Booking Through Thursday: Rolling

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY

Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?

I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors…

I do get on rolls, but usually it IS more about a series or an author. I can't seem to come up with a time when I've been on a roll where the subject or character is concerned. Hmmmm. Lately I've been on a major YA roll, as I've mentioned before. And a Meg Cabot roll, and Michael Lawrence and Andrew Clements. Their books are definately one leading to another and another and another! I can't stop!!!

A Couple of Reviews

Wow, I'm neglecting this blog! I guess Thanksgiving got in the way and now, instead of writing something, I'm trying to catch up on all of yours! Besides which, I should be doing Christmasy type stuff now too, and not spending quite so much time computering.

Anyway, I guess it's about time for another couple of reviews... very small and quick ones!

Book: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Rating: A

Genre: YA Fantasy

Shannon Hale... you've done it again! Of course I loved it! This one is another re-done fairy tale, one I'm not familliar with at all, about a lady and her maid who are shut up in a tower for what's supposed to be 7 years, because the lady refuses to marry this awful mean monster-of-a-guy. The maid decides to keep a journal of their experiences, thus we have the book of a thousand days! What a strong, wonderful character this maid is too! So, yes, I loved the book. Read it!

Book: Like Water for Chocoate by Laura Esquivel

Rating: B+

Genre: Adult Lit. Fiction

I finally can cross another one off my "Something About Me" Challenge list! This book was a quick and fairly easy read, but not one of my favorites I'll have to say! Very strange stuff going on here. Reminded me of "A Hundred Years of Solitude" only much less completicated. All that magic realism going on! But, in the end, I enjoyed it still!

Blogger Christmas Exchange

I'm doing it.... how about you?

See Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot for the details!

What's Cool.... and What's Not........

So yesterday over on Confessions of a Book-a-holic, Stephanie was discussing stuff that's cool, as inspired by Stephen King's fun article in Entertainment Weekly. She asked us, what do we think is cool.


So I had fun with this idea, especially after reading King's article.


So, here you go..... stuff I think is cool, compared with stuff that I think is not:

Crocs are cool, but wearing Crocs with socks (like I do), not so cool.....








Monument Valley is cool, VERY cool, but Death Valley, neat, but not cool....







Josh Groban, very cool with how he handles adoring fans, but other celebrities?..... not so cool.









Christian Bale as Batman is cool, but Michael Keaton as Batman, not cool.










Alex O'Loughlin's vampire interpretation in Moonlight....VERY cool, but Tom Cruise's vampire in Interview with a Vampire, not. (Well, I'm just assuming this since I haven't really seen it or anything!)





Riding a motorcycle is cool, but riding a moped is not.

Authors who write blogs are cool, but authors who don't are not!



Drummers are cool, but then so are guitarists, and bass players, and rockin' pianists, and celloists, and tumpeters .... okay, so musicians are cool! But singers who can't play an instrument of any kind are not!

************

Well, anyway, I had fun!

Booking Through Thursday: Preservatives

Booking Through Thursday

Today’s question comes from Conspiracy-Girl:

I’m still relatively new to this meme so I’m not sure if this has been asked yet, but I’m curious how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?


I don't mark up my books, but I wish I did. For some reason, I just can't seem to make myself do it! I love reading books where someone as left a little comment here and there, and I think it would be kind of a cool thing to do, especially if kids and/or grandkids.... or even further down the line.... read my books. They'd get to "know" me in a way. So, I should start, but, it's hard.

Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Book: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Genre: YA Fantasy
Award: Newbery 1985
Rating: A

I’ve been wanting to read this book forever it seems, first, because I love Robin McKinley’s books and feel the need to get them all read, and 2nd, because I read The Blue Sword a year or so ago and of course, this book is a prequel to that one. Besides, it’s a Newbery winner, so there’s another reason to read it and cross of that list of great books!

It’s about Aerin, who lives with her father, the king of Damar. She has lots of questions about her mother and the circumstances of her birth, which no one seems to want to answer. She doesn’t really fit in with her father’s household and everyone looks at her as if she is an imposter. Meanwhile, in order to find her place, she learns how to fight dragons, which plague the people now and then. Eventually, she wins the heart of her people by.... well.... you’ll have to read the book for that part!

So, yes, I really enjoyed it! I love the descriptive style, the story, the characters. Everything! I love Robin McKinley books (and her recently started blog!) Her other books I need to read next are: The Door in the Hedge, and The Outlaws of Sherwood. Oh, and Dragonhaven, her newest one, which I have on hold at the library and should be coming available to me soon I hope!!

Booking Through Thursday (on a Friday): Volume

Booking Through Thursday

Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less?Why?

I read TONS more now than I did when I was younger. In previous years, I tried to not read so much, I felt guilty about reading too much, so I held back. At some point, I decided to bag that feeling and to just go for it and so I stepped up the reading big-time. Years ago I would just read whatever crossed my path, whatever jumped out at me from the library shelves, etc. Then I started joining online book clubs, then eventually "real" (face to face) book clubs... then most recently this year, I've discovered the challenge thing. All this has made my reading volume increase like crazy. And who knows how I find the time... I don't know.. I just do.

Book Chit-chatting!

In the mood for a little random chit-chat today!

First off, the other day I finished Extras, the fourth (I have no idea if it’s the final or not) book in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. A fabulous series that, though set in the future, makes an amazing commentary on our current lives. The latest book has us hanging out with a whole new character, Aya, as she is dealing with society’s newest obsession, "kicking" the best stories on their "feeds" (think blogs or Youtube Channels!) and aiming to get the most hits and be the most famous. In the process of getting her story, she stumbles upon some interesting things, and soon, Tally and her group from the previous three books, shows up to get involved! Of course I liked it a lot. These books are great!

Second, I’m finding myself totally fascinated with yet another series called The Withern Rise Series by Michael Lawrence. I’m nearly done with book #2 and am amazed by the plot line. This series is perfect if you love time traveling, and if you think it’d be cool to think of time and space in a whole new way! Be prepared for your brain to spin! It’s great and I think I’ve found yet another author to search out and read more from him!

And if that’s not enough, for one of my book clubs, we are reading a book that gives the Pride and Prejudice story, but from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. It took me a bit to get into the flow of this one (the author is almost over the top with trying to keep to a "Jane Austen" style) but now that I am (in the flow) I’m totally loving it and even though I know how the story all ends, I’m dying to read how this version of Mr. Darcy handles it all! Of course, this book An Assembly Such as This (by Pamela Aiden)... is only the first in a trilogy, so the story won’t end until I read all three! ARGGHHH!

Books sitting nearby waiting their turn:
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
A Writer’s Life by Annie Dillard
Haunted... continuing on with Meg Cabot’s Mediator series
a pile of "Something About Me Challenge" books that I thought I’d get to, but now I’m wondering if I will or now

.... and now you know why it makes me crazy if I hear someone say, "There’s nothing to read!"

Book Club Voting

My book club is currently voting on several books to try and fill up this year's schedule. We are trying to pick three books from this list:

Blessings by Anna Quindlen
Watership Down by Richard Adams
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Any input for us? Anything that says a major thumbs up, or a major thumbs down?

October Recap

Here's what I managed to read this month. Mostly YA books still, only two "big kid" books! Only one for a challenge, and one for a book club. Sheesh. These YA books have grabbed me big time.

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins: Newbery Award Winner, I loved it!
Diary of a Whimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney: all the rage these days... very popular with the kids.
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan: another great story by a great author.
The Ninth Key by Meg Cabot: the 2nd in the Mediator series.
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements: a boy wakes up invisable, then falls in love with a blind girl.
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli: Stargirls story continues.
Reunion by Meg Cabot: the 3rd in the Mediator series.
A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence: another YA series that I stumbled upon and am now hooked to!
Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot: the 4th in the Mediator series
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell: great classic saga about relationships
Evening Class by Maueve Binchy: another fun Binchy book.

My favorites of the month? Hard to say. Wives and Daughers for sure. Out of the YA books, I really liked Things Not Seen, A Crack in the Line, and Criss Cross. But they really are all good.

On to November!!

Booking Through Thursday: Oh, Horror!

Booking Through Thursday

What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping?

I thought about asking you about whether you were participating in NaNoWriMo, but I asked that last year. Although . . . if you want to answer that one, too, please feel free to go ahead and do both, or either, your choice!

I would have to say that I don't read "real" horror... you know... the really scary, graphic, stuff. I do like regular old suspense, and things that perhaps border on horror, but not your main stream horror!

And no, I haven't found time to participate in the NaNoWriMo thing, though it does sound fun.

Inheritance Trilogy

Yeah! Finally, some info about the next book in the Inheritance trilogy by Christopher Paolini..... which isn't going to be a trilogy after all! But we still have to wait almost a whole year for the next book. Sheesh!

Click HERE for the video.