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.