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?
Showing posts with label 13 little blue envelopes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 13 little blue envelopes. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday Four
What I Watched: Duets premiered last night, and thanks to DVR, I am currently enjoying it. I can't say that I've seen the best singers on this show. However, I like watching Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, soooo that's all that matters :-)
I watched three movies this week: It's Complicated, Just my Luck and Click. They were good movies for helping me pass some time as I was organizing. I liked Click the best of the three (which isn't saying much!)
What I Listened to: I was really looking forward to listening to some things on my new Spotify IPad app, but streaming is only available to paying customers-- LAME! I'll try to find something interesting for next week.
What I Read: I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes and started The Lovely Bones... two very different reads!!
Where I Ate: Mikino's (teriyaki chicken) after the cornhole tournament, Beezer's (t-bird) after church, and California Dreaming (chicken strips platter) for my birthday... and I was given a cupcake from Cupcake!
I watched three movies this week: It's Complicated, Just my Luck and Click. They were good movies for helping me pass some time as I was organizing. I liked Click the best of the three (which isn't saying much!)
What I Listened to: I was really looking forward to listening to some things on my new Spotify IPad app, but streaming is only available to paying customers-- LAME! I'll try to find something interesting for next week.
What I Read: I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes and started The Lovely Bones... two very different reads!!
Where I Ate: Mikino's (teriyaki chicken) after the cornhole tournament, Beezer's (t-bird) after church, and California Dreaming (chicken strips platter) for my birthday... and I was given a cupcake from Cupcake!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Friday Four
What I Watched: One of my guilty pleasures, Sister Wives, started back this week, and it did not disappoint! I don't know why I find this family so fascinating, but I really do!
On the movie front, I watched The Help and North by Northwest. I think I need to stop watching movies so soon after reading the books though because I am analyzing them WAY too much. With that said, I did enjoy The Help and it touched me in all the right places. N by N is a classic Hitchcock film that I've never seen (I love Hitchcock movies) and I really liked it-- well worth my time.
What I Read: I started a new book this week called 13 Little Blue Envelopes and am already almost halfway through. It's very suspenseful, and so easy to read compared to what I was previously slugging through!
What I Listened to: I've had a very diverse mix this week, from Kelly Clarkson to Toby Lightman to Hanson to Adele. I've had music ADD :-)
What I Ate: Let's see, we went out three times last weekend since there was lots to celebrate. We went to Antai, with my mom, for some delicious sushi and spring rolls. On Sunday we went to Rockaway's after church (delicious fried zucchini and okra!), and then Fatz with Jamie's parents that night.
On the movie front, I watched The Help and North by Northwest. I think I need to stop watching movies so soon after reading the books though because I am analyzing them WAY too much. With that said, I did enjoy The Help and it touched me in all the right places. N by N is a classic Hitchcock film that I've never seen (I love Hitchcock movies) and I really liked it-- well worth my time.
What I Read: I started a new book this week called 13 Little Blue Envelopes and am already almost halfway through. It's very suspenseful, and so easy to read compared to what I was previously slugging through!
What I Listened to: I've had a very diverse mix this week, from Kelly Clarkson to Toby Lightman to Hanson to Adele. I've had music ADD :-)
What I Ate: Let's see, we went out three times last weekend since there was lots to celebrate. We went to Antai, with my mom, for some delicious sushi and spring rolls. On Sunday we went to Rockaway's after church (delicious fried zucchini and okra!), and then Fatz with Jamie's parents that night.
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