Don't you just hate it when...

I have been looking forward to the release of this book for well over a year now.  I really loved Cashore's first two books 'Fire' and 'Graceling', and have been dying to find out about Bitterblue's story and what happens to her after the reign of her father, King Leck. 
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this book on the shelf in Dymocks at Eastland yesterday.  I immediately grabbed it and swiftly made my way to the register... It was very much a Gollum/"My Precious" moment. 

BUT THEN...

I made the foolish mistake of jumping onto Good Reads and reading the reviews for this book (all the non-spoilery ones).  I was stunned and disappointed to see that the first couple which I came across gave this book only 1 or 2 stars...

Now I'm scared to read it, because I'm afraid that it will burst the happy bubble of feelings that I have towards this series.  Boo.  What an eejit I am!  Why oh WHY did I go onto Good Reads first?  Does anyone else do that?  I tend to do it when I'm really excited about reading a book, or when I see a book in a shop that looks like it could be interesting - rather than just trusting my own instincts, I jump onto Good Reads and see how many stars it has been given. 

You know what?  Curiosity is definitely going to get the better of me before the week is through, and I WILL start reading this book, but until I gather the courage to allow myself to crack open its pages, I'm going to sit back and admire it's pretty cover.  All of the books in this series have amazing covers - "Fire" is probably my favourite of the three:

Hard to believe that she is a "monster", isn't it?  Ooooohhhhh.... should I read it now and risk the disappointment?! What to do????


Whaddaya know?! It's another LATE Top 10 Tuesday...

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by 'The Broke and the Bookish) is all about your favourite quotes from books which you have read.  I know that I'm unforgivably late with this post, but I just couldn't let this one pass by - I have so many favourite quotes from books which I've read, but here are just a few:

1. "All happy families are alike; but each unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way"
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)

2. “Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? And can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal — as we are!”
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

3. “How could you not know?" His voice was full of wonderment. "You changed me utterly. You were like a...like a bright, wonderful bloom in a garden full of weeds. Like a graceful capital on a page of plain script, a letter decorated with the deepest, finest colors in all Erin. Like a flame, Caitrin. Like a song.” 
Hearts Blood (Juliet Marillier)

4. “People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.” 
 The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

5. “To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.” 
 Silent in the Grave (Diana Raybourn)

6. “I can listen no longer in silence. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. I have loved none but you.” 
 Persuasion (Jane Austen)

7. “He would have told her - he would have said, it matters not if you are here or there, for I see you before me every moment. I see you in the light of the water, in the swaying of the young trees in the spring wind. I see you in the shadows of the great oaks, I hear your voice in the cry of the owl at night. You are the blood in my veins, and the beating of my heart. You are my first waking thought, and my last sigh before sleeping. You are - you are bone of my bone, and breath of my breath.”
 Daughter of the Forest (Juliet Marillier)

8. “You are born with the yearning arrow, my Glynna, though you are not yet fully aware of it. It is not a happy thing to possess, for nothing on earth - no goal, no person how ever beloved - will answer it. It points to the sky and to the heavens and the stars and when it cannot reach them, it must fall back to pierce your heart.” 
Darksong (Isobelle Carmody)

9. “I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.” 
The Outsider (Albert Camus)

10. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 
Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier)

Image from here. 

Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L James)

In brief: Anastasia Steele is a young woman who, after interviewing the enigmatic and intriguing Christian Grey, finds herself entangled in his dark world. 

The good bits: I enjoyed the email exchanges between Ana and Christian - they were (at times)genuinely funny, and were a really creative way to move the story along.

The bad bits: Everything else, but most especially: ANA AND HER FRICKING INNER GODDESS!  I have never hated reading about anything so much in my life. 

I read this book because:  Everybody is talking about it at the moment.  My best friend read it at the same time, and we've had some interesting conversations around it.  She's been a lot more forgiving of the storyline than I have though. 

Setting: Seattle, USA.

Rating: Sorry, but for me, this is a 1/5!

Similar to: Twilight (Stephanie Meyer), but take note: it's not similar in terms of the characters being vampires, more so in the fact that the lead female character is completely spineless, and the lead male is a creepy stalkery lover, who is passed off as the most amazing thing since sliced bread, but is actually seriously messed up and in need of major psychiatric help... pronto.

Ok, so it's going to be hard to share my thoughts on this book without being overly scathing. This picture basically sums up my thoughts on the novel rather nicely.  I can safely assure you that I sported the same expression on my face as I trudged (yes, trudged) through the quagmire that is this novel. 

In case you've been living under a rock, Fifty Shades of Grey is the latest "it" book - the book that has everybody talking, and has been described as "Mommy Porn", due to it's numerous (full on) sex scenes.  I would describe it more as trash rather than "Mommy Porn" myself, but hey, that's just me.  The book itself chronicles the beginning of their (twisted- IMHO) relationship. Now, I'm no stranger to a far fetched/strange romance - I love The Black Dagger Brotherhoood and the Immortals after Dark series just as much as the next tragic person out there, but for some reason, I really couldn't get into this book.  Not only because of it's graphic sexual nature (reader beware: it IS graphic), but also because of the two main characters -Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.

Way back in 2007/2008, I read the Twilight series, and I have to confess that I enjoyed them.  They were the first 'vampire' books I'd ever read, and they were easy to read and interesting.  Fifty Shades of Grey apparently started off as Twilight fan fiction, and (having read those novels), to me the resemblance was clear.  Ana is VERY similar to Bella Swan.  Both are ridiculously (and somewhat unbelievably) clumsy, annoying and spineless.  The difference for me is that Bella doesn't constantly speak to her subconscious or look to her 'inner goddess', which makes her fractionally more likable than Ana. 

I really liked Edward Cullen when I read the Twilight novels - for me, he represented the whole 'aloof and dangerous' thing well enough.  In my opinion, Christian Grey goes WAY over that line.  Ok, so I'm not into the whole BDSM scene myself, so I find it really hard to read about (and empathise with) someone who gets their sexual kicks out of hurting another.  I can't reconcile that whole 'pleasure/pain' thing in my head.  I really found it difficult to like Christian as a character.  He was too aloof, too domineering (pardon the pun), and WAY too stalkery (I didn't enjoy his penchant for tracking Ana's every move and turning up wherever she was, seemingly 'by accident').  This surprised me, because I've read books with characters who are way more traumatised (i.e. Zsadist from The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Malkolm Slaine from The Immortals After Dark, hell, even Syn from the 'Born of' series), and I have LOVED each and every one of them.  But Christian Grey?  Nope.  I despised him.       

I guess that I also found it hard to engage with this novel because of the power balance between Ana and Christian.  Now, I've already said that the whole BDSM relationship thing holds absolutely no appeal for me whatsoever.  I know that there are people out there who love it, and in my opinion, they can go for gold.  But, had I known just how full on this book would have been, I wouldn't have bothered reading it.  I didn't enjoy reading what is essentially a 'romance' story about a man who wants to dominate a woman as much (and as often) as he can.  I found it hard to reconcile the notion of being a 'submissive' with being an equal partner in a relationship.  However, I guess that what Ana and Christian share could hardly be called a 'normal' relationship.  The whole premise of their relationship really put a bad taste in my mouth.  On nearly every page I found myself wanting Ana to run away from Christian and his creepiness.  I also found myself wanting to roundhouse Ana's 'inner goddess', and if you've read the story, then possibly you know what I mean! 

I don't know if I can articulate my thoughts on this novel any further without going around in more circles than I already have.  If you've read this book, I'd love to hear your opinion - did you enjoy it?  Is it just me who thinks that it was absolute rubbish?  I don't know, maybe I need to have more of an open mind when it comes to these things.  Maybe I'm just the biggest prude in Australia? Suffice it to say, I will NOT be reading the following two books.   

I'm counting Fifty Shades of Grey towards my 2012 'New Author Reading Challenge'.  I really have to go back and tally up how many 'new authors' I've read so far this year.  All I know is that at the moment, (according to Good Reads), I'm 17 books behind in my quest to read 100 books this year.  Damn work!  It gets in the way of EVERYTHING! :)

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This weeks topic is:

TOP 10 BOOKS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE MADE INTO A MOVIE...

This is a hard topic, because so many amazing books have already been made into movies!  Here is my list:

1. The Sevenwaters Series (Juliet Marillier)

2. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

3. Silent in the Grave (Deanna Raybourn) 

4. The Magician's Nephew (C. S. Lewis)  

5. Fire (Kristen Cashore)

6. The Pact (Jodie Picoult)

7. Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier)

8. The Outsider (Albert Camus)

9. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)

10. Poison Study (Maria V Snyder)

I don't have specific reasons for choosing these particular titles, other than the fact that I really enjoyed reading them and think that they would make great movies.  The thing that irritates me about movie adaptations however, is when they chop and change events from the book, or totally ignore the way a character is supposed to look.  That is why ninety nine times out of one hundred, the book is always better than the movie.  Plus, everyone visualises what characters and places look like differently in their own minds.  I really enjoyed The Hunger Games adaptation, but Katniss, Peta and Gale looked completely different in my own mind, as did the games arena itself.  It didn't stop me from enjoying the movie -  in fact, I really liked it, however, it did niggle at me a little bit.  But who knows... that could be just one of my strange quirks - maybe I'm the only one who feels that way! hehe.  

What books do you think would make great movies? 

Obernewtyn Reading Challenge

Ok... so far this year I have proven to myself that I am a complete and utter failure when it comes to reading challenges, but I couldn't stop myself from signing up for this one when I came across it on the Giraffe Days website.

My best friend loves this series and I've heard her say that it's amazing countless times.  I also worked with a girl who said that it was her favourite series of all time.  That's pretty high praise, and enough to stoke my curiosity.  


I've read Darkfall by Isobelle Carmody, and I really loved it, so if the Obernewtyn series is anything like that, then I know that I'm going to enjoy it.  


The challenge isn't too strenuous (says she who is currently lagging behind on ALL her 2012 reading challenges thus far - HAHA)... this is what it involves:


JUNE: Obernewtyn
JULY: The Farseekers
AUGUST: Ashling
SEPTEMBER: The Keeping Place
OCTOBER: The Stone Key (U.S. & Canada readers: The Stone Key and Wavesong)
NOVEMBER: The Sending
[2013: The Red Queen]

I'm looking forward to starting this challenge.  If you're interested in joining, I've linked her website somewhere up at the start of this post!  

The History of the World According to Facebook (Wylie Overstreet)

Image from here

In brief: A brief history of the world... using Facebook status updates.
 
The good bits: Some of the status updates are really hilarious and LOL worthy.  Some great parodies in here!

The bad bits: Large portions of history are overlooked (e.g. we jump from Biblical times to the Crusades fairly quickly).

I read this book because: The Facebook status on the front cover made me laugh.  Plus, the idea sounded really interesting.

Setting: Around the world.

Rating: 4/5

Similar to: Facebook?  I don't know - I haven't read any other book quite like this one.

If you're in the mood for a quick and easy weekend read that will make you smile or even laugh out loud, then look no further - this is the book for you.
Wylie Overstreet's book cleverly uses Facebook statuses to explain what he calls 'The History of the World'.  I loved the general irreverence and politically incorrect status updates, but was a bit disappointed with how quickly he skipped through certain periods of history.  That is a small gripe however, and is probably more to do with the fact that I'm just interested in certain era's more than others.

It's hard to review and explain a book like this, so I guess I'll just let some of the pictures do the talking for me, so that you can get an idea of what this book is like for yourself.

While not a work of great literary importance (and lets be honest, how often do we read those?), this book was an entertaining read, and would make a great present for anyone who is interested in history or who enjoys a bit of politically incorrect humour.

I've not read any books by Wylie Overstreet before, and are therefore counting this book towards my 'New Author' reading challenge.

I really need to pull my socks up with my reading challenges - I'm falling waaaaaaay behind!

Top Ten Tuesday (Laaaaaate, I know!)

Hello from the sands of time... not really... I know that this is late and that I haven't posted anything in eons, but as the French say, c'est la vie.  My life is what it is at the moment, and I'm trying not to get too stressed out about it all.  I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday post since January I think, and this looked like a good one to jump back in with!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  Without any further adieu, here is my list:

TOP TEN ALL TIME FAVOURITE CHARACTERS IN BOOKS...



1. Jane Eyre (From the novel 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte)

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.  I am a free human being with an independent will!"

Ahhh! How can you not love Jane Eyre, the woman who as a child was sent to an orphanage, and who has believed herself to be devoid of family and friendship almost her entire life.  Jane, is an amazing character who manages to surmount all the turmoil life throws her way.  PLUS, she meets the AMAZING Mr. Rochester, who sees in her what others have failed to see her entire life.  Jane Eyre is not only my favourite character of all time, but the novel itself is my favourite book of all time.  I can't even begin to do it justice!

2. Anluan (From the novel 'Hearts Blood' by Juliet Marillier)

"Around Anluan's feet and in the birdbath, small visitors to the garden hopped and splashed and made the most of the day that was becoming fair and sunny.  He did not seem to notice them.  As for me, I found it difficult to take my eyes away from him.  There was an odd beauty in his isolation and his sadness, like that of a forlorn prince ensorcelled by a wicked enchantress, or a traveller, lost forever in a world far away from home". 

Anluan is the chieftain at Whistling Tor, an Irish castle (of sorts) enshrouded in mystery.  He has been disfigured by a palsy, and although at the start of the novel he is gruff and dismissive, he turns out to be the sweetest and most endearing character ever.  I love him.  I love this story.  I love everything Juliet Marillier has ever written.  This story is a re-telling of the 'Beauty and the Beast' fairytale, only it is set in Ireland.  Anluan is of course, the beast.  I love him so much more than Disney's beast! hehe.

3. Gemma Doyle (From the 'Gemma Doyle' trilogy, by Libba Bray)

"I am a jumble of passions, misgivings and wants. It seems that I am always in a state of wishing, and rarely in a state of contentment".

Gemma Doyle is an amazing character.  She is a student at Spence Academy for girls, and yet she is so much more than that.  In a time when young ladies were to sit still, constrained by their corsets and the dullness of their own lives, Gemma is an anomaly.  She is powerful.  So powerful in fact that she can enter 'The Realms'.  Her trilogy deals with the wonders and consequences of these realms, and her life is greatly changed by the adventures which she has within them.  I really like Gemma because she is so kick ass.  She doesn't fit into the mould of a 19th century teenager.  She knows that she is different, and she isn't afraid of it.  She uses her brains and stands up for herself.  I think that she is a really positive role model for girls who read these books.   

4. Mammy Walsh (From the Walsh Sisters novels, by Marian Keyes)
I don't quite know what to say about Mammy Walsh other than that Marian Keyes must know my own mother very well, and must have chosen to use her as the inspiration for this character.  She really is the typical 'Irish Mammy'.  One part hilarious, one part slightly irrational, and two parts full of that Irish je ne sais quoi. I don't think I can articulate any further why I love her so much, other than the fact that I see a lot of my own mother and my aunties in her. 

5. Liadan (from the novel 'Son of the Shadows', by Juliet Marillier)

"Don't you long for something different to happen?  Something so exciting and new, it carries you along with it like a great tide, something that lets your life blaze and burn so that the whole world can see it?"

Liadan is another strong female character whom I love dearly.  She is the youngest daughter of Sorcha and Red, and she is kidnapped by what appears to be a marauding band of uncouth warriors.  She falls in love with their mysterious leader (as you do), who abandons her when he finds out just who she is.  But she doesn't let that ruin her life.  She has faith in herself and in Bran (love interest/man of mystery), and she manages to save both her sister and Bran from some seriously sinister happenings.  Plus, I just love her name.  "Liadan" - it's so beautiful!  Juliet Marillier seriously picks the most amazing names for her characters. 

6. Anne Elliot (from the novel 'Persuasion', by Jane Austen)

"I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures.  None of us want to be in calm waters all of our lives". 

27 years old and full of regrets... Anne Elliot broke off her engagement to Captain Wentworth eight years earlier on the advice of a family friend, but he has come back into her life and is now rich and successful.  The novel flows along nicely, but throughout it I was left thinking 'Will they get back together?  WILL THEY?'
I guess I love Anne so much because she is everything which I myself would hope to be: intelligent, highly principled and moderate.  She handles herself and her feelings with great dignity.  I respect that.  She doesn't compromise her principles in spite of the sorrow she has experienced.  I love her for that! 

7. Anne Boleyn (from the novel 'The Other Boleyn Girl', by Philippa Gregory)

"Oh yes, draw your hem back from my mud little sister".

 

SNAP! 
I don't know if it's because I love this period in history so much, or if it's just because I find the character of Anne Boleyn so fascinating, but I love her so much.  In this novel she is selfish, petulant, and completely focused on achieving total power for herself.  Those are not traits which I generally admire, but we all like villainous characters at one time or another, and Anne is certainly the villain in this novel.  I generally like all of Philippa Gregory's characters because they are well written, and I find that I learn so much about history from them. 

8. Anne Shirley (from the 'Anne of Green Gables' novels, by L. M. Montgomery)

"There's such a lot of different Anne's in me.  I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person.  If I was just the one Anne I would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting". 

Spunky, articulate, vivacious and lovable, Anne Shirley is one of my favourite characters of all time.  I love her imagination and her passion for living life, which literally leap of the page in each of the 'Anne' books.  I've loved Anne ever since I was in primary school and will continue to love her!  (And Gilbert!)

9. Grace O'Brien (from the novel, 'Saving Grace' by Ciara Geraghty)

Grace is quirky and hilarious and I saw a lot of myself in her when I read this book.  We share a love for Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights' after all!  I really like the way that although she bumbled through events at the start of the novel, by the end she was stronger and more confident for it! 

10. Katsa (from the novel, 'Graceling' by Kristen Cashore)

“She knew her nature. She would recognise it if she came face-to-face with it. It would be a blue-eyed green-eyed monster, wolflike and snarling. A vicious beast that struck out at friends in uncontrollable anger, a killer that offered itself as a vessel of the king's fury.
But then it was a strange monster, for beneath its exterior it was frightened and sickened by its own violence. It chastised itself for its savagery. And sometimes it had no heart for violence and rebelled against it utterly.
A monster that refused, sometimes, to behave like a monster. When a monster stopped behaving like a monster , did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?
Perhaps she wouldn't recognise her own nature after all.” 

Katsa is one tough cookie.  I think that this quote sums up everything which I liked about her.