Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Reading, reading, reading

Contrary to what one might thing based on the number of reviews I'm posting, I am reading! I'm working on Towers of Midnight, by Brandon Sanderson. It's the latest installment of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series...and actually, the next to last book in the series. And as it clocks in at 861 pages, it's taking me more time to read it than my typical book. But man, is it good! I'm eating it up, for sure.

Next on my list is a book for the book group I've recently joined: Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton. Then after that, I'm finally getting started reading a few books for the Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge. The first two up to bat: Across the Universe, by Beth Revis and Tiger's Curse, by Colleen Houck. I'm even more curious to read Across the Universe now because I've been seeing more reviews for it and they are definitely mixed. So we'll see!

that's it for now! Happy Reading!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Mini-reviews

Life's a little crazy this week. But I don't want to slack off too much, so here are brief looks at a couple of books I've finished recently:

Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver:
This is a Groundhog Day setup -- a popular but not-very-nice girl relives her last over and over again. In doing so, she learns a lot about herself, her friends and the people she encounters every day. Lauren Oliver does an excellent job of creating very unlikable characters that you still want to keep reading about; and characters that actually grow and develop through the story. She also brings a what-in-the-world! ending that kept me awake at night, trying to unravel my response to it.

Enchanted Ivy, by Sarah Beth Durst:
This book has such as great premise: a high school junior gets the chance to secure early admission to Princeton, her grandfather and father's alma mater and the university she's always dreamed of attending. But to secure this admission, she must pass a Legacy Test. But in her search to find the Ivy Key, Lily Carter discovers a hidden Princeton full of secrets and magic, old aliances and new friendships. Like I said, I loved this premise. A magical scavenger hunt! A hidden world! Gargoyles! But for me, the book just did not deliver. It wasn't terrible, just slightly dissapointing. I felt like it could have used a lot more depth and development.