That's quite a long title for a blog post.
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes - 369 pgs
35) A book you started but never finished
No, I didn't put this book down because I wasn't enjoying it. I actually had to return it to the library before I moved out of the state. To be fair, I didn't get very far, only four or five chapters, but I was certainly captivated by the writing style and happy to pick it back up.
If you haven't heard about Me Before You, it's about a young lady named Lou who hasn't done too much with her life besides work at the same cafe job for years and now has to find new employment since the cafe is boing bought out. She lands a job caring for a quadriplegic named Will. Lou has no experience with medical field anything and is rightfully shocked to receive an offer of employment right off the bat. She finds out it's more like, she lands a job from Will's mother to care for him emotionally. To make him happy again. It's a big job, easier said than done.
This book is a romance. Flat out, I wouldn't label it any other way. It's obviously not your typical romance story (although, I'm not exactly sure what that would be) but it will cut you to the core and really make you think about what you would do for the person you love even if it hurts you.
It's a down to earth story with realistic characters who make you want to hug them (or slap them) and it's easy to put yourself in Lou's shoes as she gets to know Will. It's not a frolic through the flowers and at times it's heartbreaking, but it's worth it.
Moyes released a sequel this year that I'm very interested in picking up. If you like a story that will make you laugh, cry, and open your eyes to the world, pick up Me Before You.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford - 290 pgs
21) A book with antonyms in the title
Ha. It's not War and Peace.
This is a good book. Not great, but it's good.
It can get tedious and long winded, but it's a good book.
That being said, I didn't really enjoy it that much. It took me a long time to get into this short book. I'm not saying stuff didn't happen, it's just that the SAME stuff kept happening and I found it to be a bit more bitter than sweet. (Yeah, I went there)
This book switches back and forth between the 1980s and the 1940s, telling the story of Henry and how he met a girl named Keiko when they were very young as well as the events that separated them for 40 years. It's a Romeo and Juliet story of sorts set during the second world war. Henry is Chinese and Keiko is Japanese. But really, they're both American.
It's truly sad to see what happened here in the states during WWII. We like to point to the atrocities that happened in Europe, and while I'm not suggesting the USA was near as horrific as Germany, it's easy to forget that our hands weren't exactly squeaky clean either.
This was a good book. I can't think of a reason I couldn't fully invest in the story other than it felt repetitive and I don't think I got enough time to bond with some of the characters in the 1940s and that left me a bit apathetic to the 12 year old puppy love.
The Heart of Betrayal - Mary E. Pearson - 470 pgs
49) Readers Choice
It was not my intention to read this book this year. When I read the first book in the series earlier this year I said it would be on the bottom of my 50 book to-read list. It was more opportunity than desire that led me to picking it up, but as I read these two previous books above, I began to feel something I hadn't in a long time. I needed a cheesy fantasy. Nothing life changing or hard to comprehend, nothing with a deeper meaning or a important moral, just a light reading book that could hold the attention of a teen with ADHD (which, I suppose, is how I felt). The book came to my library and I just snatched it up. I already knew the characters, I already had the base story down, so this is essentially exactly what I was looking for.
It isn't a deep book. It's very predictable YA fantasy. The stakes are life and death (yet I still feel this book could have been 200 pages shorter and been better for it). The love interest is as interesting as a lamp post (and could have completely been taken out of the book without changing the story). It's not going to make you have deep thoughts of any sort. But. If this is the kind of thing that floats your boat, it was pretty good. I liked it more than the first one, the story is building (VERY slowly) to mean something.
I know I change my mind a lot. I also know that my reading tastes have changed a sizable amount in the last year alone. Thank you for bearing with me even though in this blog alone I have contradicted myself no less than three times. This book might have once been everything I loved in a book. So if you're in Jr. High or High School or any age and you like fantasy/action YA novels, this series might just be for you.
Read on,
Jamie
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
The Hobbit, A Pleasure to Burn, & The Chamber of Secrets
The Hobbit (There and Back Again) - J.R.R. Tolkien - 366 Pages
34) A banned book
I don't know why I had never read The Hobbit before.
It's one of my best friends favorite books and I remember seeing the first movie at midnight with her. I've heard many a complaint about how this short book became three long movies, but I'm not not going to get into that, because-
I also don't know why people are so scared of fantasy novels.
I very clearly remember as a seven year old telling my Grandmother about how I was reading Harry Potter and her first reaction was "Isn't that about witchcraft and the devil?!" (She loves Harry Potter now that she knows what it's actually about). If parents actually READ this book (which is meant for kids) they would see that it isn't teaching your children to worship satan. They may even realize what Tolkien was actually trying to teach kids. Things like, you may be small and people may not think you're capable of much, but you can do hard even impossible things and succeed. Or, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
There are so many important lessons in this story, and it's a good read no matter your age. I think this would be a great book to read out loud to children, with the right amount of action and thoughtfulness, dialogue and description, this little story is a must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy even a little and I'm quite sad I didn't get to read it when I was a kid. Maybe it was banned from my elementary school...
The idea of banned books has always intrigued me, which inevitably led me to my next read.
A Pleasure to Burn - Ray Bradbury - 400 Pages
44) A book of short stories
*raises hand* I admit I've never read Fahrenheit 451. I've never even really known exactly what it's about, I'd always gotten it confused with 1984. It wasn't until I was looking for a short story book that I really found out. It's about book burning books and censorship. A Pleasure to Burn caught my eye on Goodreads because I read Dandelion Wine (also by Bradbury) in school and LOVED it. I just love Bradbury's writing style, and the premise intrigued me (and the cover is as awesome as the title) so I picked it up the very next day at the library.
This particular book of short stories was published in 2010, but some of the stories date back to before Fahrenheit 451 as early forms of and ideas for the book. So each story is thematically connected to the world of Fahrenheit 451 where censorship and burning run wild in the future world.
I enjoyed this book immensely. The first story was a bit confusing, but by the second I was zoned in. The writing is really what did it for me as well as the subject being close to my heart. I want to share just a couple of the many bookmarks I made in this book.
"I had seen thousands careen into my library starved and leave well-fed. I had watched lost people find themselves. I had known realists to dream and dreamers to come awake in this marble sanctuary where silence was a marker in each book. Then, better focused, their ideas rehung upon their frames, their flesh made easy on their bones, men might walk forth into the blast-furnace of reality, noon, mob-traffic, improbable senescence, inescapable death." (Bright Phoenix, pg 81)
"Garrett," said Stendahl. "Do you know why I've done this to you? Because you burned Mr. Poe's books without really reading them. You took other people's advice that they needed burning. Otherwise you'd have realized what I was going to do to you when we came down here a moment ago. Ignorance is fatal, Mr. Garrett." (Carnival of Madness, pg 128 (This was my favorite story))
"They were never together. There was always something between, a radio, a televisor, a car, a plane, a game, nervous exhaustion, or, simply, a little pheno-barbitol. They didn't know each other; they knew things, inventions. They had both applauded science while it had built a beautiful glass structure, a glittering miracle of contraptions about them, and, too late, they had found it to be a glass wall." (The Fireman, pg 270)
"The little man wants you and me to be like him. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot out of the weapon. Un-breach men's minds. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?" (The Fireman, pg 287)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling - 352 Pages
42) Your old favorite book
After reading it again, I think it may STILL be my favorite book.
I haven't read Chamber of Secrets in years. Every time I re-read a Harry Potter book it was always Deathly Hallows or Prisoner of Azkaban. I forgot how much I truly loved Chamber of Secrets. Despite being short, Rowling really packs in the action in this book. The climax in the chamber is one of the best and the humor throughout is on point. I couldn't be happier with my choice to re-read Chamber as my old favorite. (PS if you haven't read these books, get out and read them now.)
Read on,
Jamie
34) A banned book
I don't know why I had never read The Hobbit before.
It's one of my best friends favorite books and I remember seeing the first movie at midnight with her. I've heard many a complaint about how this short book became three long movies, but I'm not not going to get into that, because-
I also don't know why people are so scared of fantasy novels.
I very clearly remember as a seven year old telling my Grandmother about how I was reading Harry Potter and her first reaction was "Isn't that about witchcraft and the devil?!" (She loves Harry Potter now that she knows what it's actually about). If parents actually READ this book (which is meant for kids) they would see that it isn't teaching your children to worship satan. They may even realize what Tolkien was actually trying to teach kids. Things like, you may be small and people may not think you're capable of much, but you can do hard even impossible things and succeed. Or, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
There are so many important lessons in this story, and it's a good read no matter your age. I think this would be a great book to read out loud to children, with the right amount of action and thoughtfulness, dialogue and description, this little story is a must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy even a little and I'm quite sad I didn't get to read it when I was a kid. Maybe it was banned from my elementary school...
The idea of banned books has always intrigued me, which inevitably led me to my next read.
A Pleasure to Burn - Ray Bradbury - 400 Pages
44) A book of short stories
*raises hand* I admit I've never read Fahrenheit 451. I've never even really known exactly what it's about, I'd always gotten it confused with 1984. It wasn't until I was looking for a short story book that I really found out. It's about book burning books and censorship. A Pleasure to Burn caught my eye on Goodreads because I read Dandelion Wine (also by Bradbury) in school and LOVED it. I just love Bradbury's writing style, and the premise intrigued me (and the cover is as awesome as the title) so I picked it up the very next day at the library.
This particular book of short stories was published in 2010, but some of the stories date back to before Fahrenheit 451 as early forms of and ideas for the book. So each story is thematically connected to the world of Fahrenheit 451 where censorship and burning run wild in the future world.
I enjoyed this book immensely. The first story was a bit confusing, but by the second I was zoned in. The writing is really what did it for me as well as the subject being close to my heart. I want to share just a couple of the many bookmarks I made in this book.
"I had seen thousands careen into my library starved and leave well-fed. I had watched lost people find themselves. I had known realists to dream and dreamers to come awake in this marble sanctuary where silence was a marker in each book. Then, better focused, their ideas rehung upon their frames, their flesh made easy on their bones, men might walk forth into the blast-furnace of reality, noon, mob-traffic, improbable senescence, inescapable death." (Bright Phoenix, pg 81)
"Garrett," said Stendahl. "Do you know why I've done this to you? Because you burned Mr. Poe's books without really reading them. You took other people's advice that they needed burning. Otherwise you'd have realized what I was going to do to you when we came down here a moment ago. Ignorance is fatal, Mr. Garrett." (Carnival of Madness, pg 128 (This was my favorite story))
"They were never together. There was always something between, a radio, a televisor, a car, a plane, a game, nervous exhaustion, or, simply, a little pheno-barbitol. They didn't know each other; they knew things, inventions. They had both applauded science while it had built a beautiful glass structure, a glittering miracle of contraptions about them, and, too late, they had found it to be a glass wall." (The Fireman, pg 270)
"The little man wants you and me to be like him. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot out of the weapon. Un-breach men's minds. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?" (The Fireman, pg 287)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling - 352 Pages
42) Your old favorite book
After reading it again, I think it may STILL be my favorite book.
I haven't read Chamber of Secrets in years. Every time I re-read a Harry Potter book it was always Deathly Hallows or Prisoner of Azkaban. I forgot how much I truly loved Chamber of Secrets. Despite being short, Rowling really packs in the action in this book. The climax in the chamber is one of the best and the humor throughout is on point. I couldn't be happier with my choice to re-read Chamber as my old favorite. (PS if you haven't read these books, get out and read them now.)
Read on,
Jamie
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Briar Rose, Sense and Sensibility, & Austenland
Part 2 of the Midsummer Book Blog Binge.
Because I read these books in midsummer and forgot to blog them.
Briar Rose - Jane Yolen - 241 pages
31) Author you've never read before
Yolen has an impressive resume that ranges from children's picture books to adult novels with awards all over the place. It's not impossible that I'd never read her books, but it was a little surprising. She's a Goodreads author so I browsed her profile and get the sense that she is a darling lady. I could've sworn Jane Yolen is an alias for one of my favorite college professors. Anyway. Yolen was recommended to me so when I found out she wrote a historical fiction WWII book called Briar Rose I immediately went to the library and picked it up.
Thing you know: I love WWII Historical Fiction
Thing you may not know: I LOVE Sleeping Beauty
The book is about a young lady who goes on a trip to find out more about her grandmother's life who's last words to her are "I am Briar Rose". It's about the holocaust and it's not exactly cheery, but it'll break your heart and then put it back together a little bit stronger than before. It's a young adult book, but there are very heavy themes (as you would expect from a book about the holocaust) not recommended to early teens.
I love the idea of this book, but I think the way the story unfolded could have been better. I expected our protagonist to go on a journey that slowly unfolded her grandmother's secrets, but it was more like I was reading two different books. One about a girl on a personal journey and another about a man suffering during the holocaust. The story of Sleeping Beauty is cleverly wound into this woman's life and that is what ultimately kept me intrigued. Sadly, that information is saved for the last part of the book instead of a growing theme throughout. Great idea. Okay execution. Good book.
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen Marvel Adaptions - 128 Pages
30) A graphic novel
Nobody said what kind of graphic novel.
I used to read a little manga, the right to left authentic stuff. I just couldn't make myself choose one. I looked at manga, I looked at comic books, I looked at all sorts. I must have been standing in the graphic novel section of the library for half an hour. THEN. I saw Sense and Sensibility, grabbed it, and checked out. I made it my mission a year ago to read as many versions of Sense and Sensibility as I could find, all of them just fell short of the perfection of Austen's original. So when I saw the graphic novel, I had high hopes because it was the original story but found myself apprehensive. How do you make a comic book out of such a dialogue heavy book? Marvel did a great job of balancing the dialogue we needed and the lovely illustration. It was a fun read, and another version of SaS to add to my list.
Austenland - Shannon Hale - 202 Pages
7) A funny book
This book tho.
I saw the movie first, that's what put it into my mind that the book would be funny. It's funnier, because it's more realistic. The film is similar is style to Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which are two of my favorites, so you can imagine the humor.
It's about a young woman named Jane who's OBSESSED with the idea of Mr. Darcy. Her romantic relationships have been failures and she turns to Austen's novels (and the movie adaptions) to make up for her sad love life. But when Jane takes a trip to Austenland, an immersive regency era themed experience in England she begins to wonder if Mr. Darcy is what she actually wants.
The book is very similar to the movie in plot. I laughed out loud many times, and as cheesy as it could feel at times, it also hit very honest chords with me. (I mean, I just professed my love for Sense and Sensibility...)
This read is a good time, it may not change your life, but it's worth the time. If you liked the movie, I think you should read the book as well. If you've read the book, see the movie, it's some of the most perfect casting I've ever seen.
Read on,
Jamie
Because I read these books in midsummer and forgot to blog them.
Briar Rose - Jane Yolen - 241 pages
31) Author you've never read before
Yolen has an impressive resume that ranges from children's picture books to adult novels with awards all over the place. It's not impossible that I'd never read her books, but it was a little surprising. She's a Goodreads author so I browsed her profile and get the sense that she is a darling lady. I could've sworn Jane Yolen is an alias for one of my favorite college professors. Anyway. Yolen was recommended to me so when I found out she wrote a historical fiction WWII book called Briar Rose I immediately went to the library and picked it up.
Thing you know: I love WWII Historical Fiction
Thing you may not know: I LOVE Sleeping Beauty
The book is about a young lady who goes on a trip to find out more about her grandmother's life who's last words to her are "I am Briar Rose". It's about the holocaust and it's not exactly cheery, but it'll break your heart and then put it back together a little bit stronger than before. It's a young adult book, but there are very heavy themes (as you would expect from a book about the holocaust) not recommended to early teens.
I love the idea of this book, but I think the way the story unfolded could have been better. I expected our protagonist to go on a journey that slowly unfolded her grandmother's secrets, but it was more like I was reading two different books. One about a girl on a personal journey and another about a man suffering during the holocaust. The story of Sleeping Beauty is cleverly wound into this woman's life and that is what ultimately kept me intrigued. Sadly, that information is saved for the last part of the book instead of a growing theme throughout. Great idea. Okay execution. Good book.
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen Marvel Adaptions - 128 Pages
30) A graphic novel
Nobody said what kind of graphic novel.
I used to read a little manga, the right to left authentic stuff. I just couldn't make myself choose one. I looked at manga, I looked at comic books, I looked at all sorts. I must have been standing in the graphic novel section of the library for half an hour. THEN. I saw Sense and Sensibility, grabbed it, and checked out. I made it my mission a year ago to read as many versions of Sense and Sensibility as I could find, all of them just fell short of the perfection of Austen's original. So when I saw the graphic novel, I had high hopes because it was the original story but found myself apprehensive. How do you make a comic book out of such a dialogue heavy book? Marvel did a great job of balancing the dialogue we needed and the lovely illustration. It was a fun read, and another version of SaS to add to my list.
Austenland - Shannon Hale - 202 Pages
7) A funny book
This book tho.
I saw the movie first, that's what put it into my mind that the book would be funny. It's funnier, because it's more realistic. The film is similar is style to Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which are two of my favorites, so you can imagine the humor.
It's about a young woman named Jane who's OBSESSED with the idea of Mr. Darcy. Her romantic relationships have been failures and she turns to Austen's novels (and the movie adaptions) to make up for her sad love life. But when Jane takes a trip to Austenland, an immersive regency era themed experience in England she begins to wonder if Mr. Darcy is what she actually wants.
The book is very similar to the movie in plot. I laughed out loud many times, and as cheesy as it could feel at times, it also hit very honest chords with me. (I mean, I just professed my love for Sense and Sensibility...)
This read is a good time, it may not change your life, but it's worth the time. If you liked the movie, I think you should read the book as well. If you've read the book, see the movie, it's some of the most perfect casting I've ever seen.
Read on,
Jamie
Hero of Ages, Stardust, & King Charles III
Hey.
How's it going?
How was summer?
Good, good...
Yeah, I forgot to keep up with the blogging.
And the reading to be honest.
I went from one book ahead of schedule to two behind. Whoops.
BUT.
Now I have six books to blog!
So here is part one of two in the Midsummer Book Blog Binge.
(I know, fancy name, right?)
Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson - 572 Pages
48) Reader's Choice
Book three in the Mistborn series absolutely had to be read but didn't fit any of the specific categories so it's my first reader's choice. I'm glad I read it. I like to finish stories. It's not at all what I expected though, and that's not a bad thing. I like how I couldn't predict what was going to happen next in this series, it made it more intriguing to me. I picked up the first book on a friend recommendation, so if not for him I'd have never read these books since the premise sounded to cheesy to me. I think the first book was the best (that surprised me), but they are all high in character development and action and Sanderson has my respect. I may just pick up the rest of his books.
Stardust - Neil Gaiman - 250 Pages
3) A book that became a movie
Stardust was an enchanting book. It's about a young man named Tristan who vows to bring back a fallen star to the girl he "loves". To his surprise, once he crosses the wall into the magic lands everything is different. Even a fallen star is changed from a rock into a woman. The short book is a whimsical adventure full of magic and danger, witches and princes, love and revenge. It's enough to hold even the lightest of readers' attention.
The movie, released in 2007, is very similar. Certain scenes are straight out of the book while a few were added to make the movie more dramatic. All in all, I think I may like the movie better. Don't get me wrong, I really loved this book. The reason the movie is so great is because it stays true to the whimsical feeling of the book while building up to a greater climax and making the characters more endearing. I'd recommend this book to those who loved the movie, and I'd recommend the movie to everyone.
King Charles III - Mike Bartlett - 120 Pages
33) A play
Boy, oh boy. This play is sheer genius. I got to see this play during it's opening run in London. I can still feel the chills I got when the stage went dark and Lordes Royals played in the theatre.
Think about a Shakespeare history play. Now think about what it would be like if Shakespeare wrote a history play about the FUTRUE. Yeah. Mind blown.
Mike Bartlett wrote a history play about King Charles III. As in, the current Prince Charles, son of the Queen. The whole family is there. William and Kate with George, Harry, a certain Ghost. Not only that, oh no. Bartlett wrote it in iambic pentameter.
It deals with the death of the Queen and the subsequent rising of the Prince to the King. When the newly appointed King Charles refuses to sign a bill into law it raises the question, what power does the monarchy hold now-a-days? Does the monarchy mean anything? Should those not elected to power be able to rule over those who were elected?
Bartlett really makes you think. Even if you are a citizen of different country with no thoughts or opinions about such things. You're about to have opinions.
Part 2 coming soon!
Read on,
Jamie
How's it going?
How was summer?
Good, good...
Yeah, I forgot to keep up with the blogging.
And the reading to be honest.
I went from one book ahead of schedule to two behind. Whoops.
BUT.
Now I have six books to blog!
So here is part one of two in the Midsummer Book Blog Binge.
(I know, fancy name, right?)
Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson - 572 Pages
48) Reader's Choice
Book three in the Mistborn series absolutely had to be read but didn't fit any of the specific categories so it's my first reader's choice. I'm glad I read it. I like to finish stories. It's not at all what I expected though, and that's not a bad thing. I like how I couldn't predict what was going to happen next in this series, it made it more intriguing to me. I picked up the first book on a friend recommendation, so if not for him I'd have never read these books since the premise sounded to cheesy to me. I think the first book was the best (that surprised me), but they are all high in character development and action and Sanderson has my respect. I may just pick up the rest of his books.
Stardust - Neil Gaiman - 250 Pages
3) A book that became a movie
Stardust was an enchanting book. It's about a young man named Tristan who vows to bring back a fallen star to the girl he "loves". To his surprise, once he crosses the wall into the magic lands everything is different. Even a fallen star is changed from a rock into a woman. The short book is a whimsical adventure full of magic and danger, witches and princes, love and revenge. It's enough to hold even the lightest of readers' attention.
The movie, released in 2007, is very similar. Certain scenes are straight out of the book while a few were added to make the movie more dramatic. All in all, I think I may like the movie better. Don't get me wrong, I really loved this book. The reason the movie is so great is because it stays true to the whimsical feeling of the book while building up to a greater climax and making the characters more endearing. I'd recommend this book to those who loved the movie, and I'd recommend the movie to everyone.
King Charles III - Mike Bartlett - 120 Pages
33) A play
Boy, oh boy. This play is sheer genius. I got to see this play during it's opening run in London. I can still feel the chills I got when the stage went dark and Lordes Royals played in the theatre.
Think about a Shakespeare history play. Now think about what it would be like if Shakespeare wrote a history play about the FUTRUE. Yeah. Mind blown.
Mike Bartlett wrote a history play about King Charles III. As in, the current Prince Charles, son of the Queen. The whole family is there. William and Kate with George, Harry, a certain Ghost. Not only that, oh no. Bartlett wrote it in iambic pentameter.
It deals with the death of the Queen and the subsequent rising of the Prince to the King. When the newly appointed King Charles refuses to sign a bill into law it raises the question, what power does the monarchy hold now-a-days? Does the monarchy mean anything? Should those not elected to power be able to rule over those who were elected?
Bartlett really makes you think. Even if you are a citizen of different country with no thoughts or opinions about such things. You're about to have opinions.
Part 2 coming soon!
Read on,
Jamie
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
The Princess Bride, An Ember in the Ashes, & A Court of Thorns and Roses
HALF WAY THERE!
Today being July 1st, we are half way through the year and I am now half way through my 50 books! It's nice to know I'm right on track.
The Princess Bride - William Goldman - 398 Pages
2) A classic romance
I know every cultured creature on God's green earth has seen The Princess Bride movie and loves it, but I must now say that it should be a requirement to also read the book. I almost felt like this book was written for me personally. It truly has it all. Sword fights, chases, death, proclamations of love, revenge, speech impediments, heros, poison, asides, rodents of unusual size, murder plots, miracles, and humor. So much humor. I don't remember the last time I read a book where I laughed out loud so often. You get all the main characters in the movie with more back story and more witty dialogue.
The Princess Bride feels so timeless, I recommend everyone read it.
I myself have been meaning to read this book for years but honestly got confused quite often since all the copies say they are abridged. It is supposedly the "good parts" version of the story abridged by Goldman, he also adds in little bits as witty asides.
This book really is a classic and I pity the fool who chooses not to read it.
An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir - 446 Pages
47) A Goodreads suggestion
Goodreads has been trying to get me to read this book since I joined which, I might add, was also months before it was even released. They seem to think I enjoy books with strong female characters, harsh odds, a little fantasy, and awesome action sequences.
Where did they get that impression?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Goodreads is heaven sent.
I'm disappointed in myself for not writing this review before I gave the book back to the library because there were SUCH good quotes I wanted to include and now all I have are page numbers.
This book is pretty brutal. It's not graphic, but there is a lot of violence. These people live in a society that feels spartan, where physical ability and ruthlessness is praised. But it didn't always used to be like that. The land used to be one of learning and art, but those people were subjugated and oppressed by the warriors who now rule the land.
I was hooked from page one. Tahir doesn't give you much time to relax or much time for her characters to be out of danger so it makes those moments all the more special.
This story bounces back and forth between two characters who are in very opposite situations and yet eventually come together.
Honestly, I don't want to give too much away since I think anyone looking for a good, fast paced summer read with action and a little bit of magic should pick this book up.
A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas - 416 Pages
13) A book you haven't read yet from an author you love
Hmmm. How do I go about this...
Sarah J. Maas writes an INCREDIBLE action sequence. I love her Throne of Glass series for it's originality and action, she made me care for her characters quickly and deeply which can be hard. So I thought, "This means I love Sarah J. Maas. I've read four of her books and enjoyed them all. I can't wait to read her new series and look forward to having a whole new SJM world to explore."
But.
I didn't.
I didn't fall for these characters. I didn't even CARE about their problems. I didn't like the writing style or the plot devises or the dialogue (especially the dialogue). I didn't like the main character.
I didn't intend on finishing this book.
This book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with fairies. Maas has done her research, she knows about fairy lore and had a wonderful opportunity to make it shine. To me, she fell drastically short of expectation. The story is weak and SLOW (so very painfully slow) and if it weren't for my sister and being on vacation with no other book I would have put this book down and never finished it.
The saddest part is that it picks up rather nicely, but far too late for me. I like the villains much better than the heros because they actually DID THINGS. The action sequences were good, but they weren't enough to save this book.
If you're thinking of reading ACoTaR here's a heads-up (that I wish I had), Maas intended this book for the "New Adult" category instead of "Young Adult". For that reason, she's included some pretty graphic romantic scenes. They're easy enough to skip since they in no part impact the story, but I'd recommend you skip this book all together and pick up An Ember in the Ashes if you're looking for a good summer read.
Read on,
Jamie
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
The Winner's Crime, Fairest, & The Well of Ascension
Three books because All The Light We Cannot See NEEDED it's own post. Bonus book for you, yay.
The Winner's Crime - Marie Rutkoski - 402 pgs
16) A book at the bottom of your to-read list
Honestly, I should have kept it there. It was at the bottom of my list because I kind of enjoyed the first one and this one has just been released, but didn't know when I would get to it when I had such a long list of books I wanted to read first.
This book is not long. Sure, it's listed as 402 pages, but the print is large and the pages are small. So why did it take me a MONTH to finish it??? Because I simply couldn't make myself pick it up and continue reading even when I was at work with nothing to do and I was at the climax. Now you see why I didn't want to blog this one with ATLWCS? This book was so painful for me. I hated the characters left to carry the story, I didn't care about their problems or their stupid complaining. The setting for this book has moved to the capital city in the palace since Kestrel is now engaged to the Prince, who is kind despite having a terrible father yet she at best thinks he's unimpressive. She becomes a "spy" (she basically does nothing) against the King who is terribly one sided and hates just about everyone except Kestrel's father. Why does the king even really want her to become Queen? Well, I'm rambling now, but basically Kestrel makes dumb choice after dumb choice. I mean seriously. Kestrel was supposed to be smart, right? Well she's probably the most shallow and unthoughtful character I've read this year. I'm supposed to like her? Yeah...No. If you recall, I chose the first book as my "Book with bad reviews" and was impressed. Winner's Crime has more positive reviews than the first one (Winner's Curse), even the blogger who said she didn't get why the first one was so popular liked the second one. WHAT??? Now I'm the one that doesn't get it.
I don't think I ever will.
Fairest - Marissa Meyer - 220 pgs
4) A book published this year
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles series by Meyer (Cinder, Scarlet, etc.) I address you directly now. Read this book. It's easy to overlook since it's small, it's a prequel, and the line for it at the library is some 400+ people long, but it's worth it.
If you're unfamiliar with the Lunar Chronicles, think all your favorite fairytales set in a science fiction setting. It's innovative and unlike any other retelling of classic fairytales you've read. Fairest was released January 27th 2015 after the first three books of the series, but it takes place before all of them. It tells the tale of the Evil Queen, Levana, and how she came to be the controlling ruler of the moon. It's a slippery slope from oppressed character to villain and we get to see every heartbreaking, shocking choice Levana makes on her way to the throne. She's crazy people. In stories like this, you tend to feel sorry for the character and their choices make sense, but not here. Sure, you understand why she makes her choices, but you never agree with them and you certainly don't want to see her succeed.I love this series and I'm excited for the last book coming out later this year. I would suggest it to all fairytale and sci-fi lovers out there, you could even start with Fairest and go to Cinder from there.
The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson - 590 pgs
40) A book with non-human characters
Can you tell I'm running out of open ended requirements to fit these books in? This could've been my trilogy, but I had already started another one first. Anyway...
Goodness, these books are good. This is the sequel to Mistborn, which I read earlier in the year. Brandon Sanderson has a gift people. He's able to write a bunch of believable characters and keep them all interesting and distinctly individual. I can never smell his plot twists before he reveals them. I wrote that the first book reminded me of the Harry Potter books because they are lengthy and have an overarching storyline that makes everything important and involved in that overarching story. It answers it's questions, even if it takes time to do so. I don't have to worry about a storyline not being completed and that's a blessing.
This sequel deals with the consequences of the first book. They over threw a large and powerful government, there are going to be consequences of that. I feel like I haven't read very many books that have made me realize that fact. I mean, overthrowing and oppressive government is wonderful (Uh-meri-kah) and usually takes the whole series to do anyway, so why worry, right? Wrong. Suddenly their hopes for making Luthadel an equal and thriving city are being destroyed not just by the armies coming to take over, but also the citizens inside who don't believe their freedom is more important than living. This book has it all. Substantial character progression, plot twists, war, death, love, betrayal, exciting new characters, humor. In short, this series continues to be one of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. If you like high fantasy or a good long summer read with memorable characters (like the good old days when Harry Potter was released every summer) I highly recommend this series.
Read on,
Jamie
The Winner's Crime - Marie Rutkoski - 402 pgs
16) A book at the bottom of your to-read list
Honestly, I should have kept it there. It was at the bottom of my list because I kind of enjoyed the first one and this one has just been released, but didn't know when I would get to it when I had such a long list of books I wanted to read first.
This book is not long. Sure, it's listed as 402 pages, but the print is large and the pages are small. So why did it take me a MONTH to finish it??? Because I simply couldn't make myself pick it up and continue reading even when I was at work with nothing to do and I was at the climax. Now you see why I didn't want to blog this one with ATLWCS? This book was so painful for me. I hated the characters left to carry the story, I didn't care about their problems or their stupid complaining. The setting for this book has moved to the capital city in the palace since Kestrel is now engaged to the Prince, who is kind despite having a terrible father yet she at best thinks he's unimpressive. She becomes a "spy" (she basically does nothing) against the King who is terribly one sided and hates just about everyone except Kestrel's father. Why does the king even really want her to become Queen? Well, I'm rambling now, but basically Kestrel makes dumb choice after dumb choice. I mean seriously. Kestrel was supposed to be smart, right? Well she's probably the most shallow and unthoughtful character I've read this year. I'm supposed to like her? Yeah...No. If you recall, I chose the first book as my "Book with bad reviews" and was impressed. Winner's Crime has more positive reviews than the first one (Winner's Curse), even the blogger who said she didn't get why the first one was so popular liked the second one. WHAT??? Now I'm the one that doesn't get it.
I don't think I ever will.
Fairest - Marissa Meyer - 220 pgs
4) A book published this year
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles series by Meyer (Cinder, Scarlet, etc.) I address you directly now. Read this book. It's easy to overlook since it's small, it's a prequel, and the line for it at the library is some 400+ people long, but it's worth it.
If you're unfamiliar with the Lunar Chronicles, think all your favorite fairytales set in a science fiction setting. It's innovative and unlike any other retelling of classic fairytales you've read. Fairest was released January 27th 2015 after the first three books of the series, but it takes place before all of them. It tells the tale of the Evil Queen, Levana, and how she came to be the controlling ruler of the moon. It's a slippery slope from oppressed character to villain and we get to see every heartbreaking, shocking choice Levana makes on her way to the throne. She's crazy people. In stories like this, you tend to feel sorry for the character and their choices make sense, but not here. Sure, you understand why she makes her choices, but you never agree with them and you certainly don't want to see her succeed.I love this series and I'm excited for the last book coming out later this year. I would suggest it to all fairytale and sci-fi lovers out there, you could even start with Fairest and go to Cinder from there.
The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson - 590 pgs
40) A book with non-human characters
Can you tell I'm running out of open ended requirements to fit these books in? This could've been my trilogy, but I had already started another one first. Anyway...
Goodness, these books are good. This is the sequel to Mistborn, which I read earlier in the year. Brandon Sanderson has a gift people. He's able to write a bunch of believable characters and keep them all interesting and distinctly individual. I can never smell his plot twists before he reveals them. I wrote that the first book reminded me of the Harry Potter books because they are lengthy and have an overarching storyline that makes everything important and involved in that overarching story. It answers it's questions, even if it takes time to do so. I don't have to worry about a storyline not being completed and that's a blessing.
This sequel deals with the consequences of the first book. They over threw a large and powerful government, there are going to be consequences of that. I feel like I haven't read very many books that have made me realize that fact. I mean, overthrowing and oppressive government is wonderful (Uh-meri-kah) and usually takes the whole series to do anyway, so why worry, right? Wrong. Suddenly their hopes for making Luthadel an equal and thriving city are being destroyed not just by the armies coming to take over, but also the citizens inside who don't believe their freedom is more important than living. This book has it all. Substantial character progression, plot twists, war, death, love, betrayal, exciting new characters, humor. In short, this series continues to be one of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. If you like high fantasy or a good long summer read with memorable characters (like the good old days when Harry Potter was released every summer) I highly recommend this series.
Read on,
Jamie
Sunday, May 24, 2015
All The Light We Cannot See
All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr - 530 Pages
15) A Pulitzer-Prize winning book
I've now had quite a while to mull over my thoughts for this book and my love has not lessened.
When I was nearing the climax I was literally unable to turn the pages fast enough. I'm pretty sure it's a miracle I didn't completely tear out some of the pages I was trying to flip faster. The Pulitzer-Prize was very well deserved and this is one of the best books I've ever read.
The book tells the story about two young people who grow up during the second World War. One is a Marie-Laure, a blind french girl with a loving father who makes a miniature of their neighborhood so that she can navigate Paris. The other is Werner, a german orphan who is incredibly bright but because of his social status will seemingly die in the mines like his father. Anthony Doerr intertwines their stories perfectly and shows us just what it may have been like to grow up in such a time. All The Light We Cannot See is not completely a reference to Marie-Laure being blind, it's also about the literal light our brain cannot see. But it's also about all the stories and lives we cannot possibly know. It's about how others touch our lives is such significant ways but we will never know. It's about all the goodness that seems a miracle but has some meaning we cannot understand.
My love for WWII Historical Fiction was enough to make me want to read this book and the writing style was more than enough to hook me for the whole 530 pages. The chapters are short so it felt like I flew through this book in four days.
I don't know guys, sometimes a book is just so beautiful that I'm left speachless. That's why I put off writing this review, in hopes that some coherent thoughts and meditations would manifest themselves. All The Light We Cannot See is that book.
At risk of sounding juvenile I want to point out something. There are a lot of young adult books now a days that center on a group of people being oppressed because they are slightly different. I've read a lot this year already. I think we have a tendency to say, "That could never happen in our world. We would never make slaves out of people with red blood if we had silver or gold (Red Queen and Golden Son) THIS IS NOT A FANTASY. This happened, this STILL happens.
"Entropy is the degree of randomness or disorder in a system, Doctor."
His eyes fix on Werner's for a heartbeat, a glance both warm and chilling. "Disorder. You hear the commandant say it. You hear your bunk masters say it. There must be order. Life is chaos, gentleman. And what we represent is an ordering to that chaos. Even down to the genes. We are ordering the evolution of the species. Winnowing out the inferior, the unruly, the chaff. This is the great project of the Reich, the greatest project human beings have ever embarked on."
Hauptmann writes on the blackboard. The cadets inscribe the words into their composition books. The entropy of a closed system never decreases.
(Page 240)
The Book Thief has been my favorite book for years and years now, but I think All The Light We Cannot See may be my new favorite book. Well done Mr. Doerr, well done.
"Do you think, Madame, that in heaven we will really get to see God face-to-face?"
"We might."
"What if you're blind?"
"I'd expect that if God wants us to see something, we'll see it."
(Page 292)
Read on,
Jamie
15) A Pulitzer-Prize winning book
I've now had quite a while to mull over my thoughts for this book and my love has not lessened.
When I was nearing the climax I was literally unable to turn the pages fast enough. I'm pretty sure it's a miracle I didn't completely tear out some of the pages I was trying to flip faster. The Pulitzer-Prize was very well deserved and this is one of the best books I've ever read.
The book tells the story about two young people who grow up during the second World War. One is a Marie-Laure, a blind french girl with a loving father who makes a miniature of their neighborhood so that she can navigate Paris. The other is Werner, a german orphan who is incredibly bright but because of his social status will seemingly die in the mines like his father. Anthony Doerr intertwines their stories perfectly and shows us just what it may have been like to grow up in such a time. All The Light We Cannot See is not completely a reference to Marie-Laure being blind, it's also about the literal light our brain cannot see. But it's also about all the stories and lives we cannot possibly know. It's about how others touch our lives is such significant ways but we will never know. It's about all the goodness that seems a miracle but has some meaning we cannot understand.
My love for WWII Historical Fiction was enough to make me want to read this book and the writing style was more than enough to hook me for the whole 530 pages. The chapters are short so it felt like I flew through this book in four days.
I don't know guys, sometimes a book is just so beautiful that I'm left speachless. That's why I put off writing this review, in hopes that some coherent thoughts and meditations would manifest themselves. All The Light We Cannot See is that book.
At risk of sounding juvenile I want to point out something. There are a lot of young adult books now a days that center on a group of people being oppressed because they are slightly different. I've read a lot this year already. I think we have a tendency to say, "That could never happen in our world. We would never make slaves out of people with red blood if we had silver or gold (Red Queen and Golden Son) THIS IS NOT A FANTASY. This happened, this STILL happens.
"Entropy is the degree of randomness or disorder in a system, Doctor."
His eyes fix on Werner's for a heartbeat, a glance both warm and chilling. "Disorder. You hear the commandant say it. You hear your bunk masters say it. There must be order. Life is chaos, gentleman. And what we represent is an ordering to that chaos. Even down to the genes. We are ordering the evolution of the species. Winnowing out the inferior, the unruly, the chaff. This is the great project of the Reich, the greatest project human beings have ever embarked on."
Hauptmann writes on the blackboard. The cadets inscribe the words into their composition books. The entropy of a closed system never decreases.
(Page 240)
The Book Thief has been my favorite book for years and years now, but I think All The Light We Cannot See may be my new favorite book. Well done Mr. Doerr, well done.
"Do you think, Madame, that in heaven we will really get to see God face-to-face?"
"We might."
"What if you're blind?"
"I'd expect that if God wants us to see something, we'll see it."
(Page 292)
Read on,
Jamie
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