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‘Reading’ Category

Reading Goals for 2012

December 30, 2011 by sassenach
2011 has definitely been a year of reading for me. Unfortunately, this means that I didn’t knit as much this year, but I think I’m okay with that since I really wanted to focus on books in 2011. Back in December 2010, I set a reading goal for myself to read at least 31 books this year (11 more than I read in 2010). I’m pretty happy to say that I surpassed my goal! According to Goodreads, I read 44 titles this year. I say ‘titles’ because three were short stories, one was a novella, and four were children’s (picture) books. So if I don’t count those, then I still read 36 novels/proper ‘books,’ if you will. Not bad!

Since I seem to do pretty well when I set these challenges for myself, I’m going to set another one for 2012. This time, I’m going to pick a list of books that for whatever reason, I haven’t read yet but I really want to read them in 2012. Here’s the list, in no particular order.

Reading Goals for 2012
1. 1984 by George Orwell – I confess, I started this once but didn’t finish it. I think I got a little bored about halfway through. I’m determined to finish it since it’s a classic and I feel like I’m missing out by not having finished it.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Yes, another classic that I’ve never read. I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that but I hope to change that in 2012!
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – Are you starting to see a pattern here? See above!
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding – Maybe I should just call 2012 the Year of Reading Classics, haha. Actually, this is another one that I started but didn’t get very far with, but I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot.
5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – I watched the movie several years ago and it was really great, so I’m sure the book is that much better.
6. The Stand by Stephen King – I’ve seen the miniseries and enjoyed it quite a bit (despite the cheesy special effects), but I’ve heard some amazing things about the book. Apparently, many consider this to be King’s magnum opus, so I’m really excited about reading it. It’s quite a long novel, but I think I’m up to the challenge.
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Of all the books on my list, this is one of the most recent books but one that has very positive reviews. I did attempt to read this a few years ago but didn’t get very far, so I’m going to give it another try.
8. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – This is one that I’m still unsure about, but it’s had such a tremendous response and almost universally good reactions. I think this one might surprise me.
9. The Passage by Justin Cronin – If I don’t read this in 2012, I’ll probably never read it. I do want to find out if it’s as good as so many people say.
10. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – Yes, it’s another classic that I haven’t read! Of all the books on this list, I feel like I’m the least likely to read this one just because I have this impression in my mind that it’s going to be tougher to read. So I’m not making any guarantees on this one, but I will try.
It’ll be really interesting to see which books from this list I’ll succeed in finishing. In the past several months, I’ve really embraced the library book and along with it, the concept of abandoning a book if I’m just not enjoying it. So many of these are classics, but I won’t hesitate to give up on them if I find them boring! My limit is usually 75 pages or so (50 pages if it’s really bad) before I give up on a book.
Category: Reading, Reads of 2011, Reads of 2012 | Tags: | 6 Comments
Divergent by Veronica Roth

December 28, 2011 by sassenach

Like many of the books I read, I chose to read Divergent because there seemed to be a lot of hype surrounding it. Well, I’ve finally read it. While I wouldn’t call it one of my favorite books from this year, I will call it a very enjoyable book. But it’s not like it changed my life or anything.

Do note, however, that it’s very formulaic: dystopian YA, teenage girl, love interest, etc. But that’s what I like, so…yeah. It’s an interesting mix, though–kind of like The Hunger Games meets The Matrix meets Inception…if that makes sense.

It took me a few chapters to get into the flow, but once the story picked up, it became a real page-turner and I stayed up a bit too late to finish it. There’s one part toward the end that felt a little hokey and slowed the narrative for me, but other than that, I don’t have many complaints. In fact, I really appreciated the presence of strong female characters (and some that are pretty badass in general). Lastly, I was surprised that the author ‘went there’ toward the end–I don’t want to post any spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that! I plan on reading the sequel when it comes out.

Category: Reading, Reads of 2011 | Tags: | No Comments
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

December 27, 2011 by sassenach

I liked this book more than I probably should have, haha. And by that, I mean that it’s very similar to Twilight (so if you didn’t like that, absolutely don’t read Mara Dyer). This one doesn’t have vampires and werewolves, but it invoked the same kind of emotions/feelings in me that Twilight did, if that makes sense.

Also, the book surprised me somewhat–early on, I thought the story was going to wind up being super predictable and lame, but it kind of veered off into this unexpected territory and that was nice. Also, the plot became pretty suspenseful at times, to the point where I really didn’t want to put the book down because I had to see how it would end. So that was nice, too.

oh, and sorry to bring up Twilight again, but Mara Dyer has some pretty steamy scenes in comparison. There’s a lot of innuendo and raunchiness at times, which I was kind of surprised about because this book is recommended for 14+, but as an adult, I found it entertaining. I’ll be reading the sequel once it is released.

Category: Reading, Reads of 2011 | Tags: | No Comments
Booking Through Thursday (on Friday): Gifts

December 23, 2011 by sassenach

Any books you’re hoping to get for the holidays this year? How about giving? Are you giving any good ones?

I never receive books as gifts–I think the people in my life know that I’m always reading, so they probably have no clue which books I’ve already read or already own! On that note, I don’t give books as gifts (with the exception of knitting pattern books; I’ve given those in the past). It’s just so tough to know what someone already owns and I wouldn’t want them to end up with extra copies.

Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments
Book Review Catch Up, Pt. 5 (Now with children’s books!)

December 22, 2011 by sassenach

Blood on My Hands by Todd Strasser
This just didn’t work for me. I really should have abandoned it a few chapters in, but my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to find out who the killer was. (It wasn’t who I expected, but that doesn’t make up for the story overall.)

The writing was so disjointed–it skipped through time every chapter (present tense vs. past tense). While this created suspense and kept me reading, it also felt very uneven because I just wanted the writing style to be consistent.

Callie’s flight from the police was pretty far-fetched; I’m really supposed to believe that a 17-year-old can evade an entire police force? I know it’s a small town, but I don’t think so.

I had hoped that the resolution would be worth it, but it lacked credibility and the ending REALLY bothered me. I’m debating whether I want to read anything else by this author. I’ll probably give him one more shot, but unfortunately I just can’t recommended Blood on My Hands.

– – –

Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
ok, so I gave Strasser one more try.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I gravitate toward dark novels and that includes books about school shootings, which is what Give a Boy a Gun is. This is disturbing subject matter, but the author didn’t make me care about the characters enough.

The fictional narrative is interspersed with actual statistics and anecdotes about real school shootings (in the form of footnotes), which are certainly relevant (and sad), but which also make the story feel disjointed. I think I’ll avoid this author in the future.

– – –

Chilly Milly Moo by Fiona Ross
And now, for something completely different!

I read this (and the following children’s books) for storytime at the library and this one is so cute! It’s about a cow named Milly Moo who’s different from the other cows. They make fun of her because she’s always too hot to produce milk, but it turns out that there’s something very special about Milly Moo.

I liked the story more than the illustrations–I feel like the pictures could have been more colorful and bright. But they were still fun and the book really is cute.

– – –

A Dog is a Dog by Stephen Shaskan
I loved this one!

The story starts out with a dog, but then the dog changes into various animals (cat, squid, moose). It’s still the dog inside each different costume, but descriptions are given about the other types of animals. (This kind of makes more sense when you’re actually reading the book.) I’m not sure that the five-year-olds I read to understood that it was still the dog at the end of the story, but the rhymes are very fun and the pictures are nice and bright.

– – –

Quiet Bunny & Noisy Puppy by Lisa McCue
oh my, this book is too sweet. I think it’s a bit longer than the previous two–I feel like it took me a while to read the whole thing to the kids–but it’s a really cute story.

Quiet Bunny doesn’t have anyone to play with since his friends are hibernating or migrating for the winter. Then he meets Noisy Puppy, who is obviously very different from him…but the two end up being best friends. The moral of the story, of course, is that everyone is different but we can still get along with each other in spite of that.

At the end of the story, it’s spring and Noisy Puppy has to go back to his farm (to be a working dog, I think?). But next winter, he visits Quiet Bunny again, this time as a bigger dog. Soooo adorable!

– – –

Princess Super Kitty by Antoinette Portis
eh, this is an okay children’s book.

It’s about a girl named Maggie who likes to pretend she’s a kitty. The story is pretty straightforward–she pretends she’s a kitty, a princess, and a superhero.

It’s fun to read but it’s definitely my least favorite of the books I read to the kids. Overall, it’s cute but I feel like the story would have flowed better if it had been written in rhyme…or maybe had different illustrations? I don’t know, I just felt like something was missing. It’s a decent kids’ book, though.

– – –

I like how my job at the library has got me reading things I don’t normally read–namely, children’s books! Since I don’t have kids, I usually don’t have the need to read things at this level. This is fun and different for me.

I am now two book reviews away from being all caught up, hurray!

Category: Reading, Reads of 2011 | Tags: | No Comments
Kindle Fire!

December 17, 2011 by sassenach

Hello, Kindle Fire!

I’ve had my eye on a tablet for a while now. Ideally, I wanted an iPad but I couldn’t justify the cost to myself since they are rather pricey and I still have a working MacBook. My iPhone contract ended last month and I had planned on upgrading to a 4S, but my 3GS still works really well, so I figured I’d get a tablet instead. I like my iPhone when I’m away from my house, but when I’m at home I don’t like using my phone as much since it tends to kill the battery really quickly (because I’m always tweeting or reading blogs). Also, it’s tougher to navigate some sites on my phone screen.

I made the mistake (heh) of playing with a B&N Nook Tablet in store recently and really liked it. It was like an overgrown iPhone! My first e-reader was an e-ink Nook 1st edition, so I’ve always been partial to the Nook. There were some things about the NT that I didn’t like, though (including the price tag, the limited B&N app store selection, and that darn notch in the lower left corner–what is the purpose of that?).

I tested a Kindle Fire at Best Buy and really, really liked it. I even went back later and tested it again to make sure that it was the one I wanted. I did some research online about the NT and KF (mostly compare/contrast) and the KF won for me. Plus, I’m a frequent user of Amazon Prime services, so it made sense that I would get a KF. I wound up ordering it directly from Amazon to avoid sales tax and because the sales associates at Best Buy were pretty douchey when I was in the store, so Amazon got my money instead.

I’ve always shied away from backlit e-readers, but I’m going to give this a go and see if my eyes will do okay. I’ve got the brightness turned down quite a bit (that was one of the first settings I changed once it came out of the box!), so we’ll see how that goes. Also, since I started my job at the library, I’m no longer staring at a computer screen for eight straight hours a day, which is nice! My eyes needed the break.

I’ve been playing with my KF all day and I LOVE this thing. It really is like an oversized iPhone, sans phone. Tweeting, emailing, and general web browsing are a breeze. I’ve watched some Youtube videos and the quality was very good. I need to watch an Instant Video and see how clear it is.

I still have my e-ink Nook but I think I might end up selling it. For the time being, it’s a Nook and Kindle household over here. I’m going to take the KF for an e-book spin tonight…I’ve already downloaded a Stephen King book from the library on it (wirelessly!) and it was so easy!

Category: My So-Called Life, Reading | Tags: | No Comments
Booking Through Thursday: Character or Plot?

December 15, 2011 by sassenach
What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?

Interesting question. I think I prefer characters that stay with me long after I’ve finished a book. A book might have a great plot that keeps me reading, but if the characters aren’t memorable, then I pretty much forget about the book once it’s read. Some characters that have stayed with me over time are:
- Charles and Sian from Where or When (so much hate for this on Goodreads, but I don’t care, I adore this book)
- The father and son from The Road (before I read this, I was worried it would be too depressing [even for me], but I’m so glad I read it)
- Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (I read this pretty recently and loved it, so it’ll be interesting to see how I feel about it after some time has passed).
Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | 2 Comments

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