Daily Archives: July 7, 2014

Summer Goal Book

 in Fun / Older Readers by

Each summer I try to choose a book which will challenge me and may not be enjoyable to read, but I will finish it just for the experience. A few years ago I started Dracula by Bram Stoker, but it took me like 2 years to finish.

The book I am reaching for this year may take me that long…but I would like to finish it by September.

And my goal book…

Of Summer….

2014….

Is……

>Epic drum roll starts<

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

>Cue mouths gaping open<

Yes I know it is going to be REALLY hard to read and keep interested in…but I want to do it. So wish me luck.

Has anyone read it? What did you think if you have? And do you think I’m nuts for trying this…? I do xD

Happy Reading everyone…I know that I will be happy…ish.

Just Something Interesting

 in Books / Interesting by

So I’ve been quiet for a little while (since my most recent post about being more active) as I was away in California at a summer institute. While I was there, I was given the opportunity to visit the FOX lot. It was Sunday, so it was dead quiet, but I still got to walk around, saw famous peoples parking spaces, fancy buildings, and different filming studios.

But that wasn’t what interested me the most (oddly enough). It was the ‘Give a Book, Get a Book’ (not the Disney Junior thing) stand by one of the buildings. I have come across this system in quite a few places before but seeing it here was…shocking. What it is, is there is a drop box, where you can go and get a book, read it, and then return it so others can read it. It saves time for someone to purchase a book that they may never read again. But one can also donate their own books into it so that other can read them when there are no uses for it anymore, instead of people throwing it away (yes…people throw books away and don’t DONATE them! Disgusting 🙁 )

One book may pass through hundreds of hands!

It’s the perfect way for people to be motivated to read, but not have the pressure of having to buy a book and the guilt of purchasing a book and not reading it.

I honestly LOVE this idea and think that it should be implemented in more places. I see it happen more often in small communities and now on larger lots.

What do you, my readers, think of this type of idea? Do you think that it possibly may encourage reading or do you think that it would just be easier to go and purchase your own book and this type of thing is a waste of time? Be honest, I’m curious what people think.

But until then, happy reading!

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 in Book Reviews / Books / Young Adult by

“Her mission was to kill him. Her destiny was to love him.”

Summary

“Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom – all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she had been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything sh’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. the strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle – a shifting maze of magical rooms – enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change out destiny.”

– From the inside flap

Summary

This was quite an interesting book. The title was what caught me to start with because it was kind of an oxymoron ~ Cruel Beauty. Also it was a nice red color and red always catches my attention. The other part was that it was on the New YA shelf and I love reading new books ~ Fresh material is always fabulous.

The story looked amazing and it was quite good but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I don’t know what it was about it…but I didn’t really like the writing style. It was in first person and for some reason, I seem to have gone off stories that go for first person.

Also I felt the writing in the story was very choppy. The sentences were extremely short and there wasn’t much descriptive language. Ever since I started to write on my own, my perception of books and writing has changed. I am not saying that I am an amazing writing by any means, but I have become more observant to different writing styles and descriptive language.

Maybe it was just me, maybe it was because I’m reading more adult books and getting out of the YA section, or maybe it was just this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought because of the reasons stated above.

The story was quite interesting; kind of having this Matrix/Inception feel to it and it was really creative and a very creative ending.

A lot of people, I feel, would really love this book as it brings in the demon aspect and there are a lot of angel, demon, vampire and other supernatural creature types of books out there and coming out right now; that was one of the reasons I picked it up in the first place.

This was a quick and easy read and I do suggest that you check it out because it was a good book, just not MY kind of book.

If you read it, tell me what you think. And enjoy!