Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Books, I have something to say about.

Ah, I love a good read. To throw myself into another world for a few hours and take in the stories of others. Sigh. I thought I'd share my opinion on some books I read over the last month. Here's a quick summarizing thought for each one. Take it with a grain of salt, or not. I like to read, so I thought I'd share my two second cents.


Graceling by Kristen Cashore - Killer Protagonist. Seriously...she's a killer. LOVED IT! In fact, I loved it so much I read it twice. I never read books twice.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - Gritty. That sums it it. I loved it.

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder - Equally Gritty. I loved it more.

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder - Currently reading this...the jury is still out.

The Forrest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - Though I must admit, I'm on the fence about this one. I'm not a lover of the end, but since I recently heard there's a sequel, I feel redemption is coming. Poetic writing. Zombies and Romance. What more could you want?

Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey - Hmm. What to say? If it ended, I could have liked it, but since they cut the dang book in half and ended it in mid rising action, what can I say? It does have great rising action. I'll let you know my verdict after I read the sequel.

Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry - Cute. Fun quick read. Plot holes? Sure...but I heard there may be a sequel.

Ever by Gail Carson Levine - 75% good 25% LAME! Pulled through to the end and then was let down. You decide.

Selkie Girl by Susan Cooper - I didn't finish it. That should tell you what I thought of it.

Skin Deep by E. M. Crane - Currently Reading. I haven't stopped yet, so it's pretty good.

Ask the Audience:

What are you reading? What is you favorite book, and why? What do you suggest I pick up?

12 SPLURTS:

Rach said...

OK, so I've been trying to remember this poison book over and over again. Good thing you posted it. I am on it!! can't wait to read it.

Allyson Condie said...

I loved Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt...have you already read that one? Soooo good.

i'm erin. said...

Oh Ally! I have been trying to buy that one from BYU but they are sold out. I will have to request it from the library. Thanks for the reminder.

Peggy said...

I think I've mostly been reading things you have read. I loved Graceling as much as you did. I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth less than you did. I really loved The Thief, Queen of Attolia, and King of Attolia, of course (because who doesn't?). I also read The Graveyard Book... I'm on the fence about that one. It was well written in many ways, but I never cared about the main character as much as I really wanted to. It's technically a middle grade book, but one that adults will appreciate much more than kids.

Kayleen Feil Photography said...

how do you have time to read a book twice?! wow! I'm checking that one out for sure. :) Thanks

tammy said...

I'll ditto the Graceling comment. I thought it was very good. Currently reading: Nothing.

Carterista said...

Currently stuck in a reading rut. Weird for me, but it will pass.

Top two favorite books thus far in my life:
1. These Is My Words (+ 2 others in the series)
2. King of Attolia (+ 2 others in the series)

Janette Rallison said...

How did you have the time to read so much? You are clearly a much faster reader than I am.

But thanks for the recommendations--there's nothing I hate worse than spending a lot of time reading a book and hate it at the end.

Weight Family said...

Uh, do you ever sleep?! Seriously! So I read this book called the Book of Mormon. You read ALL that in like a month?! STILL CAN'T GET OVER IT. Are you on drugs? I maybe read 5 books a year.

Weight Family said...

I have no suggestions except maybe sleep more?!

onelowerlight said...

Hmm, let's see...

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells -- great book! Half the gripping-ness of a Michael Crichton thriller for a hundred times the character development. Very fun!

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells -- slow and a bit cliche-feeling (though that's unfair, since Wells invented the cliches), with an awesome ending.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson -- Couldn't finish it, to be honest. Not nearly as good as Mistborn.

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds -- Meh. Neuromancer meets Stargate, but the characters aren't particularly interesting, and the far-future cyberpunk-ish feel isn't cutting it for me. I'll probably finish it, though.

The Harem of Aman Akbar by Elizabeth Scarborough -- don't laugh, it's not as trashy as it sounds--it was written by a woman. And actually, it's kind of fun, a lot like 1001 Arabian Nights, but with a lot more character and a lot less xxx content (yes, less...1001 Arabian Nights unabridged is not for the faint of heart).

Melissa said...

I recently read the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield. I enjoyed the first two books, but then lost interest in the third and did not read the 4th.

One of my favorites this year was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was a great story about two young girls in China who shared their foot binding times together.

Loved the Kite Runner. Gripping and emotional. It was so well written that even the slower parts of the story were interesting.

How could I leave out The Hunger Games. An absolute page turner and it has a sequel coming out next month (I think).