When the kids went back to school last week, I started reading. Since then, I've read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn (yes, I finally caved and jumped on that bandwagon), The Host, and The Hunger Games. Today I'm expecting to get Graceling in the mail and tomorrow Catching Fire and Mockingjay are set to arrive. I can't remember the last time I've burned through novels this way, in fact, I can't even keep that "What I'm Reading" button on my sidebar up to date, but I can't seem to get enough! I'm sure it will come to a screeching halt when my term starts next week, though. Here's some thoughts on what I've read so far...
The Twilight Saga: Vampires, werewolves, unrequited teenage love...I was skeptical at first. Although I love Harry Potter, I started reading them BEFORE it turned into some sort of worldwide phenomenon and the Twilight hype made me resist reading these for a long time. However, I needed a good junk food novel and so I took the plunge. They were excellent reads. People say Stephanie Meyer isn't a technically great writer, but she is masterful with character development and if I can click with a character I'm pulled into a book, no matter the story. I read these in such quick succession, I'm a little unsure about when one book ended and the next began so I can't really review each individual novel (I think Eclipse must have been my favorite as I read it start to finish in under 12 hours), but even as one big storyline I enjoyed it very much. And, for the record, I was always on Team Edward and couldn't really understand how Team Jacob ever came to be. ;)
The Host: This one is also by Stephanie Meyer, but meant for adults rather than a young adult audience. I was unsure about it at first, it is a slow starter and the subject (alien takeover) is not really my thing. I pressed on through the initial slow chapters and once I hit chapter 9 or 10, I was really pulled in and it just got better and better. Again, it was the characters that kept me reading. At times, I worried this one wouldn't resolve in a way I could be happy with, but it ended perfectly. I've read that she plans to make this a trilogy and I would love that!
The Hunger Games: If I was a little skeptical about Twilight, I was EXTREMELY skeptical about this one. Everyone was raving about it, so I decided to give it a chance, but the plot was not appealing to me at all...kids fighting to the death as televised entertainment?? It seemed too dark, dreary, and violent. Somehow, though, the book rose above all that to deliver a really beautiful story. There were battles and death, sadness and fear, but the author found a way to make even the deaths (at least the ones you cared about) well done and meaningful. Again, the connection I felt to the characters overcame any dislike I had of the setting or plot, and I can't wait until Catching Fire arrives on my doorstep tomorrow!
So, that's where I've been lately...on the sofa with my nose in a book. ;) I'll be back in a few days to review my latest reads!
10 comments:
I read the twilight series back in 2009 when I was doing med school interviews and flying alot.- they were so addicting! The only issue was when I got asked what I was reading at an interview haha. I also read the host, and liked it despite the fact that it is way outside the realm of he chick lit I typically read. Enjoy your downtime, you deserve it!
i read Twilight, and while it was ok, and yes, a quick read, it did not grab me, and I haven't bothered with the rest.
I just finished The Help, which was excellent, and am now rereading HP and the Deathly Hallows. I do want to read The Hunger Games.
I liked The Host - read it before Twilight series. I loved The Hunger Games more than Twilight. I felt like I had to finish Twilight because I had started it. And it read so quickly that it was easy to do so.
Hope your break lasts a while!
I think Team Jacob came about because Taylor Lautner is way hotter than Robert Pattinson, and in the movies Edward comes off more creepy and controlling than he did in the books.
Joy: I just watched New Moon last night and now I totally get that. In the books it was always very clear that she didn't love Jacob in THAT way, but in the movies it isn't as easy to tell that and it seems like he's got a shot. Plus, happy go lucky Sharkboy (and his abs) is better than odd looking, always pained and weirdly overprotective Cedric Diggory.
You need a Kindle. You never have to leave your house, and the books are not usually more than 12.99. If you buy the 3G+ WiFi you can shop from you couch or even the bathroom (LOL) without a computer.
So kind of Anonymous to give out free advice!
I've read a few posts lately about people finally getting around to reading Twilight, and I'm always struck by the opposing reactions to the book - not the opposing conclusions or opinions about it, but initial responses. Some find it dull and almost unreadable, while others find it totally immersive and addictive - and there don't seem to be any people who fall between those two extremes. Those who find it dull can readily find things to criticize in the novel's writing style and politics, but it's much harder to explain the hold the novel has over those of us who are gripped by it. I'd love to know exactly what factors determine one's susceptibility.
I agree with everything you said except for the whole Team Edward thing. I never had any doubt that Bella would end up with Edward. I even *liked* Edward. But there was always something about Jacob that made me love him for ME. Let's just ignore the whole fact that it would have been illegal. ;)
I read Twilight so I knew what my daughter was reading. Wish I had time to read. Oh wait! I do! What to read....
I have read all of those books and loved them. Some other great books are Magic Hours: forget author, which is about a girl raised in the woods and the people who help her. House Rules:Jodi Picoult about a boy with Autism who is accused of $urdering a person, and then ,Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.This story is about 2 girls who struggle with Anorexia.
All three r very fast reads. 1-2 days per book.
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