Book Survey 2014

Book and Literature Challenge 2014

1.     Your 10 favorite books of all time.
This is really hard.

1.  The Bible
2.  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
3.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4.  The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
5.  The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
6.  Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
7.  Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
8.  State of Fear by Michael Crichton
9.  A Song of Ice and Fire Series by JRR Martin
10. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

2.     Your 5 least favorite books of all time.

Oh gosh, I try to forget them.

1. Who Moved My Cheese -First book I didn't like
2. The Little Prince -First novel that seemed pointless
3. Every Day by David Levithan  -There are so many things wrong with this I don't even know where to start.
4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner  -This is tell, not show on crack.
5. Everneath by Ashton Brodi  -This is my least favorite book in the last two months or so. It is awful and you can read my review on it find out why. 

3.     Your favorite characters (and which books they’re from).

Karuo, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: Karuo inspired me with her creativity, past, and passion. 
Francisco D'Anconia, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Francisco is  the dream man. His success, loyalty, intelligence, and willingness to sacrifice are what makes him unique in a world where his type have been stereotyped to death.
Darrow, Red Rising by Pierce Brown: Darrow is arrogant, intelligent but lacking wisdom, determined, and loyal. He can be so many things without being perfect. His flaws are what makes him and this story worth reading. 
Elisa, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson: Elisa is on this list because she is actually smart and not just because the author says so. She also breaks a lot of stereotypes and makes you feel comfortable rather than awkward. Her faith, self esteem issues, and logical mind are rare gems in the YA world and all were classy and well done. 
Liam, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: Liam is basically my ideal fantasy man. He makes "the feels" happen. Shallow? Surprisingly not. He's the good boy with a dangerous edge and lots of love and loyalty. 
Ragnar Danneskjold, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: Ragnar is one of my favorite character because he exists as an antithesis to another popular character. He was created with just enough vagueness to be mysterious without unknowing, and peppered with all the things we love to love in a character like: being a pirate for good, having cool tech, good looks, being the best captain on the sea. Plus he saves people's money from thieves. 

4.     Characters you hate.

Edward Cullen, Twilight: This guy has no personality, is cold, sparkly, a creeper/pedophile, selfish, and is a terrible vampire. I am in good company with this one. 
Peeta Mellark, The Hunger Games: I'm so sorry. I feel bad about hating him, and my hate only stems from his survival which makes me an even worse person. But the fact he survived when so many others that were better qualified didn't. Plus I feel like he is the only that got a happy ending when the characters I loved didn't. This makes Collins a genius but I still don't like Mellark. So maybe I just loathe him, not hate him.....
Petyr Baelish, A Song of Ice and Fire: I am not sure there is anything to like about this guy. He is ultimately responsible (in my eyes) for the seven realms going to Hell in a hand basket.
King Joffery, A Song of Ice and Fire: Joffery's cruelty and arrogance thankfully landed him dead but no soon enough. This kid was awful in every sense of the word, a true horror show. 
Clary, The Mortal Instruments: She could be anybody, which I guess is the point but that's boring. She also had what she believed to be an incestuous relationship with a creepy dude. Plus she has no redeeming qualities.

5.     If you were stranded on a desert island, what five books would you take with you? Include one reason for each.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy- I haven't read it and the length would entertain me, more bang for your buck.
The Bible, NIV-because spiritual growth can still happen on a desert island and God will be my only company anywayA Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants-I really like to eat
How to Survive Almost Anything from National Geographic-I know next to nothing about surviving alone and I'm lazy, not a good combination
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- because civilization and wit must not be forgotten. 
 

6.     The best book you've read in the last year.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I picked this one because I don't give it enough love. I have read a lot of good books in the last year but this was the most well round of them. It was written well, had a great subject, and taught me the most. 

7.     The worst book you've read in the last year.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren-I don't know what possessed me to read this but it was awful. Every little thing, but it didn't make my least favorite books of all time list because most people know this. I don't have to save them. 

8.     Your favorite quotes from books.

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

---Red Rising 
_____

The Money Speech from Francisco D'Anconia. I can't put the whole thing here. Go look it up, it might change your life.

9.     Your favorite quotes about books.

I invoke phone a friend option: My friend says skip this one. 

10.   Name five absolutely great film adaptations of books.

I am not sure there are five great adaptations but let's give it a go!

1.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This is the best one on my list, they incorporated so many nuances I thought would get left out and I thought the acting was fantastic. Very impressive.
2. Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton. It's a classic, it's a masterpiece.  
3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
4. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 
5. Yeah, I've got nothing. 

11.   Name three absolutely awful film adaptations of books.

This one is much easier. Whew.

1. Sphere by Micheal Crichton
2. The Mist by Stephen King
3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

12.   Your favorite author(s).
So I only picked authors I have read at least three books from. That was the criteria I gave myself.  

Tana French. She is a doll and has a wicked, clever mind that she is gracious enough to share with us.
Micheal Crichton. I love how well thought out and explained everything he write is. Jurassic Park, Sphere, Timeline, Sate of Fear, Congo. They just capture me.
JRR Martin. Gosh that man is sneaky. He is the tortoise in the Tortoise and the Hare. He doesn't necessarily immediately grab you, but you find yourself immersed and caring but not sure when that happened exactly. He also doesn't churn out the books every year.......
Jane Austen. I haven't read anything from her I didn't like and the undercutting humor is top notch. Plus you learn about the fine art of the insult and charm. 

13.   Your favorite book from childhood.

Shadows In the Water by Katherine Lasky. This book was so beautiful, fun and the setting was in the Florida Keys. It was wonderful. Truly. It had TWO sets of twins that were telepathic and dolphins. Pretty amazing. 

14.   A book you regret not having read sooner.

Atlas Shrugged, but maybe I wouldn't have been mature enough to get it. I wish people would read it and understand.

15.   A book you haven’t read, but is on your “will read” list.

Just one?! I have over a hundred. Probably Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo or The Demon King by C Chima.

16.   A book you haven’t read and have no intention of ever reading. (If you want, tell us why you don’t want to read it.)

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  First, because Oprah is so adamant about it and she doesn't have the best track record to picking books I like, plus our over society's over emphasis on class welfare and victimization at this time, (NOT the time this was written). I just feel over stimulated by the subject matter.   

17.   A book you want to like, but can’t get into for whatever reason. Why can’t you get into it?

A Cuckoo's Calling by Robert G. (Aka JK Rolling). I don't know why I couldn't get into it. The characters were good, the plot was good. Maybe it was the wording? The pace? It could be the pacing. 

18.   A book you think is highly overrated.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. I do not know why people are excited about this at all. The character's relationships make no sense and the world building was pretty but fell flat. 

19.   A book you think is woefully underrated.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. 
If you have not read this series and enjoy strong, well developed characters that experience true conflict handled in a logical matter that has adventure, magic, and all sorts of meaningful relationships then this book is for you. Plus Prague. 

20.   The environment you most enjoy reading in.

I like being home alone in bed snuggled up. I like the idea of reading outside but Florida general doesn't cooperate. 

21.   The most disturbing book you’ve ever read.
Pet Semetery by Stephen King ---Let me tell you that is some freaky craft right there. I won't be reading that one again. 

22.   A book you once loved, but don’t anymore. What changed?

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. *le sigh* Honesty is the best policy. Well I thought the whole premise was beautiful and fun in high school but I reread it right after college and saw the error of my ways. The characters are shallow, except Jake (I'm holding out for him!) and there are actually really twisted concepts that are acceptable. 

23.   A book you once hated, but now like. What changed?

I have not had the pleasure of this experience. But I have tried- I gave the Little Prince a second change in college. I gave the Great Gatsby a second chance last year. I also retried Divergent. I almost gave the Picture of Dorian Gray another shot but it just didn't work out. But I challenge you to challenge me! 

24.   Your favorite series.

My mind says A Song of Ice and Fire. One, because it isn't finished. Two, the diversity is sublime. Three, it's long and complex. My heart says Card Captor Sakura but I don't think graphic novels are apart of this survey.

25.   The nerdiest book you’ve ever read.

         Black Bodies and Quantum Cats by Jennifer Ouellette ---It's a collection of stories about physics principals with elaborate analogies. 

26.   Your favourite type of non-fiction book. 
Biographies like the Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Bedford or cookbooks because food.

27.   Your favorite genre.

Well my favorites list would have you believing it was young adult dystopian. But I think my favorite is crime solving mysteries. 

28.   The first book you can remember reading on your own.

        Wizard of Oz, my grandma had this big, gorgeous illustrated version. It was shorter than the original but it is one of my first memories. She read it to many so many times, eventually I remembered the words. 

29.   An author you wish was more well-known.

Maggie Stiefvater. I think her writing would appeal to the masses in general plus the dark fun in her Raven Boys series is unique. 

30.   The book you’re reading right now:

Written in Red by Anne Bishop. My thoughts on this one are: such a fun world but also annoying. I like the characters. The main character, Meg, is tolerable but not entirely believable. I am also listening to the Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling). I don't have any opinions on that yet.  

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Everneath by Brodi Ashton

I picked up this novel because  the book bloggers I really respect all had great things to say about this. I have never so ardently disagreed.

 In the first page, the main character is pathetic.  "It's so hard to open my eyes!" I am stuck to a boy and he stole everything that made me myself. We spent 100 years cuddling. Hot boy and main character are surprised she has a special power to simply survive. How demeaning. For this I will not name her; she will simply be "the main character." (And also because she is Clary/Bella/Could be anyone). There is also zero introduction which I have never experienced before. It was not pleasant. At first I was convinced I picked up a book from the middle of a series. This has never happened to me before. 

Well in the first scene she wants to go home to her honey after "being asleep" for 100 years. Yeah, that's a great idea.  But lucky for her, only 6 months have passed on "the surface". That is a pretty useless time warp since nothing happened except sleeping/cuddling in the 100 years she was gone. 

When she returns, no one is seemingly happy to have her back. Her dad "tastes" disappointed. Other than the fact the MC is now tasting emotions, her dad is apparently horrid. No one runs to great her when she gets back in school, they just gossip about her being a druggie. Then her honey is, perfectly, in her first class of the day. But aghast! she hasn't thought about what to do now that she has traveled worlds to find him. She gets tongue tied and all she can say is "hi." I honestly don't know if I can stand a few more hours of this torture. 

The writing style is also annoying because the author withholds so much information that the narrator knows. Then sometimes she goes back to explain scene set up after the scene happens. Also, the main character has bouts of memory loss, that is never actually a problem because she remembers everything and it's casually thrown in there after all the memories come back. It's like it was just a clause thrown in there to help the writer get herself out a jamb. This sloppy and confusing. It is also filled with gems like "I heard one of them sigh but I didn't know which one."It's like the author lacks confidence and understanding of language. She added 60% more words to a sentence so that repeats the same idea. The story bounces between a 'now' and 'then' time frames which is both helpful for getting essential details since nothing was provided in the beginning and a waste. Had the story been told chronologically it would have been much better because as I learned how the MC to ended up in her position I did soften to her a tad. It would have also helped the character to make sense. 

Speaking of character that don't involve the female protagonist let's review them. First there is Cole, the bad boy, ever living, emotion eater, rock band guitarist. He is in love with the main character for no discernible reason. Then there is Jack, the wholesome love interest that was the best friend and then the boyfriend. I normally adore this type. Jack will be my exception because he isn't especially endearing, he is just too plain. 

The side characters include Jules, the main character's best friend. This character was treated as simply a role, not a character at all. It was painful. The main character's family, Tommy and Dad, were developed slightly better. The emphasis that the MC puts on them in her mind is not the same emphasis that her actions describe. This sort of illusion is actually dangerous because thinking feelings is not the same as living them out. I will say that the very end of book sort of switches gears in this but for all the wrong reasons and way too late. The only other characters worth noting are Mary, Will, and the MC's English teacher. Mary was actually not bad, but there was a major plot hole connected with her. Maybe it will be addressed in the future but I'll never know. The English teacher was role a filling. But Will, now here is proof that Ashton can write a good character. He has real problems that stem from serious events in his past but he changes over time to combat them. I liked Will. Aston did so much with so little screen time with him.  

Then there are sorts of fabricated problems that feel thrown in like this nugget about a quarter way through: 

"My eyes started to sting even though I wasn't sure if I had recovered enough emotions to cry." What? When did this become a problem? She hasn't had trouble "feeling" anything before. She has been boiling with emotion from the beginning. 

Then there is the MC weird sense of humor. "I smiled at the way he said 'guest' like that was my name or something."

About two thirds of the way through, the main character's father is suddenly a lawyer as well as the major which is revealed in a comment that addresses the way he addresses juries. It's this sort of want to be critical thinking lesson that jars the flow of the book and distracts the reader from the action. 

Good things: 

+Beautiful cover. Like drop dead gorgeous. 

+The author brings up some interesting questions about being famous, like "do famous people always feel like others are waiting for them to perform?" 

+Random burst of good humor like when Cole has a good quip about turning a frown on it's *ss. That was actually funny. 

+The main character also does that thing where she assumes because the rock band is famous on a grass roots level that they are like the famous people she sees on TV. This is a great nuance that adds depth to the main character.  

The ending of this book is suppose to be shocking and true love's glory but honestly the foreshadowing was more like a neon sign than anything remotely subtle so it felt stale. So how I managed through it all thanks to the Good Reads book challenge (only two more for this year's goal!), otherwise it would have been a dnf. 

I realize that this review is pretty harsh but not calling out the problems isn't in the spirit of writing good reviews. I don't actually write well enough to write good reviews but I need all the practice I can get. I give this book one guitar out of five. 

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Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

Overall I didn't like it. I kept reading because the first book ended and I wanted to see how the main character, Lena, would handle the tragic ending. So I read Pandemonium which was much better than the first book but it's ending twist wasn't surprising at all. The third book I only started because I had it on my on phone. The third book has been the biggest disappointment. Lena's maturity spirals away from her. The best part about the third book is the POV from Hana. Please proceed with caution, as spoilers are present, especially for book one.

The first book, Delirium, sets up a world where at 18, everyone gets a procedure that "protects" them from love. They will not longer love and thus be happier because there won't be any heart break, no coveting, irrational behavior, ect. The author tried really hard to sell this concept and even though I didn't buy it because people that can't love and can't hate wouldn't be able to deal with children and teenagers that can. Also, because without love/hate our society might fall apart because it would destroy our sense of "care about that young child" and it would create a lot of sociopaths. But for the sake of entertainment I decide to ignore this and proceed with blinders. Lena the MC, is just a girl with family problems that worried about getting paired, by the government, and which college she will be assigned. She worries about becoming infected with "love" before her procedure but counts down the days until she will be safe. Her best friend Hana is a little more rebellious and introduces Lena to world that goes against the grain, which Lena balks at but you guessed it-she meets a rebellious boy, Alex. We get a sweet love story that transforms Lena from a blind follower to a "free thinker". Of course they are caught and have to escape. It is entertaining, but not really substantive. The ending is a cliff hanger in which Alex is shot a bunch and left with the bad guys while Lena flees. I was impressed that the author attempt to kill Alex off, but wasn't sure if it would stick. Overall I give this book three empty houses out of five.

The second book, Pandemonium, was my favorite in the series. The book is told in two phases-"Now" and "Then". This was a good choice by the author because it fulfills the readers curiosity about how Lena recovered from book one's ordeal without slowing down the action for the overall book. The Lena of "Then" is contrasted with the Lena of "Now" very well. You never feel like they are two different characters but that these two different phases in life are converging. It builds the drama well. We also get a good look at some new characters. Raven and Tack are handled well and like with Lena's "Now" and "Then" you get a sense of how they developed which is very helpful because we don't know them at all before this book. The only thing I will note is that the editing could have been better. There were some inconsistencies with the character's descriptions, like Tack. Then there is Julian. He only appears in the "Now" section. Julian is a great character. He challenges Lena, he helps Lena, and he is considerate toward Lena. I also liked the plot of this book. The worst thing about this book was the ending. It was suppose to be this great shocking plot twist that CHANGED EVERYTHING. It wasn't, it wasn't even shocking, it was expected. It would have been more surprising if it hadn't happened and honestly probably would have made the third book better. I give this book four riots out of five.  

The third book was a mess. I'm not exactly sure what the plot was suppose to be, so we are going to call it a chronicle of Lena's life and a chronicle of Hana's life. Lena, as a character, acted like a spoiled high school girl and not a hardened warrior. She lost the maturity that she won in Pandemonium. Most of the book was spent agonizing/interacting with the love triangle. When there were scenes with other characters, they did not seem to go with general flow of the story. It's like the author sat down and wrote "the love story" all the way through, then went back and peppered scenes with other characters in.  Julian, I am going to say has some character development but it was glanced over. I have nothing but eye rolling for Alex- there was almost no direct interaction with him, mostly observational which is messy. Think Edward Cullen in New Moon. (I cringed too.) This was emphasized with the POV switch to Hana. Hana's story was interesting and I was most invested in what was happening to her than anything else. She had a lot to deal with and it was interesting to see how she managed despite being warped by a procedure that severely put her at a disadvantage. The ending to this book is left open for both Hana and Lena. The author knows how to write an ending, so I am sure this was done deliberately in hopes of continuing the series. Lena's ending made my eyes roll but Hana's mysterious ending was much more acceptable. I give this book two red birds out five. [Run!]

Is it just me or do these covers give off the "Garden of Eden"  but creepy vibe?

Enjoy!

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Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

From Goodreads

I loved this book in a way that is pure enjoyment. It was like going to an amusement park, yes there were some cliches but there was also the unexpected and the entertainment. I purchased this in actual, page turning book form which I haven't done in ages but am so glad that I did. It is a quick read, I read it in two nights but could have done it in one if my personal life wasn't demanding attention.

The plot had a lot of the basics, bad guy that does bad things for power; confused, inexperienced protagonist that turns out to be something special, parental units that hide what is really going on, and a beautiful, strong willed love interest. That being said, the execution was fantastic and I've never read about a necromancer before. The plot moved along quickly but without feeling rushed. There was a good balance of world building and action. One that initially bothered me but later did not was the change in POV. This book, while dark at times, actually had a fun feel. I appreciate the optimism and humor found throughout this book. I didn't have a problem accepting anything but the ending. Actually one specific part of the ending---SPOILER ALERT--- the part with detective investigating Brooke showed up and they told him everything. It was obviously a set up for something that comes later and it could have been done better.

The character's in this were great, they felt like people instead of just roles with names performing. That is really my biggest thing while reading, I want my characters to be human like and not feel fake. This cast of characters was bigger than most, and I loved that too. I hate it when the main character is just an entity without participation in society. Sam was such a great embodiment of this: he lived in his own apartment, had a relationship with his mom that was relevant, had multiple friends that he actually cared about, and wasn't a stranger to love (I am specifically referring to an emotional capacity.) Ramon, Brooke, and Frank all got varying levels of development depending on their relation to Sam which was totally appropriate but the best part was the relationships changed and grew. They didn't stay stagnate.  

Overall I would recommend this book to 16+ year olds and I give it 4 out of 5 zombies.

From SSpike's Photobucket

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Longbourn by Jo Baker

From Goodreads

Baker has given me a roller coaster ride. At first I wasn't too interested but then suddenly-invested! I was invested for awhile and then that lulled too. I started to get bored right at what was suppose to be a climax--not a good sign. But then she started this backstory/flashback sequence which interested me again. By the end I was tapping my foot waiting for it to be over.

Baker does a lot of great things. She captures the time period perfectly, she did her research. Historically the events notch in the story elegantly. She uses appropriate language and turn of phrase without weighing down the narrative.

Baker also spins her orginial characters beautifully. Each character is unique and free of stereotypes for the most part, this helps flesh them out into individuals instead of place holders. Sarah is the main character and I actually enjoy her thoroughly. The rest of the staff at Longbourn get fully developed and are interesting in their own ways. What I fault Baker is her understanding of the ladies from Pride and Prejudice.  Jane and Elizabeth seem wrapped. Mr. Wickham is particularly villainous and over the top. Elizabeth, after she is married, does a 180 in her personality. She goes from independent to pressured by society to look good at breakfast. Elizabeth even asks Darcy to fight her battle which is NOT like her at all. Mr. Bennett was more of a central figure in this and he got an "interesting" back story but I did enjoy his character being further developed.

The plot was fully developed but the pacing was too slow to keep my attention. I appreciate details but sometimes it just went overboard. Especially with Jame's back story which initially hooked me again but ended up too heavy. Then the large gaps where the characters went missing were suppose to build suspense (I guess?) but really weakened the plot as a whole because it was about as suspenseful as a gaping ragged whole where you can clearly see the bottom about two feet down. I also did not like how the ending was handled, it was just awkward in my opinion. The content was fine and it was just the kind of ending everyone wanted which I appreciated after reading some other works (not reviewed) this month.

The audience is probably what I call "older mom" age which fine but just not something I am use to. It was fairly clean cut and just a tad scandalous. Overall I give Longbourn 3 out of 5 bonnets.

From Sentimentalbaby on Etsy

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Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor

I am just going to come out and say it: This was fluff. The fluff we were dying to hear about since Days of Starlight and Blood from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. (Woah, that's a mouth full.) Night of Cake and Puppets tells the story of how Mik and Zuzanna finally met. Of course it was perfect and it helped ease the loneliness from the trilogy being over. 

A brief taste of what you get in this bite sized novella: backstory of Zuze and Karou's friendship, scuppy wishes, dual point of view with Zuze and Mik, and a romantic setting for the backdrop. 

While I enjoyed Mik's point of view, Zuzanna's point of view is so alive and vibrant it's all I wanted. I would read another novel told from Zuzanna's  point of view. Zuze reminded us just how old our characters are. Karou always seems much older but Zuze has more youthful tone. Zuze also makes me fall in love with Prague. 

I give this short, 5 out of 5 puppets because it did exactly what it was suppose to do. I do not recommend this story as a stand alone. 

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Rogues editted by George RR Martin

Here are my brief thoughts about the anthology "Rogues". I picked this collection up because of the authors that I knew-Martin, Flynn, Cornell, Abraham, but the best part about it was finding authors I am excited to get to know. 

 George R.R. Martin “Everybody Loves a Rogue” (Introduction)---It was good, but I skimmed it. 

Joe Abercrombie “Tough Times All Over”---DNF, I just couldn't get into it. It was messy. 

Gillian Flynn “What Do You Do?”--- Flynn does not disappoint. Read this one. The main character is well developed, the story has fantastic depth, and it's really twisted. 

Matthew Hughes “The Inn of the Seven Blessings”---I actually adored this tale of adventure. Mainly because everyone got exactly what they had coming to them. 

Joe R. Lansdale “Bent Twig”
Michael Swanwick “Tawny Petticoats”
David Ball “Provenance”

Carrie Vaughn “The Roaring Twenties”--- This was okay. The plot was a little thin but the characters were fun. I loved how the club was described and it just painted such a clear picture in my mind which helped immerse into the story when the plot failed to snag me.  

Scott Lynch “A Year and a Day in Old Theradane”---DNR
Bradley Denton “Bad Brass”---DNR
Cherie Priest “Heavy Metal”---DNR
Daniel Abraham “The Meaning of Love”---DNR

Paul Cornell “A Better Way to Die”---DNF, Library automatically returned my digital copy. From what I did get to read, I was really confused. 

Steven Saylor “Ill Seen in Tyre”---DNR
Garth Nix “A Cargo of Ivories”---DNR
Walter Jon Williams “Diamonds From Tequila”---DNR 
Phyllis Eisenstein “The Caravan to Nowhere”---DNR

Lisa Tuttle “The Curious Affair of the Dead Wives”--- This was Sherlock Holmes style tale but I found it lacking. The beginning had a lot of potential but the execution wasn't very good. The main character was so boring and predictable. The Sherlock Holmes of the tale had none of Sherlock Holmes' deductive skills. I don't recommend this one.

Neil Gaiman “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back” ---I was surprised by really liking this one. It was unique. The Marquis' brother was the only thing I didn't really get but I understand this universe is larger than this short story. I will be reading more from Neil Gaiman.

Connie Willis “Now Showing”--- Yes. This had some conspiracy, mystery, romance, and a wonderful rogue.  You should give this one a chance. I will be picking up more material from Willis. 

Patrick Rothfuss “The Lightning Tree” ---DNR (Ugh! I heard this one was the best)

George R.R. Martin "The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother"---This is a history piece for Song of Fire and Ice. Read it if you are familiar with Song of Fire and Ice. It could stand alone but you might not care as much about the universe. I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. 

So I wasn't able to get through everything before I had to return it to the library. I might check it out again after I read a couple novels. 

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Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Stole the picture from Goodreads

In the past I have really like Rainbow Rowell writing. Attachments, not so much. I understand this was Rowell's first novel and I think it shows. Everything feels super contrived. 

So, this novel is about Lincoln, basically 90's loser that is cute. Today he would probably fall into the hipster category. The original hipsters, the ones that didn't try. He is, what amounts to, an internet night watch man. He reads his co-workers emails in case they are breaking company policy. Meet Beth and Jennifer-they don't care about company policy. They rattle about personal problems all the time. This is where it starts to turn fake and plastic like, other than Lincoln being cliche. We, the readers, only get to read exchanges from Beth and Jennifer. Sure, we hear that others vaguely exist but we only get the exchanges from Beth and Jennifer. There were so many missed opportunities with this to built Lincoln and add interest.

Jennifer and Eve were probably the best characters in the book. Lincoln didn't disappoint me, but he didn't wow me either. Beth was....okay. Chris wasn't believable, like at all. Lincoln's mom was a typical mom, nothing too exciting going on there. Doris was also a pleasant character but it felt so convenient for her to appear. Then there was the subplot and backstory Sam, believable but so flat and boring. She was "different" in a trendy sort of way and she was extremely predicable. These clauses are oxymoronic (I'm making that a word!) which sums up Sam. The Dungeons and Dragons gang was alright. I don't understand anything about that so I felt a touch lost. Then there is Justin, a walking cliche. SPOILER ALERT: I'm sure him and Dena will be divorced within a year. Justin is a total tool.  

All the cliche movie references were kind of annoying. I was surprised there wasn't more internet shorthand in the emails. The plot was pretty stale, especially for a publish date of 2011, even though it was a throwback. Maybe I just can't appreciate throwbacks? Not sure.The ending was very OOC. I had to back up a page because I thought I missed something. Anyone that's read it, please tel me if you agree.If you want something cutesy to read, go ahead, this isn't terrible but don't expect the fantastic work of Fangirl in Attachments. 

I give Attachments a 2.5 rainbows out of 5.

Found on Google Search

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The Secret Place by Tana French

Image stole from Google

Let me start by fan girling over here...and over there and every where. I love Tana French. I first picked up Into the Woods in high school and it intrigued me but I had no money to buy it. My dear sweet Rob G bought it for me and it was all over from there. Tana French gripped me and never let go. French was the first author that I was ever mad at but still in awe. All over her books have engrossed me and spit me out feeling feelings unknown to me in complicated way.

This book has a little bit of everything-murder, boarding school, best friends forever, ghosts, Frank Mackey, pop music, boy problems, secret places, and edgy motives for the characters. I liked it, a lot but it wasn't love.

The beginning of The Secret Place was very underwhelming. The characters are beautiful complex as normal but the plot is just a thin, ragged sheet holding the book together. However, I think it was that way by design. Moran has a lot of hope riding on a wisp of maybe evidence and it makes the audience in tune with him-like it could fall apart any second and we could be back to our old lives. My favorite thing in the beginning is when Detective Moran interviews these girls at a boarding school. He is so adept at reading them that it makes me wonder if he is too good.

After that scene with Moran and the girls the plot thickens and comes together. It becomes real and then suddenly I'm invested. This middle section has a lot of flashbacks and not a whole lot of detecting which is fun but I was hoping for more of a balance. The investigation is what is, for me, driving the plot. Conway and Moran are getting along too well but I don't expect that to continue.

The meat of the book contains fantastic character development and a slow unveiling of the events led up to the murder. I am not disappointed in the least with the quality of the mystery. I don't know who did it just because there are so many possibilities on how it could play out. In true French fashion, nothing is cut and dry.

When Frank Mackey arrives on the scene I am blown away. You get this feeling that everything in his career has led up to this moment, and while he might feel guilty for causing it, he is prepared to handle the situation. I seriously have a crush on this guy even though he's old and not real. Frank is a welcome explosion in this case. So much is tightly wound and he is blaring. The contrast really increases the divide between the girls and the adults. It becomes harder and harder to identify with these boarding school girls the more you learn about how twisted they are. Frank is this crashing force that pushes everything apart.

As the book concludes, the identity of the murder slaps me and I feel stupid. I don't like it, in a good way. I don't like how they use the ghost either, in a bad way, but everything is ending much cheerier than other French books. I am still left feeling overwhelmed about what happened despite the almost lovely ending. I have come to really appreciate the whole back story. It's delightful.

Audiobook: The girl narrator annoyed me and distracted me from the story in the beginning but I either got over it or the story got so good it didn't matter because 2/3 through I found myself not minding at all.. The guy narrator's voice of Julia was horrid. Redo?

Overall I give this book 4.5 hoes out of 5.

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Taken from Good Reads

This book is about a princess trusted with special destiny in a fantasy world. Sounds boring already. The characters could have been so stale. The gender role bashing could have been eye roll worthy. The culture blending could have been so fake and over done. But it wasn't.

From the first page Carson ignored pretenses practically required for writing this kind of story. Young princess in an arranged marriage that isn't prattling about how unfair life is and how she wants true love? My hopes soared. A princess that isn't a size zero and has trouble with over eating?  Normal sibling rivalry? I got scared in the next chapter I would be let down because everything good was in chapter one. 

No. Nothing let me down, well...nothing serious.

Spoilers may exist from this point on-Read at your own risk.

The first showing casing of Elisa's intelligence comes when she takes her sister's advice. The sister she doesn't like. The sister that is better at politics than Elisa. More than two thirds of young adult heroines would never do that. They have to be free and learn from their mistakes and yada yada yada. 

The attitude that Elisa has toward her arranged married and Alejandro is jaw dropping-ly appropriate. She doesn't balk at it, she doesn't have false expectations about insta love, and she is clear about her desires. She tells her husband/acquaintance  right off the bat-"I don't want to be intimate tonight." 

What a novel idea, communicate with words your feelings/preferences/control instead of acting crazy. Since Alejandro isn't a scum bag, he completely respects that. 

There is no insta love with anyone. Love isn't even central to the story-plenty happens without it, like war council, kidnapping, battles, losing important people. 

Oh and a mystical god gave her a belly jewel that makes her special and appropriately, she is pious, yet struggles with her faith. Some people think that makes this Christian Lit. I'm going go with no, while they might have a lot of common elements I am sensing Carson is just accurately portraying someone that had something supernatural happen to her in which her society has an explanation that works. The religion portrayed in this book has common themes with Christianity but I would not say parallels it. 

I also love how Elisa isn't an island. I mentioned this before, but Elisa doesn't ignore everyone's advice and just do in heart what she feels is best without reasons to back it up. She listens to the people that she respects and she learns without having to make disastrous mistakes. Yet, you never feel that Elisa is a puppet because she makes her own choices after mulling things over plus she has character growth over the course of the novel. She starts out self centered and then starts caring about the people around her more. She learns about her own abilities and their limits. She makes mistakes because she isn't experienced and some have disastrous results. This makes her worthy of role model status.

Now the other characters are not as well developed.  Rosario, her nurse, Cosme, Humberto...they are multi-faceted but I don't think they get the depth they deserve. Hopefully in future novels this will change. Alejandro did get a fair amount of depth but without true exploration. This is actually a good choice on Carson's part  because there wasn't time in Elisa's life to truly get to know him. Elisa, and the audience, learned that he was complex but that was it. 

Major Spoiler- I think Humberto's death was appropriate. Too often love interests are saved by the author just because they are love interest. The world is cruel, war is brutal, and killing your enemies' treasured ones is effective. Not killing them removes the horribleness of war.   

Now, Elisa started off the novel overweight but then she goes through a tough physical trial and slims down. A lot people also had a problem with that because she changed herself. That is ridiculous. Elisa grew as a human being to have more self control and endurance and people are mad about that? Elisa is stronger for this change, not weaker. I applaud Carson for this realistic choice.

Some of the bad things-a few haired brained schemes worked when they shouldn't have but this fantasy so I'll let it go. The antagonist were not super developed and there should have been more time spent developing them, especially individual leaders. {SPOILER} And finally, after being made Queen Regent over the land Elisa carves off a part for a new country and makes a new Queen. Woah. No way is the Quorum going to be peaceful about that or the public.

 NO SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT.

I will be reading more of this series, I will be reading more from Carson, and hopefully if just gets better. I will give this book 4.5/5 roses for good writing and refreshing characters.

Random selection from Google

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About Observations from The End

Hello!

This is the only post I want to be brief. This blog for my thoughts about books. I will be reviewing some of the books I read. You will get my honest opinion and nothing else.

I would love to take suggestions on what to read next, hear your opinions, and by all means challenge my observations. Please be respectful, no one here needs to agree but any name calling or slander will not be tolerated.

Currently I am working on two reviews. One for something I finished last night and one for something in progress. I don't know how often I will be updating but hopefully it will be often. However, I make no promises.

With love and respect-

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