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This is hosted at shouldbereading. To participate you just need to answer the following questions:
- What are you currently reading?
Imagine starting at the end and finishing back at the beginning. This is the very story of a teenage girl called Valerie Saunders who is about to be thrown through time and space. Being bestowed with abilities beyond her wildest nightmares, she discovers that she not only has to deal with turning eighteen, her first job and an unwanted tattoo, but also magical powers and intense urges to fall in love. She envisaged she would spend her life blending into the scenery, not blowing it up!
Val has a calling, but which side is dialling her number?
I'm currently reading "The Thirteenth" by G. L. Twynham. It's a self published book, and is part of a series. I'm just over halfway through, and I've liked what I've seen so far.
- What did you recently finish reading?
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out.... Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
I finished reading "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris on Sunday. My review for this book can be found here.
- What do you think you’ll read next?
Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.
I think that after I have finished reading " The Thirteenth", I will read " Stardust" by Neil Gaiman. I've already seen the film, but at the time of watching, I wasn't aware that it was based on a book.
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?
I have no idea why, but I expected this book to have a happy ending. I was wrong! If you don't like tearjerkers, this certainly is not the book for you.
My Sister's Keeper certainly brings up some thought provoking moral issues. All the way through reading this book, I was thinking 'If I was Anna, what would I do?' It really did make me question myself as a person.
Picoult wrote this book in the first person, implementing the points of view of several characters, and she does it well, which surprised me, as I was slightly skeptical of the multiple points of view when I first started reading.
The Good: I love how this book doesn't just focus on Anna and her family. It shows that although they're going through a hard time and making tough decisions, other people's lives go on as normal.
I like that the ending was unexpected. At least it was to me. I'm not good at guessing where books are going. But I saw three possible outcomes for this book, and was surprised when none of them happened.
The Bad: The book flips from past to present which I found a little confusing.
If it were not for the flipping from past to present, I would have given 'My Sister's Keeper' four stars, but this irritant brings it down to three stars for me.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
"A beautiful woman in a dark sack dress moved through a soft, swirling mist towards Val. This dream was new and Val didn't know where exactly she was"
The Thirteenth by G. L. Twynham
"Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life - and one of her coworkers checks out.... Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhose Series. I am not a True Blood watcher, so I cannot make any comments on similarities or difference between the books and the television series.
When I first started to read the book, I disliked both the writing style and the main character. "You can tell I don't get out much. And it's not because I'm not pretty. I am." This did not endear me to Sookie at all. Then the physical description of her after this didn't help me to like the writing style. However, the writing style did improve. I didn't ever learn to like Sookie, but I'm hoping to become more attached to her as a character in the subsequent books.
I have problems with Sookie's romantic life. Sookie and Bill declare their 'love' for each other way too soon. The fact that Sam has feelings for Sookie makes Sookie's love life reflect that of Bella Swan. I'm sure Stephenie didn't have many original thoughts whilst writing Twilight. (I really enjoyed The Host though!)
Reading this book, I have a hard time understanding 'fangbangers'. "A human who enjoys having have sex with and allows vampires to drink their blood." Just...no.
The Good:
- The vampires don't sparkle
- Everyone is aware that vampires exist! I've never read a book before where everyone is aware of the existence of vampires.
- Elvis is a vampire!
The Bad:
- Some of the descriptions at the beginning are awful. Especially Sookie's conceited description of herself
- I found Sookie irritating at first. I thought she was like eighteen, then it turns out that she's twenty-five!
I give this book 2.5 stars out of 5. I did like it, and I will read the rest of the series, but I wouldn't really recommend it except for a light read in between more serious - and hopefully better written - books
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"This book tells the tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earthextraordinary is the time—the twelfth century; the place—feudal England; and the subject—the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape. Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters—into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.At once a sensuous and endearing love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age, The Pillars of the Earth is without a doubt Ken Follett's masterpiece."
It took me a while to get into this book as it starts off rather slowly. However, I am glad that I decided to read on as this book is an enjoyable read.
This book is historical fiction though I believe it is based around some historical facts. As someone who is not interested in the historical facts, I was ignorant to these.
The good: The story is carried out over a period of thirty years, which allows the reader to see characters develop, and become attached to them.
A sense of 'good will thwart evil' can be taken from this book. This is nice, considering the amount of wrong-doing that occurs throughout the book.
The bad: This book does incorporate a few scenes of rape, which I found uncomfortable to read. Women are generally treated badly in this book, althought this is understandable as it is set in the 11th Century.
I also disliked the length of the chapters, though they may have just seemed longer as I read the majority of this book on my computer. I dislike finishing reading in the middle of a chapter, but I found myself doing so frequently with this book since the chapters were so long.
Overall: I was impressed by this book, as at first I thought it would be boring and focus very much on the historical side of things. This is not true. The book focuses more on the characters and their lives. I liked being able to see the whole of the characters lives, since the book is spread over thirty years. I would definitely recommend this book and give it four stars.
This book also has a sequel, World Without End, which I am yet to read.
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MEET BECKY BLOOMWOOD, AN IRRESISTIBLE HEROINE WITH A BIG HEART, BIG DREAMS --- AND JUST ONE LITTLE WEAKNESS ...
Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London's trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season's must-haves. The only trouble is, she can't actually afford it --- not any of it. Her job writing atSuccessful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique? But lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank --- letters with large red sums she can't bear to read --- and they're getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something ...
Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life --- and the lives of those around her --- forever.
Due to the fact that it has been some time since I read these books, I have decided to make a post about the series as a whole rather than each individual book, since they're all pretty much of the same standard.
I find this series is awful, but also addicting. I also find the Nightworld series, The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars awful but addicting.
I find the series awful because I find much of it very unrealistic. The majority of Becky's friends appear to be millionaires. Hell, if all of my friends were millionaires, I wouldn't feel guilty at all if I sponged off of them!
I also find Becky rather irritating. At first I felt sorry for her, seeing as she was in so much debt. Then she carries on building up her debt, and I can't help but think 'YOU DESERVE THIS!'
The series is addicting because I couldn't help but want to read on to see what ridiculous predicament Becky Bloomwood would get herself into next.
Overall, I would recommend this series, but only as a rest between heavy reading. They are an easy read. I would say that each book could be read in a day or two. It's the kind of books I can imagine reading in the garden or on holiday on a warm summer's day. It's a pity that warm summer days seem to be a rarity these days!
This series gets 3 stars from me.
Well today is the day that I make the first of the hopefully many posts on this blog. As the name suggest, this is a place where I will talk about books, and possibly other things if and when the fancy takes me.
At the moment this blog looks awful because I don't really understand how to use blogger, but hopefully I will somehow find the patience to learn.
So far this year I have read The Secret Dream World of a Shopaholic; Shopaholic Abroad; Shopaholic Ties the Knot; Shopaholic & Sister; The Pillars of the Earth; My Sisters Keeper; Forever Odd and Brother Odd. I will be making posts about these in the next couple of days.
I've read a few other books this year, but I wouldn't know what to say about those :P
Currently I'm reading Dead Until Dark. It's the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
(I don't have a clue what I'm doing by the way.)
~Ashleigh
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