598 replies to this topic

[Katia11]

Read the second book in the Shamer series called The Shamer's Signet. I loved it even more then the first book. I also read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Which I actually really really enjoyed. The romance was totally predictable, but the world building was kind of intriguing and the plot was fast paced.  A win in my mind. Not a book I'd own, but enjoyable.  

[Mara=^.^=]

Finished "Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages" by Doug MacDougall. A fun read, very accessible, and just what I needed to kick off my traditional summer reading list of science related books. Up next, "Origins: 14 Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution" by Neil Degrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith!

[J/C AVA]

My GOSH you girls read lots of books so fast! How the F can I ever catch up?

Speaking of catching up, I'm planning on starting my summer reading and I need suggestions. I haven't read a traditional paper book in ages and I'm a bit concerned that if I read one, I'll easily get bored and not regard it as highly as I used to. And I really want to.

[SweeneyxxTodd]

What kinds of books do you like to read, Pedro?

[J/C AVA]

Wow.. there's so many genres, I don't know.

I love stories that (literally or metaphorically) take me on an adventure: either through a persons psychology or a land of wondrous make believe. I also love stories that makes me feel invested in characters who develop. I love stories that are inspirational.

[Mara=^.^=]

Do you have any preference regarding book length? Short books? Long? How about types of protagonists you enjoy? Do you like happy, sad, or bittersweet endings? Series or novels that stand on their own? Give us something to work with, el Peds

[J/C AVA]

I don't mind reading a lengthy novel (or series) as long as I can feel invested, but ideally book pages for me should be in between. I can handle sappy happy endings but if a novel ends bitter sweetly then I can handle it.

EDIT: My cousin gave me suggestions of books to read, of which has become feature films.

“The fault in our Stars” by John Green

“The perks of being a wallflower” by Stephen Chebowsky

[Katia11]

OKAY, another RANT one of the books I recently read, The Iron Thorn had this cool world built up. Engines and stuff, definitely steam punk. The main character Aoife was pretty cool, an engineer who loves working with gears. But there were things about her that annoyed me especially later in the book. But, anyway, she is basically a ticking time bomb until she goes insane like her mother and her older brother. 

 

Then it turned boring. It was all witchcraft, there was a love triangle thing, she ends up with the dangerous not gentleman guy (surprise surprise) although the other guy had turned rather annoying. She has a weird (which is sort of like bending) and the world hangs in her hands. Although there was an aspect that surprised me.   Overall, it was enjoyable, but not my favorite read ever.

 

BUT IT JUST INFURIATED ME. How come these guys have to exist in every single novel ever? THIS BOOK HAD SUCH POTENTIALLLLL. 

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished "The Caged Graves" by Dianne K. Salerni, a novel set in 1860s Pennsylvania. The story revolves around a real-life landmark: a pair of iron-cages which surround two graves, both of which lie in unconsecrated ground outside a rural cemetery. Why iron cages? Who was buried there? What was their story? The plot answers these questions while delving into small-town secrets and touching upon the ruinous power of rumors and myths. Unfortunately, while the premise was really cool, the book suffered from what I like to call "YA novel syndrome" - too much love triangle, not enough mystery and horror. It would have been a hell of a lot better if it had been scarier.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

*gasp* the dreaded YA novel syndrome!

 

I am in the middle of A Red Herring Without Mustard. (Part of the De Luce series I mentioned previously on this thread). For some reason Flavia is irritating me more in this book than the others. She complains a lot and it just seems repetitive. But the mysteries are fun and she's an interesting character even if she can be a little annoying at times.

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished The Well's End by Seth Fishman. I have never, EVER read a book that ended on such a spectacular cliffhanger in my life. AND THERE'S NO SEQUEL YET.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Sanjana R]

I think I'll add The Caged Graves to my to-read list….

 

I just finished 2 books by Haruki Murakami- Sputnik Sweetheart and Norwegian Wood. They seem to have raving reviews and I picked them up as a romance lover, but I couldn't stand them. The writing was beautiful but I hated the characters.

 

I liked the other book I finished much more though-- "How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the end of the War on Terror." by Reza Aslan. A really fascinating read and a great historical look at the Middle East from a non American centric perspective! 

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Oh my land. I LOVED the protagonist to bits - a fat, self-loathing princess with a talent for military tactics? She was flawed and refreshing and wickedly smart. The amount of character development in this book was just staggering. I'm proud of the author for taking risks, especially in the romance department, even if those risks produced tragedy and heartbreak for the heroine (and the audience. I'm still getting choked up just thinking about it). I can't wait to read the sequels.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

^Picked up the sequel, The Crown of Embers, and literally did not move my ass from the couch until I'd read all 400+ pages in one marathon length binge session. It was sooooooooooooo good. AGH. This poor protagonist, though. She cannot catch a break. Everyone who kisses her ends up dead or kidnapped...it's like she suffers from comic book hero syndrome. She's so amazing though; I can't wait to see how she outsmarts her enemies in the third and final book.

 

Also, I KNEW Conde Tristán was gay. I KNEW IT. Tremble in fear of my superior literary gaydar.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

LOL with a name like conde Tristan it was pretty obvious :-) also I loved this series as well.

[Mara=^.^=]

Finished the third book in the series, The Bitter Kingdom. Oh my gaaawwwwd. I loved this trilogy so much. Holy shit. I want a dozen more books in the series. I want to know everything there is to know about the characters and their world. Aaaggggghhhhhh Y U NO WRITE MOAR RAE CARSON

[Katia11]

Oh my word. Splintered was so pretentious. Ugh. She freaking talks about what she's wearing like all the time. The book tries so hard to be deep and scary but really it is just sort of annoying
Like I almost didn't muster up enough courage to get past the first few chapters.... yet in some sort of epic joke I want to read the rest of the series. What is wrong with me? Also.. she has two guys in love with her. Is there no YA book out there where this isn't the case? Bahhhhhhhhh.

[SweeneyxxTodd]

Got a 30 day trial of Audible so I could get Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for free. I was going to try to check out a regular copy from the local library or maybe get the ebook on my nook, because someone in my YA fiction class recommended it. But I was browsing Audible at a friend's suggestion and found the book on there, and I loved Wil Wheaton's narrating in the sample so much that I absolutely had to listen rather than read it myself.

 

It's so damn entertaining. I'm only a few chapters in so far, and nothing much is happening plot wise, but I just love the main character. He's so funny. I'm hoping it's as good as my classmate said it was. But even if it's not, it was free, so there's that.

[SweeneyxxTodd]

Unnnnggghhh I just finished listening to Ready Player One. I loved it soooooo much. It was super fun to listen to, and I had so many legitimate feels that I didn't expect to have. This book was great. I'd recommend it to anybody who's a big video game geek, fan of 1980s pop culture, or just really a geek in general (and loves geeky protagonists).

 

The main character, Wade, sounded exactly like an eighteen year old boy. The narration was so interesting, that even when the plot slowed down, I never got bored. I loved the character development and the formation of Wade's friendships. Everything was just so well done.

 

Seriously, somebody read/listen to this book so I can geek out over it with you!

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished up Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby. Part mystery, part survival tale, and part love-letter to the power of stories, Icefall takes place over the course of one winter. The book stars Solveig, the middle daughter of a Norse king, who is forced into hiding inside a mountain fortress along with her siblings, a small contingent of servants and warriors, and a group of her father's berserkers. As the winter presses on, she begins to learn the art of storytelling from her father's skald (“poet of the living past”) and also forms a bond of fatherly/daughterly affection with the most fearsome berserker of the bunch. However, the unending ice refuses to break, and terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. In the end, Solveig discovers and learns to wield her own form of power, but it comes at a great cost.

 

Perhaps the most compelling feature of this book is the way the author weaves in little snippets and side-stories at the beginning of each chapter...until finally, in the last third of the book, they all come together, and you finally realize the context in which Solveig is telling them. Freaking AWESOME, man. It was also refreshing to read a YA book with no romance to speak of...it gave the author more time to flesh out and develop a couple of really compelling platonic relationships. In fact, romantic love was portrayed quite negatively in this book, which was both unusual and interesting. If I had to nitpick, I'd say my primary complaint was the fact that the heroine's inner dialogue was a bit too...modern? I'm not sure. Something was a little off about it. But other than that, I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a quick read.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =