Life is Writable
"Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt." - Sylvia Plath
#AYearAThon | Day 3
Books read: Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (188/242) / A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (536/1010)
Books completed: 0
Pages read: 74
Total pages: 291
Updates: Day 3 was another unsatisfying reading day! Unfortunately I had to work most of the day and the rest of the night was a bit busy. I managed to read about 30 pages of both books, though!
#AYearAThon | Day 2
Books read: Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Books completed: 0
Pages read: 150
Total pages: 217
Updates: I decided to start reading the Covenant series along with A Clash of Kings to up my word count. So far it has many similarities to the Vampire Academy series, but I'm really enjoying it! Its a quick fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
#AYearAThon | Day 1
Books read: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (p. 500/1010)
Books completed: 0
Pages read: 67
total pages: 67
Updates: I didn't read as much as I would have liked, but ACOK is a chunky and dense book (though fascinating and fun to read). Also, I didn't have much time to read! Oh well! I will accomplish much more over the course of the week.
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#AYearAThon is a monthly readathon. Each month has a different category. May's theme is finishing/catching up on series. I will be reading A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin and the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone)
First of all, I really enjoyed this book. I kind of went out on a limb when I purchased this, because the book cover threw me off and the book description wasn't a very good summary of the story. This was a good thing though, because I had zero expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm very happy that I grabbed this book off the shelf.However, for at least the first 100 pages of the book all I kept saying to my roommate and boyfriend was different variations of "this is weird" and "what the hell am I reading?" This book is weird, though, and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. It threw me through a loop, and by the second half of the book i could NOT put it down. I just needed to find out the big secrets of Karou, Madrigal, Akiva and Brimstone. I was entranced by this story. It completely took over my brain. It was great.
If you are intrigued by the angel and devil phenomenon, and love a good suspense story, stop what you're doing and read this. It was a really, really fun and original read! I can't wait for the second book to come out!
UPDATE -- Reread in January 2013 to prepare for the sequel. Still a great read and so complex that I forgot many things that happened.
UPDATE #2 -- Reread again in April 2014 and HOW DID I EVER GIVE THIS BOOK 4 STARS?! This book is amazing and deserves a million stars. And the writing is so gorgeous.
Fangirl
I absolutely adored this book! Cath was unbelievably relatable and every single character felt so real. Rainbow Rowell, thank you for doing what you do!
Where Things Come Back
I loved the last line SO MUCH. Ugh. This book was so subtle and beautiful and I am so happy with the ending. "Life, he says, doesn't have to be so bad all the time. We don't have to be so anxious about everything. We can just be. We can get up, anticipate that the day will probably have a few good moments and a few bad moments, and then just deal with it. Take it all in and deal as best we can" (227).
"I wanted the world to sit back, listen up, and let me explain to it that when someone is sad and hopeless, the last thing they need to feel is that they are the only ones in the world with that feeling" (210).
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Absolutely hilarious.
Destroy Me
Loved getting a glimpse into Warner's head! I don't usually read novellas, but this was great.
Shatter Me (Shatter Me (Quality))
I feel like this book suffered from "First Book Syndrome"... as if there was never a possibility of this book being a standalone. And, that's okay. I've heard great things about the last two books. However, I was definitely left wanting more from book one after I was finished reading. Looking forward to starting Unravel Me!
Panic
This book was very well done. Despite some of the plot points being somewhat unrealistic, I felt that the overall feel of the novel was completely grounded in reality. The characters actually felt like real, living teenagers who were both flawed and relatable. I'm extremely impressed with Oliver's work, especially after not caring much for Delirium. Plus, the writing was gorgeous:
"Dodge looked out and remembered the night of the first raid, when he, Nat and Heather had hid from the cops. He felt a sudden wrench of grief, for the way time always goes forward, relentlessly. It was like floodwater: it left only clutter in its wake."
"Dodge had a sudden flash of clarity: this was what the game was really about. This was what true fear was--that you could never know other people, not completely. That you were always just guessing blind."
And, finally, my favorite line of the book:
"She was deathly afraid of dogs, she had told him. Also: ladders, heights, darkness, and the feeling you get in the middle of the night when you check your phone and see no one has texted."
Good stuff!