Theme Spotlight: Unique Form

Today's Theme Spotlight features books with unique forms. All of these books has similar forms to each other, and the form really adds to the reading experience and the other themes within the novel. I really love reading novels that are made up of short stories that work together to build one coherent novel. Let me know if you have any recommendations for me!

Previous Theme Spotlights:
Self-Discovery
Gender in YA
Faith and Spirituality in Classics

Review

I love Sedgwick, and he is a master of this novel-made- of-short-stories form. This is one of my favorite books I have read this year. The stories are amazing on their own, but when stacked on top of each other they build on the themes in the previous stories perfectly. Sedgwick commands time and fate beautifully in his novels, and this form really helps to accentuate those themes. This novel is a little bit different than the other novels on this list as you can read the four stories in any order you wish.  

Review

This novel contains some pretty powerful and serious themes about race in America in the 1930's-1940's. The short stories in this novel pack a huge punch on their own, but stacked on top of each other, they really make a statement. This novel is quite hard to get through at some points because it is horrifying, but it is a true and necessary read. 

A very old review

This is the first novel of this form that I read, and I read it way back in my freshman year of college. This novel has almost a double layer of short stories in it, as it has vignettes in between the short stories that also connect to the stories and stand on their own. Hemingway is a great short story writer, and I really want to reread this one soon. This novel works to build a sense of the Lost Generation  or the youth and young adults living after WWI. 

Review

Reread Review

And of course I had to throw one of my all-time favorite novels on this list. I just reread this and loved it even more the second time. This novel is pure genius.   

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Finished Series I haven't finished (or in most cases I haven't even started)

It is my destiny to be behind on YA series. I own so many books that are first in a series that I have yet to read, even though everyone and their uncle has read and loved them. And I'm obviously not very good at completing dualologies!  So here is a list of series that I am behind on, and probably haven't even started yet. 

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

I own the first book, but haven't read it yet

1. The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

I think I bought the first book in this series when it first came out, and I still haven't read it! I also own the sequel, sooooo I should really get on it.

2. The Defiance Trilogy by C.J. Red Wine

I haven't owned this one for too long, but I'm really excited to get into it. It sounds like an action packed read. Plus that red hair on the cover is to die for.

 

3. The Hourglass Trilogy by Myra McEntire

I actually forgot I owned this one as it has been at my apartment all summer, so hopefully I will get to this series soon. I love the covers of this series, and the time travel/control elements sound awesome.

 

4. The Bronze Horseman Trilogy by Paulina Simmons 

This trilogy is a pretty big commitment, since all three books are eight hundred plus pages, but I think this epic historical romance will be a perfect winter read.

5. The Thursday Next Series, Jasper Fforde

I'm really excited to get into this literary inspired mystery series! I have heard great things about it, and I own the first two novels in the series. Fforde sounds like he has a great creative mind, so I can't wait to get into this world. 

I've read part of this series but haven't finished it yet 

(or don't plan to) 

 

6.  The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Trilogy by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I read and loved The Shadow of the Wind earlier this summer, and I was a little surprised to find out the novel had a sequel because the ending of the first book wrapped everything up. This sequel takes place a couple of years after the first novel I believe, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read it or not. There is also a third novel, which I just discovered existed two seconds ago!

 

7. For Darkness Shows the Stars dualology by Diana Peterfreund 

I really loved For Darkness Shows the Stars which was a sci-fi YA retelling of Austen's Persuasion, so I don't know why I haven't picked up the companion novel Across a Star Swept Sea which is a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I have heard quite a few people say they actually like that novel more than the first, so I need to but this one on my To-Buy List.

 

8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before dualology by Jenny Hann

I thought To All the Boys I've Loved Before was a really cute read, and I have had the sequel out from the library a few times this summer, but I just never seem to be able to get to it! I might pick this one up in the future but I'm not sure yet.

9. The Lux Series by Jenifer L. Armentrout

I read the first four books in this series, but I don't have any interest in reading the final book. I read all first four books in like five straight days, I couldn't put them down, but I've just lost interest in the series and found that the sex scenes have replaced the plot, so I'm okay with not reading the final book in this series.

 

10. The Code Name Verity dualology by Elizabeth Wein 

I'm hoping to read this one really, really soon. I LOVED Code Name Verity but it was such an emotional read that I needed a break between the two companion novels, as I think that Rose Under Fire will be even more emotional than Code Name Verity.

Let me know which of these series I should complete (or start) right away! 

Liebster Award 2.0

The Rules:

• Each nominee must have under 200 followers
• Thank and link to the nominated blog
• Answer their 10 questions and propose 10 new ones for your nominees
• Nominate 10 blogs and tell them that they have been nominated
• Write a post containing the questions
• Include these rules in the post

Jess @ Curiouser and Curiouser (who has a great blog, check her out!) nominated me for the Liebster Award, I did one of these a long time ago, but since the questions are always new, I thought it would be fun to do it again. 

My First Liebster Award

1. Do you like book adaptations? 

Sometimes? I have seen some really great ones, and some not so great ones. For the most part, I like them and the idea of them. Check out my Which Adaptation is Right for You? series to see some one my favorites. I have done a Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet edition so far. 

2. If you were a protagonist in a book, what genre would you like your book to be?

Either a historical fiction novel where I defy my time period and wear pants and out-smart all the men, or an adventure novel where I am a famous archaeologist who discovers stuff and maybe solves murders on the side. So, you know, just the usual stuff. 

3. Do you consider yourself a diverse reader?

Yes, I will give any genre a try, and love a lot of genres. Of course, I would like to be more diverse and read more non-western authors. 

4. Would you rather be Ancient Greek, Roman, or Egyptian?

As a woman: Roman or Egyptian. As a wealthy male: Greek! 

5. How do you spend your New Year's Eve?

I don't have any special traditions for NYE actually. I am usually at my parents house and some of my family that lives far away comes to visit, so I am usually stuffing my face with all the food my mom and grandma have made. 

6. Have you ever cosplayed? If not, would you like to?

I have not, but I would be up for it if I had the perfect costume and occasion. 

7. What's your favorite book of 2015 so far?

I have read some really great books this year but these two have really stood out to me:

 

I'll Give You the Sun Review
The Ghosts of Heaven

8. Which season is your favorite?

I think Summer is my favorite season. I love how easy-going it is, and to me, summer always means tons of reading time as I am out of school for the year. I like being outside in the sun and going to the beach or a baseball game. Wah! Now I'm sad summer is over. 

9. Have you ever broken any bones?

Yes, I broke my pinky while I was in middle school at a basketball practice, and it's still crocked. But that's it.  

10. Go to your bookshelf. Pick the seventh book from the left from the shelf of your choice. Go to chapter seven. What's the seventh word?

"Ceremony" 

This was actually a bit of work, as the first three books I pulled out didn't have numbered chapters but multiple P.O.Vs! 

Thanks for nominating me Jess! 

Weekly Wrap-Up: Back to the Grindstone

What's New:
This was my first week of the new semester, and besides the little things that are always stressful about the first week, it went well! So far the reading looks pretty substantial but possibly a little lighter than last semester's. As a matter of fact, I got some reading done this week which was great!

I've also been listening to Halsey' album Badlands non-stop. Literally. It has been the only thing I have listened to since it's release; I actually pre-ordered it, which is something I almost never do with music! I highly recommend checking this album out, if you haven't already! My favorite songs are Colors, Gasoline, I Walk the Line (this has to be number one; I can't get enough) and Young God.

I'm back home at my parent's for the long weekend (it's Labor Day here in the US), as they have air-conditioning and it was miserable without it at my apartment this past week. I'm hoping to get some school reading done as well as some fun reading done.

What I Read:
I finished The Blood of Olympus by skim reading the last third or so. I just wasn't in the mood for this one at the moment, and I already knew how things were going to end. I will be sharing more thoughts in the future, but I still highly recommend this series and the Percy Jackson series. I'm almost done with my audiobook read of Tess of the D'uberville's! I'm hoping I can finish this one on the drive back to school on Monday. I also started Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng which I am really enjoying! I was so happy to find a used copy a few weeks ago, and I have been eagerly staring at it since then. I'm also reading things for school, and I might do a separate post on that, as I am reading some really great non-fiction. 

 


What I Bought:

Queen of Shadow, Sarah J. Mass 

Duh! I pre-ordered myself a signed copy! 

The Lamplighter Maria S. Cummins

For my American Lit class

as an e-book because a print copy

is impossible to find

What I Posted:
Monday- I posted my Reread review for one of my all-time favorite novels, Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Tuesday- I shared ten characters I had a hard time connecting with
Wednesday- I shared more selections from my TBR
Thursday- I posted an August Goals Wrap-Up

Last Week's Wrap-Up (lots of Buffy love in the comments of this one)

What's Next:
Monday- The Liebster Award 2.0
Tuesday- TTT: Finished Series I Need to Finish
Wednesday- Theme Spotlight: Unique Form
Thursday- Just Added (11)

Stacking the Shelves Hosted by: Tyngas Reviews
The Sunday Post Hosted by: The Caffeinated Book Reviewer

If you started school again, how is it going? What music have you been listening to lately? If you like Halsey, what's your favorite song?

August Goals Wrap-Up!

Well August is over! I made a list of goals for my last month of summer. I made myself a pretty ambitious list of things to read, watch, and post- so let's see how I did.

Read

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Read my Code Name Verity Review

2. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein 

3. The Raven Boys by Maggie Steivater

4. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick Read my Midwinterblood reread Review

5. The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan Blood of Olmpus Review to come 

I wish I made more progress in this section of the goals, but August ended up being a weird reading month for me. but that's okay. I loved the books that I did read from this list, and I'm hoping I will get to the remaining books this month. 

Watch 

1. Finish Scandal season four 

2. Romeo and Juliet (2013)

3. Notorious 

4. Spellbound

5. Drive 

This was the category I was least concerned with, accept for the first two items, which I crossed off the list. You can read my thoughts on the R&J movie in the post section below, and of course I enjoyed Scandal. It was full of drama, as usual, and beautiful Fitz.  

Post 

1. Literary Look: The Gothic Novel

2. Emily Dickinson Poetry Spotlight 

3. Tale as Old as Time (3): English and Literature Textbooks

4. Book Recommendations for Boys

5. Which Adaptation is Right for You?- Romeo and Juliet 

I'm really happy to have completed this part of the goals list! A lot of these posts were really time consuimg and lengthy posts, so I'm glad to have completed them all in one month! Let me know which one is your favorite post.

On My TBR (3)

I recently moved all of the books I want to read ASAP to one shelf, and I love that system! So I thought I would show you some of the books on my TBR divided by category.

On My TBR (1)

On My TBR (2)

On my TBR I have a book that is...

A Reread:

A Mystery:

Nonfiction: 

A Biography: 

Adult Fiction: 

Have you read any of these? What did you think? What's on your TBR? 

Top Ten Tuesday: (Nine) Characters I Feel Pretty Ehhh About

I had a hard time coming up with this list, as I can usually connect to characters in some way or another while reading a novel. But there are some characters that I just didn't care for all that much, or didn't connect with as strongly as other characters. 

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

 

1. Pudge and Alaska from Looking for Alaska by John Green

This is my least favorite Green novel. I find Pudge to be a little immature and annoying, and I really don't like Alaska, although that's not her fault since it's hard to like the Manic-Pixie-Dreamgirl. 

2. Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Team Jem 4 life!

3. Jace from The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

Jace reminds me a lot of Will, like their personalities are identical, so it's not a surprise that I'm not his biggest fan. 

 

4. Alina from the Grisha Trilogy

This trilogy was fun and a quick read, but I wasn't blown away by it. Everything about this trilogy is a big ehh for me. 

5. Twylla from the Sin Eater's Daughter

This book was another one I felt pretty ehh about. The pacing was weird, and all the action happened in the last fifty pages and left me going huh? after I finished it. I'm hoping for more character development in book number two, so I can hopefully connect to Twylla more. 

6. Mary from The Agency series by Y.S. Lee

Mary was a pretty flat character for me. I was hoping for more from the first book in this series. 

 

7.  Mim from Mosquitoland by David Arnold 

I had a really hard time connecting to Mim. I don't know what it was, and I know lots of people loved this book, but I just couldn't connect and I felt a little uncomfortable with the anti-medication message in this novel. 

8. Jam from Belzhar by Meg Woliter

I was really hoping to love this book because it was so heavily influenced by The Bell Jar, but it fell flat for me. The big plot twist was ridiculous, and Jam's character wasn't developed enough for my taste. 

9. Tally from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Another book and character I feel pretty eh about. 

Leave me your link below so we can discuss characters!