Fifty Shades of WTF

Ok, so I took a brief detour from Insurgent to look into the Fifty Shades trilogy that I've heard so much about lately. If SNL deems it worthy of spoofing, then I suppose I might as well give it a go.
I started with Fifty Shades of Grey this week, which bears this cover:

If you happen to read this book, you'll know why the cover picture is what it is.

The book has its intrigue as well as its not so much moments. I think another round of editing would have been beneficial in that aspect as it could cut some of the less relevant information. On the other hand, I found some of the mundane specifics to be interesting and quite true to life.

The story itself has been explained as "mommy porn" and I would have to agree. This is kind of like a trussed up Harlequin romance. There are some big words scattered here and there and a plot very loosely based on some classic literary tales. Much of the storyline alludes to Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but I found Christian Grey to be much more like Dorian Grey. I can't help but wonder if that idea was buried somewhere deep within the novel as well. That hedonistic, beauty-loving spirit of Dorian is very much a part of Christian Grey's character, but as far as I know he doesn't keep an aging portrait of himself. We shall see what is to come of that in future novels.

Is it the best book I've read this year? Definitely not. There are some fallacies throughout the story, and it has moments where I could only think...yeah, right. That would never really happen.

So if you're looking for a steamy summer romance, then by all means pick it up. It is definitely a little on the kinky side of things, but that is apparently the appeal of the story. If your tastes are more classically inclined like those of the protagonist Ana, you might want to just skip this series.

Back to Insurgent now (or perhaps Clash of Kings...hmmm...so many options). Happy summer reading friends!

Deadlocked

Well, fellow Sookie fans, we are only one book away from the conclusion of the series. And honestly, I think it's time. Of course, I did purchase Deadlocked on its release day because I have to know where the series is going.



But, once again, I was not super impressed with the story. It just feels...blah. Like she's trying to tie everything up but could do it with less books. I think she could probably have stopped a few books ago and been the better for it. However, we are still meandering along Sookie's complicated life with her. And she still hasn't really chosen. If nothing else, I wish she would just pick one damn man already. Geez, girl, you can't keep them all. (Not unhappy to have the Quinn cameo though! I do love that tiger.)

Anyway, this book is yet another filler, I feel, to get us along to the finale of the series. It better be a damn good one, too, since Charlaine's been stringing us along for a couple of books.

Crossed

Another book that I finished yesterday is Ally Condie's Crossed. Ta da!



This book is the continuation of last year's Matched, which I loved. I've had it for a while and finally picked it up to finish durng finals week. (Hey, I gotta do something while everyone's taking exams).

I wasn't unhappy with this story, but it definitely was not as interesting to me as Matched. The back and forth narration in the chapters almost annoyed me. On the one hand, it was okay to have different points of view, but like it said, it got a litle annoying. I was relatively satisfied with how the story ended, too. It definitely sets up well for the next book in the series (can't remember its title offhand, but it starts with a C, too). I am curious to see who Cassia meets up with going into the next book as well. If you read Matched (which I highly recomnend!), then I think this book is worth a read just because it will get you to the continuation of the series when it comes out later this year. :)

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack, for today.

Hi friends! I have done a lot of reading lately, but I haven't posted anything. Life, you know, it just takes up so much time. Oy! In the past week I have finished up several books, so I will just start with the most recent. Here she is, the beauty:

I picked up a signed copy of this book back in November while at NCTE in Chicago. I got to hear Veronica Roth speak, and she was a doll. She's also super young. Probably younger than me. I suppose that's why she captures the voice of her main character so well.

Fans of Hunger Games and similar YA series should enjoy this story. It has a female protagonist, a seriously categorized city lifestye, and a yummy love story. Honestly, I couldn't put it down and finished in less than 24 hours. I can't believe I didn't pick the book up before now. The divisions within the book and the reasons behind them are certainly interesting. They are right on par with things like Hogwarts Houses and Panem districts. Since it won't spoil anything for you, here are the city divisions: Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, Candor, and Amnity. I would like to say that I would be dauntless, but I am afraid I would be Erudite instead or possibly Abnegation. If you read the book, you should totally respond with what group you would choose!

Anyway, the second book in the series, Insurgent, came out last week (or perhaps the week before), so it is next on my list. I am actually planning on starting it tonight, so here's tohoping there's a new post about it soon!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Hello, friends. Just finished up Michelle Hodkin's debut novel, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I was not disappointed. First of all, check out this cover:

Isn't it pretty? And not only is it pretty, but it also feels pretty, kind of satiny smooth. Enough about the cover, here's the dish on the book itself.

I honestly didn't know what to expect from the book because I hadn't seen/read anything about it. I was intrigued by the cover (because yes, I do judge books by their covers) so I thought it would be a good read. The story itself is something many people can relate to. Mara is a teenage girl recovering from a tragic experience in a new town. From there, the story takes on a more psychological exploration of how she deals with her previous trauma as well as adjusting to a new school, where she manages to ostracize herself from day one. The story takes a quirky turn into some supernatural elements that I was not really expecting. However, I probably should have expected them. They are slowly unraveled as the story progresses, sometimes almost too neatly. And the ending? There are really no clear answers at the end of the story, which pretty much ensures that there will be a sequel (yay!). Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

Now I'm trying to decide which of the hundreds of books I have I will read next. Any suggestions?
Until the next time, happy reading!

Back in the blog-o-sphere!

Hello friends. I am officially back in the blog-o-sphere and have just returned from this year's fabulous NCTE/ALAN conference with a huge pile of new books to read and review. First up is this book:

I received this book Friday and finished it Sunday. I definitely gobbled it up. First off, I was totally fasinated by this book because it is a combination of pictures and literature. From what I have heard, the author (Ransom Riggs) collected the photos then used them to write a story. Intriguing? Absolutely.

The photo/literature combination is well balanced throughout the book. I can definitely tell that a lot of planning went into the story because there were pictures later on in the story that just fit so well with where he took the story. Also, the story itself is fascinating. I won't give too many details, but basically it is all about a young man who finds himself as he realizes that sometimes stories that seem fantastical can come true. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found that I couldn't put it down. Some of the pictures are a little creepy (and they are actual vintage photos the author collected from others), and initially I chose this book first because of that. Here are a few:

          

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in a good story.

Next up? The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. So far, so good.

Until next time, happy reading!

Nightstand full of books...

Hello all. Shockingly enough, I have finished another book. Today I finished Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Now I've heard a lot of things about the book and the movie, so I had to find out what it was like for myself. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. 
Who would have thought that a book about writing a book would be so enthralling? I think the reason why it's so good is that each character is captured so well. The book is narrated from three different characters' viewpoints, and they are each so different in their own ways. And no book is complete with a villain, and let me tell you, I know plenty of Hilly Holbrooks that are still around today.
I did make one mistake, though, and that was reading this book in my office. I definitely teared up a few times and thought, "Oh my goodness, I hope no one comes in to ask about an assignment." I understand now why so many people say that the movie makes them laugh, cry, and rage all at the same time. I feel like Stockett took a risk writing this book because of the time period.  She definitely captures that era well and all the tensions that were present. Her timing is fabulous and the lines well delivered. More than one time I found myself thinking, yep, I know exactly what she means.
Perhaps this book resonates so well because I am from the South and have lived here from birth. A lot of these old South manners are still in the fabric of my family (though not to the extent of this book, thank goodness) and I think that also helped me relate more strongly to the book. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone who's up for a good read that's not afraid to be brutally honest about a tumultuous time period.

Well, that's on book down from the pile of half read books I have. What to finish up next? I have three books I've half finished that I plan on finishing up (Clash of Kings, Dark and Hollow Places, and The Vampire Diaries). We'll see which one I get through next. Until then, happy reading!