‘52 Books in 52 Weeks’ Category

  1. Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton

    September 29, 2009 by sassenach

    #27 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    No spoilers in this post, just a lot of complaints.

    I did not like this book at all. It was pretty much a novelty item for me–I don’t read mysteries, so I read this purely for the knitting element. It’s a pretty small/short book, but it took me way too long to get through it. It was that boring. I think it was a couple weeks from start to finish. The plot was uninteresting in general, kind of silly at times, and the characters were flat. The parts that had to do with knitting were cute, but they weren’t enough to improve the story.

    The ending, and an attempt at a plot twist, were too neatly wrapped up. Also, it totally set up the plot for a sequel, but I’m not interested. This one has already been posted to PaperBackSwap–along with its sequel, which I’m not going to bother to read.

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 2 Comments

  2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

    September 20, 2009 by sassenach

    #26 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    This post is spoiler-free.

    I loved everything about this book.

    Melinda is a teenage outcast, someone simultaneously harassed and shunned by her fellow high schoolers. As far as they know, she ratted them out to the police at a summer party (complete with underage drinking and other shenanigans). Only Melinda knows the truth, the whole story of what happened that night. Not even her parents know. Melinda, for the majority of the story, is alone. As the story progresses, Melinda begins to discover who she is–and who she definitely is not. It is through this process of discovery that she arrives at a place in her life where she can finally speak her truth.

    I loved reading the story from Melinda’s perspective. Her voice is very sarcastic and witty, and thus her observations on high school life are at times hilarious, but poignant. Originally, I became interested in this book because of the TV movie adaptation with Kristen Stewart (yes, that Kristen Stewart) as Melinda. I found that the movie stays very close to the plot of the book, for the most part.

    I can see myself re-reading Speak in the future, so this is going on my bookshelf permanently. I definitely recommend it.

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 7 Comments

  3. Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet

    August 18, 2009 by sassenach

    #25 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    Semi-spoilery post follows.

    I wanted to like this book. Actually, I liked it a little until the last page or so. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

    M gave this to me for my birthday (along with Dead Until Dark and other things). I figured that it would be a light, fluffy read–possibly with a melancholy twist, like many of Nicholas Sparks’s novels, for example (many of which I’ve read in the past).

    Until fairly recently, I didn’t even know that Patterson uses ghost writers (co-writers?) on virtually all his books now. BookishlyFab clued me in to his new method. I was really surprised, since it’s Patterson’s name sprawled across the cover, and his author photo covering the entire back cover. In comparison, his co-author gets a very small credit on the front. But getting back to my original point, the entire book reads like a romance novel, minus the spicy love scenes. Seriously. Either Charbonnet wrote this entire thing herself, or Patterson has acquired one heck of a female literary voice.

    That being said, it was a very fast read. Almost too fast. I noticed that every chapter was strangely short. As in, three to four pages long. I began thinking that the chapters were there merely to add additional white space and pages. The story itself was not very long or well developed. Also, the typeface is rather large, especially for my edition (a trade paperback). This isn’t a large-print edition, either. As far as the characters, I found them very formulaic. Too good to be true, or so villainous, it was unintentionally comical. There wasn’t much character development to speak of.

    The premise of the story had been promising: a young girl named Jane has an imaginary friend, Michael. He leaves her when she turns nine (because that’s what imaginary friends have to do), only to show up later in her life, when she’s in her 30s. They fall in love, blah blah cheesy love scene, but then there’s this “twist” which did not amuse me at all. Needless to say, the ending rather sucked. It even had the bonus of an epilogue with such a pat ending that I kind of wanted to toss the book when I was done (but didn’t, since it had been a gift and all). But yes, the ending was that bad. While it’s not exactly the same, the plot is suspiciously similar to the movie City of Angels (which is kind of cheesy in its own right, but which I still enjoy).

    I will be avoiding James Patterson’s novels in the future (co-written or otherwise). I vaguely remember reading his other novel, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas, years ago. But I remember nothing of the plot, other than it seemed like another Nicholas Sparks knockoff. I’m just kind of bored with books like these.

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 4 Comments

  4. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

    August 11, 2009 by sassenach

    #24 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    Spoilers follow. Also, I’m going to go ahead and put a fat disclaimer on this thing, which is: take my opinion with a grain of salt–I’m a Twilight fan, see? ;)

    One of the gifts M gave me for my birthday last month was this book. I like reading much-hyped books; it’s why I’ve read things like The Da Vinci Code (meh) and The Catcher in the Rye (blah). Occasionally, I’ll understand the popularity of the book, but sometimes I don’t quite get it. I have mixed feelings about Dead Until Dark.

    I found the story tough to get into at first. I kept reading, hoping the story would get better. It did, about halfway in. But I couldn’t decide whether or not I cared about Sookie as a character. I found her kind of charming and funny, but also naive at times. Almost too deer-in-the-headlights about things–like sex, for example. (Speaking of which, I found the first sex scene with Bill to be really, really cheesy. Like romance novel-level cheesy. To be fair, the subsequent sex scenes were better written.) On the other hand, and more importantly, I really liked Sookie’s ability to read minds. I also liked all the scenes with her and her grandmother–but then her grandmother got killed off, so I was really bummed about that. I was also disturbed by Rene, especially toward the end, when it’s revealed just how sick he is and what he did to all his victims (shudder).

    oh, and I almost forgot about Bubba! I liked him, as silly and kind of hokey it is to have him as a vampire…it just kind of works in the book, and I thought it was cute.

    I don’t know if I like Bill or not. He comes across as annoying, with the whole “Sookie is mine” thing, but Sookie didn’t seem to mind too much. I found myself more interested in the character of Sam, especially once it’s revealed that he is a shapeshifter. Actually, I wanted the book to have more Sam and less Bill.

    So, I didn’t dislike the book, but I didn’t love it, either–and I was kind of expecting or hoping I would, since the series is so popular. I might read the rest of the series but not anytime soon. I have, however, queued season one of True Blood on Netflix. It’s always interesting comparing the adaptation to the book.

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 14 Comments

  5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

    August 8, 2009 by sassenach

    #23 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    Of course, it’s all spoilers from here on.

    So this is the end.

    I really enjoyed the final book in this wonderful series–I’m so glad I finally read it! I think that the quality of Rowling’s writing was the best in this one. My favorite portion, and a part that stayed with me, is near the end when Harry walks into the forest to (what he believes is) his death–this was beautifully written and I had prepared myself to say goodbye to Harry. And then he survives. The Boy Who Lived, and all that. Well done, JKR, well done.

    Other random thoughts:

    • I was really bummed that Hedwig was killed! And early in the story, too. I knew there was lots of death around the corner after that.
    • Which brings me to Dobby! Okay, I never even liked his character throughout the whole series–but when he was killed, I cried. A lot. No really, a lot. Sobbing and weeping over him and I had no idea why. I mean, it was sad and everything, but I just didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did. JKR just wrote the scene so beautifully.
    • Snape’s death was so sad, but I was relieved to learn the truth about him. I had had a feeling earlier–maybe in Order of the Phoenix?–that he had been in love with Lily, but I wasn’t sure. It explains his resentment toward Harry throughout the series. And I loved how he was redeemed in the end, after the constant ambiguity surrounding his motives throughout the books.
    • I was glad that Percy reconciled with the Weasleys, but thought it was so random that Fred was killed. It wouldn’t have bothered me as much if Percy had died instead.
    • Tonks’s and Lupin’s deaths seemed random as well, like a footnote in the story.
    • Of course, the epic Battle of Hogwarts was…well…epic. I can’t wait to see that come to life  in the movie.
    • I loved how Molly was the one to kill Bellatrix.
    • Part of me would have been okay with Harry and Voldemort killing each other in the end. I mean, Harry dying and staying dead, that is. That would have seemed more…fitting? I know the fans would have rioted in the streets if JKR had killed off Harry after everything, but the tragedy-loving part of me would have been all right with it. I think.
    • I didn’t like the epilogue very much. While I was glad about a happy ending, I didn’t like certain things…
    • I really thought Hermione would have made an excellent professor at Hogwarts–stepping into McGonagall’s shoes, maybe. And I read somewhere (possibly on Ravelry) how cool it would have been if Harry had gone on to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. But I was glad to see Neville as a professor.
    • And call me insufferable, but I still think Harry and Luna would have made a nice match. Or Harry and Hermione, for that matter! (haha.) I’m just really not a Ginny fan. I’m not sure why.
    • I kind of liked the names that Harry and Ginny gave their kids. In theory.

    I’m going to say that this series is up there as one of my favorites ever. This was a case where the books lived up to all the hype constantly surrounding them. And I can see myself rereading the books in the future. The movies are a wonderful complement, and I’ll be just as sad when the movies are finished, too. I’m kind of sad that I didn’t jump on the HP bandwagon when the books were first published–I think it would have been nice to be part of that (really large) group who were experiencing them for the first time, in real time. But nevertheless, I’m just happy that I read the books, have seen the films, and am now part of this truly magical world of Harry Potter.

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 5 Comments

  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

    July 27, 2009 by sassenach

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling#22 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    Many spoilers within.

    All right, I finished this ages (weeks) ago and have seen the film twice. Since the film just came out, I think it makes sense that I do a compare/contrast of sorts, of things in the movie that differed from the book, and things I liked/didn’t like.

    I’m sure I’m bound to forget something, but if I leave out some huge plot point, feel free to point it out in the comments. :)

    Things I didn’t like about the movie:

    • Not enough Tom Riddle backstory. The book reveals so much of Tom Riddle, who he was before he became Voldemort, his family history, and the things that he did even as a child that were just…evil. The movie, on the other hand, has only a few pensieve memories of Tom’s past. I know there wasn’t enough time to include them all, but I really would have liked to see some history about Tom’s parents.
    • Not enough Snape! oh, Snape. In the books, he’s always portrayed so differently–the ambiguity of “is he bad” or “is he really good” is always there for me. In the HBP movie, we get to see some comic relief with Snape at Slughorn’s party, which is nice. But I wish the movie had painted more of an air of mystery around Snape’s intentions. I felt like he wasn’t in the movie enough, and then boom, he kills Dumbledore. All right. Which leads me to…
    • No explanation of what “Half-Blood Prince” even meant! It was a nice reveal and all, with Harry attempting to use Sectumsempra on Snape after Dumbledore is killed. It’s very dramatic when Snape walks up to Harry on the ground, and declares in that way that only Alan Rickman can, “I am the Half-Blood Prince.” And then he walks away. hmmm. Here’s one of those moments where, if you’ve not read the book, you still have no clue what the title of the movie even means. Kind of like how in Twilight, no one in the movie ever says the word “twilight,” though it’s in the book. Trust me, it’s not in the movie, I’ve seen it eleventy billion times. (And have I just tainted an HP review with Twilight? My apologies, I love them both.)
    • No explanation that Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf. The second time I went to see the movie, I checked on the “Wanted” poster, but didn’t see any mention of the word “werewolf.” It’s rather important in the book, you know, especially when he bites Bill. But that’s not even in the movie.
    • No Dumbledore’s funeral. I know it would have taken the film to a really, really depressing place, but for me, the funeral was a type of closure…at that point, I wasn’t sure if Dumbledore was really dead or not (I mean, not that he couldn’t be killed but I’m always skeptical when such an important character dies in a book).
    • Awkward moments, like Harry and Ginny at the Burrow. She kneels down and ties his shoelace? Seriously? And the kiss in the Room of Requirement felt…I’m not sure…just awkward. I know young love is, at times, awkward, but that doesn’t mean I want to see this weird snogging scene instead of some awesome Tom Riddle backstory. Have I mentioned there should have been more Tom Riddle backstory?
    • The final scene falls flat. I appreciate that Ron doesn’t mind Harry + Ginny = luv, but did that really need to be mentioned in the scene? The book is much more somber…Harry’s impending quest, and his need for Ron and Hermione’s help, and the uncertainty of the future, and horcruxes, etc. The film ending just doesn’t have as much emotional impact as I expected it would. Also, I thought Harry’s final line–about never noticing how beautiful “this place” was–was rather boring.

    Things I liked about the movie:

    • The actors’ performances. Daniel Radcliffe gets better with each movie, and Helena Bonham Carter is seriously perfect as Bellatrix. Even though I wish we’d seen more of him, Alan Rickman is great as always. And I really loved Jim Broadbent as Slughorn, he’s just wonderful in every film he’s in. Lastly, Tom Felton was very impressive in this one. I liked seeing tortured Draco–he was a more sympathetic character in the movie compared to the book, I think.
    • The cinematography was gorgeous. It also seemed like there were more close-ups, which to me made each scene feel more intimate.
    • This is small but really awesome–I was so happy that they kept Dumbledore’s “I do love knitting patterns” line! For obvious reasons, of course.
    • The comedic scenes, like all the teenage stuff with Ron and Lavender (who was fantastic, btw) was a nice balance to all the darkness of the story.
    • Harry + Felix Felicis. oh, man. So hilarious! Even though I feel like the scene with Aragog’s funeral could have been removed, it was worth it just to see more high Harry. I loved that whole sequence.
    • Additional scenes with Luna. Even though they changed some parts from the book–like the early scene on the Hogwarts Express, with Luna finding Harry under the Invisibility Cloak instead of Tonks–were ok with me, since Luna is my favorite female HP character, hands down. Well, I like Hermione, of course, but Luna is just awesome. She’s so unique. Even though people thought she was weird in Order of the Phoenix, she always just acts like herself (completely normal to her!) and she’s got such a good heart.
    • The scene with Harry, Dumbledore, and the Inferi in the cave. Dumbledore’s fire spell was so amazingly kickass. I think it’s possibly my favorite part of the movie, which makes me so glad I got the chance to see it on the big screen.
    • I liked how much they played up Harry and Hermione’s friendship. It might have annoyed the Hermione/Ron shippers, but I think it was a good setup for Deathly Hallows (which, btw, I’ve already read).
    • It didn’t bother me too much that they changed Dumbledore’s death scene. I realize that, in the book, Dumbledore immobilizes Harry under the Invisibility Cloak before the Death Eaters arrive and Snape kills him. He did this to protect Harry. But for the movie, it would have been awkward to see Harry standing there, a statue, while all the action takes place in front of him. I think, cinematically, it was more compelling to see Harry down below, and then to see Snape sneak up and “shh” him…that was more powerful for me.
    • Also, I wasn’t completely confounded by the burning of the Burrow. I know it’s not in the book, but it didn’t bother me as much as it seemed to have bothered some fans. However, I am interested to see how they reconcile this rather large change in Deathly Hallows, since Bill and Fleur (who were completely absent from the movie) were supposed to get married at the Burrow.
    • I also didn’t mind that the battle at the end of the book was removed. Since I’ve read Deathly Hallows, I am anticipating the huge, epic, kickass battle at the end of that movie, so I’m ok with it not being duplicated in HBP.

    Overall, I loved the book and really enjoyed the movie, more so the second time since I knew what to expect. I felt like there could have been way more backstory and less teenage comedy; though those moments were funny, some key scenes from the book were left out (Tom Riddle, “HBP” explanation, etc.) that would have made some parts of the movie less confusing. But the things I like about the movie far outweigh any complaints that I have. :)

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 3 Comments

  7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

    June 26, 2009 by sassenach

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling#21 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

    Major spoiler-filled post follows.

    I finished this a few weeks ago and have sort of been marinating since. I loved this book so, so much, and would say it’s my favorite of the series so far. Prisoner of Azkaban is now my second favorite. I’ve started caring about the characters in a more personal way, which was kind of unexpected.

    I had such a good time reading this book that I had to stop every so often and take notes. For me, this is the sign of a really fantastic book. My notes generally are very rambly and stream-of-consciousness, and may make little sense. So, my apologies in advance if they’re completely nonsensical. :)

    Notes taken during reading:

    Umbridge is so abhorrent, so despicable. This is excellent writing, because not long into the book, I wanted to kill her myself. This kind of writing always elicits an intense reaction from me–always a sign of a great book.

    The brief bit with Neville, his grandmother, and his parents in the hospital was heartbreaking.

    Though Dumbledore and Hagrid are basically absent from the first half of the book, I didn’t mind much. I love both of them as characters, but the other characters and plots were interesting enough to keep me engaged. I was glad when they both returned to the story, though.

    Holy crap. Dumbledore has left and that nutter Umbridge is head of Hogwarts. WTF.

    Snape’s worst memory was particularly moving. So Harry’s dad was not the ideal that Harry had always believed him to be. Rude awakening? I wonder, though, if what Harry saw in the pensieve was true…or if Snape bewitched it to mislead Harry about his father? I still can’t decide whether Snape has truly forsaken being a Death Eater…but Dumbledore trusts him so…

    Very sad that Sirius is dead…I liked him very much. And Harry is so torn up about it. He was all the family he had left. :(

    So glad that Umbridge was ousted and Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts! I wonder what the centaurs did to Umbridge, though.

    Now there’s a reason for everything–why Harry has to go back to the Dursleys every summer, what his scar means. But though he now knows the reasons it doesn’t make his life any easier…if anything, things will only get tougher…especially since Lucius Malfoy is in Azkaban. Draco’s really got it in for him now.

    I really like Luna Lovegood, she was such a help to Harry, even though most people treat her unkindly. I hope we see her again.

    So glad that the Dursleys will be less horrible to Harry from now on! The members of the Order will see to that.

    Now for my thoughts on the movie: love, love, loved the movie! Like the book, this movie is my favorite in the series so far. I rented it and had it for five days, and I think I must have watched it at least eight or nine times. (Yes, I have no life.) I kept watching it because it was so good, then I took to watching it while knitting as well. I think my favorite scene is the exchange between Harry and Sirius in the room with the family tree. Daniel Radcliffe’s and Gary Oldman’s acting is just fantastic. Sirius’s words at the end of the scene, about how the two of them would be a ‘real family,’ were just devastating to hear, knowing what his fate would be.

    Of course I loved the epic fight/battle at the end with Dumbledore and Voldemort. I’m sad I missed seeing that scene, especially, in a theater. And the montage in Harry’s mind between his memories and his war inside with Voldemort was amazing. I loved how Dumbledore tells him, “It’s not how you are alike–it’s how you are not.” Harry struggles with the part of him connected to Voldemort–the part he believes himself to be bad–and who he truly is. When he tells Voldemort, “You’re the one who’s weak. And you’ll never know love or friendship–and I feel sorry for you,” I completely lost it and burst into tears. Harry’s memories of his happiest moments with Ron, Hermione, and Sirius overcome that struggle with Voldemort attempting to take over his mind, and Harry succeeds–at least for now–in pushing that darkness away. I absolutely loved the montage, with Harry looking in the mirror and seeing first himself, then Voldemort, then smashing the mirror and driving him out–ahh, I love it! I was confused, though, when Voldemort is standing over him just before he disappears–when he tells Harry he is a fool and that he’ll lose–why Voldemort didn’t kill him then. I know Dumbledore was next to them, and the members of the Ministry arrived right then, but it seemed like Voldemort could have killed him in an instant. Then again, we have two more books to get through!

    One final thought–I liked the exchange between Harry and Luna at the end, when she tells him she’s sorry about his godfather and takes his hand. I thought, briefly, that there might be a romantic spark between them but unfortunately, I think I know who he ends up with in the end. (That’s one of the few spoilers I knew concerning the whole series, before I ever started reading the books.)

    Last-last thought–I think this movie was the best directed of them all. The story itself is definitely the darkest yet, and the film captured that feeling perfectly. These scenes I mentioned were so well shot and acted, and that’s what makes this my favorite movie thus far. (Sidenote, except I felt that some of Hermione/Emma Watson’s scenes weren’t as well-acted as they could be. When they walk in after the battle and she and Ron are watching Harry and Dumbledore, her face is kind of blank…not in shock or sadness, but just…blank. That’s the sense I got, anyway.)

    I’m several chapters into Half-Blood Prince, and I have to say I’m kind of bummed about at least one or two plot points. I’m sticking with it to see how things turn out, of course. And I’m really excited that I’ll be able to see HBP in a theater in a couple weeks. It will be my first HP theater experience. :)

    Category: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Reading | Tags: | 4 Comments

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