So...As the title says...Long time, no post...
My last post on here was a little over a year and a half ago when I was in the midst of reading The Night Circus, which I am going to admit that I flat out did not finish because I could not get into it. That in itself is a very rare occurrence for me. But moving on.
In my absence, I have not stopped reading...I feel like I have been devouring books as of late. Of course it helps that my friend Katie and I started a book club...with just the two of us. It's official name is "The MBC," which stands for "The Movie Book Club." We have been reading books that are being adapted into film. So many good ones too! Off the top of my head, our list so far has included: The Fault in Our Stars (by John Green), If I Stay (by Gayle Forman), and most recently This is Where I Leave You (by Jonathan Tropper). TIWILY might be one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I purchased several more J-Tropper novels, and I cannot wait to read them! PS: I may also be a little more than excited to see the movie next month since it has Tina Fey and Jason Bateman in it. :D
At the moment, I am taking a timeout to reread The Giver series. I read it so long ago that I feel like I need a refresher before I see the movie. Plus, I'm mainly just setting myself up to be annoyed about yet another movie adaptation is leaving out parts that I believe to be crucial to the plot! < insert sassy, tongue out emoji here >
Yes...
I just typed an emoji...
Deal with it.
And today, I joined a Reading Challenge that a friend of mine set-up...or maybe she just invited me to the FB page because she knows how much I like to read. Prolly should clarify that with her. Anyway, the challenge is to read 16 books in 4 months. It starts September 1st and goes until the end of the year. There's a list of challenges/criteria that the books must meet, and each has a certain point value attached to it. It looks like so:
5 points - Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet.
5 points - Read a book that will be adapted to film in 2015.
5 points - Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. If you were born outside the U.S. and Canada, read a book that takes place in the country you were born.
10 points - Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted.
10 points - Read a book that takes place in the state where you currently live. If you do not live in the U.S., read a book that takes place in the country where you live.
10 points - Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
15 points - Read an epistolary novel, which is a book written in letters, emails, diary entries or other documents.
15 points - Read a book written by an author who shares your initials.
15 points - Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit.
20 points - Read a book on which a television series has been based.
20 points - Read a fiction and nonfiction book about the same topic.
20 points - Read a biography, autobiography or memoir.
20 points - Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare.
30 points - Read a trilogy (or any three consecutive books in a series). Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages.
Initial thoughts, I am SUPER excited to do the challenge! I've already begun planning my reading list for the next four months! I know....NERDY! My hope is to blog as I go through the Reading Challenge, and perhaps even some of the books I'm reading for The MBC, but we'll see how that goes!
Until next time!
Jess
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Sunday, January 20, 2013
The Night Circus
Clearly I'm starting off on the right foot with this blog! Lol! But I've been on a "Downton Abbey" kick, which has most def added several books to my read list for this year! I can hardly wait! :)
Back on track though, this post is merely to serve as an update of sorts and to air some of my grievances and thoughts on currents reads!
1) I am currently reading "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. I checked the book out because I mean the title alone leaves so many possibilities as to what the book could be about! I am about 55 pages in and I might be a little lost. It's like there are several plot lines happening.
One is the mysterious Night Circus that shows up unannounced and is only open from dusk to dawn. All patrons experience events that can only be described as the supernatural.
The second is about two children (a boy and a girl) whose guardians are magicians that seem to be training their children to compete in some sort of duel of wits. Although I'm not even sure if it will be a duel. The magicians refer to it as "playing" and each is allowed to train their child for years. The only formal commitment of the pending competition is when each child has a ring placed on their finger that "burns/scars/marks" them as the competitor.
I'm not quite sure if I'm enjoying this book yet. It jumps back and forth between the two plot lines, and is very cryptic. The author hints at things that are happening to the children as they grow up and learn, but it never directly says what is going on. I have no idea what is going to happen and why there is even a pending competition between the two marks. I have so many questions about the back story: What's up with the old magician guardians? What is their past relationship like? Why are they using these children as competitors?
And then of course, I have predictions in my mind. Did they set up their competitors as a boy and a girl simply because they will be future lovers? Will they join the eponymous Night Circus with their new found "powers?"
Ps: I feel like I should mention that one reviewer of this book said it was like Harry Potter, which I do not see at all! But maybe that is to come further into the book! Either way I will be persevering through it to find out! And I will post more later!
2) I'm also reading Furious Love. It's about the live affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton! I am immensely enjoying the read! It is so detailed about their lives and the others that were affected by their relationship and movies! I have a million thoughts to post about the book, but I will wait until I am finished! I have a little over half left and can't wait to finish it!
Btw, a Gone With the Wind post is coming! I just need to sit down a write it! Hopefully this week! :)
Back on track though, this post is merely to serve as an update of sorts and to air some of my grievances and thoughts on currents reads!
1) I am currently reading "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. I checked the book out because I mean the title alone leaves so many possibilities as to what the book could be about! I am about 55 pages in and I might be a little lost. It's like there are several plot lines happening.
One is the mysterious Night Circus that shows up unannounced and is only open from dusk to dawn. All patrons experience events that can only be described as the supernatural.
The second is about two children (a boy and a girl) whose guardians are magicians that seem to be training their children to compete in some sort of duel of wits. Although I'm not even sure if it will be a duel. The magicians refer to it as "playing" and each is allowed to train their child for years. The only formal commitment of the pending competition is when each child has a ring placed on their finger that "burns/scars/marks" them as the competitor.
I'm not quite sure if I'm enjoying this book yet. It jumps back and forth between the two plot lines, and is very cryptic. The author hints at things that are happening to the children as they grow up and learn, but it never directly says what is going on. I have no idea what is going to happen and why there is even a pending competition between the two marks. I have so many questions about the back story: What's up with the old magician guardians? What is their past relationship like? Why are they using these children as competitors?
And then of course, I have predictions in my mind. Did they set up their competitors as a boy and a girl simply because they will be future lovers? Will they join the eponymous Night Circus with their new found "powers?"
Ps: I feel like I should mention that one reviewer of this book said it was like Harry Potter, which I do not see at all! But maybe that is to come further into the book! Either way I will be persevering through it to find out! And I will post more later!
2) I'm also reading Furious Love. It's about the live affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton! I am immensely enjoying the read! It is so detailed about their lives and the others that were affected by their relationship and movies! I have a million thoughts to post about the book, but I will wait until I am finished! I have a little over half left and can't wait to finish it!
Btw, a Gone With the Wind post is coming! I just need to sit down a write it! Hopefully this week! :)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A Reading Recess
2013.
It's here. Weird.
Over this last week, I've been taking inventory of all the books I read this last year. I came up with 99 books that I read and finished in 2012. Just shy of 100...Damn! And yes, I counted two or three times just to be sure I didn't miscount! So clearly it only makes sense that I need to set out this year to make it a full 100...Hopefully more. And this is gonna be my forum/sounding board for my progress, thoughts, and opinions.
As I went through the list of books read this year, I realized what an amazing reading recess it has been. This year's reading list included:
1) The Hunger Games trilogy, which I devoured twice...And no, I only counted them once on my list! The series added to my love for the YAL (Young Adult Lit) genre. And it was a wild, emotional ride to boot! I don't doubt that I will re-read them soon!
2) The Silver Linings Playbook, which honestly started as a sample I downloaded out if curiosity became a whirlwind read that I finished in two days. I then found out that it was a movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and wanted to see it immediately. However, since I live in such a small town the movie didn't even come here! Boo!!!
3) The Perks of Being a Wallflower! Another quick read. I wish I could write a book like this...so personal and insightful and honest. The more I read, the more I felt like Charlie was writing his letters to me.
4) A charming novel called "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. The book is told from the point of view of a golden retriever named Enzo. Enzo regaled me with how he protects his human, Denny, from vicious stuffed zebras! It was entertaining, sad, and real.
5) A handful of non-fiction: Penny Marshall's "My Mother Was Nuts" and Tina Fey's "Bossypants"...quite possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read! I even enjoyed her idea of the sickest joke ever! Lol!
Other non-fiction includes the beginning of my obsession with Old Hollywood biographies: "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman" by Sam Wasson...Amazing read! The book goes into great detail about Audrey's career and struggles of being a modern woman in a world that believed women should be at home. And of course it's about Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is my most favorite movie in the world!
And then there's "Once Upon a Time," which is a biography that chronicles the lives and relationship of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Quite possibly one of the most fascinating biographies I've ever read!
6) Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"...I honestly wasn't sure I was going to read this one, but then I started it unexpectedly one night. This is only my second Dickens novel that I've read, and I forgot just how much I love his prose style. It's descriptive and full of lessons! I can't even count how many highlights I made throughout the novel! Thank God for the Kindle!
7) This year I also tackled Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"...I had always wanted to read it, especially since I am a huge fan of the movie! So I downloaded the novel in February. I have been reading the book in spurts for the entire year. I didn't intend to take so long, but I have enjoyed the leisurely journey. And Scarlett O'Hara has climbed my list of favorite literary characters to spot number two! Which it has to be said that my literary characters list hasn't been altered since I was a sophomore in high school! For the curious, number one is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Even though Gone With the Wind was a 2012 read, it will be given a full post be because there is just too much to say about the book!
I'm not sure what my "Reading Recess of 2013" will hold. But I have several hopefuls already downloaded and waiting for me on my Kindle! One being Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." I plan on dabbling in some more of F. Scott's Fitzgerald's novels about the roaring 20's. I will continue on my non-fiction obsession, which I have already started with "Furious Love," a biography about the love affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. And I will be attacking my YAL reading list as well!
So here's to a Happy New Year and my Reading Recess of 2013!
Cheers!
It's here. Weird.
Over this last week, I've been taking inventory of all the books I read this last year. I came up with 99 books that I read and finished in 2012. Just shy of 100...Damn! And yes, I counted two or three times just to be sure I didn't miscount! So clearly it only makes sense that I need to set out this year to make it a full 100...Hopefully more. And this is gonna be my forum/sounding board for my progress, thoughts, and opinions.
As I went through the list of books read this year, I realized what an amazing reading recess it has been. This year's reading list included:
1) The Hunger Games trilogy, which I devoured twice...And no, I only counted them once on my list! The series added to my love for the YAL (Young Adult Lit) genre. And it was a wild, emotional ride to boot! I don't doubt that I will re-read them soon!
2) The Silver Linings Playbook, which honestly started as a sample I downloaded out if curiosity became a whirlwind read that I finished in two days. I then found out that it was a movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and wanted to see it immediately. However, since I live in such a small town the movie didn't even come here! Boo!!!
3) The Perks of Being a Wallflower! Another quick read. I wish I could write a book like this...so personal and insightful and honest. The more I read, the more I felt like Charlie was writing his letters to me.
4) A charming novel called "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. The book is told from the point of view of a golden retriever named Enzo. Enzo regaled me with how he protects his human, Denny, from vicious stuffed zebras! It was entertaining, sad, and real.
5) A handful of non-fiction: Penny Marshall's "My Mother Was Nuts" and Tina Fey's "Bossypants"...quite possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read! I even enjoyed her idea of the sickest joke ever! Lol!
Other non-fiction includes the beginning of my obsession with Old Hollywood biographies: "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman" by Sam Wasson...Amazing read! The book goes into great detail about Audrey's career and struggles of being a modern woman in a world that believed women should be at home. And of course it's about Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is my most favorite movie in the world!
And then there's "Once Upon a Time," which is a biography that chronicles the lives and relationship of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Quite possibly one of the most fascinating biographies I've ever read!
6) Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"...I honestly wasn't sure I was going to read this one, but then I started it unexpectedly one night. This is only my second Dickens novel that I've read, and I forgot just how much I love his prose style. It's descriptive and full of lessons! I can't even count how many highlights I made throughout the novel! Thank God for the Kindle!
7) This year I also tackled Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"...I had always wanted to read it, especially since I am a huge fan of the movie! So I downloaded the novel in February. I have been reading the book in spurts for the entire year. I didn't intend to take so long, but I have enjoyed the leisurely journey. And Scarlett O'Hara has climbed my list of favorite literary characters to spot number two! Which it has to be said that my literary characters list hasn't been altered since I was a sophomore in high school! For the curious, number one is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Even though Gone With the Wind was a 2012 read, it will be given a full post be because there is just too much to say about the book!
I'm not sure what my "Reading Recess of 2013" will hold. But I have several hopefuls already downloaded and waiting for me on my Kindle! One being Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." I plan on dabbling in some more of F. Scott's Fitzgerald's novels about the roaring 20's. I will continue on my non-fiction obsession, which I have already started with "Furious Love," a biography about the love affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. And I will be attacking my YAL reading list as well!
So here's to a Happy New Year and my Reading Recess of 2013!
Cheers!
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