Current Reads January 2017

Hello lovely readers, I haven't updated everyone on what I am reaching for in a while, so here goes!

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks - This is the second book in the Weeks's Lightbringer series. I am really enjoying this series so far. I am listening to it on audible and I have found that for Weeks's writing specifically, I enjoy listening to them. On an unrelated note to the actual writing I don't know how much I enjoy the guy reading this book compared to guy who read the first one. I feel like I don't authors should make sure there is some consistency with that because they are creating a voice for their characters. It is especially annoying when there is an accent change.

Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks - Can you tell I am a fan yet? This is the second book in the Night Angel Trilogy. I am still just starting this one so I don't have any opinions yet. It will probably take me forever and a day to read this one because I am actually reading it and because I made the mistake of reading some reviews. They weren't the greatest, but I am going to pull through and read this because I want to know what is going to happen with the characters.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - This is a reread because it has been a while since I have read anything by Sparks and once upon a time he was my favorite writer. I figure I need something a little lighter and more contemporary to read and this is what I reached for off of my shelf. I look forward to seeing how I react to the characters in this book because I have tried to reread books that I have once loved before and my college brain doesn't feel the same way that my high school brain does about books.

So these are the three books that I am actively reaching for right now. I have others that I am in the process of reading, but have set aside for now. I don't have much time for reading at the moment, but I listen to that first book every morning while I get ready to go to the school. I feel like I am a little behind on my reading goals already for the year, but I will just push through and read a little more once I graduate.

Pokemon Indigo League Readathon (My First Readathon!)

Hello lovelies, I recently watched a video from Emily Fox in which she chose the books to go along with this readthon that is from August 14 to September 4. I have never done a readathon before because they are typically a lot of books in a very short amount of time, but I took a chance with this one because I loved watching Pokemon growing up and why the heck not join in right? I am hoping that I will get through these books that I have chosen. This is the last 2 weeks before teh new semester and I am not sure how much spare reading time I will have so I want to read a lot before then. So I will just get right into it!

Pewter Gym - First Book in a Series - The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. I am aware that I should have read this already at some point in my life, but better late than never right?

Cerulean Gym - Book that Might Make you Cry - We Were Liars by e. lockhart. My sister told me that she was on the verge of crying when she read this, so I just went with it. Also I really wanted to read this for a while.

Vermilion Gym - Book with Thunderous Hype - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by j.k. Rowling. Is anything more hyped than the Harry Potter series?

Celadon Gym - Book that Focuses on Diversity - Flawed by Cecilia Ahern. Not sure if this fits perfectly but my sister says it does and I am going to go with it.

Fushia Gym - Book with Great Romance - Ciao Bella by Gina Buonaguro and Janice Kirk. This is in my 5 by Nov. 5th so I wanted to add something from there to not totally abandon that book challenge, but also because the main character must deal with the love for her missing husband as well as finding new love in an American soldier.

Saffron Gym - Book with Fantasy/Supernatural Elements - The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks - Don't know much about this trilogy, but excited to get into it.

Cinnibar Gym - Book with a Red Cover - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. The cover has a lot of red on it, so that counts.

Viridian Gym - Post-Apocalyptic Setting - The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. As I come close to finishing the Mistborn Trilogy I don't think I can move away from Sanderson's writing just yet. He has definitely become one of my favorite writers as of late.

So there are my choices and I don't think I will get through all of these books because there are a lot of them and I am a slow reader that has a full time job, but I am going to try!

Are you joining in on this readathon? What books would you choose?

Current Reads February 2016

Hello people of the internet. It has been a long time coming, but I have a new Current Reads post for you all. It has definitely been a while since I have done one of these and that is because I attempted to read only one book at a time as opposed to my usual fashion of reading at least 3 books at once.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book up. I don't read jackets of books that have been recommended to me and I also didn't even look at the cover. That being said, I am about a quarter of the way through and I love this book. I love the main character, I love being in his head, I love that he is a he because I am always reading books from a female perspective. I really want to get to reading the rest of this and as soon as I go on Spring break next week that is probably what I will do. I may even post a "review" once I do get done with it.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - On a much different and younger note, I am reading this for a Reading course that I am currently taking. My professor says that our time for reading anything other than children's literature is over. Of course she wasn't serious, but I do need to get through a few more books like this one if I plan on actually becoming a 5th grade teacher. I had seen the movie adaptation for this book years ago when it had come out, but I am happy that I am actually getting the chance to read it now. This book is on a lot of "banned books" lists for different districts due to it dealing with the death of a child, but this book is definitely more than that.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - One of my favorite books from her. I have read this a number of times, but I do enjoy an "easy-read" every once in a while and that is what her writing is for me. It allows me to get into the characters and read just for the pleasure of reading and I find that rare. This particular book does deal with some heavier topics, and I think that is why out of all the books I have read by Dessen this is the one I always come back to.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - I am still working on reading all of the Harry Potter books and now that they have announced an eighth book I am even more motivated to get through them!

Current Reads September 2015

Hello people of the internet, so here for you today I have yet another current reads for you. I guess I will go from left to right. Lets just pretend that my planner isn't there, I couldn't be bothered to move it. 

1. apples & chalkdust by Vivki Caruana

This is a really cute read. Its just little stories and things of encouragement for teachers. Caruana uses her own experiences as well as from a couple of other teachers. Really cute read for anyone going into education.

2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

This is I believe the fourth book I am reading from Rowell. I have come to appreciate her adult contemporary novels and this is one of them. I just started reading it, so I don;t know how much I like this one, but so far it seems like an easy read. Sometimes I need something like this to get me out of a reading slum. 

3. The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

Working through this pretty slowly; possibly because I have already read it before. I go to this whenever I am in the mood to read and just don't know what to read. I know when the story develops a bit more I won't be able to put it down, but it is a bit slow in the build for now and that is how it reads.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Still working on reading all the Harry Potter books. Clearly I got stuck on the third one. There is nothing wrong with the book, but like with the Sparks book, it is taking a minute to get started. I realized this with the other 2 as well. Once I get to the good part, I am sure I won't be able to put it down.

So there you have it. I am doing a lot of reading for my classes at the moment and so my personal reading is taking a bit of a back seat. I am so far off from my goal of 24 books by the end of the year, but I will keep at it. I will be happy if I could read even 12 honestly. Happy reading everyone. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Hello lovely people, today I have a book review for you all.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I don't exactly know where to start with this book, maybe I shouldn't call it a review, I just want to give my opinion on it and I am not sure how I actually feel about it.

It is a contemporary novel about a girl who starts college and is obsessed with writing fanfiction. There is much more to it, but I don't want to give the  story away. If you don't understand fandoms or even know what they are, you probably shouldn't even consider reading this. Since I am not so into the fandom thing anymore, some of this wasn't all that interesting to me. In between chapters there was little excerpts from Cath's fic and some from the book that she wrote based on; I began to just skip over these because I realized it did nothing for the story line. The story line did nothing for the story line. There was nothing exciting about the plot and it was painfully slow moving throughout.

The main character, Cather, was slightly mentally ill and her dad was a little more than slightly, her twin sister Wren wasn't crazy by any means but she was an alcoholic at the age of 18 and kind of broken. All three were broken because the mom left when they were just 8. Cath says this is what caused her and her dad to go crazy. The whole story makes sense in its realistic ways, but it felt awkward and uncomfortable to read. Maybe because I saw some connections between me and Cath at time.

However, with everything mentioned above, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I finished it in a matter of days. I don't remember the last time I read something that fast, especially considering that I didn't really care for it. The characters weren't the worst, kind of likable I guess. Maybe that was the saving grace, the characters and all their issues. I have a weird weak spot for reading books and watching movies where there is a character who is psychologically broken.

When I made it to the end, I was kind of angry with Rowell. It was abrupt and left more than a few questions unanswered. Of course it is a stand alone and there is no sequel. The reader is left to wonder for the rest of their lives about everything that happened next. This book could have been made into a great independent film had it not been for the ending. I can see how in a movie they would want to answer some of the questions, but it would seem forced and unnatural to the story.

Overall, I think this would be a good read for anyone who is part of a fandom or loves fanfiction, especially if they are going into their first year of college. Maybe just the college part would be enough to get you to read this. Everyone gets nervous about going to college and if you are someone who has constant anxiety this can be scary.

I look forward to reading more by Rainbow Rowell because like I said, I couldn't put the book down if I wanted to. Sorry if this was all over the place, that is kind of how the book made me feel. Read it or don't, you won't lose or gain anything from it.

Current Reads January 2015

So I decided that 2015 would be the year that I started reading for pleasure again. For whatever reason though, I still can't seem to read only one book at a time. Here is how the 3 that I am reading right now are going:

A Bend In the Road by Nicholas Sparks
I really enjoy this book, I mean I must if I am reading it for the second time. In his usual fashion it is a love story, but it is also a little bit of a mystery. There are twists in the plot that I didn't see coming, and when done well, that is always a good thing! This is the book I find myself constantly reaching for. I would definitely recommend this book.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
I may be the only person on the planet who just doesn't like this book. It may be a little premature to judge being that I have only read the first 2 chapters, but I just can't stand the writing style. I don't care for whiny teenagers because they just drive me crazy. I probably would have enjoyed this when I was a teenager, but I don't feel any connection to the characters. I'll keep reading and let you all know....even if it takes me the rest of the year to finish.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
I am officially reading the Harry Potter series. I never really cared to read it before, but I decided that it was time that I did. So far I am enjoying it and I plan on watching the movie after I finish each one of the books so that I can compare the 2. I never cared for the first couple of movies and I assume the books will be the same for me so it is something to look forward to to keep me reading.

When was the last time you picked up a book just for pleasure? Do you have any book recommendations for me?