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Top Ten Tuesday 9/1

Ten Characters You Just Didn’t Click With

1.Cheryl Strayed from Wild | I had a love-hate relationship with Cheryl. Two-thirds of the time I wanted to shake her for being so ridiculously unprepared and irresponsible, the other third I wanted to applaud her for venturing off on her own.

2. Rio from Atlantia | I like strong female leads and this girl was not it.

3. Lily from the Princess Diaries | I know, I know. You’re supposed to like the best friend. But Lily Moscovitz is the worst (in fact, I often felt the same way about Princess Mia).

4. Raffe from Penryn & The End of Days | I could not get on the Raffe train. Most of the time I thought that he was a conceited douchebag. I guess that’s what happens when your an archangel.

5. Bryn from the Kanin Chronicles | Bryn was stubborn and had severe tunnel-vision (I am Bryn Aven and you killed my father…prepare to die).

6. Melody Jackson from Melody Jackson and the House on Lafayette Street │It didn’t help that she was a child (literally) but she was SO annoying on top of it. Note to self: don’t read books that have narrators younger than 16-17.

7. Bella Swan from the Twilight series, but more specifically, New Moon │ UGH. This was the darkest of the books and the one where she just couldn’t function without her dear, sweet Edward. Barf. I have never in my entire life felt like I couldn’t function without a dude (and I’m married… ) so this was torture for me. I spent the entire series wanting to smack her in the face, but more so in this one than the others.

8. Maggie from The Vanishing Season │ The book was okay, but I didn’t connect with Maggie really at all, so it made the story even worse for me.

9. Emaline from The Moon and More │ I am a huge Sarah Dessen fan so it makes me really, really sad when I don’t click with one of her narrators/books. This one is definitely my least favorite of everything she’s written & honestly? I don’t even remember reading it, obviously there wasn’t a connection.

10. Kate from Lost Lake │ I liked this book a lot, and while I could feel for Kate and everything she was going through, I just didn’t connect with her like I have with some other Sarah Addison Allen’s other characters.

Thrive by Arianna Huffington

In Thrive, Arianna Huffington makes an impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world.

Arianna Huffington’s personal wake-up call came in the form of a broken cheekbone and a nasty gash over her eye — the result of a fall brought on by exhaustion and lack of sleep. As the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group — one of the fastest growing media companies in the world — celebrated as one of the world’s most influential women, and gracing the covers of magazines, she was, by any traditional measure, extraordinarily successful. Yet as she found herself going from brain MRI to CAT scan to echocardiogram, to find out if there was any underlying medical problem beyond exhaustion, she wondered is this really what success feels like?

As more and more people are coming to realize, there is far more to living a truly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and capturing a corner office. Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success — money and power — has led to an epidemic of burnout and stress-related illnesses, and an erosion in the quality of our relationships, family life, and, ironically, our careers. In being connected to the world 24/7, we’re losing our connection to what truly matters. Our current definition of success is, as Thrive shows, literally killing us. We need a new way forward. – Goodreads

Let me preface this by saying I am a huge admirer of Arianna Huffington. She is a fantastic career woman to look up to—she is successful, put together, and has her stuff together. I also love the Huffington Post. Win-win! So I chose this book to review.

I’ve had Thrive for several months now. I’ve picked it up, read a few pages, and set it back down. Rinse and repeat. But I haven’t been able to sit down and really read it. Why? It simply didn’t click with me. There wasn’t any profound advice that I’d never read before—if anything, it read like an inspirational board on Pinterest.

I agree with many of her points (after I ended up flipping through and reading at random). After all, is there a universal definition of success? I don’t think so. I think it’s very individualized, despite what society tells us.

I think that this book will be great for those in college or just entering the workforce—for me, though, it contained many ideas I’d already read or heard before.

Ultimately, it was written well. It was engaging and fun (for the parts that I read).

Full disclosure: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. I read about 40% of this book and did not finish it.

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history.

The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history. – Goodreads

Still obsessed with Michelle Moran’s work. I’m going to have to take a break for a while simply because the $10 Kindle price tags are killing my wallet.

The Heretic Queen is about Nefertari, who is Nefertiti’s niece and Mutny’s daughter (Mutny was the MC from Nefertiti). With no family left—her father and brothers died in a fire and her mother died soon after giving birth to Nefer—she grows up in the palace as a princess, playing with Asha and Ramesses like they’re her brothers.

Then she hits puberty and vaguely decides that she’s in love with Ramesses (my only qualm with the book—when the hell did that happen!?) and runs off to a temple to be a queen in training in an effort to win the Pharoah’s heart.

The only problem? Her Auntie Nefertiti dismissed the gods in favor of a single, new god and brought a massive plague to Egypt, which gave her the reputation of being a heretic. That reputation was passed on to Nefertari, who must prove that she will not be the same ruler as her aunt.

I loved the worldbuilding. I felt that I already had a clear picture of ancient Egypt from Nefertiti, and this sequel just built on it. The character development was also good—though I felt that Ramesses was lacking. I wasn’t exactly sure why Nefertari had such a huge crush on him—after all, all he did was chase her around and pull her hair in the first several chapters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this installment and can’t wait to pick up another 🙂 4/5 on Goodreads!

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people. Her charisma is matched only by her husband’s perceived generosity: Amunhotep showers his subjects with lofty promises. The love of the commoners will not be enough, however, if the royal couple is not able to conceive an heir, and as Nefertiti turns her attention to producing a son, she fails to see that the powerful priests, along with the military, are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person wise enough to recognize the shift in political winds—and brave enough to tell the queen—is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet. –Goodreads

Michelle Moran is hands down my new favorite historical fiction author. In fact, add her to my favorite authors list, period.

Nefertiti is based in ancient Egypt and follows the reign of Pharaoh Nefertiti through the eyes her sister, Mutnodjmet. Nefertiti and Mutnodjmet are polar opposites—Nefertiti is beautiful, cunning, selfish, and the center of attention. Mutnodjmet is patient, introverted, and content to work in the quiet of her herb garden.

When Nefertiti is chosen to be the Queen of Egypt and Chief Wife of King Amunhotep, a young mentally unstable pharaoh, their family’s world is taken over with political games and deceit. Mutnodjmet has no thirst for power—she simply wants to marry the man she loves and settle down. Nefertiti, on the other hand, has other plans for her sister—she wants her to live in the palace with her…and love only her (in a non-creepy way).

The character development was fantastic. I truly felt for Mutny, who was stuck in a vortex of political back-and-forth and manipulation. Nefertiti is painted as a glorious ruler, but in reality, she is greedy and selfish. She doesn’t care if Mutny is happy—she cares only for herself. There was a good balance of Mutny giving in to her sister’s demands and of sticking up for herself. I love strong female main characters, and Mutny was strong in a different way. She wasn’t out to save Egypt—she wanted to save her family and create a peaceful life for herself.

The book was rather slow in the timeline sense, as it spans over the period of about 12 years. There were times where it wasn’t terribly apparent that much time had passed, but I believe this is because I was on my Kindle and couldn’t keep track of what year it was in each chapter. My only other complaint is when Mutny discovers she is pregnant for the first time—I literally had no idea she had even had sex. The brief few paragraphs detailing the time spent with her lover (I won’t reveal who it is—it’s not really a spoiler, but it’s a nice surprise) insinuate that they hang out, but nothing hints at actual babymakin’.

As far as the historical accuracy of the story, I’m honestly not sure. I’m not a huge expert in terms of Egyptian history—I really avoided it in school because photos of unwrapped mummies scared the hell out of me. Silly? Totally. But I did feel that the small details (and large ones) really painted a vivid picture of ancient Egypt for me. The only confusing parts were the incredibly long names, but hey, those were taken from a historical record and I can’t fault the author for that. (But seriously: Ankhesenamun is a very long name for a baby….”Ankhe….ahhh, whateveryournameis, get over here!”)

When looking at other review on Goodreads, it’s pretty apparent that people either love or hate this book. I’m firmly in the first camp, as I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to picking up another Moran book soon! 5/5 on Goodreads.

The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg

If you loved Wild, you can’t miss this.

A troubled, young widow hikes from Yosemite Valley deep into the wilderness on the John Muir Trail to elude her shameful past in this emotionally gripping story from the author of House Broken.

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Liz Kroft is heading for the hills—literally. Her emotional baggage weighs her down more than her backpack, but a three-week trek promises the solitude she craves—at least until her boyfriend, Dante, decides to tag along. His broad moral streak makes the prospect of confessing her sins more difficult, but as much as she fears his judgment, she fears losing him more. Maybe.

They set off together alone under blue skies, but it’s not long before storms threaten and two strange brothers appear along the trail. Amid the jagged, towering peaks, Liz must decide whether to admit her mistakes and confront her fears, or face the trail, the brothers and her future alone. – Goodreads

If you loved Wild, don’t pick this up because the only thing it has in common with Wild is a tortured, masochistic hiker lady (though this lady was substantially more prepared than the one in Wild).

It took me the first 60% of the book to really get into it, which, judging by the reviews on Goodreads, makes me a minority. That’s ok. I can see why a lot of people would really enjoy this—however, I was not one of them, simply because I got a lot more than I bargained for.

The description was very misleading. Even the cover was misleading. For all intents and purposes, this book looked more careful than Wild, kind of along the lines of Happiness for Beginners (two books that actually talk about hiking more than their MC’s internal struggles).

Liz is an alright MC. She’s smart, an engineer, seems to have planned well for the trip. But damn is she a martyr. Her first husband died, she has made many, many mistakes—and continues to make them by witholding information and lying to Dante, her boyfriend. Overall, I felt that she was pretty selfish. She is constantly worried that she’ll never be able to love someone again.

The dialogue was awkward in the book—it didn’t read well out loud and felt forced. The description of the scenery was great, however. I feel that I have a very good concept of the John Muir trail now.

What I did not expect with this book was boatloads of self-reflection and flashbacks. Oh, or potential murder and potential rapists/psychopaths. That was kind of thrown in at 50% and is what kept me reading after I got over the initial wtf.

In all, it wasn’t a bad read, it just wasn’t for me. I rated it a 3/5 on Goodreads.

A special thank you to Netgalley for letting the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

I didn’t really want to review this one… but here we go.

I fell in love with the entire world of Shadowhunters and demons and vampires and all that in City of Bones but I was, to be totally honest, pretty disappointed with this one.

Have you ever read a book that you wanted to love so much that you convinced yourself that you did? But then you thought about it and thought about it, and the further away from finishing it you got, the more you realized how much you just didn’t like it? That’s what City of Ashes is for me. Right when I finished, I rated it 5/5 on Goodreads, I loved it so much! I think that’s because I love that world so much, actually.

This story though, compared to City of Bones, was dull. I was underwhelmed and annoyed with Clary for the ENTIRE BOOK. I don’t know what it is about her – her naivety or not knowing what she wants or denying how she feels – but whatever it is, it drives me CRAZY. My favorite scenes are always the ones with as little of her as possible.

With ABC Family coming out with a TV series based on these books, I find myself wanting to finish the series asap so I can compare – but at this point, I just can’t handle Clary anymore. I changed my rating to 3/5 on Goodreads and I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the rest of the books. I love this world though, so I think I’ll try some of Clare’s other books and see what I think. Hopefully I’ll have better luck!

Thursday Things 8/27

This post from Becca and Books – it’s SO true and it literally made me laugh out loud. Love it and LOVE her blog.

I LOVE this article/essay by Mindy Kaling. I think we all have problems with confidence at some point or another, and she is spot on. I was never confident when I was younger, and after I graduated high school, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that caused me to gain a lot of weigh, so my confidence plummeted even more. Now though? Mid-twenties Kiesha is learning to love herself and her body just the way it is and not to be so harsh. Everyone goes through cycles like that, and it’s nice to know we’re not alone.

This – it’s from May but Bath & Body Works + books = AMAZING. Two of my favorites & what a genius way to link them together!

Do you organize your books by color? I don’t, currently they’re organized by size because they’re stacked on top of each other (yes, the book blogger with a billion books doesn’t actually own a bookshelf, but I’m working on it). I couldn’t imagine buying books based solely on their color… that’s the last thing I think about!

Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner wrote this post last month and it hit home hard for me. All of my classes are online and I’m online a lot for work, so a few months ago it all just came down on me. If we hadn’t have taken our hiatus this summer (when things got INSANELY busy for both of us) I can’t say for certain that I’d still be here. I love hearing that other people are in the same boat (it’s not the best boat to be in, but still).

So, I just named my new kitten Hodor…but I don’t think I would name an actual child after a GoT character…

I’m all about Myers-Briggs personality types (I’m an INFP myself…but I’m about to be re-tested this week!). What’s your Harry Potter MBT? Mine is Luna Lovegood!

I loved this post from Buzzfeed Books. You know what? I haven’t read most books, either. I’ve read a few classics—Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, Great Gatsby—but really, only ones that were required in school. I often feel as if I should be reading more advanced books or classics (people gasp in shock when they hear that I haven’t read Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, or Pride and Prejudice). Sometimes I care, sometimes I don’t. The deal is that I love YA fiction and will probably only pick up a classic novel if it’s the only thing around. And you know what? That’s okay.

Have you ever played Would You Rather? Well, this one chooses your Harry Potter house based on your answers (for the record, I’m still a Gryffindor).

TEDx: Imaginary Friends and Real World Consequences

Are there any book characters you’d want to hang out with? Any character on TV? In a movie? Have you ever felt sad when a fictional character gets hurt? Do you root for your favorite characters, even though you know you can’t affect the action of the plot? Have you ever yelled at the TV even though you know the actors can’t hear you?

Your answer to at least one of these questions is probably “yes,” says psychologist and writer Jennifer Barnes at TEDxOU. People “spend time” with fictional characters just like they do with “real life” friends, she says, and that time matters.

Barnes has looked at this time — the development of relationships with fictional characters — and studied how a small group of people felt about and responded to the imagined loss of a real person versus a fictional character. The results may surprise you. – Jennifer Barnes, Spotlight TEDx Talk

Why? Why do we spend so much time, money, and emotion on something we know isn’t real? What effect does this engagement have on us?

Barnes covers these questions and more in this fabulous 17 minute TEDTalk.

We form parasocial relationships with a person we don’t actually know by consuming media and information about them (IE, reading a book and getting attached to a main character). The same type of parasocial relationship can occur with celebrities (IE, Kiesha’s fascination with the Royal Family).

And she breaks down how much time has been spent reading and consuming Harry Potter. And it’s a conservative estimate. Very conservative.

235,000….years.

How crazy is that? I know I’ve personally spent hundreds of hours with the HP crew, but damn. I never thought about it like that. How about the hours of Scandal or Game of Thrones or Once Upon A Time?

If you’re a bibliophile like I am, I strongly encourage you to take the time to watch Barnes’ TEDTalk!

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well? – Goodreads

Alright. Teenage me loved teenaged Mia. Is it any surprise that 20-something me loves 20-something Mia?!

It was like greeting an old friend after a while—the kind you were good friends with but never friended on Facebook, so you have no idea what’s new in their life. I was immediately hooked and was so excited to read about her and Michael, Grandmere, her father, and more. There were several plot “twists” that were easy to spot, but still enjoyable to read.

I can’t help but read this book in Anne Hathaway’s voice. And Grandmere’s extreme dislike of gingers (mixed with Harry Potter references)? Meg Cabot, you slay me.

“Despite all evidence to the contrary, Grandmere believes that Ron Weasley, not Voldemort, is the villain of the Harry Potter series.”

Overall, I loved, loved, loved this book. It was a total nostalgic trip and I really enjoyed it. If you read The Princess Diaries as a kid, I strongly recommend this! 5/5 on Goodreads.

Top Ten Tuesday 8/25

Top Ten Books That Would Be On Our Syllabus If We Taught YA Lit 101

Sarah Dessen – I think if a class is being taught, Dessen has to be on that syllabus. It doesn’t matter which book, and honestly I couldn’t choose, but she is SO classic YA.
The Twilight series – as much as I hate these books now (Bella and Edwards relationship is SO BAD), if we’re being totally honest? They’re what got me reading again after high school. So I’d have to put them on the syllabus, maybe as an example of what NOT to do.
It’s weird, but I don’t think of the books I read in school as being ‘young adult’ but they really were! With that being said, I’m adding Number the Stars to the list as well as…
The Giver – Lois Lowry was very on top of her game and wrote books that taught really good lessons and opened perspectives.
Last but certainly not least, The Lovely Bones – one of my all-time favorites. I couldn’t teach a class and not cover this – brilliant world building and my ideal heaven? Of course it’s on my list!

6. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers – I read this sophomore year of high school and it really helped changed the way I viewed the world. It’s about a young man who is sent to fight in the Vietnam War.

7. Meg Cabot – She’s iconic! I could never teach a YA Lit class and not cover the Princess Diaries.

8. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume – This book was huge for so many young women.

9. Warriors by Erin Hunter – Between Harry Potter books in my youth, I read this series. Yeah, that’s right–talking cats. Couldn’t teach a YA Lit class without some sort of talking animal!

10. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman – It would be fun to read and discuss this—especially with the controversy surrounding it!

** It’s safe to say that Harry Potter is obviously a prerequisite.