The Book Chat {22}

March 7, 2013 Filed Under: The Book Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

readerlives

I’m quite late on The Book Chat today, but the topic of the week is just too good not to write SOMETHING. Link up with Jessica on Sweet Green Tangerine and her co-host for the day, Lindsey from Lounging With Lindsey!

Today’s Topic: Abandoning Books

I’ve never considered myself to be a picky reader; I don’t judge a book by its cover, and I am ALWAYS accepting recommendations (which I read). But if I start reading a book and it doesn’t get me in the first 75 pages? I have to put it down.

There was one summer, I think it was 4 years ago, I had a very unlucky streak of picking up two books in a row on vacation that I could NOT finish:

- Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
–> All signs pointed to me loving this book. EVERYONE loves this book. But it loses me every time I try to get into it!

- La Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky 
–> I was certain I’d love this after reading ‘Sarah’s Key’ by Tatianna De Rosnay. But this book lost me too. Maybe because it’s a translation? I don’t know. I could barely get through 50 pages of it. Too bad.

There are some books that I really, REALLY wanted to love, but simply could not finish. This past Christmas I had another unlucky streak where I tried two books that I was certain I’d love, and I couldn’t even finish them:

- The Kill Order by James Dashner
–> I have loved EVERY book this author wrote. The prequel to one of my absolute favorite dystopian series? I couldn’t even finish it. I’m so disappointed.

- Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn
–> I saved this book for an entire year, waiting for the holidays to enjoy it. I disliked it so very much, and finally decided that it was time to put it away for good. I did the same thing with ‘Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist’, also written by these two. Maybe it’s their writing together? I love the premise for both novels!

I can’t say it’s happened much more often than that, that I’ve abandoned a book. I’m lucky to know the kinds of books I will enjoy, but every once in a while, a book disappoints. Like the time I read ‘Insurgent’ by Veronica Roth after enjoying her debut novel ‘Divergent’ so much… I finished Insurgent, but BARELY. That was one of my least favorite sequels I have ever read. A series with such potential, but that book was just so poorly edited. I know not many people agree with me, and that’s when I realized that my book standards are significantly higher than I realized!

And of course, there are some books that I really debated NOT ever picking up, but am so happy I did!

- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

- Cinder by Marissa Meyer

- Wither by Lauren DeStefano

- Graceling by Kristin Cashore

- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor 

(Turns out I really love dystopian and fantasy?! I should stop doubting that I’ll love them. Clearly I will!)

… Actually, this list is significantly longer. I have a habit of doubting a great book because the premise seems SO strange. Those are always my favorites, as proved by this list. Definitely the strangest series I have ever read, but in the best, most enchanting way possible.

What books have you abandoned? Which have you read that you SHOULD have abandoned? And finally, which are you happy you picked up?!

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Happy First Birthday, Book Chat!

February 28, 2013 Filed Under: The Book Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It seems like just yesterday that The Book Chat began, and yet today it celebrates a whole year of existing! I remember getting an e-mail from Jessica asking if I’d like to participate in some book prompts and I was thrilled. Now, a year later, I’ve met so many great bloggers who love books as much as I do because of TBC, and I’ve just loved seeing it grow.

As far as blog prompts go, this one is very dear to my heart (I was going to compare it to Jess being it’s mom and me being the aunt, which feels fitting in my mind, but sounds creepy here. But there you go, I’m sharing anyway). Not only is it about one of the things I love most in the world, The Book Chat has allowed me to share my love of reading with so many people, make new friends, send endless e-mails about great reads, discover more amazing books, and just all around it has been an awesome weekly thing that I have looked forward to every single week, whether I participated or not.

That being said, I was checking my stats, and I participated in exactly HALF of last year’s book chat prompts. 21 out of 42! Today, there is no topic, but rather an open “choose your favorite from the year and talk about it” prompt. I thought I’d take advantage and write about  the top FIVE topics I missed over the year that I would have loved to have participated in.

Without further ado, a more compact version of The Book Chat- the missing links from 2012-13!

1. Book recommended by a friend (June 14/12)
- Want to read recommendation: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J Watson, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts-
Read and loved because of a friend: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Switched by Amanda Hocking, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, among many many more!

2. What have I been wanting to read but haven’t gotten around to yet (June 21/12)
-SO MANY! At the top of that list is the follow up to Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood and Starlight. What a great series. Also, JK Rowling’s Casual Vacancy, The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (follow-up in his Chaos Walking dystopian series, great read!) and Torch by Cheryl Strayed.

3. Do you judge a book by it’s cover? (July 12/21)
- No! Never. I used to, for a very long time, but working with books has taught me what a terrible thing that is to do. The Hunger Games is my favorite example, it has one of my least favorite book covers of all time. It was one of the first YA novels I read 4 and a half years ago when I started my job, and I loved it so much I vowed to never judge another book again!

4. Favorite school assigned reading (August 16/12)
- I never properly appreciated my assigned readings in high school, but the ones that stand out from that time are definitely The Great Gatsby (which I plan on re-reading this year) as well as Lord of the Flies, which terrified me but intrigued me as well. I also read ‘Night’ in high school, which is a book that changed my life.

In CEGEP I was assigned the graphic novel ‘Safe Area Gorazde’ by Joe Sacco, a war-related true account of Sacco’s time in Bosnia. I never imagined enjoying this kind of story, but I was surprised by just how much I learned, and how enraptured I was by this way of storytelling.

Finally, in University, I read ‘Fast Food Nation’ which was actually extremely interesting and terribly eye-opening. I also re-read ‘Night’, and in that same class was assigned ‘MAUS I and II’ which was one of the most fascinating takes on life in Nazi Germany I have ever read (I have always had a terrible fascination with books set in this time period)

5. Your favorite names from literature (September 6/12)
-Off the top of my head, some of my favorite characters (both written and because of their name!) in recent years:

- Rhine from the Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano
- Harry Potter
-Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore
-Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
-Hazel Grace from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
-Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And there you have it! Another five book chats complete. Your turn! Choose a prompt and answer in the comments. 

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The Best Books of 2012

December 28, 2012 Filed Under: Book Reviews, Reading/Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

books

Although I didn’t come anywhere close to my goal of reading this year, a vast majority of the books I read were absolutely fantastic. I wish I had made more time to read a few more novels, especially during school (it would have kept me more sane), and I think I’ll make that one of my 2013 goals. Reading is always something I’ve loved, and my ‘to-read’ shelf has become pretty overwhelming.

For now, here’s a quick re-cap of my 10 favorites that I read in 2012.

#10 Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

I didn’t review this book like I did with her first one ‘The Happiness Project’ (which basically changed my life last year) but it definitely deserves a spot on this list. Rubin took the idea of a happiness project further by seeing what she could do to make her HOME LIFE a happier place for her whole family. Her extensive research on the subject is extremely enlightening & I can’t recommend her work enough.

#9 The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

I love Mitch Albom, and this book was no different. I love novels, no matter how long or short, that really change your perspective on something. Albom takes the concept of ‘time’ to a whole new level in this relatively short book, but it doesn’t diminish it’s impact whatsoever. The main character, the keeper of time, is wonderfully written & I constantly found myself stopping to really let this novel’s idea sink in.

#8 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I put off reading this book for a long time, and finally got around to it this summer- I think I read the entire thing in less than 2 days. I just could not put it down. It was one of the most beautifully, tragically written stories I read all year. It is the very sad story of a teenage girl who commits suicide and leaves cassette tapes behind for all the people who affected her decision to do it. The novel was nothing if not eye opening.

#7 Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Another book I put off for a long time because it had such mixed reviews, I finally read it in September when I came home from Europe. I was missing Italy so much & couldn’t wait to re-live it through Gilbert’s eyes. I wasn’t disappointed in the least, and I learned more about India (one of the next places I want to visit) as well as Indonesia, a country that made it on my travel list of places to see partially because of this biography. The wanderluster in me couldn’t get enough of this book!

#6 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Over the first few months of the summer I went through a phase of needing to read lots of “feel-good” contemporary fiction books, and this was one of them that I absolutely adored. The title is a bit cheesy I’ll admit, but Perkins has a way of writing her characters that make them impossibly difficult not to love. Not to mention the story takes place in Paris & I was getting excited for my trip… This is the kind of lovey story that any girl will read and adore- and relate to!

#5 Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

One of my most anticipated books of 2012, I absolutely devoured the sequel to Delirium. I don’t know many people who enjoyed it as much as I did, but the cliffhanger at the ending? Still one that haunts me almost every day since I read it. That’s definitely the sign of a well written story, if there ever was one. READ THIS SERIES. One of my favorite dystopians out there.

#4 Cinder by Marissa Meyer (& I’m sneaking in Scarlet by her too- advanced reader copies FOR THE WIN!)

I took a chance on ‘Cinder’ because a couple people at work read it and said it was amazing. It *seemed* strange to me, but I got into it almost IMMEDIATELY. What a fantastic book (and the sequel was also AWESOME). Meyer is reinventing classic tales (Cinderella = Cinder, Red Riding Hood = Scarlet) and creating fictitious dystopian/sci-fi worlds for them to live in, where all their lives intersect. So good, I can’t believe I have like a year and a half until book 3.

#3 Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I can’t remember what compelled me to finally pick this up- I think I was in search of some new good dystopian novels and had heard some good stuff about this one. Let me just say, this series is super underrated. Not enough people who know and like the dystopian genre have given this one a chance. The concept of the series- genetic mutation that kill women at 20 years old and men at 25- is a bit scary, but DeStefano makes it work SO well. Not to mention her characters are ridiculously well written. The sequel, Fever, was just as good in my opinion. Another worthy cliffhanger & I’m anxiously waiting for the final book in the trilogy coming out in February!

#2 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Definitely my most anticipated book of 2012, and it did not disappoint in the least. I did however disappoint MYSELF while reading it- I accidentally read a sentence in the middle of the book that ruined the whole thing- but John Green delivered his most beautiful, well-written, and tragic love story to-date. This book is one that will be a classic for a long time, and although a tough sell for people who have yet to read a novel by Green (it’s about two 16 year old teenagers who meet at cancer support group) the story itself is SO MUCH more than that. I can’t recommend this book enough (or his other work, for that matter!)

#1 WILD by Cheryl Strayed

I randomly bought this book the day before I left for Europe. The premise of the biography was appealing to me- some kind of life changing travel adventure and a 20 something year old girl- just at a time when I felt like that’s what I was going through, too. I read this book from cover to cover in under 3 days in Europe. To say that it affected my entire trip is an under statement. It’s half the reason I made it through with a backpack and very little sleep! Definitely one of my all-time favorite books that I look forward to re-visiting someday soon.

What were your favorite reads of 2012?

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer: A Book Review

April 11, 2012 Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

You know how sometimes you see a book and you heard about this book and everyone is all like “THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD” but you are confident that although this book is getting 5-star ratings across the board you will STILL not like it?

That’s how I felt about Cinder before I picked it up.

Actually, let’s back up for a second. It’s how I felt about most of my absolute favorite books: The Hunger Games, The Book Thief, Looking for Alaska, Time Traveler’s Wife, and City of Bones. Everyone had told me how fantastic the books were, but I was so hesitant about loving them until I read them and ADORED every single page.

Fast forward back to my current review, and that’s what Cinder was like for me.

Book: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Type: YA Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Release Date: January 3rd 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)

The Story revolves around a 16 year old girl named Cinder who lives in a century that refers to our time as “the old days”, and who got into an accident as a young child that nearly took her life. Instead of leaving her for dead, her doctors replaced her damaged human parts with cyborg parts.

Now, Cinder lives under the roof of her evil stepmother as a cyborg mechanic- the best one in Beijing. The world she lives in is ravaged by letumosis, a pandemic that is taking people’s lives every day. After a chance meeting with Prince Kai, heir to the throne of Emperor in Beijing, Cinder’s life seems to become more and more complicated. Forced into volunteering herself to help find a cure for letumosis, Cinder uncovers secret details from her past that put her and the rest of the population of Beijing in mortal danger.

“Cinder” is a futuristic story that not only involves cyborgs, but LUNAR PEOPLE. I don’t even know how to possibly describe this book so it doesn’t sound totally wacky and strange. But I guess it really kind of is. AND THAT IS WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT IT. It is this amazing combination of all the great genres out there. It held my attention from page 1 right until that ending that has me wishing I didn’t have to wait A YEAR for book 2 in the series.

—–

My Favorites

Prince Kai. If you’ve read book reviews around here, you’ll know that I hate cliche guy characters. They bother me more than anything. Edward Cullen, anyone? Eye roll. BUT PRINCE KAI? He sounds enchanting. He is witty, intriguing, mysterious, fiercely independent, and has a depth to him that is extremely rare in male characters- especially in YA lit.

Cinder. She is one BADASS character. Seriously, she is part cyborg. She feels out of place more often than not, but she never gives up on herself. She stands up for herself, she is smart, funny, and written so incredibly well considering she is *technically* part robot. It’s actually a big part of her charm. She is just SUCH an easy character to adore, I can’t wait to see where Marissa Meyer takes her in the next few books. I have high hopes for Cinder, unlike some past strong female characters who tend to go downhill in later books in their series.

The story isn’t forgettable. I’ve had this problem while reading such intricate books/series in the past; I forget the little details & have little interest in looking back to see what I’m missing. I LOVE when a book is distinct in comparison to the other ones in it’s series. For example, I could tell you what the main plot idea is in each Harry Potter book, despite the fact that each story is extremely intricately written (and not just because I’m an HP nerd). So far, I feel the same way about Cinder. The plot has a lasting effect in my mind, and I still think about the story from time to time while I excitedly wait for book two!

My Most Favorite

The best part of this book is the part that I thought I’d like the least, before I started it. The Lunar People. I think they are SUCH an interesting concept, and really, who’s to say they won’t exist in a future century far away from now?! Marissa Meyer makes people living on the moon sound totally believable, but at the same time they still retain their sci-fi, unbelievable feeling too. It’s always a big risk for an author to create a new “kind” of people. Dipping your toes into the fantasy/sci-fi and pulling it off so well is something to be commended for. I’ve read some good YA fantasy that shows a lot of depth and thought, but Cinder is the first time that I was actually like “this is a totally believable world. What if this happens?” Truthfully, the last time I genuinely felt like that about fantasy was Harry Potter. 

I’M NOT READY TO BE MAKING COMPARISONS HERE, and I don’t want to raise all your hopes, I’m just saying Marissa Meyer is extremely good at using her words in her genre. I didn’t think anyone would be able to convince me to like a book about lunar people, but she did!

—–

I don’t think I would be able to pinpoint any not-favorite parts in this book. I feel like I’ve been giving a lot of books high ratings lately (maybe this is just in my head?) but Cinder 100% deserves the one I’m about to give it. If you look hard enough in any story you’ll find problems with it, but considering this is Meyer’s debut novel, I think she’s crafted something exceptional. So much thought has gone into this plot, I am literally waiting on the EDGE OF MY SEAT for book two, Scarlet.

So just in case you ever happen to read this, Marissa Meyer, I am totally down to read an advanced reader’s of Scarlet and review that for you, too. :)  

It doesn’t matter what kind of reader you are, Cinder is the kind of story that will enchant anyone who picks it up!

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars. 

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The Book Chat {Vol 6}

April 5, 2012 Filed Under: The Book Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Linking up over at Sweet Green Tangerine for The Book Chat!

Today’s question: Let’s talk about endings…. Sad/Happy/Cliffhangers/Quotes

I’ve been really excited to answer this question because, let’s face it, who doesn’t have a favorite ending, or an ending that literally left your jaw hanging open and had you thinking about it for 2 straight weeks? Because I have.

Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

Favorite ending to a series

1. The Death Cure by James Dashner 
I was SO happy with the way he ended his trilogy. It made all three books even BETTER!

2. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows
As much as I was disappointed in JK Rowling for a long time for “selling out” I don’t think I could have handled a NON happy ending. I needed her to end the series off the way she did.

Favorite ending in contemporary fiction

1.Looking for Alaska by John Green 
This book has one of the most memorable endings for me- in fact, I don’t remember how any of his other books end except this one. I like that the end is hopeful, beautiful, and doesn’t give anything away about the rest of the book. It’s just so freaking perfect!

2. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Another all time favorite of mine; although I don’t remember the exact details I know that I loved the way this story wrapped up. Heck, this entire book was amazing!

Favorite cliffhanger(s)

Can I make a list? I’m going to make a list.
1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
2. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
3. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness 

All of the above make me want to read the next in the series RIGHT THIS MINUTE. I felt the same way about Catching Fire, so let’s hope the next book in all the other series don’t disappoint as much as Mockingjay did. Also, number five on this list surprised even me because it took me a LONG time to enjoy that book. The ending was worth the whole thing though, I want to pick up book two soon!

—–

Overall, I think it’s really difficult for author’s to end a book off the RIGHT way. When they get it right, I’m always ecstatic, and it makes me love their book a LOT more. I am not easily impressed with endings- I am actually very judgmental of them, and had to go through my entire Goodreads to get this list. I know there are a BUNCH more books I really enjoyed the endings to, but these are some that have really stood out for me in the last couple years, although most of these were much more recent.

I think especially when it comes to writing a series, an author has to know exactly what kind of cliffhanger is GOOD and what kind is NOT. There has to be a balance between details in one book and in the next, and the books should be easily distinguishable one from the other. I hate when a book ends REALLY well only to get extremely disappointed by the next one in a series. Likewise, I hate enjoying a book the whole way through and being upset by the very end. One particular author that I loved for a long time was Dean Koontz, but I quickly began to realize that he ruined all his greatest novels because of his crap endings (sorry Dean, it’s the truth! The Husband? Remember that one? Disappointing.)

What are some of your favorite and least favorite book endings? 

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