Thirty Day Book Challenge: Day 1

Day One: Best book you read last year

1383398_533573886730954_524060082_n — Click the picture for the original link!

Things are speeding up around school and work, so we’ve decided to take part in a 30 day book challenge to keep our blog active (don’t worry—we’re still reading!).

Asking me to choose a favorite book, even in the timespan of year, is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. It’s cruel and impossible (though we all know maybe there’s a little bit of favoritism).

Add that in with the fact that I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast, much less what I read last year, and it’s a little difficult.

But I’ll choose the one that popped into my head first: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by my favorite Mindy Kaling. Seriously, I never laugh out loud when I read. Maybe I snicker. Maybe I smile. But I’ve never read a book that made me laugh out loud like this one.

In fact, it actually kicked me into a humor/biography spree—I grabbed Bossypants and Happy Accidents soon after.

Kaling is hilarious on TV (Mindy Show, anyone? The Office?) and in her book. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering she wrote for SNL and the Office. The book is a hilarious look at her life as “the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright”. So awesome. Highly recommend. 5/5 on Goodreads!

THIS WAS SO HARD! I read so many good books in 2013 and it’s so hard to choose just one. Luckily, I organize my books by year on Goodreads, otherwise I would have had no idea what all I read last year! The award of officially goes to (drumroll please) Paper Towns by John Green. I read all of John Green’s books last year after finishing The Fault in Our Stars (and loving it) but this one really stands out in my mind and I remember more of it than any of his others. Runner up is Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, just in case you were wondering.

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

I finished this book as fast as I could—partly because it was freaking amazing, and partly because I don’t want to read anything during NaNoWriMo (because let’s be real—I would choose reading this book over writing my daily word count).

I am so obsessed with this series. It has sucked me in and won’t release me for a while.

Nothing makes me more sad than when I see the words “expected publication date: 2015”. I have to wait how long for the third book? Are you kidding? What am I supposed to do until then!?

I definitely recommend reading the first book before trying the second. It won’t make any sense if you jump straight into this one, pretty cover or not. Plus, what’s worse than reading a fabulous sequel, realizing you love the writing style and story, and having to read the first? It’s like a super long prologue. Nobody wants that.

The character development in this series is great for most characters, but lacking in others. I feel like I knew Prince Titus like the back of my hand. His emotions, his thoughts, his ambitions…as a reader, you know (or see, because Thomas is very good at showing and not telling) what he’s up to.

Iolanthe, on the other hand, is a little different. At first, I assumed she was just mysterious. Now she feels a little aloof. You rarely know what she is feeling, and she can be a little bit one-dimensional. Once in a while she’ll get extremely lovey with Titus and express her feelings, but for most of the story, you have no idea what she’s thinking about the bad guy or her destiny.

The plot twists in the second book were fabulous. Maybe I’m naive, but I certainly didn’t call them when they rolled around. Iolanthe’s parents? Had no clue. Who the Bane was? Nope. I really enjoyed the surprise that I felt when these things popped up, and it made it really difficult to put the book down.

Overall, I highly recommend. 5/5 on Goodreads!

Why I’m taking a November reading hiatus

I can’t believe that another November has rolled around—it’s here—it’s…tomorrow.

It’s time for NaNoWriMo, or National Write a Novel Month, if you aren’t familiar with it.

Basically it’s a month of wreckless abandon writing, all in a feverish attempt to reach the finish line: 50,000 words. It’s month filled with coffee, too many dollar bills forked over to the Starbucks corporation, sore wrists, angry curses to the Writer’s Block Gods, and pure frustration.

Don’t let that list fool you. It’s my favorite month out of the whole year. I’ve been counting down to November since August, and I can’t believe it’s finally here.

This is my sixth year attempting NaNoWriMo. I hope it will be my second year winning and crossing that 50,000 word threshold.

Last year, I barely crossed the 50,000 word count, with a novel I had hoped would be a suspenseful thriller/mystery. I just reread it after not touching it for a year—it’s not that good.

This year, I will be trying my hand at a fantasy novel that has been in my head for several years. Fear has been holding me back—fear of what, I’m not sure. Failure? The inability to accurately convey my idea on paper? Showing my idea to other people? It’s an interesting process.

Due to the sheer amount of writing I will be doing in November (an average of 1,667 words a day, to be precise), I will be taking a break from my usual binge reading. Kiesha will still be reading and reviewing, but she’s in school (*and* works full-time), so she’s pretty busy, too.

To prepare for November, we’ve decided to participate in a 30 Day Book Challenge. Every day will feature a different prompt, and we’ll answer accordingly. Pretty simple.

Any other NaNoWriMos out there? Let me know! I’d love to add you as a Writing Buddy.

Throwback Thursday: Goosebumps Series

This particular book scared the crap out of me.

Happy (almost!) Halloween! In honor of Halloween, I’d like to throwback to one of my favorite childhood series: Goosebumps.

As a kid, I was proud of how many books I read in a series. I read nearly all of the Junie B. Jones books, all of the American Girl Books, 16 Dear America books, eight Warriors books, and up to book #29 in the Magic Tree House series. I was very proud of my Goosebumps number–up to The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, #33–I know these numbers because I kept track of them in my super nerdy diaries, where I bragged about my numbers. Some people keep track of notches on the bedpost, I kept track of how many books I read…it explains why I didn’t get a boyfriend for a very long time.

R.L. Stine is a boss. He has a way with writing terrifying children’s books (I am still terrified of puppets after reading Night of the Living Dummy) with humorous twists so you didn’t really have to hide underneath your covers at the end of the book.

Looking at Goodreads, there are 62 books in the Goosebumps series—considering I started reading them 15 years ago, this blows my mind. The last was published in 1997, near the time I was reading them…clearly my library didn’t have them all or I lost interest, because my number (33, in case you forgot) was pretty sub-par.

Did you read Goosebumps as a kid? Which one was your favorite?

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

It’s been a while since I’ve been so wrapped up in a magical/fantasy world. It was a pleasant surprise to crack open The Burning Sky and within several chapters, become completely enamored with the characters, story, and world.

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her time—or so she is told, by Prince Titus, who rescues her from the forces that want to harness her power.

Forced into hiding, (and in a very She’s The Man style), she’s forced to chop her hair off and pose as a boy at Prince Titus’ school in Eton. During this time, she learns more about her abilities, her destiny, and the political entities that want her.

This is Sherry Thomas’s first YA fantasy novel—before now, she’s stuck to historical romance. I’m glad she ventured out—I haven’t read a book this imaginative and creative since Harry Potter. Before the Potterheads freak out, don’t—I’m not comparing it to Harry Potter, or saying it’s better or Harry Potter is better—I’m saying that in a wild way, it reminded me of the magic I used to love when I cracked open a new Harry Potter.

Many things felt similar to Harry Potter, just with different names. This didn’t bother me. Vaulting was essentially apparating. There was transmogrification. They had wands. They had spells. A certain magical trunk felt a little bit like a portkey. But you know what? It all worked, because there were so many elements that were original and unique. Harry Potter was fantastic, but I don’t think that should stop other authors from incorporating transmogrification, wands, magic, teleportation, and magical objects from their stories.

Her writing style is fabulous. It’s incredibly descriptive, especially once you get a few chapters in. I ached for both characters, felt for them, rooted for them, wanted to yell at them for being idiots.

If you decide to pick this up, I advise you to be patient. It takes a little bit to get into, but once you do, you won’t be able to put it down. 5/5 on Goodreads…I immediately went to get book two, the Perilous Sea!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10/28

Top Ten Characters Who I Would Totally Want To Be For Halloween

1. Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series

2. The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland

3. Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone

4. Glenda the good witch from The Wizard of Oz

5. Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games

6. Claire from Outlander

7. Bilbo from The Hobbit

8. Mrs. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus

9. Calvin and Hobbes (not necessary ME, but future kids!)

10. Hagrid from Harry Potter

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson was one of the books on my fall to-read list, and I was super excited to get into it – the description alone was enough to get me hooked. Cue the disappointment…

I hate rating books badly, but this book just did not do it for me. Maybe I had too high of expectations or maybe I thought it was going to be something much different… in fact, I definitely thought it was going to be something much different. You know me, I’m into crime thrillers and mysteries – this was FAR from that. Part of the Goodreads summary describes The Vanishing Season as a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind. While it’s definitely a story of friendship and betrayal, I wouldn’t call it haunting or a mystery of any sorts. It’s beautifully written, and has absolutely amazing descriptions, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. My favorite books are the ones that suck you in and make you completely part of their world, so much so that it sticks in your mind and doesn’t let you forget. This story though? It just wasn’t enough for me. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re not looking for a mystery/thriller and want an easy, slow read. I rated it 2/5 on Goodreads.

Throwback Thursday: Stay by Allie Larkin

In a post-breakup grab-the-chocolate-and-chick-lit stupor, I picked up Stay by Allie Larkin at my local Hastings. It was the spring of 2011, and to be honest, I was being dramatic—I didn’t even like the guy (incidentally, I met my now-husband several months after—but that’s a different story).

It was the dog on the cover that got me.

Savannah, or “Van”, has been in love with Peter since their first day of college. Too bad her best friend Janie is the one marrying him (it’s a little bit Something Borrowed, I know). So, in a post-wedding drunken-mistake-fest, she buys a German Shepherd puppy online and names him Joe.

She gets him and he is huge. Huge and only responds to Slovak.

I absolutely loved this book. I stayed up long after the Hershey’s were gone to finish reading it. I loved Van’s character, and I loved Joe. It was definitely a little bit Marley & Me meets Something Borrowed.

She meets Alex, Joe’s veterinarian, who is a very lovable love interest. I enjoyed the fact that their love story didn’t end up being the focal point of the story. In fact, the relationship between Van and her new pup was really the main storyline.

4/5 Goodreads stars for how obnoxiously in love with Peter the MC was…it was acceptable at first, but nauseating and annoying by the end.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

I’m not sure what you would consider this—a novella? A collection of poems? Non-fiction? Whatever it is, I really enjoyed it.

The book (it’s not really a story, and I’ll explain why in a moment) details the lives of a group of young Japanese women who are on their way to San Francisco. Called picture brides, they make their journey by boat to meet their husbands for the first time.

In a poetic way, it details these women’s lives—from the boat ride to their first nights with their husbands to the hard labor in fruit fields and as maids. It details their children, their deaths, their experiences, the arrival of war.

These miniature storylines don’t focus on a single individual. Otsuka refers to the women in the story as “we” or “some of us”, which gives you, the reader, a sense of understanding and kinship.

“We gave birth under oak trees, in the summer, in 113-degree heat. We gave birth beside woodstoves in one room shacks on the coldest nights of the year…”

The book is broken up in to eight chapters–children, work, war, etc. Otsuka has done an amazing job at researching these women’s lives, thoughts, stories, and feelings.

At 144 pages, it was an extremely quick and fascinating read. I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads, simply for the beauty of the prose and the depth of research. Lauren11

Listened to: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

For as long as I can remember, we never listened to music on long car rides. Nope, we were that homeschooled family who listened to YA fiction audiobooks on family vacation.

I’m 23 now, and I actually look forward to long car trips…so I can pick out an audiobook. It’s the epitome of multitasking—driving and finishing a book!

I will admit, though. The trick is to find a decent narrator. Growing up, we would rent several books on cassette, just so we could make sure the narrator was good. If they weren’t, the giant cassette cases were banished to the trunk for the remainder of the trip.

I’ve read Eragon before and loved it. Paolini’s writing style reminds me of a less windy version of a Tolkien book—I know, there is plenty of talk of him plagiarizing and stealing from Tolkien, but really, have you read many fantasy books? There are dragons, trolls, dungeons in mountains, magic, elves, etc. There is going to be overlap, and people are going to borrow ideas. Anyway, though I found myself pulled into the first in the series, I never finished the Inheritance series. So, when the husband and I decided to take a 5-hour trip to Salt Lake City this past weekend, Eragon was the chosen audiobook (we will now be finishing the series, too).

To begin, let me start with the narration: it. Is. Fabulous. Gerard Doyle is amazing. In fact, I would say he’s now my #2 favorite narrator, after Jim Dale. Doyle’s voices, tone, and inflection are superb. You know when Eragon, Brom, Saphira or Arya are talking. He makes the fight scenes exciting and intense, speeds up boring conversations, and makes the story interesting to listen to.

On to the story—as I mentioned, it is very LOTR-y. In fact, I could definitely draw some parallels between the two:

Aragorn/Eragon, Arwen/Arya, troll dungeon fights, etc. However, I am a lover of fantasy, and I understand that not all stories will be original. For Paolini’s age, his writing is actually quite good, though it does get annoying when every chapter ends in sleep or unconsciousness.

My favorite character of the entire book is Saphira—she’s a very catty dragon, and certainly speaks her mind. Doyle’s Saphira voice is pretty terrifying, and even uncomfortable at times. I suspect this is why I like her so much.

Overall, I would rate Eragon 4/5 stars—partly for Doyle’s awesomeness, partly for nostalgia, and partly because I do enjoy a decent dragon story.