BOOK OVERLOAD

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

WWW Wednesday (5/15/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish?
What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by http://samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Check out The Woman in the Window on Goodreads.

What did you recently finish?

The Huntress by Kate Quinn - Three seemingly different individuals' lives become intertwined in this historical fiction set in World War II. The Huntress is beautifully written and engaging. I wouldn't hesitant to recommend this to anyone. The Huntress on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand - Three strong, independent young women find themselves and battle a monster on a remote island. Sounds like a kick ass story, but it didn't meet that criteria in my opinion. I found the writing to be dull and strange; the similes didn't really click or flow right. This isn't a book I'd recommend. Sawkill Girls on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

What do you think you'll read next?

Here are some options I'm considering reading next.
What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday / Favorite book to movie adapations

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is Page to Screen Freebie. I decided to focus my post on my favorite book to movie/TV show adaptions. Usually the books are always better than the film adaptions, but here are the cases in which I found the movie or TV show as good as or better than the novel. I also decided to stay away from the major series adaptions - Hunger Games, Twilight, etc.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Both the book and movie are really good. The story follows Christine, who suffers amnesia and wakes up every morning forgetting everything that happened before her accident. As she slowly begins to piece together and remember her life, Christine stumbles upon a shocking truth.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

For both the book and the movie, The Exorcist proves that the original is ALWAYS better. To be clear, I’m talking about the movie that came out in 1971. The movie is very creepy and unsettling without including a bunch of jump scares or gory special effects. I enjoy horror and have watched/read countless horror media but the original Exorcist movie is in my top list of most scary movies that actually left me SCARED.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hazel, a teen facing a terminal illness, meets August Waters during a cancer kid support group and her life is never the same afterwards. The Fault in Our Stars is definitely a sappy love story that I’d normally stay away from. The book was OK; I usually enjoy John Green’s books, but I felt like the teens were too wise beyond their years… normal teens don’t talk like that. BUT, I loved the movie. Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley have great chemistry and the writing and acting were spot-on. My advice? Ditch the book and play the movie. And also buy some Kleenex; you’ll need it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

During the 1960s, three ordinary women take an extraordinary step in fighting racism in the south. Skeeter, a white 22-year-old recent college grad, engages the help of black maids in exposing racial tension in their small, southern town. I’m sure you guys have heard of both the book and the movie, but they are both fantastic!

Holes by Louis Sachar

Who remembers this throw back read? It’s focused on a boy who’s wrongly sent to a brutal camp where the children are forced to dig mysterious holes all day in the desert. Published in 2000 when I was 10, I absolutely loved this book. I haven’t read it since then (maybe I need to do a reread now that it’s 19 years later?) but I remember loving the storyline and characters. The movie, featuring Patricia Arquette and Shia LaBeouf, came out in 2003, and my friends and I were OBSESSED with it and the song, Dig It.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

It may be strange that Jurassic Park is on my list, but I read the book for the first time a few months ago and loved it. The movie is also great as well. I’ve probably watched it thousands of times since it came out in the 1990s. It spurned a successful movie franchise that probably everyone in a first world country has at least heard of. So, yeah, Jurassic Park is definitely on my list. *Rawr*

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The storyline follows Charlie, an observant teen who goes through ups and downs during his transition from adolescent and adulthood. The book is great; it’s definitely a good read for high school freshmen who don’t know who they are yet. The movie adaption, which features Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, includes great writing, and fantastic acting. I definitely recommend it to basically anyone.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Closet gay Simon Spier begins an online romance with another not-so-openly gay teen boy at his school when he gets blackmailed. Simon must play wingman for his classmate or his sexual identity will becomes everyone’s business. I watched the movie - Love, Simon - before reading the book, and I absolutely loved it (I think it was one of my favorite movies of the year). I didn’t read the book until recently, but I really enjoyed it as well. I appreciated how the movie changed slightly for a better viewing experience. I feel like movies that strictly follow the book are boring. There are some elements in print that don’t translate well to film.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda becomes a social outcast after busting an end of the summer party by calling the cops. She faced a trauma at the party and becomes silent. Melinda learns the importance of speaking up for herself while finding solace in her art class. Both the book and the movie are great; they really capture what it’s like to be a young teen who’s going through a difficult, life-changing time.

Vampire Diaries - Book series by L.J. Smith

CONFESSION: I DNF’ed the first book in the Vampire Diaries series. I felt like it was terrible with a capital T. Elena is a spoiled, selfish brat who only cares about how popular and pretty she is. I also found the writing to be dull. The TV show, on the other hand, is really addicting. They changed quite a bit from the book; I can’t remember all the details but it made it much better than the books.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

WWW Wednesday (5/8/19)

What are you currently reading?

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Bold, reckless Nina Markova grows up on the icy edge of Soviet Russia, dreaming of flight and fearing nothing. When the tide of war sweeps over her homeland, she gambles everything to join the infamous Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on Hitler’s eastern front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive.

British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with brazen, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. But a shared secret could derail their mission, unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride grows up in post WWII Boston, determined despite family opposition to become a photographer. At first delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancée, Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Armed only with her camera and her wits, Jordan delves into her new stepmother’s past and slowly realizes there are mysteries buried deep in her family. But Jordan’s search for the truth may threaten all she holds dear. - The Huntress on Goodreads.

What did you recently finish?

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - Humanity finds proof of life on other planets, and a team consisting of Jesuit priests and other civilians set out to find this other life. Though they successfully find this other planet, Rahket, they discover a world beyond comprehension. The Sparrow's a really good book, especially if you're religious or enjoy discussing religious beliefs. The Sparrow on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - The second book in the Illuminae series, Gemina begins with a new protagonist, Hanna Donnelly, at Jump Station Heimdall where BeiTech employees infiltrate the spaceship. Hanna and her friends must save the ship and fix a malfunction in the wormhole continuum or the entire universe will cease to exist. Just like Illuminae, click here for the full review of the first book, Gemina is fast-paced and action-packed. The only complaint I have is that Hanna is too much like Kady, the protagonist in the first novel. It's still a good read, though. Gemina on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Obsidio, the last book in the Illuminae series, wraps up the series nicely. I can't say much about the plot without giving spoilers. I really liked it, though! Obsidio on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The book is about a fictitious 1970s rock band who quickly achieve world-wide acclaim and their inevitable downfall. I wasn't a fan of the novel, mainly because of the way it was formatted. Daisy Jones & The Six on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm not exactly sure what I'll read next, so here's some covers of books that are at the top of my TBR.

Monday, May 6, 2019

Daisy Jones & The Six

By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published: Ballantine Books, 2019
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction
Amazon, Goodreads

Which is what we want from art isn't it? When someone pins down something that feels like it lives inside us? Takes a piece of heart out and shows it to you? It's like they are introducing you to a part of yourself. And that's what Daisy did, with that song.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

REVIEW

I love the concept behind Daisy Jones and The Six. I'm 28 but a classic rock fan; I love Elton John, The Beatles, Heart, CCR, AC/DC, etc. I really wanted to love this book... but I just couldn't.

Ultimately, the formatting is what gets in the way of the story. The book is executed very creatively. It's set up like a documentary; interviews of different individuals are spliced together to tell a story. It wasn't that distracting at first until one character would say one line then another character would say one line... I felt like it took away from the story.

Here's an example from the book:

Simone Jackson (disco star): I remember seeing Daisy on the dance floor one night at the Whisky. Everybody saw her. Your eye went right to her. If the rest of the world was silver, Daisy was gold.

Daisy: Simone became my best friend.

Simone: I brought Daisy out with me everywhere. I never had a sister.

I feel like the story could contain the same elements but have a nicer flow if there were actual scenes written between the interview dialogue.

Because of the book's format, I think Daisy Jones and The Six will translate better as an audiobook. I'm not an audiobook fan, but I'm willing to give this novel another try in its audiobook format.

I know the paper book is getting a lot of good reviews, and I do think it's a good story, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

MY RATING

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

WWW Wednesday (5/1/19)

What are you currently reading?

The enigma is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist whose messianic virtues hide his occasional doubt about his calling. The mystery is the climactic turn of events that has left him the sole survivor of a secret Jesuit expedition to the planet Rakhat and, upon his return, made him a disgrace to his faith. Suspense escalates as the narrative ping-pongs between the years 2016, when Sandoz begins assembling the team that first detects signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and 2060, when a Vatican inquest is convened to coax an explanation from the physically mutilated and emotionally devastated priest. A vibrant cast of characters who come to life through their intense scientific and philosophical debates help distract attention from the space-opera elements necessary to get them off the Earth. Russell brings her training as a paleoanthropologist to bear on descriptions of the Runa and Jana'ata, the two races on Rakhat whose differences are misunderstood by the Earthlings, but the aliens never come across as more than variations of primitive earthly cultures. The final revelation of the tragic human mistake that ends in Sandoz's degradation isn't the event for which readers have been set up. The Sparrow on Goodreads.

What did you recently finish?

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco - In this dark fantasy novel, Tea comes from the witches but has a special skill - she can raise the dead but it comes at a price. I didn't enjoy this book that much, I found the writing dull and plot non-existent. The Bone Witch on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This book packs one hell of a punch; it's a young adult sci-fi centered featuring young love, corporate war, spaceships and military action. I loved it. Check out my full review here. Illuminae on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I'll definitely be continuing with the Illuminae series, Gemina is the next book in the series. I also want to start The Fifth Season, which is the first book in The Broken Earth series.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Published: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015
Pages: 602
Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

No up. No down. No sky. No ground. Just endless dark shot through with tiny spears of sunlight older than you and your entire species stacked end to end. You want to feel small? Spend sixty seconds in a Cyclone's cockpit, chum. Look out at nothing and feel it looking back. Then you know exactly how much you add up to.

About the book

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she'd have to do today. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than an ice-covered speak at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra - who are barely even talking to each other - are forced to fight their way onto the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But the warship is the least of their problems. A deadly (censored) has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results. The fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will save what the (censored) is going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Review

Illuminae packs one hell of a punch. Where do I even start?

Set in 2575, teenagers Kady and Ezra are in the midst of a breakup when their planet is attacked by a major corporation. They flee to the temporary safety of spaceships, but can't shake off the enemy. Kady and Ezra must come together if they want to survive.

OH and, the story is told through a compilation of journal entries, computer logs, and military documents.

Reading the description, I thought this book would be some lame star-crossed lovers sci-fi bore feast but there's so much more to Illuminae. There's military action, corporate politics, family drama, etc.
So in the story we have two basic characters:

•Kady Grant - An intelligent, snarky, strong-willed young woman skilled in computer lingo. She has a tough outer layer but is caring and passionate.

•Ezra Mason - A large, jocky type guy who is the romantic one in the relationship.

And a list of other minorish characters. Due to the execution of the book, there isn't a chance for in-depth character development, meaning it's mostly an action read.

On that note, Illuminae is an action-packed novel that will leave you breathless. Every turn left me gasping for more.

The book is 600 pages but I finished it in 24 hours because I could barely pull myself away from it.
I was definitely blown away, surprised, and impressed.

AND BEFORE I FORGET, the cover and illustrations inside the book are AMAZING!

Illuminae was obviously, well-thought out and planned.

I'll be looking forward to continuing with the series!