June Library TBR

Instead of doing the normal TBR list for this month, I thought I would make a list of books I got from the library both in ebook and physical form that I want to read this month. TBR lists are great in theory, but I usually don't stick to them, but this list I will more than likely complete this month since they have to go back before the end of the month.

EBOOKS 

The first ebook I got through my library is Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan which I have already read, reviewed here and loved.

I am currently reading Cruel Beauty by Rosamond Hodge which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoy Beauty and the Beast in all forms so I was really drawn to this book. I am not far enough in to give you an assessment of this book, but look out for a review when I finish it.

Next I have the much talked about new book by E. Lockheart, We Were Liars.

My final ebook is Proxy by Alex London. This is the start of a dystopian series (trilogy?). I know the second book was just released at the end of May. In this world, the rich can hire someone to pay for their wrong doings instead of taking the punishment themselves, and our main character is forced to take the punishment of his rich owner. 

PHYSICAL BOOKS 

I only have one physical book from the library, but it is a more recent release that I am excited to read. Great by Sara Benincasa is a modern retelling of The Great Gatsby. I love Gatsby, so I am both excited and nervous for this novel.

All of these books are relatively small, under three hundred pages, so I should be able to finish them all this month, so look out for reviews on these books within the next few weeks. Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Bag Books

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is: Top Ten books that will be in my beach bag 
I usually don't read books that could be considered typical "beach reads" but here's a list of books that I think would be perfect for summer reading.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper I'm always down for anything that has to do with Romeo and Juliet. This is about a girl who goes to Rome for the summer to work for the Juliet Club, who are responsible for replying to letters addressed to Juliet. I picked this up because I thought it would be the perfect summer read.

2. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay As I stated above, I love my Romeo and Juliet reworkings. This one seems to be centered around the idea that Romeo and Juliet didn't love each other as much as everyone thought, which sounds interesting.

3. Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert  Travel stories are great for summer reads, and this is a highly acclaimed travel story I have recently picked up.

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz Contemporaries make great summer reads, and this one has won many awards recently and has been getting lots of positive buzz.

5. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan I just reviewed Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan here and I am eager to read more by Levithan and I think this is the one I want to read next. It's about two boys trying to break the world record for the longest kiss. 

6. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan  The only Green book I have yet to

read, and I'm excited to see how his collaboration with Levithan since both are funny and heartfelt writers. This is about two boys with the same name who happen to cross paths.

7. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell I read and reviewed Elanor and Park by Rowell and I am eager to read more from her. This is her adult book, about a man who monitors emails at his office and falls in love with one of his coworkers through her emails.

8. Tumble and Fall by Alexandra Coutts This books takes place right before the end of the world, and I believe there is a romance.

9. Winger by Andrew Smith This is another contemporary, this one about a young boy who is very intellegent and has skipped grades in school at a respected boarding school. I have heard this is funny and heart warming, but the ending is heartbreaking, so be warned! I'm looking forward to reading this as my first Andrew Smith novel.

10. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han This contemporary has been getting a lot of postive buzz lately and seems like the perfect light hearted summer beach read. This one is about a girl who
writes letters to all the boys she has had a crush on or has dated, and they somehow accidentally get sent to all of them.

What summer reads are you guys looking forward to?

Recently Read: Boy Meets Boy

Yesterday I read my second David Levithan book (I have previously read How They Met and Other Stories and loved it.) One thing that I like about Levithan's novels is that a lot of them start out as short stories that he wrote for his friends for Valentine's Day and I think that is so sweet. I believe that How They Met and Other Stories is a compilation of those Valentine's stories, and Boy Meets Boy began as as short story.

I read Boy Meets Boy in one night, it is a rather short book, but the characters and the story really suck you in. The main character of this novel is Paul, who has known he was gay since kindergarten. Paul meets the new kids Noah, and they begin a flirtation. This book has a really great setting and some really great characters. Infinite Darlene is of course extremely memorable, and I promise she will crack you up.

I really enjoy Levithan's writing style and the bits of humor he places in his writing right next to beautiful sentences. This book was originally published in 2003, which is important to remember when considering how special this book is. At that time, there were not as many books with gay main characters as there are today, and many of them focused on the negative and misery that came with being gay. This is not a book about LBGT struggles and miseries, this is a book about how gay and lesbian teens fall in love exactly the same way as heterosexual teens. This book is about love, friendship, loyalty, and staying true to yourself, the fact that the main character, and many of the other characters, are gay, is not the biggest point you should take away from this story. The themes are very powerful and universal in this novel.  

One of Paul's best friend's name is Tony, he is also gay but does not live in Paul's town. Paul's town is accepting of every aspect of every person in the town, where's Tony's parents are extremely religious and believe Tony is dammed because he is gay. Tony's battle to accept himself and to help his parents accept him is extremely moving. The contrast between Paul's life and Tony's life is extreme and eye-opening. I highly recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking to start with Levithan this is a great place. I am looking forward to reading more Levithan books in the near future.     

Nook Book Haul Part 2

A while ago I posted this Nook book haul, which was a compilation of books that I had picked up on my nook. I have a tendency to pick up books when they are in the $2.99 or under section and I have picked up some more recently so I thought I should update with another haul.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Literary Characters/Personalities

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week was a freebie pick your own topic week, so I choose to make a list of some of my favorite characters. This list is in no particular order.

1. Jem from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare I was always team Jem, Will is great too but... Jem! He's so polite and sensitive and thoughtful.

2. Peter Pan from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Peter is one of my all time favorite books and Peter is such a fascinating character. Even though he is just a child, there are so many sides to his personality and the way he reacts to others. Plus I love the way he crows like a rooster when he is pleased with himself!

3. Sherlock Holmes from the Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I'm not going to speak about my love for Sherlock too much, I have mentioned in many posts my love of Sherlock, but he really is such an interesting person. He is so mysterious, yet he manages to be fully developed and full of surprises. I love his wit and intelligence and the way he shows his affection for those he cares about.

4. John Watson from The Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Watson is perhaps my favorite literary character ever. His fierce loyalty is second to none, and he is so very, very important to Sherlock. I really love the way that the BBC Sherlock where Martin Freeman plays Watson portrays him, I think that portrayal is so true to Watson and really highlights the way that Watson saved Holmes.

5. Oscar Wilde from The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries Series by Gyles Brandeth This is one of my favorite series of all time, and if you have seen my review for The Picture of Dorian Gray  you know how much I love the real Oscar Wilde. Brandeth portrays Wilde perfectly, his wit, and over the top personality really shine through in this series. Bonus fact: Sherlock Holme's older brother Mycroft was inspired by Oscar Wilde, he and Doyle were good friends for many years.

6. Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Lizzy's dad made me laugh through out the entire novel, he is so practical compared to his wife and his sarcastic comments always made me laugh. You can read my review of this book here.

7. Celaena from The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas I love this series and Celaena is such a bad ass. She kicks some major butt, and I like how she uses her beauty as a weapon as well as her assassin skills. I reviewed Throne of Glass here.

8. Hermione Granger from The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Of course Hermione is going to be on a list of favorite characters. I admire her hard work, how much she values knowledge and education, how she is always true to herself, and the way she saves Harry and Ron a million and one times. 

9. Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote Holly is truly a unique character, no one, including herself, fully understands her. She is able to draw people in and capture their attention is a way that is unique to her. I wrote a little on Capote's story here.

 and in honor of the final book's release today...

10. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare I just finished rereading City of Lost Souls in order to prepare for City of Heavenly Fire and found my love for Magnus re-sparked. He is so true to himself and so kind hearted, loyal, and funny.

Recently Read:The Picture of Dorian Gray

I just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde which I have been reading on and off all month. First I had to put it down for exams at the beginning of the month, and then I found it was going too slow to start my summer reading off with so I put it down again. I have a feeling this may be a long review so be prepared.

First off I have to warn you that I love Oscar Wilde. Anything he ever said or wrote will be pure genius to me because I love him that much, with that being said I'm going to be honest about this book because I don't think this is a book that everyone would enjoy. This novel is about a young and very handsome man named Dorian Gray who wishes that his portrait of himself that his friend painted for him would age and bare the weight of his sins instead of himself, and he gets his wish.

Oscar is known for his wit and comedic plays, while Dorian is not without its comedic and witty moments, it is much more serious than Oscar's comedic plays. This is his only novel, and the writing is beautiful but very wordy. There are large passages in this book that are philosophical and beautifully crafted, but do not move the plot forward at all, or even mention the characters names. I can easily see how people would absolutely detest this book for that reason. Wilde makes many references to classical literature and theater that can also be frustrating because the modern reader is not familiar with these stories. This is definitely a slower read, and although it is rather short, it takes all of your attention.

With all that being said, if you are a fan of Oscar, or this kind of writing I highly recommend this book. Passages of this book could be separated from the plot and characters and read on their own and still be just as powerfully packed full of theme as an entire novel. The prologue of this novel in and of itself is an amazing piece on art and the perception of art and the artist. I usually try to separate the artist from the art, as Oscar suggests in the prologue, but this novel is made even more poignant by the knowledge of Oscar's weakness for youth and beauty and the trouble it would later cause him in his life.    

Dorian Gray is a very interesting character, and this book makes many points and contains many themes on beauty, art, admiration, influence, sin, people as works of art, and the pursuit of beauty among other topics. Although this novel is a serious piece, it still contains those witty and funny one liners that Oscar had such a talent for.

In an attempt to wrap this up (I tend to go on forever whenever Oscar is involved) I will say this, to lovers of classical literature who don't mind philosophical tangents, read this book. If this book doesn't sound like your cup of tea, don't let it deter you from reading Oscar. I suggest starting with some of his short stories, I mention a few here or one of his plays, such as The Importance of Being Earnest which I reviewed here. His plays are especially enjoyable if you can listen to them out loud.

And the last thing I would like to share is this painting inspired by Oscar's novel which I saw at the Chicago Art Institute a few summers back.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Ivan Albright

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Recently Purchased: May Part Two

In part one of my May purchased post I mentioned that my second part would be made up of young adult novels. I recently ordered some hardcovers online for a great deal, and I also got some graphic novels that I'm really excited about.

Winger by Andrew Smith I have heard lots of great things about this one, and I am planning on reading it super soon.
Tumble and Fall by Alexandra Coutts I have not heard too much about this one, I believe it is a love story that takes place right before the end of the world?
Juliet Immortal & Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay I love Romeo and Juliet, the original play, movie adaptations, and any retelling. Juliet Immortal is a retelling of R&J and Romeo Redeemed is the sequel, I'm interested in trying these out, though I will admit I am not crazy about the romance novel-esq cover of Romeo Redeemed.
No Fear Shakespeare graphic novels:
Hamlet 
Romeo and Juliet 
Macbeth You may know I am currently attending University to become a high school English teacher, and Shakespeare is the enemy of every high school student every where! I am interested in checking out these graphic novels with the hopes that they could be used in a classroom to help teach Shakespeare. These adaptations are from the No Fear Shakespeare section at sparknotes.com so I have high hopes for them. More on these to come once I have read them.