Reading For Fun

rinceya: edwardspoonhands: Apparently I should have gone...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:12:07 -0400

edwardspoonhands:

Apparently I should have gone higher than “more than 25” because this isn’t giving me the best resolution. Also…YOU GUYS READ A LOT OF DAMN BOOKS!

When I filled this out, I actually was surprised by the fact that it stopped at 25+.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver I’ve been meaning to start...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:49:56 -0400

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I’ve been meaning to start the Delirium series for years now….. Here we go.

Summary from Goodreads.com:

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever.

And I’ve always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed.

Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love

I’m sure for most people, the premise “falling in love is a disease and anyone who does will be persecuted” causes an eye roll at best. I’ve always been skeptical of really “romantic” books. I have nothing against romantic plotlines, but any book that is primarily centered around some kind of epic forbidden love usually just seems overdramatic to me.

Delirium sort of fit this stereotype, but broke it in other ways too. For one, the world building and characters in this book are so well developed that the dramatics don’t seem so ridiculous. In fact, Oliver makes sure that Lena, and even Hana, are relatable and easy for the reader to sympathize with.

The protagonist, Lena, is also likable mostly because she differs a little bit from other YA dystopian heroines. In most books, the heroine has always felt a bit different from the rest or has always felt the need to rebel. Although Lena is a bit of an outcast, she is considered pretty average among her peers. At the beginning of the book, she appears to be just as brainwashed as anyone else in the society. Oliver used Lena’s naivety as the starting point of a really great journey of self discovery for her main character. The author’s almost poetic writing style also gave the story a very “profound” feel, for lack of a better word.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the supporting characters. The dynamics between Lena and her family, who are really her aunt, uncle, and cousins, was really interesting. I think Oliver did a great job of using Lena’s family as an example of how the government controls the “deliria” and overall lives of its citizens.

Hana is also a favorite of mine. She is almost entirely the antithesis of Lena, but not in a bad way. In many ways, I would argue that Hana is the image of what Lena aspires to be. The girls’ friendship was also a component of the book that I enjoyed a lot. I liked that the book touched on the fact that romantic love was not the only kind of affection that the procedure affected. Another reason why Lena is torn about her procedure is because it will all but end her bond with Hana.

Now for the romance. I have no problems with Lena’s romantic interest as a character, but I did feel that their relationship progressed a bit too quickly to be realistic. However, Lena’s feelings for him are not the only factor that influences the main climax of the novel, which made it more okay with me.

The Delirium series is probably not one that I would have picked up on my own if I had not heard so much positivity about it. In the end, I definitely liked the first book. I will definitely attempt to finish the series at some point this year!

Rating: ★★★1/2 (out of 5)

Read If You Like: Matched by Ally Condie

Kiss me first

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:22:35 -0400

Kiss me first:

I’ve just experienced the KISS ME FIRST trailer. Find out who’s really online and and you could win a copy of Lottie Moggach’s thrilling debut novel of modern-day deception.

Check out this incredible and creative book trailer for Kiss Me First! I love seeing new marketing techniques for books. I never used to like book trailers, but lately I’ve been loving a lot of them!

libralthinking: As a former bookseller, I appreciated John...

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:34:39 -0400

libralthinking:

As a former bookseller, I appreciated John Green’s impassioned speech in support of editors, publishers, and booksellers (with a shout out to librarians). (f-bomb included).

THIS

bookshelfporn: ‘tsundoku’ - the Japanese word for buying books...

Fri, 31 May 2013 12:56:07 -0400

bookshelfporn:

‘tsundoku’ - the Japanese word for buying books & not reading them, leaving them to pile up. Who else is guilty of this?

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Fri, 24 May 2013 21:30:28 -0400

Legend by Marie Lu I was a bit apprehensive about reading the...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:50:22 -0400

Legend by Marie Lu

I was a bit apprehensive about reading the Legend series. It seemed to fall so neatly into the dystopian craze overtaking young-adult fiction that I doubted it would have anything more to offer that I hadn’t read already. In certain ways, my prediction turned out to be true. However, there is a reason why these types of books are so popular right now; they’re suspenseful, exciting and overall good reads.

Summary from Goodreads.com:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

What I enjoyed most about Legend was its dual narrative structure. Experiencing the story from both June and Day’s points of view and learning how their lives would intersect was probably the most interesting part of the novel. The amount of YA told from a girl’s perspective is overwhelming, so it’s always a nice change of pace to experience a story from a boy’s point of view.

Like I said earlier, Legend isn’t remarkably different from any other dystopian book. It’s about two star-crossed teens living under a totalitarian government who fight the corruption in their society. Despite this, the book is still quite thrilling, and short enough so that it doesn’t drag on. I think the only reason it took me so long to get through this book is because of finals (which are over now, huzzah!)

Lu is definitely a talented writer and although this isn’t my favorite YA dystopian series, I will continue with the series. Hopefully I will be able to finish Prodigy by the end of the summer (in addition to a dozen others I’m dying to read!)

Rating: ★★★1/2 (out of 5)

Read If You Like: Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Maze Runner by James Dashner

180° Opinion: The romance between the two protagonists seems very rushed and it’s hard to believe that these two would fall for each other so quickly under such dire circumstances.

penguinteen: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:10:26 -0400

penguinteen:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New York’s hottest club is…the Union Square Barnes & Noble on May 30th at 7 PM! Brought to you by Penguin Live, this event has EVERYTHING: Andrea Cremer, Sarah Dessen, Marie Lu, Richelle Mead, and Rick Yancey. It’s going to be the best time ever. We can’t wait!

A Workout For Book Nerds

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:35:25 -0400

harpercollins:

epicreads:

All you need for this workout is a stack of hardcovers and some yarn or rope to tie them together!

Workout #1: The Book Curl

Workout #2: The Book Up

Workout #3: The Brunch (Book Crunch) - Just like brunch this can be done alone or with a friend!

Cool Down

The Epic Reads team rules massively…

Adding this to my workout regimen immediately!

John Green's tumblr: code-red-arthur: festusthehappydragon: darkstoriesofthenorth:...

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:18:45 -0400

John Green's tumblr: code-red-arthur: festusthehappydragon: darkstoriesofthenorth:...:

melissaanelli:

code-red-arthur:

festusthehappydragon:

darkstoriesofthenorth:

for-one-shining-moment:

subliminal-mind-duck:

John Green’s car breaks down

The Fault in Our Cars

John Green gets locked in a pub

The Fault in Our Bars

John Green writes a strongly worded pamphlet on the flaws of the Russian Monarchy

The Fault in Our Czars

John Green talks about un-scary dinosuars

The Fault in Our Rawrs

I can play this game, too, tumblr!

John Green writes a novel about the character defects of Metallica’s drummer.

The Fault in Our Lars.

John Green teams up with Ray Bradbury.

The Fault in Our Mars.

I wanna play!

John Green is bad at astronomy.

The Fault in Our Stars.

wait……

YA!flash: A Brief Breakdown of Categories

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:24:54 -0400

YA!flash: A Brief Breakdown of Categories:

yaflash:

Middle Grade: Books written for an audience approximately 8-12. The stories are usually (but not always) shorter than YA novels, characters are younger, and the main push is toward an external adventure involving finding one’s place in their community/family, rather than lots of introspection….

littledallilasbookshelf: Brentwood Library, Tennessee

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:16:29 -0400

littledallilasbookshelf:

Brentwood Library, Tennessee

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Thu, 09 May 2013 12:11:13 -0400

TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide to What Lives, Dies and Still Has a Pulse

Thu, 09 May 2013 11:57:00 -0400

TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide to What Lives, Dies and Still Has a Pulse:

lauren-oliver:

curingthedeliria:

Delirium* — PASSED OVER

Logline: Based on best-selling trilogy about a world where love is deemed illegal and is able to be eradicated with a special procedure. With 95 days to go until her scheduled treatment, Lena Holoway (Emma Roberts) does the unthinkable: she falls in love.

Cast: Emma Roberts, Daren Kragasoff (Secret Life of the American Teenager), Billy Campbell (The Killing), Jeanine Mason, Michael Michele, Gregg Sulkin, Corey Reynolds, Brenda Koo, Melinda McGraw (guest)

Team: W/EP: Karyn Usher (Prison Break, Bones); EP Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope, Paul Mazur, Mitchell Kaplan; D Rodrigo Garcia

Studio: 20th Television, Chernin Entertainment

Location: Los Angeles

Unfortunately the Delirium pilot did not get picked up.

I will share more detailed thoughts on this later. Sad day, but forever grateful for the experience and all the support from everyone involved.

I am incredibly shocked by this. Not only did this series have a popular and talented cast but it also already had a following because of the success of the books. I’m thinking maybe they’re waiting a until spring/summer to pick it up? Unless the pilot that was filmed was just atrocious (which I suppose is a possibility) I can’t think of a strong enough reason why this series was not picked up. Sad and confusing, indeed.

COVERFLIP RESULTS!

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:45:25 -0400

maureenjohnsonbooks:

My post is now up on Huffington Post, along with the SLIDESHOW.

lauren-oliver: fightingmydragons: EXACTLY. Right?

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:44:01 -0400

lauren-oliver:

fightingmydragons:

EXACTLY.

Right?

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Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:01:40 -0400

“Men may be stronger, but it is women who endure.”

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:22:09 -0400

“Men may be stronger, but it is women who endure.”

Basically.

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:03:00 -0400

Basically.

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley Summary from Hardcover (First...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:31:54 -0400

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

Summary from Hardcover (First Edition):

“Don’t fight me, Pretty Girl,” he whispered, pressed against your body, his moist lips touching your ear.

Fight him? Your limbs were soft, weak. Your knees on the edge of collapse. You couldn’t even take a step, to run, to flee. How could you fight him? Your stomach clenched and the sound of wind rushed through your ears, a hurricane in your head.

Above the roar, you heard a little girl’s high-pitched voice call, “Quick. Hide!”

I opened the rusted gate for you to slip inside.

Stabbing pain pierced between your temples. Still you stayed, frozen in his grip. We tugged, pulled at you until something broke loose. For just a moment, you contracted into a tiny, hard point of light, felt yourself cut away from your body.

You hid. We kept you hidden till it was safe.

It was a long, long time.

Holy hell. I don’t even know how to describe this book.

Disturbing. Haunting. Gripping. Stressful. Sad. All of the above.

13-year-old Angela stumbles home from a camping trip one day to find out that she’s been missing for three years, but doesn’t remember a thing. PG-13 recounts Angie’s journey to figure out what happened to her in the missing time while at the same time she adjusts to suddenly being 16 and in high school.

As you can imagine, this book deals with some pretty hard issues including rape, abuse, and their psychological effects. None of the abuse is described explicitly, but that doesn’t stop this novel from being chilling right down to the bone.

To say that I liked this book would be an incorrect statement. I would never say that I enjoyed reading a book that deals with such dark subject matter as this one. That being said, it’s still a really good book. Coley’s writing is powerful and relatable (though I hope no readers can actually relate to Angie’s experiences).

I read this book in one sitting and felt literally exhausted after doing so. It’s a page-turner, most definitely. This novel will have you so emotionally involved in will be impossible to put down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery or thriller. Be warned though, that the subject matter of this book is pretty intense.

Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)

Read If You Liked: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Identical by Ellen Hopkins

180° Opinion: Although sexual abuse, abduction, and psychological disorders are prevalent issues in our society, the combination and amount of all three described in this book is probably unrealistic (then again, I am not an expert). Also, I thought the reactions from Angie’s former friends after her return were completely unrealistic. I don’t care how much of a bitch you are; when your childhood friend returns from being missing for three years, you don’t joke or make light of it.