Bookworm! Winter/Spring 2012

Whew,  it's been a few months since I've done one of these. I'm reviewing them in the order I read them. Hopefully I have enough books (and variety) that you may be able to find something for your summer reading!


One Day David Nicholls
     For the record, I wanted to read this book long before it became a movie (which I still haven't seen). I really liked the concept: you read about two people on the same exact day over a span of twenty years. For some reason though, it didn't completely work for me. The characters seemed authentic, but maybe too much so. At times, their flaws were exasperating. The book ended up being really depressing, so I don't know if you'd want this one for a fun summer read!

Bossypants Tina Fey
      After that downer, I needed something to bring back happiness, and this book was just that. I was lucky enough to get this for Christmas and couldn't wait to get started. Tina Fey is one of the funniest people on the planet, in my opinion. Her voice completely comes through in her writing, and her humor translates really well to the page. Now, just as a warning, there is definitely some language in this book at times, but it is hilarious. I would definitely recommend this one!

Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
     This is the other book I got for Christmas. It is my mom's all time favorite book and I'd always promised her I'd read it, so this was my chance to make good on it. It took me SO LONG to get through this book, which you know if you follow my 'Friday Four' blogs. Almost the entire first half of the book could have been condensed into half of that length. I will tell you what I liked in a minute, but first let me rant for a moment. A good part of this book takes place in Jane's head, with many of her thoughts on the page. As she goes from place to place, she repeats her story to each new group, and it's repeated in the text. Guess what Charlotte Bronte? We already know what happened to her; we read it 100 pages ago! That was incredibly frustrating, as was the fact that literally nothing "happened" for the whole first half of the book. Once something did happen, it was actually fairly good, suspenseful even. It just took so long to get there.
     I won't completely say that I wouldn't recommend this book, I just don't think it resonates with "today's woman" as it may have resonated with those in the past. To get the gist of the story, I would say just watch the movie (haven't seen it though), because the narrative is probably much more condensed, and therefore flows better.    

13 Little Blue Envelopes Maureen Johnson
     I think I could have read anything following Jane Eyre and would have enjoyed it. However, this was definitely a fun read. A teenage girl receives a package from her aunt, that has passed away, with 13 envelopes. She can only open one at a time and has to do what each one says before she opens the next one. The journey takes her all over Europe and she meets interesting people and does cool things along the way. Anyway, this was a super easy read, and perfect for the summer!

The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold
     I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I'm glad I read it, and it was interesting. It's a very difficult subject, so I respect the author for even tackling it. Two things bothered me though. First, the portrayal of heaven was quite ridiculous. There was no mention of God whatsoever. Second, the ending was anti-climatic and there was not enough resolution for me. I have seen this movie, and I liked it okay. I think you'll just have to make up your own mind about this one!

Delirium Lauren Oliver
     I'm not going to write much about this one because I want everyone to go read it RIGHT. NOW. This is my favorite book of the past few months. It's a young adult dystopian novel and the first of a trilogy. When the book ended, I wanted to immediately know what happened next! 


What have you read  lately?

Friday Four

What I Watched (TV): I have to admit, I really enjoyed Glee's Michael Jackson tribute episode this week.     The "Scream" recreation was pretty amazing!

What I Read: I finally finished Bossypants!
                        Haven't quite decided which of my stack of eight I will start next :-P


What I Listened to: There are two duets I'm really digging right now:
                                  Jon McLaughlin & Sara Bareilles "Summer is Over"
                                  James Morrison & Jessie J "Up"

What I Watched (movies): I rewatched 500 Days of Summer on tv this week. It wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but Zooey and JGL are just too cute together!!

And if you don't believe me, watch this video!!

Friday Four

What I Watched (TV): Time Warner's On Demand is showing The Closer starting with the pilot episode and adding new ones every day. In a couple of months, I will have watched the whole series!

What I Read: Tina Fey's Bossypants, some "Entertainment Weekly" issues I needed to catch up on, and lots of blogs!

What I Listened to: Dave Barnes' new single "Mine to Love" came out this week and it definitely sticks in your head!

What I Watched (movies): Hmm... didn't have time to watch any movies this week

Friday Four

What I Watched (TV): Alcatraz premiered this week, from JJ Abrams (producer of Lost), and it was expectedly awesome!!

What I Read: Still working on Tina Fey's Bossypants

What I Listened to: Kelly Clarkson "Stronger" ... love it!

What I Watched (movies): I think the only movie I watched this week was Wild Hogs when it was on tv. It was kind of funny :-)

Friday Four

What I Watched (TV): NBC's new Thursday night lineup. While I enjoy Community, I was really glad to see 30 Rock back!!

What I Read: I just started Tina Fey's Bossypants... as funny as expected

What I Listened to: Still "movin' like Jagger" this week :-)

What I Watched (movies): Jamie and I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1&2 (on Blu-ray!) back to back on Saturday. It was epic.