I love this book.
I always forget how much I love this book but it's a really good book.
It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it makes me annoyed and frustrated, and it lets me empathize with not just the sad a character feels but with the fight to do what they know is right verses what they want. Hunt did a good job, in my opinion--and my mother's, for that matter--of catching all the reader's emotions and relating them to things that everyone is going to experience.
I already talked about Up a Road Slowly but I hadn't recently read the book at that point. When I read it yesterday, I realized that I had forgotten about a lot of the reasons I keep reading this book so I decided to write about it again anyway.
This book is about a girl named Julie as she grows from age 7 to 17. In this time, her mother dies, she goes to live with a very proper maiden aunt, deals with her ridiculous liar of an uncle, she struggles with peer pressure and guilt, her sister marries, her father marries, she dates a guy I hate more every time I read the book, and she writes stories. There's a bit of Shakespeare, Sara Teasdale, and Edna St. Vincent Millay thrown in.
This book is set probably around the 1960s. In addition, the situation Julie finds herself in isn't normal. But when reading, I didn't care; I understood what and why she felt what she felt and that's all that really matters. The decisions she makes are always decisions I could see myself making, even if I disagree with the choice.
Look; this is just a good coming-of-age novel. It's short and sweet and entertaining. Read it.
Criticisms: I guess the only problem would be the tendency to go off on little tangents. They always have a lot more to do with the story than White's did, though. Also, I love this book. Read it yourself and find your own criticisms. I got nothin'.
Rating: Great.
Read again? Duh.
You read? If you're a girl. I hate saying that, but I guess I don't read enough guy books. Sorry.
Age? Teen+
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hey, you!
Way to read my blog. Now vote on the survey. So far only my roommate and my mom have taken it. I need more diversity. Thank you and have a nice day!
Now go read a book.
Now go read a book.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
This was a very... sweet book. I suppose I mean the prince was sweet. It is not a normal book... Basically it's the story of a little prince from a tiny planet and what happens when he leaves to go exploring. It's sort of like what you might think of as a bedtime story but it's longer. It's hard to explain. I would say it's written very simply but it is thought provoking, I suppose. There were some interesting opinions and ideas. Read it yourself and you'll see. It's not that long... You have time.
Rating: good.
Read again? Some day.
You read? Yes.
Age level: This is a good book for anyone, I'd say.
Where did I get this book? It was on the list of books I published months ago. MW had borrowed it from JM and let me read it as well.
Rating: good.
Read again? Some day.
You read? Yes.
Age level: This is a good book for anyone, I'd say.
Where did I get this book? It was on the list of books I published months ago. MW had borrowed it from JM and let me read it as well.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
I'm curious
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013844418_twainchange05.html?syndication=rss
http://www.newschannel9.com/articles/word-997514-gribben-finn.html
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/256555/don-t-rewrite-mark-twain-rich-lowry
Take the survey to the right. Or comment.
http://www.newschannel9.com/articles/word-997514-gribben-finn.html
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/256555/don-t-rewrite-mark-twain-rich-lowry
Take the survey to the right. Or comment.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
To start off, this is the fourth in a series about Nicholas Flamel and is preceded by The Alchemist, The Magician, and The Sorceress. The next book is going to be The Warlock. Just to get this out there, I do not approve of authors who put the first chapter of their next unpublished book at the end of the previous one. It drives me crazy. You'd think I'd've learned by now not to read them, but I suppose the law of inertia applies to reading, too. (I just used a really lame science reference in a blog about books. Wow. Sad.)
The characters in these books are all good and bad and therefore more realistic and less annoying then characters of other books I've read. My favorite character right now is on the wrong side, which is unfortunate...but at least there's a character I like, I suppose. Scott made me want to know what was going to happen and his descriptions are always vivid. The characters travel all over the world and see all sorts of cool places which is interesting. His books have taught me some interesting mythological "facts".
Criticisms: These books are pretty decent. Obviously, they've kept me interested enough to keep reading but on the other hand, I haven't bothered to reread any of the previous ones. This could be caused by a number of things: 1. These books call from mythological stories and legends from all over the world and I don't know much about the originals. 2. As the books have gone on, Scott has added far too many characters. He has to go through five or six chapters to cover what's happening to all of them. By the end of these chapters I don't care what's happening to the first character anymore; I just want to know what's happening to the characters in the last two chapters I read. 3. I have several times yelled at the characters for being idiots. Half of them have the same stubborn, I'm right, distrusting personality and the other half have a greater good, stubborn, I'm right personality. 4. There is a lot of drama. 5. I just read the reviews on goodreads.com and everyone was being really whiny.
Rating: Good. Not as good as the first three, but whatever.
Read again? I'll decide after he finishes the series.
You read? I'll give this a maybe. It's not a must read, but it's pretty good.
Age? Teen +
Where did I get this book? I've been borrowing every book in this series from CR.
The characters in these books are all good and bad and therefore more realistic and less annoying then characters of other books I've read. My favorite character right now is on the wrong side, which is unfortunate...but at least there's a character I like, I suppose. Scott made me want to know what was going to happen and his descriptions are always vivid. The characters travel all over the world and see all sorts of cool places which is interesting. His books have taught me some interesting mythological "facts".
Criticisms: These books are pretty decent. Obviously, they've kept me interested enough to keep reading but on the other hand, I haven't bothered to reread any of the previous ones. This could be caused by a number of things: 1. These books call from mythological stories and legends from all over the world and I don't know much about the originals. 2. As the books have gone on, Scott has added far too many characters. He has to go through five or six chapters to cover what's happening to all of them. By the end of these chapters I don't care what's happening to the first character anymore; I just want to know what's happening to the characters in the last two chapters I read. 3. I have several times yelled at the characters for being idiots. Half of them have the same stubborn, I'm right, distrusting personality and the other half have a greater good, stubborn, I'm right personality. 4. There is a lot of drama. 5. I just read the reviews on goodreads.com and everyone was being really whiny.
Rating: Good. Not as good as the first three, but whatever.
Read again? I'll decide after he finishes the series.
You read? I'll give this a maybe. It's not a must read, but it's pretty good.
Age? Teen +
Where did I get this book? I've been borrowing every book in this series from CR.
Interesting
My mom sent this article to me and, as it talks about some books I've mentioned, I decided to post an excerpt. If it interests you, this is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Paul-t.html
Kids’ Books Are All Right
By PAMELA PAUL
While au fait literary types around town await the buzzed-about new novels from Jonathan Franzen and Nicole Krauss, other former English majors have spent the summer trying to get hold of “Mockingjay,” the third book in Suzanne Collins’s dystopian trilogy, so intensely under wraps that not even reviewers have been allowed a glimpse before its airtight Aug. 24 release. What fate will befall our heroine, Katniss Everdeen? My fellow book club members and I are desperate to know. When will the Capitol fall? And how can Collins possibly top the first two installments, “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire”?
Oh, did I mention? “Mockingjay” is for teenagers. I am well into my 30s.
But I am not embarrassed by my, shall we say, immature taste in literature....
“A lot of adult literature is all art and no heart,” Foreman, who is currently working on a book about British involvement in the American Civil War, said. “But good Y.A. is like good television. There’s a freshness there; it’s engaging. Y.A. authors aren’t writing about middle-aged anomie or disappointed people.”
...
“We take these books seriously,” said Grossman, whose latest novel, “The Magicians,” has been described as an R-rated Harry Potter. His group recently devoted two sessions — “among the most contentious and shouty we’ve had” — to “The Hunger Games.” Is Katniss a feminist hero? Is she a tool of the state? Is this a conventional romance or a subversion of the genre? “Everybody had an opinion,” Grossman added.
...Y.A. may also pierce the jadedness and cynicism of our adult selves. “When you talk to people about the books that have meant a lot to them, it’s usually books they read when they were younger because the books have this wonder in everyday things that isn’t bogged down by excessively grown-up concerns or the need to be subtle or coy,” explained Jesse Sheidlower, an editor at large at the Oxford English Dictionary and member of Kidlit. “When you read these books as an adult, it tends to bring back the sense of newness and discovery that I tend not to get from adult fiction.”
“There’s an immediacy in the prose,” said Darcey Steinke, a novelist who says she reads about one Y.A. book a month (recent favorites: “Elsewhere,” by Gabrielle Zevin — “better than ‘The Lovely Bones’ — and anything by Francesca Lia Block of “Weetzie Bat” fame). “I like the way adolescent emotions are rawer, less canned.”
...
Fortunately, it’s a you who need not be embarrassed about still reading kids’ books.
Pamela Paul’s most recent book is “Parenting, Inc.” She writes the Studied column for the Sunday Styles section of The Times.
Kids’ Books Are All Right
By PAMELA PAUL
While au fait literary types around town await the buzzed-about new novels from Jonathan Franzen and Nicole Krauss, other former English majors have spent the summer trying to get hold of “Mockingjay,” the third book in Suzanne Collins’s dystopian trilogy, so intensely under wraps that not even reviewers have been allowed a glimpse before its airtight Aug. 24 release. What fate will befall our heroine, Katniss Everdeen? My fellow book club members and I are desperate to know. When will the Capitol fall? And how can Collins possibly top the first two installments, “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire”?
Oh, did I mention? “Mockingjay” is for teenagers. I am well into my 30s.
But I am not embarrassed by my, shall we say, immature taste in literature....
“A lot of adult literature is all art and no heart,” Foreman, who is currently working on a book about British involvement in the American Civil War, said. “But good Y.A. is like good television. There’s a freshness there; it’s engaging. Y.A. authors aren’t writing about middle-aged anomie or disappointed people.”
...
“We take these books seriously,” said Grossman, whose latest novel, “The Magicians,” has been described as an R-rated Harry Potter. His group recently devoted two sessions — “among the most contentious and shouty we’ve had” — to “The Hunger Games.” Is Katniss a feminist hero? Is she a tool of the state? Is this a conventional romance or a subversion of the genre? “Everybody had an opinion,” Grossman added.
...Y.A. may also pierce the jadedness and cynicism of our adult selves. “When you talk to people about the books that have meant a lot to them, it’s usually books they read when they were younger because the books have this wonder in everyday things that isn’t bogged down by excessively grown-up concerns or the need to be subtle or coy,” explained Jesse Sheidlower, an editor at large at the Oxford English Dictionary and member of Kidlit. “When you read these books as an adult, it tends to bring back the sense of newness and discovery that I tend not to get from adult fiction.”
“There’s an immediacy in the prose,” said Darcey Steinke, a novelist who says she reads about one Y.A. book a month (recent favorites: “Elsewhere,” by Gabrielle Zevin — “better than ‘The Lovely Bones’ — and anything by Francesca Lia Block of “Weetzie Bat” fame). “I like the way adolescent emotions are rawer, less canned.”
...
Fortunately, it’s a you who need not be embarrassed about still reading kids’ books.
Pamela Paul’s most recent book is “Parenting, Inc.” She writes the Studied column for the Sunday Styles section of The Times.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger
The person who gave me this book didn't like it. Thank you, JH. Thank you very much lol.
This book made no sense to me... Or did it? I have no idea if what I got out of it was what the author wanted me to think at all. I didn't understand the ending. I didn't understand the beginning, actually. The middle was a muddle. What I mean is, it wasn't very clear what Franny was upset about. Or maybe it was and... I don't even really want to think about this that much.
Alright, I think the point of this book was that you should do what your good at and do your best at it not for the audience but for the individual who sees it? No? I did not get this book. It was New Age apparently and that has never made much sense to me.
Rating: Ok. I read the whole thing, afterall. And it didn't frustrate me; I just didn't understand it.
Read again? No.
You read? this or one of this others, I suppose.
Age level: I have no idea. Young adult?
I am reading The Necromancer which I will probably write about. Then I plan to go back to reading Arthurian stuff. (I really hope Arthurian is a word; I've been using it like crazy.) This is because I read some more in a collection of children's tales and I'm getting more and more curious. Have a nice life.
This book made no sense to me... Or did it? I have no idea if what I got out of it was what the author wanted me to think at all. I didn't understand the ending. I didn't understand the beginning, actually. The middle was a muddle. What I mean is, it wasn't very clear what Franny was upset about. Or maybe it was and... I don't even really want to think about this that much.
Alright, I think the point of this book was that you should do what your good at and do your best at it not for the audience but for the individual who sees it? No? I did not get this book. It was New Age apparently and that has never made much sense to me.
Rating: Ok. I read the whole thing, afterall. And it didn't frustrate me; I just didn't understand it.
Read again? No.
You read? this or one of this others, I suppose.
Age level: I have no idea. Young adult?
I am reading The Necromancer which I will probably write about. Then I plan to go back to reading Arthurian stuff. (I really hope Arthurian is a word; I've been using it like crazy.) This is because I read some more in a collection of children's tales and I'm getting more and more curious. Have a nice life.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Alright, this book is 600+ pages and took me around two weeks to read; I am the girl who read the 7th Harry Potter book twice in two days. What this means--to me at least-- is that this book is much heavier reading than the Harry Potter series. On the other hand, this is a good book and it made me laugh; I wasn't bored with the story of his style, either. End of comparison.
While White went on some tangents that I might not necessarily have always followed, this book was for the most part a straightforward story of Arthur from relative beginning to almost end. His tangents either went on about history, animals, about people and why they act how they do, or about how the current piece of the story relates to today. Half the reason this book is so long is all the information White gives you so that you can appreciate who Arthur is, and later on who Guenever, Lancelot, and the Orkney brothers are.
One thing I found interesting was comparing this book to the other similar books I've read. The story of Beaumains, for example, was basically opposite between this book and Morris' book. Morris liked Kai and thought Gareth was an idiot. White gave a much better reason for Gareth being where he was and portrayed Kay as a bit of a bully. I suppose some people might say this means I should pick one to like but I actually enjoyed seeing both views.
Another reason this book was long and heavier reading was that White seemed to really try to make the characters like real people instead of romanticized and two dimensional. This is not to say that anyone in this book acts like anyone I have ever met but I believe that White gave a lot more thought into the motivation of these characters then some other authors I have come across.
Criticisms: This is not a book you pick up in your free time and just start reading. Wait until you know you are going to have a lot of time. Also, I mentioned earlier that White goes on tangents, which aren't necessarily directly involved with the story. He went on a bit about architecture and all the different names of castles as well as some other things I don't currently remember and I'm pretty sure that non history people won't appreciate that. Lastly, it seemed to me that White assumes the reader has read Le Morte D'Arthur which I haven't. I don't even know if that book is available in English. I will find out. That's about it for now.
Rating: Great.
Read again? I would like to but I'm not sure.
You read? Yes.
Age level: I'm going to say young adult, just because it takes a bit of endurance.
Pages: 639 (New Section!!! What a surprise!!)
Note: I am going to try to keep up the Arthurian theme and find some other books on Round Table Knights and Quests, but there will be another book in between as it has been about 6 months since I borrowed it from JH. Also, I was going to make a big deal about my 25th book but I forgot. This is my 26th book reviewed, which is my favorite number but I doubt you care about that. I am off to Art Class.
While White went on some tangents that I might not necessarily have always followed, this book was for the most part a straightforward story of Arthur from relative beginning to almost end. His tangents either went on about history, animals, about people and why they act how they do, or about how the current piece of the story relates to today. Half the reason this book is so long is all the information White gives you so that you can appreciate who Arthur is, and later on who Guenever, Lancelot, and the Orkney brothers are.
One thing I found interesting was comparing this book to the other similar books I've read. The story of Beaumains, for example, was basically opposite between this book and Morris' book. Morris liked Kai and thought Gareth was an idiot. White gave a much better reason for Gareth being where he was and portrayed Kay as a bit of a bully. I suppose some people might say this means I should pick one to like but I actually enjoyed seeing both views.
Another reason this book was long and heavier reading was that White seemed to really try to make the characters like real people instead of romanticized and two dimensional. This is not to say that anyone in this book acts like anyone I have ever met but I believe that White gave a lot more thought into the motivation of these characters then some other authors I have come across.
Criticisms: This is not a book you pick up in your free time and just start reading. Wait until you know you are going to have a lot of time. Also, I mentioned earlier that White goes on tangents, which aren't necessarily directly involved with the story. He went on a bit about architecture and all the different names of castles as well as some other things I don't currently remember and I'm pretty sure that non history people won't appreciate that. Lastly, it seemed to me that White assumes the reader has read Le Morte D'Arthur which I haven't. I don't even know if that book is available in English. I will find out. That's about it for now.
Rating: Great.
Read again? I would like to but I'm not sure.
You read? Yes.
Age level: I'm going to say young adult, just because it takes a bit of endurance.
Pages: 639 (New Section!!! What a surprise!!)
Note: I am going to try to keep up the Arthurian theme and find some other books on Round Table Knights and Quests, but there will be another book in between as it has been about 6 months since I borrowed it from JH. Also, I was going to make a big deal about my 25th book but I forgot. This is my 26th book reviewed, which is my favorite number but I doubt you care about that. I am off to Art Class.
Monday, January 03, 2011
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris
I am only about half way through The Once and Future King and I am still reading it. Since it is really heavy reading and I unadvisedly got some books from the library that I can't bring back to school with me I decided to take a break and read another Arthurian tale. I'm planning to read TOAFK on my way back to school, honestly.
Gerald Morris is one of my favorite authors who I always forget to list as one of my favorite authors. His version of Morgan Le Fay is the one I like best; she's more balanced and realistic as far as good and evil go. It's also the version of Lancelot I like best, as well. On the other hand, I haven't like his version of Mordred as much as Vivian Vande Velde's. But anyway, Morris writes based on the well known stories about Arthur but he has yet to make Arthur a really central character. He likes to pick out minor characters and give their view on stories such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which is drawn out in the Squire, his Knight, and his Lady. But anyway, this book.
This was the first book by him that I read and it still makes me laugh out loud. That is just impressive. The love story bit I can't really talk about as it gives too much away. Basically the story is about the sixteen year old Lynet and her long journey to find a knight to rescue her sister from another knight. In the end she is helped by a dwarf and the very directionally challenged, disguised as a kitchen boy Sir Gareth. It's very amusing. I don't really have any complaints about this one. On the other hand, I have yet to convince anyone to read Morris' books.
Rating: Great.
Read again? this was my fourth or fifth time.
You read? Definitely.
Age: Teen to young adult.
Gerald Morris is one of my favorite authors who I always forget to list as one of my favorite authors. His version of Morgan Le Fay is the one I like best; she's more balanced and realistic as far as good and evil go. It's also the version of Lancelot I like best, as well. On the other hand, I haven't like his version of Mordred as much as Vivian Vande Velde's. But anyway, Morris writes based on the well known stories about Arthur but he has yet to make Arthur a really central character. He likes to pick out minor characters and give their view on stories such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which is drawn out in the Squire, his Knight, and his Lady. But anyway, this book.
This was the first book by him that I read and it still makes me laugh out loud. That is just impressive. The love story bit I can't really talk about as it gives too much away. Basically the story is about the sixteen year old Lynet and her long journey to find a knight to rescue her sister from another knight. In the end she is helped by a dwarf and the very directionally challenged, disguised as a kitchen boy Sir Gareth. It's very amusing. I don't really have any complaints about this one. On the other hand, I have yet to convince anyone to read Morris' books.
Rating: Great.
Read again? this was my fourth or fifth time.
You read? Definitely.
Age: Teen to young adult.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)