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books and reading

A Head Full of Ghosts

Last night, I started A Head Full of Ghosts. One of the many things I love about Stephen King is that he recommends books constantly via media outlets. This particular book “scared the living hell” out of him. And when it went up on Amazon for $2 Kindle, I figured, why not? I don’t buy many Kindle books at full price (or any books for that matter), utilizing my local library, and Half Price Books usually. The rarities are ones that I already own hardback versions of from before I got my Kindle (like the Passage series) and now that I’ve started in hardback, I will continue to buy the rest of the series in that format. And I’m trying to build the entire SK collection in hardback, albeit used copies mostly.

I digress…. I’m very excited about this book. I read maybe 10% last night and am already hooked. It’s not ridiculously long, so I’ll get through it quickly, I think. And it seems to be in a couple formats: 1st person narrative spliced with a different character’s blog.

I like books that are terrifying in an understated way. I’m not a big fan of gross out horror, just because it’s so ridiculous. But I do love a good spooky or suspenseful story. Fingers crossed that this book is one of the latter.

 

 

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books and reading

Shatter Me series finished

I finished the final book in the Shatter Me series. I really liked the first book because of the language and the mystery surrounding the character and her circumstances. And Tahereh Mafi did a great job creating a slow burn of information reveal. And as much as I dislike love triangles, this one was resolved the way I had hoped. It had a very Joey-Pacey-Dawson feel to it, honestly.

I would recommend the series, but not wholeheartedly. It would depend on how involved someone was in the genre already. If one loves the genre, then yes, give it a go. But if one were just a dabbler in the genre, maybe select some others to read first.

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books and reading

Wizard and Glass

It’s not secret that I love Stephen King. He has some weak endings (I’m looking at you, Under the Dome. And you, Revival.) However, he writes the most terrifying books as well (that would be you, The Shining and you too, It.) And my personal favorite of his is The Stand. This book makes my top 10 of all time, and I plan to reread it in 2016. I’ve read it once, almost a decade ago, so it’s about time.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when Captain Trips made an appearance in Wizard and Glass. I’ve been making my way, slowly, through the Dark Tower series, which I’ve never read. I’m not sure I’ve ever been excited to see a fictional superflu in a book, but it made me smile. I know I’ve read somewhere that his books crossover, namely this series and The Stand. And, of course, minor characters like in It and 11/22/63.

I’m looking forward to finishing The Dark Tower series. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. But, given the news yesterday, I’m a little sad Matthew McConaughey has been offered the role of the Man in Black. I just don’t see it.

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books and reading

Under the Never Sky series

I recently finished reading the Under the Never Sky series. Another one where I listened to the first and read ebooks of the next two. This wasn’t your typical dystopia simply because it wasn’t solely about a destructed society. There actually is a great society, but Aria gets kicked out of it and has to find her way among the destruction. In come Peregrine, an obvious love interest from day one, and three books follow. Thankfully, there are no ridiculous love triangles and Aria always tells Perry what she is thinking. She’s a bit helpless in the beginning, but not because she is a woman, rather because she is a society girl. Perry helps break her down for the outside world, and she comes into her own by the end. It wasn’t a fantastic series, but one worth reading. It just falls in the middle of YA dystopia. I would recommend it to the genre lover, but not to someone just getting their feet wet. For that, see the Legend series by Marie Lu. This is my absolute favorite YA dystopian series (considering the atrocity that was Allegient…. Divergent almost had the top prize…)

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books and reading

Shatter Me series

I’m 1/3 of the way through the last book in the Shatter Me series. I listened to the first one and have read the second and third as ebooks. Maybe it was the audio format, but I really loved the first book. The mystery that surrounded the main character, even as far as her name, was intriguing. And as much as I like Juliette, the love triangle has become tedious. I’m not a fan of people keeping their emotions to themselves to spare another’s feelings, all along the while allowing themselves to be shattered (pun intended). This happened a lot in the City of Bones series. I understand teenagers aren’t always honest and are often afraid, but this is a trope of YA lit that drives me nuts. It’s like forced drama. Dystopian is dramatic enough. There’s no need to throw in complicated love triangles in there, too. Juliette is showing some backbone and has really grown as a character, so I’m hoping her communication skills also progress. But the whole “there’s so much I want to tell you, but can’t because you’ll hate me” concept is so so old.

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books and reading

In a Handful of Dust p.93

I read some more of this last night. And although it is easy to read, there are character dynamics that are irritating. Lucy is old enough to think about marriage, but is constantly referred to as “little one.” I’m sure it’s a term of endearment, but it just feels odd to have the dichotomy of marriage age vs little one.

I still don’t see the point of the sequel when the first ended so perfectly. Maybe that was the point…. that happily ever after can’t exist in a dystopia.

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books and reading

Book of Ivy

I read Book of Ivy last year when it came out. I am a YA dystopia junkie and read it all the time, so I wasn’t expecting anything to surprise me. Been there, done that. But I LOVED this book. Not because it was shockingly unique, but the characters were so dynamic. Ivy is tasked to kill her new husband, Bishop. What happens along the way might be predictable for awhile, but the ending did surprise me. I don’t want to give much away, but it was well worth reading.

Then came the sequel, The Revolution of Ivy. I had high hopes for this one, simply because I loved the first so much. I wasn’t disappointed. Started out a bit slow, but it found it’s way soon enough. Again, no spoilers, but please read these books. It’s a rare two book series. No words wasted. All plausible plots and characters. Really fantastic books. Written by Amy Engel. I will be checking out more of her works in the future!

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books and reading

In a Handful of Dust

I recently read Not a Drop to Drink and was pleasantly surprised that it ended so well. It wasn’t a cliffhanger. There was a nice ending with a bow on it. Then, after doing some research, I discovered a sequel. I’m not sure why it exists. Perhaps the author wanted to revisit the plot or the characters. I’m giving it a chance (after having it checked out from the library for over 2 months), but I’m a little irritated that it was written because I feel compelled to read it. Why force a good thing?