Good Reads in July

i started off reading The Game of Thrones in July. A few of my friends had recommended it to me, had also watched the show and were all kind of obsessed with it, and i wanted to get on the bandwagon. So i was really disappointed when i couldn't get into it. i didn't really dig the language, there were too many characters and i couldn't keep up with the plot or figure out where the book was going! It got to the point when i was about 7 or 8 chapters in but didn't want to pick the book up and avoided it for a few days before deciding to give up on it altogether. i can't remember the last time i did this with a book, i'm not sure i ever have. Had i not been doing my challenge to read 25 books this year i might have persisted with it, but the book is huge and i had the feeling it would take me a while to get through it, especially as i had no enthusiasm for it. Who knows, maybe i'll give it another try at some point. Or maybe i'll just watch the tv series.

Then i started The Help and fell in love with the characters. i missed them when i'd finished the book which is a sign that it is a most excellent read. They were just so well written. And it's set in the 60's, which is a decade i'm obsessed with. i don't want to tell you any more about the book, just go and read it, please.

Good Reads in June

First i read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. This is written by the guy who wrote Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, which i have not read but has gotten rave reviews. Basically it tells you the story of Abraham Lincoln's life, using extracts from his journals under the premise that he was secretly a vampire hunter. i LOVED this book. i was completely fascinated by Abe's life and the American history & politics of the time in which this was set. i never got taught all that stuff at school so i found it quite interesting and have found myself wanting to learn more about it. It's a very original.

Although the book has vampires in, it is not teen fiction. And it's quite gruesome in places, sometimes so graphic, i had to skim over paragraphs. It's not a mystery either, it reads like a real biography, written in the voice of Seth who is introduced to the story in the first chapter. The fictional character of Henry, a vampire who i was incredibly intrigued by, is also introduced in the beginning, which serves to remind you that this is a work of fiction.

The transition between fiction and history is seamless, using actual quotes and extracts from Abe's speeches and journal entries. Seth must have done an amazing amount of research on Lincoln. If you have an over active imagination like me and/or are able to suspend your disbelief then you'll start to get caught up in the story and believe that Abe was in fact a vampire hunter. It also has (photo-shopped) pictures in to support that vampires existed in that time. It's fun when characters from real life pop up in the story too. Not having a great knowledge of American history i'm not entirely sure which characters are real and which are fiction but i managed to pick out the more famous names.

If you know anything about Lincoln, then you'll already be aware that his life was peppered with sadness. i found the way Seth approaches the topic of depression somewhat refreshing. And it just makes Abe's accomplishments that much more inspiring knowing the difficulties he faced, both personally and politically.

One small disappointment, the ending is a tad cheesy and i was expecting better. It's not in keeping with what you are led to think Abe's beliefs are. But it does not lower my opinion of the book as a whole. i want to read this again and if it wasn't for my goal to read 25 new books in 2011 i'd do it soon.

Second up, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. i'm still not sure what to make of this book. This is written from the point of view of Bruno who is 9 & it's about his journey. Because of his father's job he is forced to move from a home he loves in Berlin, to a house in a new place, which he is very unhappy about. This happens to be situated right next to Auschwitz, but he is unaware of this and doesn't know who the people in the 'striped pyjamas' over the fence are. i can't figure out if his nievity is a wonderful portrayal of the innocence of youth or  just plain ridiculous. i think most 9 year olds are more intelligent then that and kids living in Germany at that time would have to attend the Hitler youth. There are lots of discrepancies like this and it is quite a light take on the holocaust (besides the ending), which doesn't sit well with me. But overall, i did enjoy it, it's a quick read. It's last line is particularly thought provoking.

Good Reads in May

Just one book again last month. Fallen. Another supernatural young adult fiction. This one's a bit different though, it's darker and doesn't give too much away about the supernatural aspect until you near the end. The characters are somewhat annoying at times, as many teenage characters are. i get the impression there's a lot more character development to come though. In Fallen you're kept guessing about the moral stance of the characters and who (or what) they are. This book is clearly just building the back story for the other books in the series, which i'm hoping will have a lot more plot development and action in. Fallen is slow moving and mysterious, but  in a way this kept me reading because i wanted to know what the heck was going on, so it's got suspense. Lauren does do a good job of transporting you to the school in which the story is based. Oh and it's quite cheesy, but most teen fiction tends to be, so be warned if you don't like mushy stuff. Basically, if you don't like this genre then it's probably not for you. But i did really like it and i'll be reading the rest in the series. i think it's a Marmite kind of book, you'll either love it or hate it.

Good Reads in February

We're nearing the end of the month now so i thought i ought to post my Good Reads for February! Eeeep! i can't believe we're almost in April already!

i mentioned that i started reading The Host at the end of last month and i finished it after about 11 days. It's set on earth after an alien invasion. The alien souls are inserted into humans and erase them so that they can use their body's as hosts. The book is told from the perspective of 'wanderer' who is inserted into the body of Melanie, who refuses to surrender her mind easily. i struggled to get into it until around the 200 page mark and only really started to mildly care about the characters towards the end. There was no need for this book to be as long as it is (around 600 pages), it was far too laborious for me and i think if it has been shorter i might have enjoyed it more. The ending was kind of a set up for a sequel, but i'm not sure if Stephenie Meyer has plans to write one or not. In all honesty i wouldn't be that excited about reading it, but i probably would because i'm a curious kind of person and i like to know the whole story. There were some interesting parts, i enjoyed reading the descriptions of life on other planets, but it lacked the excitement and romance of the Twilight novels. So, overall this book was ok, not amazing, and i wouldn't bother to read it again. Also, the front cover creeped me out!

Next up was I Am Number Four, the movie is out right now but i haven't had the chance to see it yet. It's about an alien from a planet which gets destroyed by another alien race He among 9 other children flee with their guardian's. The book starts where who's  i enjoyed the book, it's not as pacey as a lot of other young adult fiction but the characters are likeable and i think it's going to be a good series and is set up well for the next book.

One Day. Two Uni graduates meet on their graduation night and the book follows them on that day for 20 years. This is another book that's being released as a move this year and i LOVE the actors who are playing the leads. Three of my girlfriends raved about the book and so i was expecting a lot, which is probably why i didn't end up enjoying it as much as i thought i might. i did enjoy it, but i think i had high hopes after all the hype and it just didn't live up to them. i never really warmed to the characters or have any sympathy for them so the book was a bit lost on me.

Good Reads in January

One of my goals for 2011 is to read 25 books. i thought i'd share with you each month what i've read to help me keep on track! i am not really good at summarising stories, but i will try and give a brief outline. i should point out that some of the books i'm reading at the moment have been made into films and will be released this year, which is why i'm trying to read them now! i find that films almost never do books justice so i like to try and read the books first if i can. If i saw the film first, i would probably never bother to read the book. i like to have a picture in my head of the characters when i'm reading and if i know which actor is going to play someone then my imagination gets overridden.

The Saga of Darren Shan, Vampire Mountain

Much to the disgust of some of my friends, i am a huge fan of young adult fiction. i love books about vampires,werewolves, wizards, fairies etc etc If it's a fantasy land that i can get lost in then i'll probably like it. The Darren Shan books are aimed at a slightly younger audience then 'young adults', but i still enjoy them. They are really easy, quick reads and i like the humour of the vampire, Mr Crepsley. This is the fourth book in the series. In the first Darren Shan becomes a Vampires Assistant. 

Never Let Me Go 

i'm not sure what to say about this book without giving away the main spoiler. And i'm still not sure what i think of it. i did kind of enjoy the book, but i wasn't gripped and i was a bit disappointed with the ending. There are some interesting themes though which are worth exploring. 

Water for Elephants

This is a new favourite. It's the best book i've read in a long while, I read it in 2 sittings, which is very rare for me! It's told by a grumpy elderly man, Jacob, living in a home who tells the story of the time in his early 20's when he loses everything and jumps on a train to discover it's a travelling circus. He soon gets immersed in circus life where he becomes the vet. It's set in the great depression era of the 1930's and you really do get transported to that time, which is probably why i liked it so much. It's clear that Gruen did a lot of research! This book has some cruel characters and some that you'll grow rather fond of (Rosie, the elephant was one of my favourites) but they're all very real. You also begin to like both Jacob at 23 and at (what he thinks might be) 93. It's a story of love and of hate, and one you should definitely read. 

i just started The Host  last week & so far i'm not loving it. i actually bought this a few years ago when i was obsessed with the Twilight saga & even got it in hardback (i hate reading hardbacks) because i wanted to read it so much, but it's just sat on my bookshelf. i'm struggling to get into it but i don't like to give up on books so i'm going to give it a bit more time. 

i usually have a non fiction book on the go which i dip in and out of. At the moment it's The Happiness Project which is resonating with me. i'll let you know what i think of these two when i'm done.