Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sunday Sunshine

This week I signed up for the 2012 Comment Challenge, which encourages bloggers to read and comment on five blogs a day for 21 days.  Apparently, habits form in three weeks, hence the length of the challenge.  I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm noticing not a lot of posts on Sunday.  So I thought I might try to get up a weekly post over here, about what I read last week and what I'm planning to read this coming week.  I'm hoping that focusing on all the books I'm so excited to read will help chase away the Sunday Evening Blahs!

Also, don't forget to check out my first-ever giveaway!   Just one more week to enter!


What I read in the last week:

1)  Legend (Legend, #1)Legend by Marie Lu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am intrigued by the world, and looking forward to the next book--but I think I wanted more of the relationship between June and her brother at the beginning of the book. It would have raised the stakes for me a little. Also, it's worth noting that the book itself is really gorgeous--definitely one to buy in print rather than as an e-book. It uses gold ink for one of the characters. Gold ink, people!



2) Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1) The characters! The main characters were fantastic, of course, but the unexpectedly hilarious addition of Kenji late in the game may have been my favorite of all.

2) The world! I have a feeling the next book will be dramatically different--I think in a lot of series, the first 3/4 of this book would be the first four chapters of a book about the world that unfolds constantly in the last 1/4 of this book. I can't wait to see more.

3) But really, really, it's all about the writing itself. Juliette's voice would not be out of place in a dark contemporary YA (reminded me a little of the genius that is every Laurie Halse Andersen) but it melds perfectly with the dystopian settings and events.

Oh dear. That doesn't sound very coherent. Well...just read it. I promise.


3) Hark! a VagrantHark! a Vagrant by Kate Beaton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book took me about twice as long as it should have because I kept laughing out loud and having to pass the book over to show my husband what was so funny. Kate Beaton's goofy sense of humor and broad knowledge of history and literature are a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. My favorite: her take on Anne of Green Gables.



 Waiting in the Wings:  









  

7 comments:

  1. LEGEND and SHATTER ME are currently waiting in the wings for me. I got both for Christmas and I'm not sure which I'm going to choose first. I think after reading what you have to say about both, SHATTER ME might be taking the lead by a hair :) I'm in the middle of CINDER right now and am really enjoying it. Thanks for sharing what you've been reading and your thoughts on them!

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  2. I've had my eye on Cinder--after a day spent at Forbidden Planet (graphic novels) and The Strand (so many books!) I've put myself on book-buying moratorium until February break (er, which is Presidents' Day here, but I guess not where you are--so, basically, toward the end of February) but Cinder will go on the list for then. I'm still waiting on the copy of Ash by Malinda Lo that I ordered right after Christmas, but I'm interested to read what sound like such vastly different takes on that story.

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  3. I gave away "Legend" after BEA and since then it is all I read about - darn it.

    Thanks for playing along with the Comment Challenge!

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  4. Cool challenge- I'm just going through my reader today, and trying to organize things so that I can begin to comment more regularly on blogs. It's hard to keep up sometimes! Love these reviews-- I've heard great things about shatter me!

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  5. I loved PAPER TOWNS, and your other reviews have intrigued me! I'm definitely putting SHATTER ME on my TBR list.

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  6. MR: I'm really enjoying the Comment Challenge so far! It's not nearly as hard as it seemed.

    KO: I had no idea how easy it was to post reviews and pictures through Goodreads! I'm glad you liked these because I definitely plan to keep up this format.

    Annie: Looking For Alaska was one of my very favorite reads of last year, so I'm looking forward to a bit of a John Green marathon with Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, and the new one that's winging its way toward me as we speak!

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  7. I just finished Legend. It was quite good ... and in a pretty oversaturated genre that's saying something.
    I <3 John Green. Loved Paper Towns. Have you seen any of the vlogbrothers videos he does on YouTube with his brother Hank? HILARIOUS. My favorite is Fitness for Nerds.
    New to your blog through the Comment Challenge. It does take some practice to get in the habit but I'm enjoying seeing all these new reviews and bookish thoughts. :]

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