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Hello friends,
Reading break is coming up, so I'm hoping to get a hefty bit of reading done this weekend. Today, I'm planning on finishing Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood. Then I will start reading Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. Hopefully, I will be able to finish this by Monday.
What at will you be reading this weekend?
Bye!
I had the pleasure of reading Veronica Roth's Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant over the course of October, and, overall, I really enjoyed the reading experience. This series has gotten a great deal of hype recently and, though I was not blown away by the series, I did really like each of the books.
The writing was clear and easy to follow and I think that the choice of first person narrative was effective, particularly in the first two books. The final book contains a dual-first person narrative, which I was not all together fond of; in the end, though, I think it was a good choice.
For the most part, I found the characters likeable, which made for a smooth reading experience. I found the questions raised by the dystopian world to be compelling. But, given the direction that the last book went, I felt like I wanted more insight into the world than was provided.
I'm considering writing a "discussion" article, which would go more in depth into the story, characters, and world of the Divergent Trilogy. In a spoiler free environment, like this review, I really don't have much to say about the books other than that they are worth reading if you like YA dystopian.
Bye!
Happy November 1st everyone!
In an unexpected turn of events, I've decided to participate in this year's NaNoWriMo. For that reason, I'm going to be reading short story collections throughout the month of November!
I hope to make my way through Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace, Palo Alto by James Franco, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami, and Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood. I'm really looking forward to reading each of these collections. Brief Interview with Hideous Men will be my introduction to David Foster Wallace's writing and I'm eager to see what I think of his style. Palo Alto I picked up on a whim, but really look forward to checking out. And Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow and Wilderness Tips are respectively written by two of my all time favourite fiction writers!
My review of the Divergent Trilogy will be up within the next week, so stay tuned! I also intend to go see and review the movie adaptions of Ender's Game, The Book Thief, and Catching Fire this month.
Bye!
Ray Bradbury doesn't disappoint with The Halloween Tree. This book is a Halloween version of A Christmas Carol; however, even in this frame, it still manages to be vastly original. Even though the writing is quite old-fashioned, it is very polished and reads a lot like a fairy tale, which definitely made this read a treat. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to read something Halloween themed this October. And I intend to reread The Halloween Tree next year.
I finished Divergent unexpectedly fast. Unfortunately, I can't continue with Insurgent yet because I do not own it! I'm planning on purchasing the hardcover box set of the trilogy, which comes out on October 22.
So what will I be reading this weekend?
I've been in a Halloween mood recently, so I picked up Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree! I really enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 and I'm excited to read more of his work.
I will also be reading Melville's short story Billy Budd this weekend (but that's more for school).
Since October is my busiest month this term (assignments abound!), I've decided that I should read some fast paced YA fiction for my "fun reading." I've been reading George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons recently, but this is the kind of book that I will drop everything to read, and I really can't afford to do that this month. I'll be back to it in November.
For October, I've also decided to do my first ever Themed Book Month.
This month's theme is YA Dystopian and I'm going to read Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant all by Veronica Roth!
I've already started reading Divergent and I'm really liking it so far. It's exactly the kind of book that I need this month. And I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
I will have a trilogy review posted in November.
Bye!
There are quite a few book-to-movie adaptations coming out this year. Here are the ones I'm really looking forward to.
1. Ender's Game: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is such an interesting, compelling book. A wonderful sci-fi novel. The movie is released on November 1st and, from the trailer, it looks like it will be an entertaining, fast paced movie. I'll probably go this one in theatres, but I'd be just as happy to watch it when it comes out on DVD.
2. The Book Thief: I read The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, when I was in grade ten and I absolutely adored it. I've actually been meaning to reread it. I didn't even know that there was going to be a movie adaptation until yesterday! From the trailer it looks like it will be worth seeing, but it doesn't look like Death is going to have as prominent a role as it did in the book. I'm not sure how I feel about this because the character of Death really made the story special for me. It added so much. The movie comes out on November 15th. I'm not sure if I'll go to see this one in theatres, but I think I probably will.
3. Catching Fire: I'm super excited for this movie adaptation. I enjoyed the Hunger Games Trilogy when I read it in high school, but I think that the story works better as a movie (this is not to say that I think the movies are objectively better than the books, I just prefer experiencing this story visually). The movie adaptation comes out on November 22 and I will definitely be seeing this in theatres.
In November, I will post movie reviews for the adaptations I see in theatres.
Bye!
Sputnik Sweetheart, Haruki Murakami
I love middle-grade literature. Here are my top five middle-grade fantasy series:
1. His Dark Materials: I've mentioned this trilogy before in "My Favourite Authors & the Book by Them I'd Recommend," but it is worth restating. This is my favourite elementary/YA trilogy. Beautiful story. Beautiful writing. Intricate world building and character development. It's just amazing.
2. Warriors: I started reading this series when I was in grade nine and I absolutely loved it. Warriors is definitely written for younger readers, but I think that book enthusiasts can enjoy them at any age. The series is six books--Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour--and follows the story of wild cat clans. Fast paced, action packed, and super entertaining. Love these books.
3. Enchanted Forest Chronicles: I read these in elementary school, so it's been a while, but I remember absolutely loving these books. This is full blown fantasy: princesses, frogs, castles, and most importantly dragons. These books are super funny and play with fairy tale tropes. Definitely worth reading.
4. Harry Potter: I just started rereading the Harry Potter series and I'm really enjoying it. Just good fantasy. What else can I say?
5. Narnia: These books are classics. Such an amazing world! It's just magical.
Hope you enjoyed this list.
Bye!