What is is about the month of January that makes everyone decide they should start anew? Like revisit a blog they started over four years ago to track/blog and monitor their reading habits??
Welp...I'm back! Lol! I suppose I never really left, but I am here to attempt this whole writing/reflecting on my "Reading Recess," which has taken me on so many wonderful journeys over the last couple of years.
Perhaps a summary is in order.
In early 2015, I went to Scotland with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I spent most of that year reading through that series. I finished Book 7, Echo in the Bone, and Book 8, Written in My Heart's Own Blood in 2016. To say, I'm in love with the series would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure I've told all of my reader friends to read it, and I most definitely encourage anyone who stumbles across this blog to pick up the series and give it a read.
2015 & 2016 also had me reading the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I found it enjoyable, but for me, not as beloved as The Hunger Games series that I had read a few years back. Perhaps if I had discovered the Divergent series before HG, I would feel different.
I picked up Stephen King's 11.22.63. Read it in nearly one sitting. I admit that I've wanted to read this one since it came out in 2011, but I had never gotten around to reading it. This was only my second brush with Mr. King, and I have to say, it was fantastic. And at the recommendation of a friend, I picked up King's Dark Tower series this last fall. I finished The Gunslinger, and am now about halfway through The Drawing of Three. I am immensely enjoying the journey to the "Dark Tower." It's like The Hobbit, King Arthur's Knights, and a science fiction western all rolled into one. I never once envisioned myself taking this reading journey, but it has been awesome so far.
I feel now would be an appropriate time that I have declared myself a "Historical Fiction Junkie." I mean obviously the Outlander series, and 11.22.63 fall into that category. But then there has also been some stellar gems that I've randomly found: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, Restless by William Boyd (I totally plan to read more of his novels), and The Color of Secrets by Lindsay Ashford. And at the recommendation of a friend, I started reading Ken Follett's Century Trilogy. I finished Fall of Giants a couple weeks ago. It is probably in my EVER evolving Top 5 of books I've read. I cannot wait to start the next book in the series.
I stumbled into the world of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and am currently finishing up the third one in the series.
I also read some tearjerkers. Emma Donoghue's Room and JoJo Moyes Me Before You...as well as the sequel After You.
I laughed my ass of reading Mother, Can You Not? by Kate Siegel, who runs the CrazyJewishMom page on Instagram. If you aren't following her, then YOU SHOULD BE!
I finally finished out my 2016 reading journey on Mars with Andy Weir's The Martian. Check it out. It's even better than the movie, and the movie was pretty freaking good!
2016 Totals...according to Goodreads equalled: 36 books and 12,574 pages. At the time it felt like many books, but I know I can do more. I set my 2017 goal for 40 books. I know...it's low, but I aim to beat it. Hoping more for the 50 book range. We'll see how it goes and hopefully I'll keep up/remember to post after each book I read.
Cheers to 2017!
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Wicked Years
So here we are...2015. My last actual, responsible book post came almost three months ago! AHH! Clearly I am not meant to multitask during the holidays. So this post will be mostly catch up...Actually come to think of it, I'm going to have several catch up posts. So this first one is on The Wicked Years trilogy.
I had been wanting to read The Wicked Years book series by Gregory Maguire for quite awhile. Since college actually. Several years ago, I read the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Sidenote: I highly recommend that everyone read it. It's a wonderful trip, and completely expands in areas where the film leaves you wondering. Plus it's highly entertaining. But back to The Wicked Years. I probably won't be going to in depth with summaries, simply because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone! So into the deep!
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
I actually read this book last spring, and I immediately loved it. I devoured it. And I knew I wanted to read the rest of the series as well. I couldn't read them immediately though because I was stuck on the hold list for the eLibrary for the longest time.
The book is essentially a biography of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It takes one the most known villains in all literary history and makes the reader sympathize with her. Her childhood was filled with uncertainty. Her parents feared their green-skinned child that refused to speak. They clearly favored Elphaba's siblings, Nessarose and Shell. Elphaba truly begins to blossom when she heads off to college at the University of Shiz. She meets her roommate and lifelong friend, Galinda, who many know to be the Good Witch of the North from the original story.
Throughout the novel, there are other characters created that drive the plot of the subsequent novels in the series.
Son of a Witch
Son of a Witch is told with two different storylines that eventually converge into one. Both follow Liir, who we meet in Wicked as one of Elphaba's charges. *SPOILER ALERT* Liir is the son of Elphaba...This is mostly only speculated throughout the whole novel. Granted as the reader, you are fairly certain that he is the son of Elphaba.
But back on track. The novel opens up on Liir being found, mostly dead. He is brought back to the Mauntery to be nursed back to health. Candle, a Quadling, is selected to help him. A relationship develops between the two, and she becomes pregnant.
The second vein of the story picks up right where Wicked leaves off. Liir is on his mission to find Nor, his possible half-sister. During his quest, Liir ends up on many side journeys. He promises to help people in return for their assistance. In the end, he keeps all his promises to everyone.
The surprise ending of the novel actually sets up the fourth book.
A Lion Among Men
The third novel follows the travels of the Cowardly Lion, from a tiny cub all the way to the present. The novel opens up on the Cowardly Lion arriving to the Mauntery to speak with Mother Yackle, and her ties with Elphaba. Throughout the Cowardly Lion's interview, his own back story is weaved into the plot. The Cowardly Lion's youth is exposed...where he got his name...How he ended up with Dorothy...How he got nominated to search for information about Elphaba and by extension the Grimmerie (Elphaba's rumored book of spells).
Out of Oz
The fourth novel follows the travels of Rain. Rain is the child of Liir and Candle. She is merely eight years old when we meet her in the beginning. Her journey starts off with none other than Miss Glinda, Elphaba's dearest and oldest friend. The two form a bond over their shared use of the Grimmerie.
Rain's journey leads her to several characters in past novels...the Cowardly Lion, Liir, Candle, Nor, she even has a brush with Elphaba's brother. All to satisfy the overarching problem that has been lingering in Oz for several years.
Of all the novels, the first one was my absolute favorite. I found it to be exciting and quickest read. The subsequent novels took me quite awhile to finish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed several parts in all the novels. I enjoyed the stories of Elphaba, Liir and Rain. I loved reading all their adventures, and comparing and contrasting them as characters. To me, they are by far the most fascinating of whole group.
I had been wanting to read The Wicked Years book series by Gregory Maguire for quite awhile. Since college actually. Several years ago, I read the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Sidenote: I highly recommend that everyone read it. It's a wonderful trip, and completely expands in areas where the film leaves you wondering. Plus it's highly entertaining. But back to The Wicked Years. I probably won't be going to in depth with summaries, simply because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone! So into the deep!
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
I actually read this book last spring, and I immediately loved it. I devoured it. And I knew I wanted to read the rest of the series as well. I couldn't read them immediately though because I was stuck on the hold list for the eLibrary for the longest time.
The book is essentially a biography of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It takes one the most known villains in all literary history and makes the reader sympathize with her. Her childhood was filled with uncertainty. Her parents feared their green-skinned child that refused to speak. They clearly favored Elphaba's siblings, Nessarose and Shell. Elphaba truly begins to blossom when she heads off to college at the University of Shiz. She meets her roommate and lifelong friend, Galinda, who many know to be the Good Witch of the North from the original story.
Throughout the novel, there are other characters created that drive the plot of the subsequent novels in the series.
Son of a Witch
Son of a Witch is told with two different storylines that eventually converge into one. Both follow Liir, who we meet in Wicked as one of Elphaba's charges. *SPOILER ALERT* Liir is the son of Elphaba...This is mostly only speculated throughout the whole novel. Granted as the reader, you are fairly certain that he is the son of Elphaba.
But back on track. The novel opens up on Liir being found, mostly dead. He is brought back to the Mauntery to be nursed back to health. Candle, a Quadling, is selected to help him. A relationship develops between the two, and she becomes pregnant.
The second vein of the story picks up right where Wicked leaves off. Liir is on his mission to find Nor, his possible half-sister. During his quest, Liir ends up on many side journeys. He promises to help people in return for their assistance. In the end, he keeps all his promises to everyone.
The surprise ending of the novel actually sets up the fourth book.
A Lion Among Men
The third novel follows the travels of the Cowardly Lion, from a tiny cub all the way to the present. The novel opens up on the Cowardly Lion arriving to the Mauntery to speak with Mother Yackle, and her ties with Elphaba. Throughout the Cowardly Lion's interview, his own back story is weaved into the plot. The Cowardly Lion's youth is exposed...where he got his name...How he ended up with Dorothy...How he got nominated to search for information about Elphaba and by extension the Grimmerie (Elphaba's rumored book of spells).
Out of Oz
The fourth novel follows the travels of Rain. Rain is the child of Liir and Candle. She is merely eight years old when we meet her in the beginning. Her journey starts off with none other than Miss Glinda, Elphaba's dearest and oldest friend. The two form a bond over their shared use of the Grimmerie.
Rain's journey leads her to several characters in past novels...the Cowardly Lion, Liir, Candle, Nor, she even has a brush with Elphaba's brother. All to satisfy the overarching problem that has been lingering in Oz for several years.
Of all the novels, the first one was my absolute favorite. I found it to be exciting and quickest read. The subsequent novels took me quite awhile to finish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed several parts in all the novels. I enjoyed the stories of Elphaba, Liir and Rain. I loved reading all their adventures, and comparing and contrasting them as characters. To me, they are by far the most fascinating of whole group.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Slacker...Just an update
So clearly, I fell off the wagon on the reading challenge. I'm gonna illustrate what happened since I last posted, which was over six weeks ago.
So my last post happened the second week of October. Enter the weekend, my bestie and her hubbs visited. I generally post on Mondays, and that particular Monday, I spent the day with my friends. We ate some delicious, homemade, gluten-free Jambalaya...which reminds me that I need to get the recipe.
This unplanned excursion got me off track with my reading schedule. Although it was probably really crazy of me to think that I was going to read 1200 pages in a week....
Yep...
Definitely crazy!
So the other weeks have passed, and I have been gradually pecking away at the Wicked Series, which was what I set out to read for my last challenge. I have like one hundred pages left in Out of Oz, and then I will be finished! YAY!
So there is a Wicked Series blog post to come...I could actually start writing it since I'm 3/4's of the way through the novels.
Eh...Who am I kidding?! I am a major procrastinator, and won't write the post until I am completely done with the books! LOL!
Things to come!
(Besides a Wicked blog post)
This December, I have laid out a read list that I am very excited about. It looks as follows:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- I read this book every December. This will be the fifteenth year of the reading tradition. It is one of my favorite holiday books.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- First-timer for this one, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy it.
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Confession: I was supposed to read this book in like the fifth grade, but I blew it off because it wasn't my cup of tea at the time. I think I will enjoy it much more this time.
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- This one's a reread. Love it and how lyrical it is.
Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
- Another reread, but one of my favorite classics. It's a wonderful adventure.
Anywho, I think I am going to put a pin in the Reading Challenge...This of course means that I won't be finishing it on time. This of course kills me; However, I do believe that slow and steady wins the race. After December, I will restart the Reading Challenge and finish it!
Until next time!
So my last post happened the second week of October. Enter the weekend, my bestie and her hubbs visited. I generally post on Mondays, and that particular Monday, I spent the day with my friends. We ate some delicious, homemade, gluten-free Jambalaya...which reminds me that I need to get the recipe.
This unplanned excursion got me off track with my reading schedule. Although it was probably really crazy of me to think that I was going to read 1200 pages in a week....
Yep...
Definitely crazy!
So the other weeks have passed, and I have been gradually pecking away at the Wicked Series, which was what I set out to read for my last challenge. I have like one hundred pages left in Out of Oz, and then I will be finished! YAY!
So there is a Wicked Series blog post to come...I could actually start writing it since I'm 3/4's of the way through the novels.
Eh...Who am I kidding?! I am a major procrastinator, and won't write the post until I am completely done with the books! LOL!
Things to come!
(Besides a Wicked blog post)
This December, I have laid out a read list that I am very excited about. It looks as follows:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- I read this book every December. This will be the fifteenth year of the reading tradition. It is one of my favorite holiday books.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- First-timer for this one, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy it.
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Confession: I was supposed to read this book in like the fifth grade, but I blew it off because it wasn't my cup of tea at the time. I think I will enjoy it much more this time.
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- This one's a reread. Love it and how lyrical it is.
Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
- Another reread, but one of my favorite classics. It's a wonderful adventure.
Anywho, I think I am going to put a pin in the Reading Challenge...This of course means that I won't be finishing it on time. This of course kills me; However, I do believe that slow and steady wins the race. After December, I will restart the Reading Challenge and finish it!
Until next time!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Week 5 ~ High Society
I am obsessed with all things Old Hollywood. I'd rather watch a classic movie than a new one...And when I say classic, I mean a movie made before 1960. Although I will admit that I do hold a certain affinity for movies made in the 80's...I mean, who doesn't like the Brat Pack. Back on track though, I find classic movie stars to be glamorous and classy in a way that doesn't exist anymore in our world. They carry themselves with a certain poise that is such a foreign concept to many these days. I can only think of maybe a handful of today's celebrities that I consider fall into that category.
I have read many biographies about Old Hollywood stars, and I find the leading ladies to be most entertaining: Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and of course Grace Kelly.
Arriving at this week, I finally picked up High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. I purchased the book...yes, the actual book...almost two years ago, but I had never gotten around to reading it, until now.
The book's author, Donald Spoto, was a close friend of Princess Grace, and she actually gave him permission to write her biography, with the stipulation that he write it several years after she had passed.
I'm honestly not sure what to write about this book. Except to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into her life. I loved reading all the anecdotes that her friends and loved ones had to share about her. The book further convinced me that she was one of the nicest, classiest ladies of her time. I completely cop to having a huge crush on her and totally loving every one of her movies. I mean, what's not to love...She was a modern woman living in a world where every young girl's biggest dream was to find a good man to marry and be a mother. She set out on her own at 18, against her parents' wishes, to New York to pursue an uncertain life in theatre. And she also had the strength and bravery to stand up for herself when the Studio System burned her.
Speaking of the Studio System, I found that whole diabolical to be fascinating, and I would like to read more about it. So considere my interest peaked, and my thirst for knowledge will be quenched.
In my opinion Grace Kelly was one of those people that left an indelible mark on the world, not only as an actress, but as a Princess of the people and a humanitarian. Thankfully, we have her films to watch and keep us forever enamored. Some of my favorite movie moments with her include the following...and even though they are numbered, they are actually in no particular order:
1) When we meet Lisa Carole Fremont in Rear Window. Prolly one of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen. Hitchcock = The master!
2) When Francie Stevens kisses John Robie good night and leaves him in the hallway outside her hallway. It's unexpected, and Cary Grant's smirk after it is great.
3) When Tracie Lord awakens with her champagne hangover and proclaims that her dress is heavy and overuses the word "fine." It's hilarious and adorable.
4) When Amy Fowler Kane, a self-proclaimed pacifist, saves her husband's (Gary Cooper) life by shooting Frank Miller.
5) When Margot Wendice fights off her attacker, killing him in self-defense.
I could prolly go on and on, but I'll spare everyone the listing. Only if you all promise to go out there and start educating yourself on the timeless beauty that is Grace Kelly.
On tap this week for the Reading Challenge, my trilogy: The Wicked Years! I read Wicked quite a few months ago and enjoyed it. So this week, I am hoping to read Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. I'm halfway through Son of a Witch, so here's hoping I can finish them all by next Monday.
On the Reading Challenge front: 55/200
I have read many biographies about Old Hollywood stars, and I find the leading ladies to be most entertaining: Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and of course Grace Kelly.
Arriving at this week, I finally picked up High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. I purchased the book...yes, the actual book...almost two years ago, but I had never gotten around to reading it, until now.
The book's author, Donald Spoto, was a close friend of Princess Grace, and she actually gave him permission to write her biography, with the stipulation that he write it several years after she had passed.
I'm honestly not sure what to write about this book. Except to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into her life. I loved reading all the anecdotes that her friends and loved ones had to share about her. The book further convinced me that she was one of the nicest, classiest ladies of her time. I completely cop to having a huge crush on her and totally loving every one of her movies. I mean, what's not to love...She was a modern woman living in a world where every young girl's biggest dream was to find a good man to marry and be a mother. She set out on her own at 18, against her parents' wishes, to New York to pursue an uncertain life in theatre. And she also had the strength and bravery to stand up for herself when the Studio System burned her.
Speaking of the Studio System, I found that whole diabolical to be fascinating, and I would like to read more about it. So considere my interest peaked, and my thirst for knowledge will be quenched.
In my opinion Grace Kelly was one of those people that left an indelible mark on the world, not only as an actress, but as a Princess of the people and a humanitarian. Thankfully, we have her films to watch and keep us forever enamored. Some of my favorite movie moments with her include the following...and even though they are numbered, they are actually in no particular order:
1) When we meet Lisa Carole Fremont in Rear Window. Prolly one of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen. Hitchcock = The master!
2) When Francie Stevens kisses John Robie good night and leaves him in the hallway outside her hallway. It's unexpected, and Cary Grant's smirk after it is great.
3) When Tracie Lord awakens with her champagne hangover and proclaims that her dress is heavy and overuses the word "fine." It's hilarious and adorable.
4) When Amy Fowler Kane, a self-proclaimed pacifist, saves her husband's (Gary Cooper) life by shooting Frank Miller.
5) When Margot Wendice fights off her attacker, killing him in self-defense.
I could prolly go on and on, but I'll spare everyone the listing. Only if you all promise to go out there and start educating yourself on the timeless beauty that is Grace Kelly.
On tap this week for the Reading Challenge, my trilogy: The Wicked Years! I read Wicked quite a few months ago and enjoyed it. So this week, I am hoping to read Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. I'm halfway through Son of a Witch, so here's hoping I can finish them all by next Monday.
On the Reading Challenge front: 55/200
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Where She Went/If I Stay
There is still a forth coming post for the Reading Challenge, but I have a couple more chapters...that I will prolly finish tonight after Dancing with the Stars...Yes. I love DWTS! It's musical, theatrical, and totally fun! PS: Before anyone asks, I don't know who I want to win!
So this week, I have a bit of a bonus. A couple of actually. This week, I have been reading three different books: High Society (A Grace Kelly biography...That I will talk about prolly later tonight), Son of Witch (Book 2 of The Wicked Years...I'll blog about that a little later next week because I have to finish the whole series for my next challenge I'm taking on), and finally, the purpose of this post, Where She Went by Gayle Forman.
Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start... *Extra credit to the person who can tell me what that lines from!*
So Where She Went is actually a sequel to If I Stay. I absolutely devoured If I Stay back in July. And I mean, I read the book in a few short hours. I could not put it down. It was a quick read. The book is also a member of one of my favorite genres...YAL.
I offer a quick synopsis of If I Stay for those who that haven't read it yet: Seventeen year-old Mia gets into a car accident, but remembers nothing from it. However, while she is in a coma, she can see everything that is happening around her...including the battle to save her own life. As she watches each scene, she realizes all she has lost and what she has to look forward to if she wakes up.
The novel is told entirely from Mia's point of view. Mia illustrates the current happenings in the hospital, and weaves moments from her relationship with her boyfriend Adam into the story. It paints a beautiful picture of a fledgling relationship of young love. The story also includes a love for music and the arts. I don't think I'm blowing the ending for anyone by saying, Mia decides to stay and live. I feel like the fact that there's a sequel tells what she decides.
So now the ending to If I Stay is a complete cliffhanger. And I knew immediately I needed to read the sequel! Cue my obsessive reader side that debates between patiently waiting out the Hold List on the eLibrary or just bite the bullet and buy the book. My frugal side won out, and I waited on the Hold List. For six weeks!!
Cue girly scream when I received an email letting me know my number had been called, and I could check out the sequel!
So now I offer you a brief synopsis for Where She Went: The novel picks up about 3-4 years after the conclusion of If I Stay, and it is a continuation of Mia and Adam's story. This novel differs though because it is told from Adam's point of view. Mia decided to stay and survive, but not with him. Adam's music career gets a restart when he writes an album that portrays just how painful the breakup was for him. He becomes the target of paparazzi and feels suffocated by the fame. Mia has become a world class cellist, and she is playing the Carnegie Hall. Their paths cross again when Adam decides to impulsively go to the concert. In a single night they rehash the last three years and find a way to live with the decisions and paths both of them selected.
The novel ended exactly how I wanted, and this time I'm not going to say anything about the ending because I don't have to. It's a quick two book series that is very enjoyable.
Sidenote...As I was reading the second book, it kinda reminded me of this film series that stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. There are three movies in the series called: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. All three movies take place over the course of a day, and they chronicle different stages in the lives of a couple. An awesome film series if you're looking for some quirky, indie and real.
Anywho...Another blog post is coming shortly for the Reading Challenge! And I'm thinking about doing a page count too. I obviously won't be able to keep track for the whole year, but I might go to the point where I started blogging again to add all the pages up. Then I can keep track until the end of the year, and totally start a new page count for 2015.
Until next time!
So this week, I have a bit of a bonus. A couple of actually. This week, I have been reading three different books: High Society (A Grace Kelly biography...That I will talk about prolly later tonight), Son of Witch (Book 2 of The Wicked Years...I'll blog about that a little later next week because I have to finish the whole series for my next challenge I'm taking on), and finally, the purpose of this post, Where She Went by Gayle Forman.
Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start... *Extra credit to the person who can tell me what that lines from!*
So Where She Went is actually a sequel to If I Stay. I absolutely devoured If I Stay back in July. And I mean, I read the book in a few short hours. I could not put it down. It was a quick read. The book is also a member of one of my favorite genres...YAL.
I offer a quick synopsis of If I Stay for those who that haven't read it yet: Seventeen year-old Mia gets into a car accident, but remembers nothing from it. However, while she is in a coma, she can see everything that is happening around her...including the battle to save her own life. As she watches each scene, she realizes all she has lost and what she has to look forward to if she wakes up.
The novel is told entirely from Mia's point of view. Mia illustrates the current happenings in the hospital, and weaves moments from her relationship with her boyfriend Adam into the story. It paints a beautiful picture of a fledgling relationship of young love. The story also includes a love for music and the arts. I don't think I'm blowing the ending for anyone by saying, Mia decides to stay and live. I feel like the fact that there's a sequel tells what she decides.
So now the ending to If I Stay is a complete cliffhanger. And I knew immediately I needed to read the sequel! Cue my obsessive reader side that debates between patiently waiting out the Hold List on the eLibrary or just bite the bullet and buy the book. My frugal side won out, and I waited on the Hold List. For six weeks!!
Cue girly scream when I received an email letting me know my number had been called, and I could check out the sequel!
So now I offer you a brief synopsis for Where She Went: The novel picks up about 3-4 years after the conclusion of If I Stay, and it is a continuation of Mia and Adam's story. This novel differs though because it is told from Adam's point of view. Mia decided to stay and survive, but not with him. Adam's music career gets a restart when he writes an album that portrays just how painful the breakup was for him. He becomes the target of paparazzi and feels suffocated by the fame. Mia has become a world class cellist, and she is playing the Carnegie Hall. Their paths cross again when Adam decides to impulsively go to the concert. In a single night they rehash the last three years and find a way to live with the decisions and paths both of them selected.
The novel ended exactly how I wanted, and this time I'm not going to say anything about the ending because I don't have to. It's a quick two book series that is very enjoyable.
Sidenote...As I was reading the second book, it kinda reminded me of this film series that stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. There are three movies in the series called: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. All three movies take place over the course of a day, and they chronicle different stages in the lives of a couple. An awesome film series if you're looking for some quirky, indie and real.
Anywho...Another blog post is coming shortly for the Reading Challenge! And I'm thinking about doing a page count too. I obviously won't be able to keep track for the whole year, but I might go to the point where I started blogging again to add all the pages up. Then I can keep track until the end of the year, and totally start a new page count for 2015.
Until next time!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Week 4 ~ Gone Girl
Gone Girl!
I don't even know if I have the words to....
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
I think that's much closer to me whilst reading this book!
Okay, now that I've collected myself, I feel like I should preface this post by saying, I generally am not a fan of mystery, thriller type novels (Hmm...I feel like I've typed that sentence before...I'll have to look into it). Anywho, so not a mystery, thriller fan. I can't stand the suspense, and more often than not I want to look up spoilers and find out what's going to happen because it kills me to wait! *Disclaimer: I DID NOT read any spoilers or online synopsis of the novel...I just breezed through it as quickly as time allowed! That reason alone is probably why I waited so long to read the novel...Unlike everyone else who read it two years ago when it was released. And with the film's impending release, I have been dodging spoilers like a middleweight dodges the heavyweight champ! (It's been quite the battle too!)
So rewind to about six months ago, I was cruising the IMDB app because...well let's just face it, the app is in my Top 5 most used right next to Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, and Kindle apps. Anywho, checking out IMDB and the Gone Girl movie trailer popped up. So I watch it, and my immediate reaction: "Holy shit! I have to read that book!" And so started my time on the "Beloved Waiting List" at the eLibrary for a copy to become available. *Sidenote: Why do they limit the amount of copies that can be checked out on the eLibrary? If it's electronic should there be an unlimited amount of copies? Why does there have to be a waiting list in the first place? End rant* So basically what happened was, my number would come up on the wait list, I'd check it out, and then something would come up and I wouldn't read it. So this went on for several months, until this week.
So super quick, I offer you the ten cent synopsis (that I stole from Amazon...Yup, I did it so I could get to the crazy important stuff): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
By the way...I'm really not going to say anything super profound about this book...Mainly because I don't want to give anything away to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'm pretty much just gonna spout some randomness here. Most of the blog post is from my notes.
Since high school, when it comes to reading, I have been a type A person. As I read, I love to make margin notes, dissect passages to read between the lines, ask questions, or make predictions. Now the face of reading for me has changed. I have upgraded and now use the Kindle app on my iPhone to read most of my books these. (Yes, I know the "Reading Purists" would say that I suck for not reading actual books anymore...Well haters gonna hate...I'm just gonna shake it off...Yes, I just dropped a little T-Swift on all of them!). Back on track, I have had to get creative on my note taking since I literally can't write on my iPhone. So I have several notebooks (Yes, several) that I carry around to make notes in them about the books I'm reading.
From the minute I started reading Gone Girl, I have been taking notes. For those of you that have read the novel, already, you know that the book is totally a "Who done it?" type of story. So throughout Part One, I found myself theorizing about what happened to Amy and who did it. There were just too many predictions to keep track of all of them. So notes were necessary! You will see them pictured below! *WARNING* If you haven't read the book, there might be some serious spoilers in here...Perhaps you should avert your eyes from the next few photos!
For those of you who have read the book and looked at the photos, you can note how my handwriting gets more frantic the deeper into the story I get. That is of course due to my excitement! Not to brag, but I totally called a major plot point in the novel...It is #4 on my list of Predictions and Theories! Insert smug smirk emoji here! Even though I had several guesses about throughout parts one and two...there was nothing that could prepare me for part three. I can honestly say that I had NO idea where the story was gonna go or how it was going to end for everyone. And while the ending is ambiguous, I feel like that was the only way it could have ended. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and recommend that everyone read it ASAP!!
Reading Challenge Points: 35/200!
This week, I'm going to be reading High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. Pretty sure the title is self explanatory. This book will fulfill the following challenge: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir!
Until next week!
I don't even know if I have the words to....
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
I think that's much closer to me whilst reading this book!
Okay, now that I've collected myself, I feel like I should preface this post by saying, I generally am not a fan of mystery, thriller type novels (Hmm...I feel like I've typed that sentence before...I'll have to look into it). Anywho, so not a mystery, thriller fan. I can't stand the suspense, and more often than not I want to look up spoilers and find out what's going to happen because it kills me to wait! *Disclaimer: I DID NOT read any spoilers or online synopsis of the novel...I just breezed through it as quickly as time allowed! That reason alone is probably why I waited so long to read the novel...Unlike everyone else who read it two years ago when it was released. And with the film's impending release, I have been dodging spoilers like a middleweight dodges the heavyweight champ! (It's been quite the battle too!)
So rewind to about six months ago, I was cruising the IMDB app because...well let's just face it, the app is in my Top 5 most used right next to Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, and Kindle apps. Anywho, checking out IMDB and the Gone Girl movie trailer popped up. So I watch it, and my immediate reaction: "Holy shit! I have to read that book!" And so started my time on the "Beloved Waiting List" at the eLibrary for a copy to become available. *Sidenote: Why do they limit the amount of copies that can be checked out on the eLibrary? If it's electronic should there be an unlimited amount of copies? Why does there have to be a waiting list in the first place? End rant* So basically what happened was, my number would come up on the wait list, I'd check it out, and then something would come up and I wouldn't read it. So this went on for several months, until this week.
So super quick, I offer you the ten cent synopsis (that I stole from Amazon...Yup, I did it so I could get to the crazy important stuff): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
By the way...I'm really not going to say anything super profound about this book...Mainly because I don't want to give anything away to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'm pretty much just gonna spout some randomness here. Most of the blog post is from my notes.
Since high school, when it comes to reading, I have been a type A person. As I read, I love to make margin notes, dissect passages to read between the lines, ask questions, or make predictions. Now the face of reading for me has changed. I have upgraded and now use the Kindle app on my iPhone to read most of my books these. (Yes, I know the "Reading Purists" would say that I suck for not reading actual books anymore...Well haters gonna hate...I'm just gonna shake it off...Yes, I just dropped a little T-Swift on all of them!). Back on track, I have had to get creative on my note taking since I literally can't write on my iPhone. So I have several notebooks (Yes, several) that I carry around to make notes in them about the books I'm reading.
From the minute I started reading Gone Girl, I have been taking notes. For those of you that have read the novel, already, you know that the book is totally a "Who done it?" type of story. So throughout Part One, I found myself theorizing about what happened to Amy and who did it. There were just too many predictions to keep track of all of them. So notes were necessary! You will see them pictured below! *WARNING* If you haven't read the book, there might be some serious spoilers in here...Perhaps you should avert your eyes from the next few photos!
For those of you who have read the book and looked at the photos, you can note how my handwriting gets more frantic the deeper into the story I get. That is of course due to my excitement! Not to brag, but I totally called a major plot point in the novel...It is #4 on my list of Predictions and Theories! Insert smug smirk emoji here! Even though I had several guesses about throughout parts one and two...there was nothing that could prepare me for part three. I can honestly say that I had NO idea where the story was gonna go or how it was going to end for everyone. And while the ending is ambiguous, I feel like that was the only way it could have ended. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and recommend that everyone read it ASAP!!
Reading Challenge Points: 35/200!
This week, I'm going to be reading High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. Pretty sure the title is self explanatory. This book will fulfill the following challenge: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir!
Until next week!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Week 3 ~ The Color Purple/Banned Book Week
Week three has come and gone! This post is two-fold!
First of all, it is officially Banned Book Week this week! When I was in college, all my lit classes would make sure to assign a book that was on the list. And they would encourage us to read as many as we could. Most often making it a contest among class members. As far as I'm concerned some of the best reads come from the Banned Book List. They are always the most interesting and the most thought provoking, which I think is the primary purpose of literature.
So I offer you a list of my favorite books that have appeared on the Banned Book List.
1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5) The Call of the Wild by Jack London
6) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
7) The Giver by Lois Lowry
8) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
9) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
10) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
11) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
12) The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
13) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Even though that list feels incomplete at 13, I'm gonna leave it there because I feel like I could prolly go on and on here. I also feel compelled to get on my soapbox here and tell everyone that ALL of these books are FANTASTIC! And EVERYONE should read them ASAP!
PS: You can find out more about the Banned Book List at the American Library Association.
Second, this week I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
The first thing I want to talk about in the novel is the dialect. It is written from the POV of Celie. She is writing letters to God about her daily life. And she writes as she speaks and how words sound to her when says them. She lacks proper spellings ('git' instead of 'get'; 'clammed' instead of 'climbed') and basic syntax. Forget about higher level punctuation, aside from periods and occasionally a comma or two. As a grammar stickler, this would usually annoy me, but I find that the Walker's stylistic choice is completely appropriate for the novel. It allows the reader to become immersed in the culture of the time period.
In the first letter to God, Celie mentions that she is only 14 years old, and she is pulled out of school by her father. In the beginning it's rough to read, and you feel like the letter is being written by a child. Even though the content and what is happening in her doesn't reflect a very happy childhood. But I noticed as the letters continue, and Celie gets older, her writing becomes better. There are fewer spelling errors, and her thoughts are more complete as the book goes on. And that to me is exciting because it truly is like watching a young writer grow. It illustrates the idea that "practice makes perfect."
Another thing I noticed, is that Celie often talks of her sister Nettie. Nettie was allowed to stay a child, where as Celie was forced to grow up. Nettie was allowed to continue her education. Nettie and Celie are split apart by some circumstances, and Nettie promises to write. Celie never receives any letters so she assumes Nettie to be dead. Years later, Celie finds that her husband has been intercepting Nettie's letters and hiding them. Walker includes Nettie's letters to Celie, and as the reader, you see such a distinct difference between the two letter writers. Nettie's spelling is far more accurate, and she much more descriptive than Celie.
Anywho, the part I noticed...Nettie's letters truly excited me for several reasons. The entire novel is written through letters, and as the reader, you are seeing the scenes through Celie or Nettie's POV. Celie is not a very good writer, so there are holes. You have to fill in the missing information and sometimes make educated guesses about what really happened. Nettie is leaps and bounds above Celie in how she writes. The exciting part about this, is that Walker creates her characters in how they write. You can learn so much about a character...even someone in real life, just by how they write. How they remember a scene or describe a scenario. How they speak. You can go even deeper into the text, look at the styles of the two writers, and see just how vastly different they are.
On the Reading Challenge Front, I earned 15 points this week, which puts me at 30/200!
This next week, I'm going to read Gone Girl! Finally! I cannot wait to read it!
Until next time!
First of all, it is officially Banned Book Week this week! When I was in college, all my lit classes would make sure to assign a book that was on the list. And they would encourage us to read as many as we could. Most often making it a contest among class members. As far as I'm concerned some of the best reads come from the Banned Book List. They are always the most interesting and the most thought provoking, which I think is the primary purpose of literature.
So I offer you a list of my favorite books that have appeared on the Banned Book List.
1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5) The Call of the Wild by Jack London
6) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
7) The Giver by Lois Lowry
8) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
9) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
10) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
11) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
12) The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
13) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Even though that list feels incomplete at 13, I'm gonna leave it there because I feel like I could prolly go on and on here. I also feel compelled to get on my soapbox here and tell everyone that ALL of these books are FANTASTIC! And EVERYONE should read them ASAP!
PS: You can find out more about the Banned Book List at the American Library Association.
Second, this week I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
The first thing I want to talk about in the novel is the dialect. It is written from the POV of Celie. She is writing letters to God about her daily life. And she writes as she speaks and how words sound to her when says them. She lacks proper spellings ('git' instead of 'get'; 'clammed' instead of 'climbed') and basic syntax. Forget about higher level punctuation, aside from periods and occasionally a comma or two. As a grammar stickler, this would usually annoy me, but I find that the Walker's stylistic choice is completely appropriate for the novel. It allows the reader to become immersed in the culture of the time period.
In the first letter to God, Celie mentions that she is only 14 years old, and she is pulled out of school by her father. In the beginning it's rough to read, and you feel like the letter is being written by a child. Even though the content and what is happening in her doesn't reflect a very happy childhood. But I noticed as the letters continue, and Celie gets older, her writing becomes better. There are fewer spelling errors, and her thoughts are more complete as the book goes on. And that to me is exciting because it truly is like watching a young writer grow. It illustrates the idea that "practice makes perfect."
Another thing I noticed, is that Celie often talks of her sister Nettie. Nettie was allowed to stay a child, where as Celie was forced to grow up. Nettie was allowed to continue her education. Nettie and Celie are split apart by some circumstances, and Nettie promises to write. Celie never receives any letters so she assumes Nettie to be dead. Years later, Celie finds that her husband has been intercepting Nettie's letters and hiding them. Walker includes Nettie's letters to Celie, and as the reader, you see such a distinct difference between the two letter writers. Nettie's spelling is far more accurate, and she much more descriptive than Celie.
Anywho, the part I noticed...Nettie's letters truly excited me for several reasons. The entire novel is written through letters, and as the reader, you are seeing the scenes through Celie or Nettie's POV. Celie is not a very good writer, so there are holes. You have to fill in the missing information and sometimes make educated guesses about what really happened. Nettie is leaps and bounds above Celie in how she writes. The exciting part about this, is that Walker creates her characters in how they write. You can learn so much about a character...even someone in real life, just by how they write. How they remember a scene or describe a scenario. How they speak. You can go even deeper into the text, look at the styles of the two writers, and see just how vastly different they are.
On the Reading Challenge Front, I earned 15 points this week, which puts me at 30/200!
This next week, I'm going to read Gone Girl! Finally! I cannot wait to read it!
Until next time!
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