Unintentional Reading Hiatus

There's a very good reason why I haven't updated this blog for a while. I haven't read anything in a while. The few books that I have read since my last review, I didn't want to as they're part of a series and honestly, I was reading so fast that I wasn't enjoying writing about every book read so I have decided that I will just review certain books. Anyway, i'm in the process of packing for university so reading has been put to the back of mind. Ironic really as I study English Literature. I move in 6-ish days and once i'm settled in I will be more active over here! (Tallies will resume as soon as reading does!)

Library!

I haven't updated here for a while as i'm usually over on my other blog or doing those pesky real life things ;)

I was getting on pretty well with my reading list as I was completely friendless during the part of summer that has now past. However my friends are now home and we're so RIDICULOUSLY busy for the next two weeks that I don't think i'll get much reading done. (Check out my other blog for info on what i've been up to!)

So this post isn't a review one. I'm taking a break from that for now due to the business.
I just wanted to say I took a trip to the library!
I haven't been in a library in SO LONG as I tend to buy my books rather than loan them (friends don't count).

I picked up;
Serenity: Those Left Behind - Joss Whedon
Wyrd Sisters - Terry Prachett
Beastly - Alex Flinn

I have read the Joss Whedon one already as it's a graphic novel and I absolutely LOVED it. I've now started on Prachett. It was kind of silly of me to get books out if i'm honest. I'm already reading a book and I only have a week to read the Prachett & Flinn books in between all of the real life things because after that i'm not going to be able to return the books until 18th September (when I move!). I will let you know how I get on though. Maybe if I spend less time making my friends watch Spider-man we'll be more productive and have more time :P

Currently Reading: The Color Purple - Alice Walker & Wyrd Sisters - Terry Prachett
Books Read in 2011: 38/39 ish?!

Top 100 Books

I found this list on Sanne's blog http://booksandquills.blogspot.com/p/100-books.html
And thought i'd post it here and mark off ones i've read. Hopefully someday I will complete it! :D

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series, JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
6. The Bible (not in its entirety)
7. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
11. Little Women, Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
13. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
15. Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch, George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis
34. Emma, Jane Austen
35. Persuasion, Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières
39. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
41. Animal Farm, George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney, John Irving
45. The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
50. Atonement, Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi, Yann Martel
52. Dune, Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
62. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
72. Dracula, Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island, Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses, James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal, Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession, AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web, EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection, Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
94. Watership Down, Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet, William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
100. Les Misérebles, Victor Hugo.

Paper Towns - John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent, adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she opens his bedroom window late one night and summons him to join her on an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to find that Margo has not. Always an enigma, she now becomes a mystery and Q soon learns that there are clues to be followed in his search for Margo.

As a John Green fan and a very proud Nerdfighter and follower of the Vlogbrothers, I have been wanting to read this book for SO LONG. I was a little worried that i'd built it up too much in my head and would end up disappointed but I was wrong. It was everything I had imagined and more.

Q's journey to the end of his senior year and his quest to find Margo is inspiring and touching. Everyone wants an adventure and Q definitely got his. About halfway through I had started imagining that something terrible was going to happen (probably due to reading Looking For Alaska!) but although there was a surprise, it was more heartwarming than anything else. I can't honestly write the review I want to about Paper Towns because there no words for how much I loved it and I wouldn't do it justice.


Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Blue Moon - Alyson Noel
Books Read in 2011: 36

Evermore - Alyson Noel

Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom is the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her family. Exiled to sunny California, Ever is haunted by her little sister and by the ability to see people's auras, hear their thoughts and know their entire life story by touching them. She wants to hide from the world, but when a stunningly handsome new guy arrives at school, she can't seem to keep away. Falling in love with Damen is dangerous - but he's not what he seems. But if Damen is her destiny, how can Ever walk away?

Evermore was really easy to read and get into which, for some reason, I wasn't expecting. Before i'd realised, the book was finished. It's always nice to just absorb a book like that. Like Ever, i automatically (wrongly)assumed that Damen and Drina were vampires, so i was pleasantly surprised that this became a completely different story. I don't think i've read a book quite the same as this before and that's definitely a good thing as i've read so many recently.

I found it both funny and sad - I even cried at one part! It's a series and i'm looking forward to reading the next one.

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Blue Moon - Alyson Noel
Books Read in 2011: 36

Marshmallow Magic and the Wild Rose Rouge - Karen McCombie

Lemmie Ferguson loves her eighteen-year-old sister Rose more than you can imagine. To Lemmie, Rose is everything - a best friend, hero, goddess.
Rose Rouge is impetuous, wild and arty.
Rose Rouge is FUN.

Thanks to the remarkable Rose, and Lemmie's own special marshmallow magic - her rainbow-coloured, vanilla-flavoured, sugar-spun way of looking at the world - Lemmie's life is bright and glittery and gorgeous.

But Lemmie's trying to forget that life hasn't always been so sweet. And then bullying, bossy Sian starts at school, and threatens to rub the sparkle off everything once and for all. Lemmie needs extra marshmallow magic now. She needs Rose Rouge. But where is she?

Marshmallow Magic..isn't the type of book I would usually read at all. Though with it being summer and the next university year coming faster than I imagined, I wanted something simple, sweet and fluffy to read before the big books come out. (I swear I will finish The Rainbow this week!)
It's definitely aimed at pre/young teens and so i'll review it as that. It was absolutely lovely.
I was bullied as a child myself so instantly I could relate to Lemmie (as most kids could, I imagine). Throughout the book Lemmie is sharing secrets and discovering who she really is, and how important relationships are.
I wasn't expecting the bombshell about Rose at the end of the book at all (no spoilers from me) but once it was revealed I felt even more protective of Lemmie. As a bullied child myself I had the same fears as her. How would I ever make friends? What if my friends decided to believe all the bad things people said? Why don't my parents realise what's going on?

Lemmie's story tells of a girl who faces her fears and comes out better for it. It shows that truth is important, especially when you're being true to yourself. It also shows that real friends stand by you no matter what, and the people who aren't there at the end were never worth bothering about. It's inspiring and a real feel good book.

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence
Books Read in 2011: 34

Dating Hamlet - Lisa Fiedler

It isn't easy dating a prince, especially when that prince is Hamlet. In fact, it drives Ophelia to madness... Or does it?

Since the death of his father, Hamlet has descended into deep depression. To make matters worse, the Danish court is filled with lies and deceit.

Was hamlet's father murdered by King Claudius?
Is Polonius truly the father of Laertes?
Who can be trusted as a friend, and who are enemies?

Ophelia has to find a way to save her prince and herself in this gripping novel full of romance, ghosts and a touch of alchemy.

Could it be that Hamlet ISN'T the great tragedy we've believed it to be for all these years...?

I bought this book a fair few years ago for 25p at an old bookstore. Being a big Shakespeare fan it interested me but until now I never really felt like reading it. I wish I had read it sooner!
Despite all of the bad reviews i've read about Dating Hamlet, I loved every minute of it. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia was so touching to read. I actually got emotional at how sweet they are together!

My favourite part in particular was definitely the ending. Hamlet and Ophelia lived and went on to Verona - the setting of Romeo and Juliet. The mention of a schoolfriend of Hamlet's by the name of Romeo and an apothecary that would be very interested in Ophelia's death-like sleeping potion made me laugh! How excellent would it be if Hamlet and Romeo were actually friends? Now THAT is a book I would read!

Obviously, it is not meant to follow the plot of Hamlet like it was scripture, and for that reason, I thought the book was fabulous and well worth the 25p I paid. A great find and just another reason why it's good to snoop around little bookstores rather than buying from places like Amazon (as wonderful as Amazon is!)

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence
Books Read in 2011: 34

Stefan's Diaries Vol 1 - L.J.Smith

Stefan and Damon weren't always fighting or succumbing to their bloodlust. Once they were loving siblings, who enjoyed all the riches and happiness that their wealthy lifestyle afforded them; loyal brothers who happened to both fall for the same beautiful woman. Once they were alive...

Most people who know me, also know that i'm not a fan of L.J.Smith's writing. However, being a big fan of the TV series The Vampire Diaries, I made my way through the books. This one however was different. I found that her writing was exciting and the story was fabulous. Katherine was finally portrayed as I imagined her to be and the relationship between the brothers was tender and enjoyable to read. This book was realistic whereas I found her previous works to be too farfetched and occasionally laughable. I am so glad that I continued reading her Vampire Diaries books and i'm very much looking forward to reading the next volumes in Stefan's Diaries.

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Dating Hamlet - Lisa Fiedler
Books Read in 2011: 32

Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw

When Kate Winters' uncle is taken by the wardens of war-torn Albion, just as her parents were ten years earlier, she is determined to rescue him.
But Kate is being hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane - a killer with a haunted past - has recognised Kate as one of the Skilled who have the rare ability to see through the veil between life and death. He's determined that she'll help end his own personal nightmare; unfortunately, she isn't the only one with plans for her...

As the Night of Souls approaches, a secret hidden deep beneath a graveyard city holds the key to the fate of Kate, those she loves and even Albion itself...the lost book of Wintercraft.

Wintercraft was one of a pile of books that my cousin had told me to read. I picked it up because the cover was pretty, despite the fact I shouldn't judge! I loved the story and immediately felt a connection between myself and the characters in the book. Silas may be the bad guy but I really felt for him and by the end of the book I was desperate to know more! The storyline hooked me straight away. I loved that I was reading a book where the main quest was to find a book! The only bits I didn't really enjoy were the lengthy descriptive sections. They weren't bad but I felt that they slowed the story down quite a bit and I was desperate to get back to Kate's adventure. As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. It's the first book in the Wintercraft series and hopefully i'll be able to read the next one soon.

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Dating Hamlet
Books Read in 2011: 32

Birth of a Killer - Darren Shan

When terrible events force young Larten Crepsley to flee his home he finds himself alone in the world. Then he meets the mysterious Seba Nile, who introduces him to the ways of the vampire clan. But will Larten turn his back on humanity forever...?

As a fan of 'The Saga of Darren Shan', this was a must read for me.
I really enjoyed it, though I was a little disappointed that I finished the whole book in three hours. I would have liked more detail but as it's primarily for children, I understand why it doesn't. The story moves fast and kept my attention solidly.
It was great when I came across characters like Seba Nile, Vancha March, Mr Tall, and Mr Tiny from the Saga of Darren Shan.

I really liked the fact that you don't need to have read The Saga of Darren Shan to enjoy or understand the book. It's a prequel so it can be read as a stand alone book. I've read that it's a series of 4 books, and book 2 is available now in hardback.

Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw
Books Read in 2011: 30