Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

The Last Olympian is the fifth and final book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I found it to be a pretty fitting conclusion to the Percy Jackson series. As some of you who've been following me know, I'm not a super fan of the Percy Jackson series. However, this book really did amp up the action level. The whole book basically takes place over a week and a bunch of stuff happens. My problem with this series is still that I just can't get into the characters. My two favorite characters are background characters who hardly get any time. For me, I care less about the action part of books and way way more about the people part of books. So, overall I thought this was a well-rounded conclusion to the series. It leaves it open for the next installment to take off, but it ties up the major loose ends. Prequel / Sequel Challenge Points: 74 +2 = 76 + 10 = 86 points

Hello Lovelies! Another top ten tuesday coming at you, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . This week is... Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling Me I Must Read Graceling by Kristin Cashore  The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera Wonder by R. J. Palacio Legend by Marie Lu  Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt  The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan Catherine by April Lindner  Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta  Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (To be 100% honest, most of these come from my friend Melissa. She has great taste in books, so I pretty much automatically add something to my TBR if she suggests it. Thanks Melissa!!)

ISLAAAAAAAAAAA. ISLA ISLA ISLA. You guys, I've been waiting for this book for two years. I know that isn't as long as some, but it's still been a really long time. But you guys, it was so worth it. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins  is the third in the sort-of-series that begins with Anna and the French Kiss . Perkins has the ability to write contemporary YA in a way that makes me feel like I'm living it. Isla and Josh's romance is damn-near perfect. Perkins excels at the awkward, does he like me or doesn't he stage. She make the relationship bumps believable. No relationship goes perfectly 100% of the time. Possible Minor Spoilers ahead: I loved that Isla and Josh had both had sex with other people. It's unrealistic and annoying when two virgins continuously meet in contemporary YA. I think that's a trend that's changing, but I'm glad that Perkins chose to support the fact that teens have sex, and often with more ...

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was recommended to me by a family member. Unfortunately this was one of those recommendations that made me question if the family member had even met me. The only reason I would have recommended this to me is that there's a pull quote on that back that says "As memorable and meaningful as Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince"--what a crock of bull. Sure, The Alchemist had quite a few so-called "deep and meaningful" lines if you're new to the repackaged dogma scene. If this is the first time you've ever come across the concept of following your heart or "your Personal Legend" as Coelho deems it, than this book might come across as ground-breaking. But to me, it was common sense pared down to a simplistic level. Of course, I believe you should follow your heart. And I know it isn't always easy. But frankly, I don't need a tidy little book to tell me that God has a path for me, and if I follow my he...

Hello lovelies!! Top Ten Tuesday is always hosted by The Broke and the Bookish --and this week they're stumping me with a list of Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want to Read. So all of these books are from my Goodreads To-Read list, but I'm not actually 100% sure I want to read them. So let me know which are worth it!! 1. Gone by Michael Grant: It seems like it should be an exciting story, but I've heard mixed reviews. 2. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith: I want to be psyched about this book, but I hated the Casual Vacancy. And I don't want to be disappointed again. 3. The Program by Suzanne Young: This seems like it could be obnoxiously falling into the YA dystopian category, or it could be beautiful and new. I'm nervous about it. 4. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: I started this ages ago, and I didn't particularly love it, but I didn't get very far. I'm nervous about it not picking up more though. 5. Be...

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is an interesting look back at a person's life and deciding if life is still worth living without the people who made up the most important moments. If I Stay is quick read. For taking place basically entirely in a person's thoughts, it dives right in and just goes.  This book packs a lot of emotion into a short 200  or so pages. That worked for me. I knew what I was getting in to, and I felt connected. I'll admit that since I'd seen the trailer for the movie before I read the book, I did picture most of the characters as the actors who'll be playing them. I'll also admit that the age difference between Mia and her brother is almost exactly the age difference between me and my brother, so that hit especially close to home. Mia's (and her family's) devotion to music made me want to whip out my violin or find a piano and play some music myself. I wanted to envelope myself in music while reading this. Overall,...

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington  was a fabulous debut mystery novel. Olivia Bloom is a new student at Wickham Hall. She's there on an art scholarship, but she already feels out of place. She accidentally befriends a boy who claims to see ghosts, and somehow, the hottest boy in school seems to like her. Of course that's all going to change when she dies. Talkington strikes the perfect balance between dark fantasy and grim reality. She also manages to capture the voices of more than one character in first person. It's hard to do multiple characters in first person and make them seem unique, but Talkington nails it. The only part of the story I didn't particularly enjoy was the romance. It obviously took a back seat to the mysterious part of the plot which I appreciated, but it made the romance seem like it was under developed. I didn't believe in the relationship. Over all, I'd recommend this to fans of ghost stories and murder mysteries.

Hexed by Michelle Krys had a whole lot of potential but ultimately fell flat. I was psyched when I heard about this novel: a cheerleader who finds out she's a witch and needs to track down a magic book? That sounds amazing! It sounds almost like an episode of Buffy. And that's what I was expecting: a kickass female lead who struggled with coming into power in the middle of a war zone. What I got was a whiny teenager who fulfilled almost every stereotype about cheerleaders and special snowflake syndrome in the books. Not only was Indigo an unfulfilling main character, but the story line would be most kindly described as "flawed". Spoilers ahead, so tread carefully! My biggest problem was with the loss Indigo faces. She takes a single chapter to cover this major loss in her life. She basically stays in bed for the whole chapter. Give me the pain! Give me the feeling like you have to hold yourself together in front of people but sobbing until you can't cry an...

Hello Lovelies!! Yes, once again, I didn't get my Top Ten Tuesday post up on a Tuesday, but I really wanted to share my choices, so here they are. (Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish ) My Top Ten Books I'd Give to Readers Who Have Never Read Graphic Novels For readers who enjoy alternate readings of history and a little darkness: For readers who enjoy superheroes and multiple generation storylines:  For readers who enjoy story lines (with bonus humor!) that begin in separate places but merge: For readers who enjoy more recent history through an individual's perspective: For readers who enjoy unique (and a little bizarre) storylines: For readers who enjoy sassy superheroes: For readers who enjoy adventure with a side of fantasy: For readers who value humor (with a dash of seriousness) but don't feel quite ready for the full-on graphic novel format: For readers who enjoy unusual non-human main characters and adventu...

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction with David Aja and Javier Pulido is a delightful look into the world of one of the underrated Avengers.  I get tired of hearing people talk about the characters from the Avengers movie and leaving Hawkeye (Clint Barton) for the last in the line of their favorite heroes. Clint is freaking awesome. It's not his fault that his screen time was minimal and that he was a minion for half of the movie. My Life as a Weapon is a look at what Clint does outside of the Avengers. It's a wild and crazy life for someone with no "super skill" and normal human healing and strength. What amazes me--as usual when it comes to graphic novels and comics--is the amount of depth that can be shown between pictures and words. I feel like I just read enough for two or three movies/books, but it's a 136 page book. I thought I could read this at my work and not have to buy it, but after I read the first two comics, I had to take this g...

Hi Guys!! So my friend, Melissa, convinced me to join a young adult book reading group on Goodreads  (Crazy for Young Adult Books). One of the things the group does is various reading challenges. I think I'm going to work on two. The first is a challenge with 2014 releases that occurs between August - October. Here's the list of books I'm planning on reading: 1. Title that is four words long : Everything Leads to You 2. Author debut novel: 3. Girl on cover: The Winner's Curse 4. More than 4 colors on the cover : Like No Other 5. Standalone : Starbird Murphy and the World Outside 6. New To You Author : I'll Give You The Sun 7. Book under 300 pages : The Shadow Hero 8. Author's first name has the same amount of letters as your first name : 9. Cover you love : 10. Male author : 11. A book centered around traveling or a road trip : Royally Lost 12. Recommendation from a friend : Don't Look Back 13. Author you love : Isla and the Ha...

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater was a bit of a let-down.  Shiver is the first in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It's a dual narrative, switching perspective between Grace and Sam. Sam is a werewolf--but not your traditional werewolf. He can't switch back and forth at will. His change is forced by the cold. Grace is a human who has been in love with the wolves around her house since she was attacked as a child. An accident brings them together, and once they're together they're unwilling to let each other go. I'm not sure why exactly Shiver didn't do it for me. I mean, I was promised werewolves, but that was a little lacking. The entire book is more about Grace and Sam's love for each other than the fact that there are werewolves. I mean, I was promised a love story, and I wasn't super enthusiastic about that either. It felt a little bit contrived. And it was based around a little bit of a hero-loving complex.  Overall, I just felt a litt...