Haven't been updating lately, but have done a little reading. Not nearly enough for the challenge I've set for myself, but considering I read about 7 books over the March Break this year I'm hoping I can catch up over these two summer months off from work (well, off from teaching -- I have a nannying job, but I'll still have plenty of time for reading in between my nannying hours). Anyway, here are some of the books I read but didn't blog about!
26) Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
This is the fourth book in Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians YA series. I love this series, A LOT, and really enjoyed reading this installment. Percy and his friends find themselves on a new quest -- into the Labyrinth, to stop Luke from raising Kronos and taking over Camp Halfblood, and eventually Olympus. It's got lots of adventure and fun, and it really sets things up for the conclusion of the series (or, what I'm fairly certain is the conclusion -- book five, The Last Olympian, which Scooter and I haven't bought to read yet). If you haven't given these books a try, but you like books such as Harry Potter, I'd definitely read them.
27) Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse #9) by Charlaine Harris
I am so cheap and refuse to buy these books hardcover, so I only just now finally read the ninth Sookie Stackhouse novel; number ten is already on bookshelves but it's still hardcover itself so I'll be waiting until next spring for that one too. Book 9 was another great Sookie story, and I'm in love with these characters. I also watch the television series, "True Blood" (which is probably what helps me be able to wait to read the new books in soft-cover, it sort of bridges the gap by having a TV Sookie in my life).
28) Angels by Marian Keyes
I am a huge fan of Keyes' Walsh family. I've read these books completely out of order, but have read three of the four books that each feature a different Walsh sister (I read Rachel's Holiday first, then read Is Anybody Out There? which is Anna's story, and then read Angels, which about Maggie Walsh and comes before either of the other two I read -- the only one I haven't read yet is Watermelon, which is Claire's story and is actually the FIRST of the Walsh sister's books). The good thing is? It doesn't really matter TOO much if you read them out of order, as I've found. I'm eagerly waiting for Helen, the youngest of the Walsh sisters, to have a book featured about her soon too (since I'm sure it's inevitable). My favourite of these books is Anna's story (Is Anybody Out There?), but any of them so far have been great.
29) Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA by Ellen Meister
I picked this up off of the 80%-off shelf at Chapters (a frequent place for my book-buying, since $4.99 is a sweet price for a novel). It was actually not bad, a good beside-the-pool read. The characters are all going through some relationship issues, and there are some affairs/potential affairs/weird moments, but it wasn't a bad story and it had nice pacing. The characters were likeable enough -- if a little sex-obsessed at times.
Alrighty, 29 down and ... oh.. hmm.. you know, only 71 books left to read this year. HA. HA HA HA. /crying on the inside.
Showing posts with label young adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young adult. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
21-24) The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
I have been really enjoying the new TV series "The Vampire Diaries". I knew that the show was based on Young Adult novels of the same name written by LJ Smith, but I hadn't read the books yet. I decided to give them a try, and borrowed the first two novels (which were combined into one volume) from Martin's sister. The first two stories are The Awakening and The Struggle, the second two are The Fury and Dark Reunion.
These books are dramatically different that the TV series. The TV series is also a hundred times better. There are extra characters in the books who aren't on the show, and there are characters on the show who aren't in the books. The first couple of books are sort of boring, and I didn't really understand the motivation behind some of the actions of the characters -- it was too forced with no explanations. The second two stories, once the characters were more established and there was some action, were much better.
At the bookstore the other day I noticed there are more books in this series, which I think were written a little later than these original four stories, and I do feel like I would like to read them too. However, I'm really glad the TV series is what it is -- the characters are much better explained, I love the backstory they provide, and the characters they've added who are not a part of the books are really layered and interesting.
These books are pretty similar to the Twilight books, which were written many years later than these ones, but the Twilight books are actually a much better read.
At least I knocked four books out of the park in a fairly short time span!
24 read, 76 to go! I know I'm way behind where I should be, but have faith...
These books are dramatically different that the TV series. The TV series is also a hundred times better. There are extra characters in the books who aren't on the show, and there are characters on the show who aren't in the books. The first couple of books are sort of boring, and I didn't really understand the motivation behind some of the actions of the characters -- it was too forced with no explanations. The second two stories, once the characters were more established and there was some action, were much better.
At the bookstore the other day I noticed there are more books in this series, which I think were written a little later than these original four stories, and I do feel like I would like to read them too. However, I'm really glad the TV series is what it is -- the characters are much better explained, I love the backstory they provide, and the characters they've added who are not a part of the books are really layered and interesting.
These books are pretty similar to the Twilight books, which were written many years later than these ones, but the Twilight books are actually a much better read.
At least I knocked four books out of the park in a fairly short time span!
24 read, 76 to go! I know I'm way behind where I should be, but have faith...
Monday, April 5, 2010
18) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
I'm still enjoying the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I've just finished Book #3, The Titan's Curse. This one was a really great adventure, I liked it better than Book #2 (Sea of Monsters). I know I'm slightly older than the target audience for this series, but I really enjoy the storyline and I highly recommend it. I just liken it to adults enjoying the Harry Potter series when it first came out -- it really is a good story for all ages. Scooter just finished reading Book #4, so I'll soon read that one as well.
18 down, 82 to go!
18 down, 82 to go!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
9) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Having enjoyed the young adult novel, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I've decided to continue to read the series. My 11-year-old brother is reading the books first, then he passes them to me. It's quite an enjoyable series -- I think anyone who likes Harry Potter or similar would enjoy these stories. They're also full of Greek Mythology references, which I enjoy because I love Greek Mythology.
The film version of The Lightning Thief was also pretty good. I took Scooter to see it last week. It was different than the book -- an example being that Percy and Annabeth were clearly high school aged teenagers in the movie, but in the book they`re only in the sixth grade -- but it had enough details to keep the story on track enough that it didn`t feel overly changed. Sure, there were missing characters and a few different locations of some of the events, but mostly it was pretty good. I`d continue to see the films if they continue to make them.
This second story in the series, The Sea of Monsters, finds Percy and Annabeth on another perilous adventure -- this time to the Sea of Monsters to face a Cyclops and attempt to rescue Grover and obtain the Golden Fleece. It`s a good little adventure. I liked the first book just a bit more than this one, but this one has a great twist ending that should make book three pretty interesting.
It`s a good series, definitely check it out if you were a Harry Potter fan or sometimes like reading some of the novels that are written for the younger crowd, but are still entertaining for adults. If you have a kids in your family, ages 10 or so and up, I definitely recommend these books.
9 down, 91 to go!
The film version of The Lightning Thief was also pretty good. I took Scooter to see it last week. It was different than the book -- an example being that Percy and Annabeth were clearly high school aged teenagers in the movie, but in the book they`re only in the sixth grade -- but it had enough details to keep the story on track enough that it didn`t feel overly changed. Sure, there were missing characters and a few different locations of some of the events, but mostly it was pretty good. I`d continue to see the films if they continue to make them.
This second story in the series, The Sea of Monsters, finds Percy and Annabeth on another perilous adventure -- this time to the Sea of Monsters to face a Cyclops and attempt to rescue Grover and obtain the Golden Fleece. It`s a good little adventure. I liked the first book just a bit more than this one, but this one has a great twist ending that should make book three pretty interesting.
It`s a good series, definitely check it out if you were a Harry Potter fan or sometimes like reading some of the novels that are written for the younger crowd, but are still entertaining for adults. If you have a kids in your family, ages 10 or so and up, I definitely recommend these books.
9 down, 91 to go!
Monday, February 1, 2010
4) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
I finished this last week but didn't have the opportunity to post before today.
BOOK FOUR! FOUR! I read FOUR in January! That's about... half of what I need to read each month, so I will need to play catch up later on. Instead of worrying about that though, let me tell you about this really awesome book.
So, I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief which is by Rick Riordan. I bought this book for my 11-year-old brother for Christmas, knowing that he likes the Harry Potter series (which we've been reading together over the past few years -- yes, years, our schedules don't always line up for reading together, haha) and other adventure stories too. I also knew that a film version was coming out soon, so I figured we could see the movie together if he liked the book.
Needless to say, he LOVED the book. So much so that he read it in a week's time at school (that's pretty fast for him), and he asked me to take him to Chapters to buy Book 2 in the series (with his own money, he's growing up so fast!). This is a kid who likes reading but isn't necessarily the type to ask to go to the book store, so the book definitely left a great impression on him.
He made sure to pass the book to me next, and I also really enjoyed it. I've always liked Greek Mythology, so the subject matter appealed to me from the outset, and it was a good little adventure. The characters are likeable, and I also look forward to reading the rest of the series.
This is a Young Adult series, probably meant for 8-12 year-olds, but like Harry Potter or the Twilight series, it is definitely fun for adults too. I think both young boys and girls will enjoy this book, but especially if you have a son and you're looking for a new series for him to enjoy, I recommend this one. I'm looking forward to taking Scooter to the theatre for the film adaptation, and will review the movie too once I see it.
The Lightning Thief is available online on Amazon.ca.
4 down, 96 to go!
BOOK FOUR! FOUR! I read FOUR in January! That's about... half of what I need to read each month, so I will need to play catch up later on. Instead of worrying about that though, let me tell you about this really awesome book.
So, I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief which is by Rick Riordan. I bought this book for my 11-year-old brother for Christmas, knowing that he likes the Harry Potter series (which we've been reading together over the past few years -- yes, years, our schedules don't always line up for reading together, haha) and other adventure stories too. I also knew that a film version was coming out soon, so I figured we could see the movie together if he liked the book.
Needless to say, he LOVED the book. So much so that he read it in a week's time at school (that's pretty fast for him), and he asked me to take him to Chapters to buy Book 2 in the series (with his own money, he's growing up so fast!). This is a kid who likes reading but isn't necessarily the type to ask to go to the book store, so the book definitely left a great impression on him.
He made sure to pass the book to me next, and I also really enjoyed it. I've always liked Greek Mythology, so the subject matter appealed to me from the outset, and it was a good little adventure. The characters are likeable, and I also look forward to reading the rest of the series.
This is a Young Adult series, probably meant for 8-12 year-olds, but like Harry Potter or the Twilight series, it is definitely fun for adults too. I think both young boys and girls will enjoy this book, but especially if you have a son and you're looking for a new series for him to enjoy, I recommend this one. I'm looking forward to taking Scooter to the theatre for the film adaptation, and will review the movie too once I see it.
The Lightning Thief is available online on Amazon.ca.
4 down, 96 to go!
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