So it has been awhile...oops.
And I am behind on my Goodreads challenge of reading 35 books this year. (I am at a solid 24 books, though, and as I am newly employed as a librarian...i should be getting some more done).
But since last I wrote, I have read:
Sh*t My Dad Says by: Justin Halpern
Brida by: Paulo Coelho
A Feast For Crows by: George R R Martin
Firefly Lane by: Kristin Hannah
Defiance by: C J Redwine
The Things They Carried by: Tim O'Brien
as well as a few others that I haven't finish yet.
I am doing my best to shake up the genres i read (as you can tell from this list: Humorous non-fiction, spiritual/inspirational, book of epic death, book of female friendship, YA, and war fiction). The best part is that i find something amazing in each genre. I find strength and holes, passion and love, pain and perseverance. Reading is "just fabbity fab" (to quote a wise woman) :D
I will be sure to embellish soon....i just wanted to remind everyone i was still kicking. <3
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Alas...
I have just recently finished a run of Midsummer Night's Dream and despite my lack of entries, I have still managed to read! Since the last post I have read:
a re-read of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Matched by Ally Condie
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
I would say it is a 50/50 list in terms of quality. The Hunger Game is great and quick, managing to get its point across rather diligently. It was worth the re-read in prep for the movie (which i have still YET to seeeeeeeee). It would not surprise me if this book starts replacing Lord of the Flies in middle schools.
A Discovery of Witches was a bit of a letdown. I wanted so much to like it. I loved the setting (in the Bodlelian Library in Oxford) but the obviously highly educated author dragged the story out so much that 400 pages in, I threw in the towel. It wasn't bad...just long and tedious.
Matched was crap. Don't waste your time. haha
A Storm of Swords in one word? "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" :( Too attached to characters in a series where no one ever seems to make it out alive. I didn't find this one as gripping as the first two but i am more than willing to admit that i may be immune/numb to epicness having survived Clash of Kings and Game of Thrones.
I have just started Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. So far, well written and interesting albeit gentle.
I also take much pride in the fact that i am supplying the Harry Potter series to a friend of mine who has never read it. I am mad boss, yo.
<3
a re-read of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Matched by Ally Condie
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
I would say it is a 50/50 list in terms of quality. The Hunger Game is great and quick, managing to get its point across rather diligently. It was worth the re-read in prep for the movie (which i have still YET to seeeeeeeee). It would not surprise me if this book starts replacing Lord of the Flies in middle schools.
A Discovery of Witches was a bit of a letdown. I wanted so much to like it. I loved the setting (in the Bodlelian Library in Oxford) but the obviously highly educated author dragged the story out so much that 400 pages in, I threw in the towel. It wasn't bad...just long and tedious.
Matched was crap. Don't waste your time. haha
A Storm of Swords in one word? "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" :( Too attached to characters in a series where no one ever seems to make it out alive. I didn't find this one as gripping as the first two but i am more than willing to admit that i may be immune/numb to epicness having survived Clash of Kings and Game of Thrones.
I have just started Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. So far, well written and interesting albeit gentle.
I also take much pride in the fact that i am supplying the Harry Potter series to a friend of mine who has never read it. I am mad boss, yo.
<3
Monday, February 6, 2012
Put it aside
So i had the great emotional misfortune of reading Mansfield Park, Quarterlife Crisis and watching my beloved New England Patriots lose the Super Bowl all around the same time... all three of which made me very depressed.
Mansfield Park just instills sadness because you feel genuinely bad for the "heroine" Fanny Price: the pathetic, forgotten, neglected protagonist who has to have her cousin fight her battles and attempt to remember she is still there. I haven't finished it yet, but i have put it aside to regain my footing.
Quaterlife Crisis is much the same only it makes me feel a bit like Fanny Price.
And the Patriots lost...but being the dedicated fan, i watched every second and missed Downton Abbey.
You are welcome, Wes Welker <3
Mansfield Park just instills sadness because you feel genuinely bad for the "heroine" Fanny Price: the pathetic, forgotten, neglected protagonist who has to have her cousin fight her battles and attempt to remember she is still there. I haven't finished it yet, but i have put it aside to regain my footing.
Quaterlife Crisis is much the same only it makes me feel a bit like Fanny Price.
And the Patriots lost...but being the dedicated fan, i watched every second and missed Downton Abbey.
You are welcome, Wes Welker <3
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Nothing fictional about her...
Finished "Mrs. Fry's Diary"....so very strange.
Chock full of British Humor that bombards you. I think i enjoyed the novelty of it as opposed to the actual story. The idea that it is Stephen Fry writing in drag, that he neglects his "children", that everything he cooks includes spam...its all wonderful. Also, upon further research, i discovered it is based on a twitter account (@mrsstephenfry) and that even the British newspapers were involved. I do reccommend it if you are both familiar with
a) British Humor and happenings
and
b) Stephen Fry's bat-poop-craziness
You are welcome. :)
Chock full of British Humor that bombards you. I think i enjoyed the novelty of it as opposed to the actual story. The idea that it is Stephen Fry writing in drag, that he neglects his "children", that everything he cooks includes spam...its all wonderful. Also, upon further research, i discovered it is based on a twitter account (@mrsstephenfry) and that even the British newspapers were involved. I do reccommend it if you are both familiar with
a) British Humor and happenings
and
b) Stephen Fry's bat-poop-craziness
You are welcome. :)
Friday, January 27, 2012
And now for something completely different...
In order to vary my reading type, I picked up Mrs. Fry's Diary by: Edna (Stephen) Fry which basically features a journal written by Stephen Fry... in drag. I am only about 30 pages in but have already come across this:
"We told Stephen Jr that he's adopted. He isn't but there was nothing on the telly."
As if we expected anything less from Sir Fry.
More to come!
"We told Stephen Jr that he's adopted. He isn't but there was nothing on the telly."
As if we expected anything less from Sir Fry.
More to come!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Imitation/Flattery etc.
I start this blog with a shout-out. After starting a challenge of reading 35 books during 2012 (and successfully meeting my goal of 25 for 2011), a beloved friend decided to also undertake the challenge. So I choose to meet her intellectually and start a blog as she has done. I promise nothing...short of pure, unadulterated genius. :P and perfect modesty.
I am attempting to broaden my literary horizons but have fallen into a fantasy kick...because it is a wonderful genre! So far this year i have read:
Divergent by: Veronica Roth
A Clash of Kings by: George R. R. Martin
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by: Cassandra Clare
All very interesting and drastically different despite falling under the umbrella of "Sci-fi/Fantasy". But here is a quick take in the three:
Divergent: A good book for someone just starting to delve into fantasy and dystopian fiction (although i would recommend Hunger Games instead). Some of the plot devices are a bit lame (the main romantic characters are named Four and Tris...come on) and the story could use some fleshing out but its a quick read and the idea that people are divided based on their most precious character traits is cool. (they are split up into factions called things like "Amity" "Dauntless" and "Abnegation"). I believe it is intended for a younger audience.
A Clash of Kings: This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Especially considering that this is book 2 in the series of A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones being book 1), one must have already braved either the first book or the HBO original series. Either way, the brave/addicted reader is given their money's worth. It is longer than GoT but is not lax on death and bloodshed...there is next to no happy/romantic/uplifting scenarios...but who wants that anyway? A great read that you only put down to sleep and regain feeling in your wrists (its freaking 900 something pages!). The series is darkly fantastic.
City of Bones: I really liked this book. Much lighter than the aforementioned. There are some brilliant snarky comebacks between the characters that i absolutely love as well as (what i assume to be) subtle shoutouts to other popular series in the genre. Filled with vampires, werewolves, Shadowhunters and all sort of dark, twisted things...makes Twilight jealous on all counts. I am chaffing at the bit to read the next in the series. You can't help but love the unrequited love octagons and Star Wars homages. It also included a lot of Latin...which can't really be a bad thing.
Here's to the first of hopefully many bookblog entries!
Rach xx
I am attempting to broaden my literary horizons but have fallen into a fantasy kick...because it is a wonderful genre! So far this year i have read:
Divergent by: Veronica Roth
A Clash of Kings by: George R. R. Martin
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by: Cassandra Clare
All very interesting and drastically different despite falling under the umbrella of "Sci-fi/Fantasy". But here is a quick take in the three:
Divergent: A good book for someone just starting to delve into fantasy and dystopian fiction (although i would recommend Hunger Games instead). Some of the plot devices are a bit lame (the main romantic characters are named Four and Tris...come on) and the story could use some fleshing out but its a quick read and the idea that people are divided based on their most precious character traits is cool. (they are split up into factions called things like "Amity" "Dauntless" and "Abnegation"). I believe it is intended for a younger audience.
A Clash of Kings: This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Especially considering that this is book 2 in the series of A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones being book 1), one must have already braved either the first book or the HBO original series. Either way, the brave/addicted reader is given their money's worth. It is longer than GoT but is not lax on death and bloodshed...there is next to no happy/romantic/uplifting scenarios...but who wants that anyway? A great read that you only put down to sleep and regain feeling in your wrists (its freaking 900 something pages!). The series is darkly fantastic.
City of Bones: I really liked this book. Much lighter than the aforementioned. There are some brilliant snarky comebacks between the characters that i absolutely love as well as (what i assume to be) subtle shoutouts to other popular series in the genre. Filled with vampires, werewolves, Shadowhunters and all sort of dark, twisted things...makes Twilight jealous on all counts. I am chaffing at the bit to read the next in the series. You can't help but love the unrequited love octagons and Star Wars homages. It also included a lot of Latin...which can't really be a bad thing.
Here's to the first of hopefully many bookblog entries!
Rach xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)