Top Ten Scary Book Covers! Happy Halloween (in two days)!!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . . But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? (-Synopsis from Goodreads)
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? (-Synopsis from Goodreads)
Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow RowellPublication Date: 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Number of Pages: 433
Where I Got It: Barnes & Noble, Huntersville, NC
Dates I Read It: October 22 - October 25, 2013
Where I Got It: Barnes & Noble, Huntersville, NC
Dates I Read It: October 22 - October 25, 2013
Number of Stars: 5/5
Read it For: Pure Pleasure!
Read it For: Pure Pleasure!
I've been listening to a lot of Paramore lately, and one song of theirs has this lyric in in that makes me think of this book: "Some of us have to grow up sometimes, and so if I have to I'm gonna leave you behind." This is the ultimate book of what it is like to grow up and leave your childhood self behind. This book is so amazing because at one point in our lives, we, all of us, have this happen to us. This transformation can be extremely detrimental when first we realize that it has happened. I was very impressed with the way that Cath handled growing up and transforming into an adult. She does so through grace and a maturity that I am envious of!
I loved this book so much I can not describe it with words. I found so much of myself and the things that I have been going through present in this book. There are so many positive aspects of Fangirl, I will never be able to cover them all in this one review. But lets start with the first wonderful thing about the novel: the characters. Each and every character in the story is fully rounded. Rarely do I ever discover a novel in which I adore every single character; usually I despise at least 2/3 of the characters in a novel. With Fangirl though, I felt like the people in this book were my actual, real-life friends! I was able to identify a lot with our main character, and even some with her twin sister, Wren, and even with her eccentric roommate Reagan! Even if you yourself can't find a specific character to relate to, the best part about this book is that if you are a reader, then you can identify with the overall theme of the book. Reading Fangirl will make you recount your own experiences with those books that formed the reader that you turned out to be. It was apparent throughout the entirety of the book that Rowell herself is a huge reader. She captured the magic of the experience of reading a story perfectly!
The writing in this book flowed very well. I would sit down for my nightly one-hour allotted reading time and get lost in the flow of the story and end up reading for three (oops). Dialogue between characters is always difficult. It's difficult to read and it's very difficult to write. The dialogue between characters in this story felt very natural and was never distracting. I am so excited to read more books by Rowell (and, like I mentioned in my #FridayReads post for this week, I get to go see her at Yallfest in less than TWO WEEKS!).
The plot was amazing as well. It was honest and never boring and, for me at least, 100% relatable. The story was set in Nebraska (where Rowell lives) but it could have been any town USA. I actually imagined Cath's university as the school I attended (go Spartans!).
I cried when this book was over. It didn't have a sad ending, far from it, actually, but I cried because it was over and because I didn't have any more of Cath and Wren and Levi and Regan to read about. This was one of those books that when it was over (and after I was done crying), I thought to myself: "damn! I wish that I'd written that!"
I would never hesitate to recommend this book. I would recommend it especially to high school seniors about to go to college. I wish that this book was around when I left for college. I also would recommend that 20-something girls who have that love of reading experience this book. I think that we all can relate to Cath's resistance to leave behind beloved characters from our youth (helllllloooooo Harry Potter!). Give this book a shot, I doubt that you will be disappointed!
Friday, October 25, 2013
#FridayReads 10/24/13
I rushed home from work today and finished up Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell which I LOVED!! I finished it about a half hour ago and I've been outlining my review which I hope to have up sometime this weekend. I loved this book so much, guys! I feel really bad for the next book that has to follow Fangirl. I am so in love with Rainbow Rowell now, it's not even cute! AND I am going to Yallfest next month and guess who is going to be there!!!???? RAINBOW ROWELL!!!!!!! SQUEeeEEEeeeeeeeEAL!
Last weekend I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Fangirl (which, I LOVED!!!) and The Coldest Girl In Coldtown which I suppose I will start tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that G and I are going to the Renaissance Festival though, so maybe it will have to wait until Sunday. Which should give me a little more time to come down from my Fangirl high (did I mention how much I loved that book?). I've also decided that I am never going to make my way to the top of my library's Insurgent list which means that I will never get to Allegiant which means that in all of the numerous BookTubes and blogs I consume over the week, one will undoubtedly spoil me so I will just buy the e-book (which is pretty good right now at only $6.99 on the Nook) and I plan to start that one after Coldtown. Coldtown will be a good one for Halloween though, so I may let that one drag out and get to Insurgent in November.
GAH! So many books and so little time!!!
Follow me on twitter
Last weekend I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Fangirl (which, I LOVED!!!) and The Coldest Girl In Coldtown which I suppose I will start tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that G and I are going to the Renaissance Festival though, so maybe it will have to wait until Sunday. Which should give me a little more time to come down from my Fangirl high (did I mention how much I loved that book?). I've also decided that I am never going to make my way to the top of my library's Insurgent list which means that I will never get to Allegiant which means that in all of the numerous BookTubes and blogs I consume over the week, one will undoubtedly spoil me so I will just buy the e-book (which is pretty good right now at only $6.99 on the Nook) and I plan to start that one after Coldtown. Coldtown will be a good one for Halloween though, so I may let that one drag out and get to Insurgent in November.
GAH! So many books and so little time!!!
Follow me on twitter
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Review: The Monstrumologist
The Monstrumologist is the story of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrope, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.
(- Synopsis from Goodreads)
The book is written as the diary of William James Henry who has recently passed away in a nursing home at the age of 133(!). Mr. Henry has no family to claim his belongings and so his journals are given to a local author of strange events. The Monstrumologist is the first three volumes of his journals.
Title: The Monstrumologist
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The Monstrumologist (Book 1)
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 434
Where I Got It: Books-A-Million, Concord, NC
Dates I Read It: October 13-21, 2013
Number of Stars: 4.5/5
Read For: Halloween!
This book was a delight to read, especially this time of year with Halloween right around the corner! Halloween is my favorite holiday and now that I am past my months-long reading slump (huzzah!), I knew I was ready for a good, captivating, and spooky book to get me into the spirit of the season and boy did I ever pick a good one! The Monstrumologist was not only a spooky story, it was also an engaging tale of the human condition. I savored this book right down to the last page. Yancey has a gift for keeping his reader entertained through the entire ride. There was so much about this book that I liked but most of all I loved how flippin' gory it was! There was monster blood and pus and flesh eating and severed limbs and all of my favorite things! At times it was increasingly difficult to believe that this was a book aimed at young adult bibliophiles! This is because of the gore, yes, but more so of Yancey's elaborate yet eloquent, writing style. The novel is set in 1888 and much of the language and verbiage of the book reads as a novel of this era would. I feel like it could be over the heads of younger readers and would hesitate to recommend it to anyone in their early teens (and younger, of course).
I am not one to be easily scared by a book, especially a book about monsters. Ghosts? Yes. Demons? Oh hell yes. Monsters? Not so much. That being said, this book really spooked me out! I attribute this fact to Yancey's uncanny ability to world-build. The setting was very believable and realistic. If you are good at suspending your disbelief while reading, like I am, then you can really find yourself believing that monsters do exist!
The only complaint that I could have about this book is that it was a tad bit too long for me. I thought that some of the scenes were a little overdone and that maybe 50 or so pages could possibly have been shaved off. This is only book one of a trilogy and I am very excited to read the rest of this series! The next book is The Curse of the Wendigo which excites me more than the Anthropophagi that we were dealing with in this book; I'm a little more familiar with Wendigos from my days of Charmed watching! (The season one episode The Wendigo is my favorite episode of the entire series!)
If you are looking for a super spooky Halloween read then I can't recommend this one enough!
(- Synopsis from Goodreads)
The book is written as the diary of William James Henry who has recently passed away in a nursing home at the age of 133(!). Mr. Henry has no family to claim his belongings and so his journals are given to a local author of strange events. The Monstrumologist is the first three volumes of his journals.
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The Monstrumologist (Book 1)
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 434
Where I Got It: Books-A-Million, Concord, NC
Dates I Read It: October 13-21, 2013
Number of Stars: 4.5/5
Read For: Halloween!
This book was a delight to read, especially this time of year with Halloween right around the corner! Halloween is my favorite holiday and now that I am past my months-long reading slump (huzzah!), I knew I was ready for a good, captivating, and spooky book to get me into the spirit of the season and boy did I ever pick a good one! The Monstrumologist was not only a spooky story, it was also an engaging tale of the human condition. I savored this book right down to the last page. Yancey has a gift for keeping his reader entertained through the entire ride. There was so much about this book that I liked but most of all I loved how flippin' gory it was! There was monster blood and pus and flesh eating and severed limbs and all of my favorite things! At times it was increasingly difficult to believe that this was a book aimed at young adult bibliophiles! This is because of the gore, yes, but more so of Yancey's elaborate yet eloquent, writing style. The novel is set in 1888 and much of the language and verbiage of the book reads as a novel of this era would. I feel like it could be over the heads of younger readers and would hesitate to recommend it to anyone in their early teens (and younger, of course).
I am not one to be easily scared by a book, especially a book about monsters. Ghosts? Yes. Demons? Oh hell yes. Monsters? Not so much. That being said, this book really spooked me out! I attribute this fact to Yancey's uncanny ability to world-build. The setting was very believable and realistic. If you are good at suspending your disbelief while reading, like I am, then you can really find yourself believing that monsters do exist!
The only complaint that I could have about this book is that it was a tad bit too long for me. I thought that some of the scenes were a little overdone and that maybe 50 or so pages could possibly have been shaved off. This is only book one of a trilogy and I am very excited to read the rest of this series! The next book is The Curse of the Wendigo which excites me more than the Anthropophagi that we were dealing with in this book; I'm a little more familiar with Wendigos from my days of Charmed watching! (The season one episode The Wendigo is my favorite episode of the entire series!)
If you are looking for a super spooky Halloween read then I can't recommend this one enough!
Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Character Names
Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish
Top Ten Character Names
Atticus Finch- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Madeline- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmens
Clarissa Dalloway- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Scout Finch- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Charlotte- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Rhett Butler- Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Hermione Granger- The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Tyrion Lannister- Game of Thrones Series by George R. R. Martin
Flavia De Luce- Flavia De Luce Series by Alan Bradley
Coraline- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Monday, October 14, 2013
Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. (-synopsis from Goodreads)
Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking (Book 1)
Publication Date: 2008
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Number of Pages: 479
Where I Got It: Ship-To-Store Barnes and Noble, Huntersville, NC
Dates I Read It: August 14-October 13, 2013 (!!!)
Number Of Stars: 4/5
Read For: Pure Pleasure
You may have noticed that I've been away for a few months, toyed with a new blog format, then ditched that for my regular book blog and then disappeared again and now, suddenly, two months later, I'm back. There is a very specific reason for that. I had a MASSIVE book hangover. The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book that I have finished since I read A Game of Thrones. I have been having book hangover from the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series for two months! I finished A Game of Thrones and then I couldn't read anything else. Nothing was as good as the epic adventure of the Starks and Targaryens and Lannisters and Baratheons and I could not read anything without comparing it to GOT.
Finally a few days ago I finally felt ready to try another book. I only chose The Knife of Never Letting Go because I had started that book back in August right after GOT and never got past the first one hundred pages. So, the other night I picked up right where I had left off and I decided to finish it once and for all. The first 3/4 of the way through the book I did not like it at all. There were several elements that combined to make me dislike the book, and I will get to them in a bit. However, the ending pushed this book from 2.5 stars all the way up to a solid 4!
What I liked:
The story was very fast-paced. At first I just wanted it to end so I could move on and it felt like a tedious chore to read. After finishing it though, I am really pleased that it was set out the way that it was as it allowed for some stellar character growth and development. There is a TON of action in this book and in retrospect I do have to admit that it moves along at a great pace.
I loved the relationship development between Todd and Viola.
Manchee! By far my favorite character in the entire book!
The ending. Like I said, I didn't care for it much at the beginning, but after reading that ending I am now actually really excited to read the rest of the series.
The sci-fi aspects of the book. After reading Ender's Game in June I have been really intrigued by the idea of space travel and the possibility of colonizing life on other planets.
What I didn't like:
Todd had a specific dialect that was grammatically incorrect and the spelling of certain words was wrong throughout the entire book. This was especially noticeable at the start of the novel and got somewhat better towards the end, but every time I came across it, it pulled me out of the story and interrupted my reading flow. I'm not sure what it was supposed to represent, I didn't understand the significance of it and I ended up resenting it.
The fact that it took me so long to read. Granted, that is probably not the fault of the book since I was suffering from that GOT hangover, but it still shouldn't have taken me so long to read, and the beginning really shouldn't have felt like such a chore to read.
Overall the first book in the series was pretty good. I would recommend this one and did in fact suggest that G read it last night. I think that it will appeal to boy readers and fans of action and/or science fiction.
4/5 stars
Title: The Knife of Never Letting GoAuthor: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking (Book 1)
Publication Date: 2008
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Number of Pages: 479
Where I Got It: Ship-To-Store Barnes and Noble, Huntersville, NC
Dates I Read It: August 14-October 13, 2013 (!!!)
Number Of Stars: 4/5
Read For: Pure Pleasure
You may have noticed that I've been away for a few months, toyed with a new blog format, then ditched that for my regular book blog and then disappeared again and now, suddenly, two months later, I'm back. There is a very specific reason for that. I had a MASSIVE book hangover. The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book that I have finished since I read A Game of Thrones. I have been having book hangover from the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series for two months! I finished A Game of Thrones and then I couldn't read anything else. Nothing was as good as the epic adventure of the Starks and Targaryens and Lannisters and Baratheons and I could not read anything without comparing it to GOT.
Finally a few days ago I finally felt ready to try another book. I only chose The Knife of Never Letting Go because I had started that book back in August right after GOT and never got past the first one hundred pages. So, the other night I picked up right where I had left off and I decided to finish it once and for all. The first 3/4 of the way through the book I did not like it at all. There were several elements that combined to make me dislike the book, and I will get to them in a bit. However, the ending pushed this book from 2.5 stars all the way up to a solid 4!
What I liked:
The story was very fast-paced. At first I just wanted it to end so I could move on and it felt like a tedious chore to read. After finishing it though, I am really pleased that it was set out the way that it was as it allowed for some stellar character growth and development. There is a TON of action in this book and in retrospect I do have to admit that it moves along at a great pace.
I loved the relationship development between Todd and Viola.
Manchee! By far my favorite character in the entire book!
The ending. Like I said, I didn't care for it much at the beginning, but after reading that ending I am now actually really excited to read the rest of the series.
The sci-fi aspects of the book. After reading Ender's Game in June I have been really intrigued by the idea of space travel and the possibility of colonizing life on other planets.
What I didn't like:
Todd had a specific dialect that was grammatically incorrect and the spelling of certain words was wrong throughout the entire book. This was especially noticeable at the start of the novel and got somewhat better towards the end, but every time I came across it, it pulled me out of the story and interrupted my reading flow. I'm not sure what it was supposed to represent, I didn't understand the significance of it and I ended up resenting it.
The fact that it took me so long to read. Granted, that is probably not the fault of the book since I was suffering from that GOT hangover, but it still shouldn't have taken me so long to read, and the beginning really shouldn't have felt like such a chore to read.
Overall the first book in the series was pretty good. I would recommend this one and did in fact suggest that G read it last night. I think that it will appeal to boy readers and fans of action and/or science fiction.
4/5 stars
Monday, July 1, 2013
Monday Meme: Wrapping Up June/Previewing July
So summer is in full swing for me and it's been mostly good so far, but like I said in my last post, I did end up having both the Perio-Scaling and the wisdom teeth extraction done in the same day so I have been out of it for a few days now (and I did miss my #FridayReads last week like I thought I might, but oh well, next Friday!) Overall, June wasn't as good of a reading month as I had predicted, and I veered way off of my books that I had planned to read.
What I Planned To Read: What I Read:
Classics Choice: A Jane Austen Legend by Marie Lu
YA Choice: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Adult Fiction Choice: Tell The Wolves I'm Home (I have started TTWIH)
by Carol Rifka Brunt
Non-Fiction Choice: Stiff by Mary Roach Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Audio Book Choice: World War Z by Max Brooks World War Z by Max Brooks
So, as you can see, I didn't really stick to my plan. I also discovered that on second thought, audio books really aren't for me so instead of having an audio choice for each month I'm going to do a book-to-movie adaptation where I read the book and then watch a movie and compare the two. I kind of did that a couple of times this month. Whilst I was sidelined with my mouth surgeries I hit up Blockbuster and got some DVD's to keep me company and they were all based on books: Beautiful Creatures, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, and Warm Bodies.
This month I also posted that since it is summer and since I do have freedom oozing from me now, I want to start posting each day. Monday will be a meme (this post is going to be my Monday meme for today), Tuesday will be Top Ten Tuesday, reviews will be posted on Wednesday, Throwback Thursday looks at what I was reading this time a year ago and I will tweet up my #FridayReads (notice the hashtag) to follow me on Twitter: @victoriaphoria.
What I Blogged:
Review of Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (my Classics Club Spin Choice #2)
Review of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Review of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Review of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
A post describing the daily posts I will be doing during the summer
My first Monday Meme
A Top Ten Tuesday
My first Throwback Thursday
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classics Choice: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
YA Choice: Cinder by Melissa Meyer
Adult Fiction Choice: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (2013 TBR Pile Challenge)
Non-Fiction Choice: A Higher Call by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander (August Book Club Choice)
Book-To-Movie Adaptation Choice: The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)