book at Lake Powell, but I found myself not even wanting to pick it up at all.
Since I was little, I've been going to Lake Powell, and usually, the Harry Potter Book would come out right before we left. Lake Powell had always been a place I find it easy to read. But this year, I didn't take a Harry Potter book like I always do. I took this book. And I'm upset I did.
This book is A LOT like the previous book. Lots of battles, not a lot of character development. It took me two weeks to even bring myself to finish it. Once again, I'm not sure why. It's not slow, it's not a bad plot, it's not even poorly written. I just have next to no patience reading it.
When I was at Lake Powell, one of the girls we were boating with saw I was reading Seeing Redd, and she pretty much said the exact same thing. No patience. Even she couldn't say why exactly. I still stick to my proposal that it might be that the characters are great but they are always fighting, so I never get to know anything about them other than what side they are fighting for and how well they fight in battle. I just didn't get to love the characters like I wanted to.
It took so long for me to get into this book that it's the only one I have to blog for now, and find myself slightly behind schedule. Luckily I'm starting the 7th Harry Potter today.
So with these 371 pages behind me, I have 5,460 pages to go. Time to get crackin.
Read on,
Jamie
She let the book fall open in her hand. She Riffled through its pages from first to last with her imagination. To think that Alyss had been immortilized by some earth scribbler! She slammed the book shut. She tapped a long finger against its cover, under the author's name. "Find me this Lewis Carroll and bring him here!"
Why do I do things I say I'll never do?
Seeing Redd is the second book in the Looking Glass Wars Trilogy, and I said I wasn't going to read it. But I led myself to believe that I'd enjoy it a whole lot more now that I know the characters and there seems to be more conflict outside of just battles. Well, I was wrong. I thought I could finish this book at Lake Powell, but I found myself not even wanting to pick it up at all.
Since I was little, I've been going to Lake Powell, and usually, the Harry Potter Book would come out right before we left. Lake Powell had always been a place I find it easy to read. But this year, I didn't take a Harry Potter book like I always do. I took this book. And I'm upset I did.
This book is A LOT like the previous book. Lots of battles, not a lot of character development. It took me two weeks to even bring myself to finish it. Once again, I'm not sure why. It's not slow, it's not a bad plot, it's not even poorly written. I just have next to no patience reading it.
When I was at Lake Powell, one of the girls we were boating with saw I was reading Seeing Redd, and she pretty much said the exact same thing. No patience. Even she couldn't say why exactly. I still stick to my proposal that it might be that the characters are great but they are always fighting, so I never get to know anything about them other than what side they are fighting for and how well they fight in battle. I just didn't get to love the characters like I wanted to.
It took so long for me to get into this book that it's the only one I have to blog for now, and find myself slightly behind schedule. Luckily I'm starting the 7th Harry Potter today.
So with these 371 pages behind me, I have 5,460 pages to go. Time to get crackin.
Read on,
Jamie
Friday, June 24, 2011
Deadline, City of Fallen Angels
Deadline ~ 316 pages
"You're wrong," Coach says. "I would say that to you. There are a lot of books that I think are trash. There are a lot of books I wouldn't recommend to anyone. I mean, there's a book in the Old Testament that says we're supposed to kill homosexuals. But I don't want the Old Testament banned. I'm pretty sure you can read that book and not go out and kill homosexuals, because you have other information that tells you that's not okay and because you have a brain."
This blog is going to be a bit of a spoiler, so if you've ever wanted to read this book without knowing the end, look away now.
Deadline is about a boy named Ben who finds out right before his Senior year of high school that he only has one year to live. He decides to not tell anyone about it and live that year to it's full extent.
It's the common, "What would you do if you only had one year to live?"question. Ben decides to go out for the football team, talk to the girl of his dreams, and try to change a city built on prejudice. It really does make you think what you would do.
It's not really a happy book. Here comes your spoilers. Ben does die at the end. But I'm glad he does. Not because I think he's a bad person, or I couldn't stand him, but there are a lot of books that promise death at the end and magically heal the protagonist. (Remember the movie Stranger Than Fiction?) Someone else dies too. But they didn't get a heads up. It makes you wonder if you would want to know when you are going to die, if you would tell other people if you did know, if you would try to change your past, or live out the future you don't really have. I may or may not have cried at the end. (I did. But like, one tear.)
While the book specifically mentions this song (click here) , all I could think about when reading it, was this song (click here). The second song is perfect for this book, especially the last verse.
The first half of the book is a lot of football, so if you hate sports you'll have a hard time with the rest of the book, but I encourage you to press forward. Also, if you have a hard time with swearing, this is a gentle warning. It's about high school boys, would you expect any different? I would recommend it to anyone in high school or above. It just makes you think about a lot of things in your own life, but then again, don't most books?
With 316 pages down, I had 6,255 pages left.
Now the moment you've all be waiting for... (But not really)
City of Fallen Angels ~ 424 pages
"Jace's room was as neat as ever --- bed made perfectly, the books that lined the shelves arranged in alphabetical order, notes and textbooks stacked carefully on the desk. The neatness was all very well. It was, Clary had always thought, Jace's way of exerting control over the elements of a life that otherwise might seem overwhelmed with chaos. He had lived so long without knowing who he really was, she could hardly begrudge him the careful alphabetization of his poetry collection."
Book four of the mortal instruments series, City of Fallen Angels, seems like a bit of the black sheep of the series family. All the characters are back, there are even some new protagonists. But as for the bad guys, well, there's like... two demons in this whole book. There is more fighting from the inside the group of friends than from the demonic creatures of the world.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, because I did a bad job blogging the third book, here's your summary/explanation. There are lots of races on "this" earth. There are humans, or as they're called in this series, mudanes. There are Shadowhunters, half human, half angel. There are Vampires and Werewolves and Faries, all half human, half demon called the downworlders. And then there are your demons. The shadowhunter's job is to protect the humans from the demons. The downworlders just kinda chill. And surprise surprise, the humans know nothing about it.
My favorite character is Simon, so I'm glad most of this book in the series is about him. Other than that, it was just kinda... okay. Passable, but not my favorite book of the series by a long stretch. The end of the book is supposed to be a HUGE cliffhanger, but I'm okay with it. Why? Because I saw it coming. In fact, I saw the whole ending coming. And while I'll admit that I didn't see how it would all tie together, it continues to be a book I can... well, I was going to say read like a book but... I can call what's going to happen next, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not the most surprising book ever. But at least it follows it's rules, unlike twilight.
If you like fantasy action at all, you'll like this book series. I would recommend it because it's such an enjoyable read. A good summer fiction series.
424 pages down, 5,831 to go.
Read on,
Jamie
"You're wrong," Coach says. "I would say that to you. There are a lot of books that I think are trash. There are a lot of books I wouldn't recommend to anyone. I mean, there's a book in the Old Testament that says we're supposed to kill homosexuals. But I don't want the Old Testament banned. I'm pretty sure you can read that book and not go out and kill homosexuals, because you have other information that tells you that's not okay and because you have a brain."
This blog is going to be a bit of a spoiler, so if you've ever wanted to read this book without knowing the end, look away now.
Deadline is about a boy named Ben who finds out right before his Senior year of high school that he only has one year to live. He decides to not tell anyone about it and live that year to it's full extent.
It's the common, "What would you do if you only had one year to live?"question. Ben decides to go out for the football team, talk to the girl of his dreams, and try to change a city built on prejudice. It really does make you think what you would do.
It's not really a happy book. Here comes your spoilers. Ben does die at the end. But I'm glad he does. Not because I think he's a bad person, or I couldn't stand him, but there are a lot of books that promise death at the end and magically heal the protagonist. (Remember the movie Stranger Than Fiction?) Someone else dies too. But they didn't get a heads up. It makes you wonder if you would want to know when you are going to die, if you would tell other people if you did know, if you would try to change your past, or live out the future you don't really have. I may or may not have cried at the end. (I did. But like, one tear.)
While the book specifically mentions this song (click here) , all I could think about when reading it, was this song (click here). The second song is perfect for this book, especially the last verse.
The first half of the book is a lot of football, so if you hate sports you'll have a hard time with the rest of the book, but I encourage you to press forward. Also, if you have a hard time with swearing, this is a gentle warning. It's about high school boys, would you expect any different? I would recommend it to anyone in high school or above. It just makes you think about a lot of things in your own life, but then again, don't most books?
With 316 pages down, I had 6,255 pages left.
Now the moment you've all be waiting for... (But not really)
City of Fallen Angels ~ 424 pages
"Jace's room was as neat as ever --- bed made perfectly, the books that lined the shelves arranged in alphabetical order, notes and textbooks stacked carefully on the desk. The neatness was all very well. It was, Clary had always thought, Jace's way of exerting control over the elements of a life that otherwise might seem overwhelmed with chaos. He had lived so long without knowing who he really was, she could hardly begrudge him the careful alphabetization of his poetry collection."
Book four of the mortal instruments series, City of Fallen Angels, seems like a bit of the black sheep of the series family. All the characters are back, there are even some new protagonists. But as for the bad guys, well, there's like... two demons in this whole book. There is more fighting from the inside the group of friends than from the demonic creatures of the world.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, because I did a bad job blogging the third book, here's your summary/explanation. There are lots of races on "this" earth. There are humans, or as they're called in this series, mudanes. There are Shadowhunters, half human, half angel. There are Vampires and Werewolves and Faries, all half human, half demon called the downworlders. And then there are your demons. The shadowhunter's job is to protect the humans from the demons. The downworlders just kinda chill. And surprise surprise, the humans know nothing about it.
My favorite character is Simon, so I'm glad most of this book in the series is about him. Other than that, it was just kinda... okay. Passable, but not my favorite book of the series by a long stretch. The end of the book is supposed to be a HUGE cliffhanger, but I'm okay with it. Why? Because I saw it coming. In fact, I saw the whole ending coming. And while I'll admit that I didn't see how it would all tie together, it continues to be a book I can... well, I was going to say read like a book but... I can call what's going to happen next, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not the most surprising book ever. But at least it follows it's rules, unlike twilight.
If you like fantasy action at all, you'll like this book series. I would recommend it because it's such an enjoyable read. A good summer fiction series.
424 pages down, 5,831 to go.
Read on,
Jamie
Friday, June 10, 2011
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Paper Towns
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister ~ 368 Pages
"In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and rats into human beings. When we grow up, we learn that it's far more common for human beings to turn into rats...so now children play our family's shame as a story in the streets."
I don't think the word "book" makes one appearance in this book. But I sure as heck would like to know how many times the words "beauty" or "beautiful" are used.
I swear on my life this is like, the last retelling I'm reading this summer. I really didn't pick out all these books on purpose, and I don't think I've ever read this many in my whole life. (I usually read murder mysteries and historical fiction)
BUT, this is, in fact, another retelling. It comes from the perspective of one of the Ugly Stepsisters from the classic tale of Cinderella. I tried as hard as I could to read this book during the school year, but I only got half way through. I then placed it on my shelf and forgot about it until recently, when I was looking for more books to reread. So I started over.
If you don't like slow stories, this might not be a book for you, but if you like contemplating what true beauty is, you would very much enjoy this book. It just follows the life of Iris, the younger stepsister. This book was written by Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked (which I assume most people know about because of the musical). I think the writing was beautiful, and I loved the last half of the book, but the first half is pretty slow. It felt like I was just waiting for what I knew was going to happen.
After rereading the first half, and finally finishing it, that put 368 pages down, leaving me with 6,876 pages left.
Paper Towns ~ 305 Pages
"It became a weekend of reading, of trying to see her in the fragments of the poem book she'd left for me. I could never get anywhere with the lines, but I kept thinking about them anyway, because I didn't want to disappoint her She wanted me to play out the string...to follow the bread crumb trail until it dead-ended into her."
My summary of this book in a few words: Bad things happen to people, grass.
It's a typical teen angst book. I didn't really realize this till about half way through. The author (John Green) is very talented, but the story is just... typical.
It's from the point of view of Quentin Jacobsen, a senior in high school, who has had a crush on the girl across the street since they were little, Margo. Margo is a free spirit to say the least. She has run away from home a number of times, and she enjoys planning out elaborate clues when she leaves. So one night, she shows up at Quentin's window and tells him they are going on an adventure. They drive around Orlando doing crazy payback things and then they break into Sea World. At the end of the night, Margo says "I'm going to miss hanging out with you." and walks away to her house.
Well, low and behold, she isn't at school the next day, or the next. It turns out, she has run away again. Her parents are furious and decide to change their locks instead of look for their daughter. So Q decides it's his job to decipher the clues and bring her home.
I think this book could have been awesome. I definitely thought it was going in a complete different direction. But at the end, it's so metaphorical and about life and all that teen angst stuff, that I couldn't finish the last three pages till the next day. So it's a cute book. I really liked their night out on the town. The rest of the book is like, "Where did Margo go? I don't know! Maybe this poem will tell me!" And to tell the truth, I figured out how to find her on page 169. Thats 136 pages of me going, "You're so stupid! would you just look right in front of your face???"
I guess I'm just a little disappointed because I thought it was like a murder mystery about 150 pages in, because it gets really creepy. But then it's all angst and tears and beers and driving cross country.
So with 305 more pages down, I'm left with 6,571 pages to go.
In other news, I'm 33rd in line for City of Fallen Angels. That book better be pretty freakin awesome. Also, I don't want you guys to think that I hated any of these books. I really didn't I just tend to say what I didn't like and you can assume that everything else was good and I enjoyed. I think I just make up endings in my head, and if they aren't as good or better, I get disappointed. But once I read a book I hate, you'll know. Trust me. Well that's all for today friends. Hopefully my next blog will include the much anticipated book I've waited over a month for...
Read on,
Jamie
"In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and rats into human beings. When we grow up, we learn that it's far more common for human beings to turn into rats...so now children play our family's shame as a story in the streets."
I don't think the word "book" makes one appearance in this book. But I sure as heck would like to know how many times the words "beauty" or "beautiful" are used.
I swear on my life this is like, the last retelling I'm reading this summer. I really didn't pick out all these books on purpose, and I don't think I've ever read this many in my whole life. (I usually read murder mysteries and historical fiction)
BUT, this is, in fact, another retelling. It comes from the perspective of one of the Ugly Stepsisters from the classic tale of Cinderella. I tried as hard as I could to read this book during the school year, but I only got half way through. I then placed it on my shelf and forgot about it until recently, when I was looking for more books to reread. So I started over.
If you don't like slow stories, this might not be a book for you, but if you like contemplating what true beauty is, you would very much enjoy this book. It just follows the life of Iris, the younger stepsister. This book was written by Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked (which I assume most people know about because of the musical). I think the writing was beautiful, and I loved the last half of the book, but the first half is pretty slow. It felt like I was just waiting for what I knew was going to happen.
After rereading the first half, and finally finishing it, that put 368 pages down, leaving me with 6,876 pages left.
Paper Towns ~ 305 Pages
"It became a weekend of reading, of trying to see her in the fragments of the poem book she'd left for me. I could never get anywhere with the lines, but I kept thinking about them anyway, because I didn't want to disappoint her She wanted me to play out the string...to follow the bread crumb trail until it dead-ended into her."
My summary of this book in a few words: Bad things happen to people, grass.
It's a typical teen angst book. I didn't really realize this till about half way through. The author (John Green) is very talented, but the story is just... typical.
It's from the point of view of Quentin Jacobsen, a senior in high school, who has had a crush on the girl across the street since they were little, Margo. Margo is a free spirit to say the least. She has run away from home a number of times, and she enjoys planning out elaborate clues when she leaves. So one night, she shows up at Quentin's window and tells him they are going on an adventure. They drive around Orlando doing crazy payback things and then they break into Sea World. At the end of the night, Margo says "I'm going to miss hanging out with you." and walks away to her house.
Well, low and behold, she isn't at school the next day, or the next. It turns out, she has run away again. Her parents are furious and decide to change their locks instead of look for their daughter. So Q decides it's his job to decipher the clues and bring her home.
I think this book could have been awesome. I definitely thought it was going in a complete different direction. But at the end, it's so metaphorical and about life and all that teen angst stuff, that I couldn't finish the last three pages till the next day. So it's a cute book. I really liked their night out on the town. The rest of the book is like, "Where did Margo go? I don't know! Maybe this poem will tell me!" And to tell the truth, I figured out how to find her on page 169. Thats 136 pages of me going, "You're so stupid! would you just look right in front of your face???"
I guess I'm just a little disappointed because I thought it was like a murder mystery about 150 pages in, because it gets really creepy. But then it's all angst and tears and beers and driving cross country.
So with 305 more pages down, I'm left with 6,571 pages to go.
In other news, I'm 33rd in line for City of Fallen Angels. That book better be pretty freakin awesome. Also, I don't want you guys to think that I hated any of these books. I really didn't I just tend to say what I didn't like and you can assume that everything else was good and I enjoyed. I think I just make up endings in my head, and if they aren't as good or better, I get disappointed. But once I read a book I hate, you'll know. Trust me. Well that's all for today friends. Hopefully my next blog will include the much anticipated book I've waited over a month for...
Read on,
Jamie
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars ~ 358 Pages
The grinning Cheshire cat. The mad tea party. He'd transformed her memories of a world alive with hope and possibility and danger into make-believe, the foolish stuff of children. He was just another in a long line of unbelievers and this--this stupid, nonsensical book--was how he made fun of her. She had never felt more betrayed in all her life.
Well, once upon a time, I went to California. I also was very busy. During that time, I didn't read anything. So I only have one book to offer for this post. It's okay though, I didn't expect to always blog two books at a time.
I promise, I don't only read rewritings, or different versions of classic stories; but this is, in fact, another one of those. The Looking Glass Wars is the "true" story of Alyss (yes, Alyss, not Alice) the Princess of Wonderland. It follows her from her seventh birthday to the age of twenty.
There is A LOT of action in this book. In fact, I don't think there are very many down moments at all. There are 56 Chapters, so they are all very short, and it's a quick read. Kind of. It took me a while to get into it. I did request the next book, (it's a trilogy) but quite honestly, I don't know if I'm going to read it. It wasn't bad. I just couldn't focus on it for very long. I think it was because I wanted to know and like the characters, but I never really got the chance to do either of those things.
If you like Alice in Wonderland retellings, I think you would like this book. The author did a TON of background work to make sure everything was historically and literarily correct. I will say, I love what the author (Frank Beddor) did with the "Cheshire cat". SPOILER ALERT. He's evil. And I love that he is. Even though I thought and hoped he would be a good guy, I liked it this way more.
So, it's a good book, just not exactly my cup of tea. With 358 pages down, I have 7,244 pages left.
I just replenished by book supply yesterday, and I may have gone a little overboard. I have five books coming form the library, and three at my house right now... hopefully I can get back into the swing of reading again. (I'm now 69th in line for City of Fallen Angels, just so you know)
Read on,
Jamie
The grinning Cheshire cat. The mad tea party. He'd transformed her memories of a world alive with hope and possibility and danger into make-believe, the foolish stuff of children. He was just another in a long line of unbelievers and this--this stupid, nonsensical book--was how he made fun of her. She had never felt more betrayed in all her life.
Well, once upon a time, I went to California. I also was very busy. During that time, I didn't read anything. So I only have one book to offer for this post. It's okay though, I didn't expect to always blog two books at a time.
I promise, I don't only read rewritings, or different versions of classic stories; but this is, in fact, another one of those. The Looking Glass Wars is the "true" story of Alyss (yes, Alyss, not Alice) the Princess of Wonderland. It follows her from her seventh birthday to the age of twenty.
There is A LOT of action in this book. In fact, I don't think there are very many down moments at all. There are 56 Chapters, so they are all very short, and it's a quick read. Kind of. It took me a while to get into it. I did request the next book, (it's a trilogy) but quite honestly, I don't know if I'm going to read it. It wasn't bad. I just couldn't focus on it for very long. I think it was because I wanted to know and like the characters, but I never really got the chance to do either of those things.
If you like Alice in Wonderland retellings, I think you would like this book. The author did a TON of background work to make sure everything was historically and literarily correct. I will say, I love what the author (Frank Beddor) did with the "Cheshire cat". SPOILER ALERT. He's evil. And I love that he is. Even though I thought and hoped he would be a good guy, I liked it this way more.
So, it's a good book, just not exactly my cup of tea. With 358 pages down, I have 7,244 pages left.
I just replenished by book supply yesterday, and I may have gone a little overboard. I have five books coming form the library, and three at my house right now... hopefully I can get back into the swing of reading again. (I'm now 69th in line for City of Fallen Angels, just so you know)
Read on,
Jamie
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