Not Sticking to My TBR (To Be Read) List

When I started this blog back at the beginning of January I said I would limit my TBR (To Be Read) piles to books that I thought I could finish in a month so I would always stick to the pile, but still have free choice. Actually following my TBR pile as many have said is hard because I didn't know how long any of those books would take. In January I set two books on my TBR list so it was easy to complete. In February I set five books for myself to read. I read 8 books in February so I way surpassed the number of books I planned to read. 

Then when it came to setting up my March TBR there was a lot of books I was excited to read Thanks to project Fairy Tale so I again set six books to read figuring I would work my way through the list easily and still have two free choices. I didn't realize how long The Host would take me. Although I have loved every minute I have spent reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer it has really backed up my TBR. I'm not sure how many books I will get read off my TBR for March because the month is almost over. 

Here's my question. Do I feel stressed out because I didn't read those books in the timeline I had set? No I know I will get to them eventually and I'm okay with the fact that I didn't get to them. I'm more than willing to read those books in April. Many people say they think their TBR lists limit them. I don't think mine limits me at all because I'm not afraid to deviate from the TBR list. I'm not afraid to read a different book if I want and not finish my TBR list. 

The reason I like to plan out what I'm going to read that month is so I have a general idea of what I'm going to be reading. If a find a great book in the middle of the month and decide to read it so be it. My library just got 75 new teen books there is no way that I don't want to check some of those out and see how they are.

Blogging is not my job. It is a hobby. Blogging is the place I come to share my feelings about books and my life that I wouldn't otherwise share. If the TBR list becomes my set reading list I will stop doing them because that is not their purpose. Their purpose is to give me a general idea of what I'm going to read. If I don't get to those books I will get to them at some point. 

Let's Discuss. Do you do a monthly TBR list? Do you stick to your TBR list? Does not sticking to your TBR list stress you out? 

Tell me your feelings below in the comments. 

Rachael 

March Wrap Up and April TBR (To Be Read)

March Wrap Up

Is it just me or did this month go by really quick. March was a busy month for my household so to say the least I didn't read as much. I read a total of  8 books in March. A couple were really short so it still does not measure up to the 8 books I read in February, but I did well. I participated in a number of read-a-thons for March and I have some more lined up for April so I'm hoping to get many books done in April. 

1. 

 The first book I read was Across the rolling River by Celia Wilkins. This book was mediocore at best compared to the last book in the series On Top of Concord Hill. (Review).

Challenges this fit into: A to Z, Library, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Quick Fix, Book Bingo, New Authors, and First Reads

2. 

 The second book I read was 204 Rosewood Lane. I listened this entire book though audiobook while I scanned pictures for my graduation slideshow and I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first. (Review) (Character Follow Along).

Challenges this fit into: Library, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Seriously Series, Book Bingo, In the Middle, Book in a Series, and Monthly Keywords.

3. 

 The Third book I read was Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. This was my first hated book of 2013 and I will have to thank my friends for this book because there always has to be one book you didn't like. Even though I didn't like the book I still did a review for you guys to check out. I believe my job as a blogger is to keep you away from books you may not like as well as recommend ones you might like. (Review).

Challenges this fit into: Library, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Book Bingo, In the Middle, Books in a Series, New Authors, and First Reads. 

4. 

The fourth book I read was Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. This book is one of my favorites of the month. I really enjoyed my time listening and reading to this book. The review is by far the most creative post I have done yet. (Review).

Challenges this fit into: Library, Books to Movie, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Quick Fix, Book Bingo, New Authors, and First Reads. 

5. 

The fifth book I read was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It was an amazing book and I really enjoyed my experience reading the book although it felt like it took me a long time to read the book. I went to see the movie on opening day and loved the movie. The movie was able to stay true to the book and just cut out instead of changing the plot line. I would recommend people to read this book (Review)

Challenges this fit into: A to Z, Library, Books to Movie, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Chunkster, and Book Bingo.

6. 

Glitches by Marissa Meyer is a novella meant to be reading before Cinder so that is what I did. This is the only book I didn't review this month since it wasn't long enough to make a review. Glitches can be found on Goodreads and there is a link to read the story online. A few copies of Cinder have the novella in them, but mine didn't so I read it online. I would say that Glitches is worth reading. It took me 30 minutes to read because it is only 16 pages and it explained a couple things that Cinder did not explain such as the death of Cinder's step father Garan and why Cinder is a cyborg.

Challenges this fit into: A to Z, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, and Quick Fix

7. 

The seventh book I read was my first ever graphic novel, Marvel Fairy Tales by C.B. Cebulski. I thought this book was just okay and it didn't take me long to read, but I do think there are better graphic novels out there. I had to read one graphic novel for this class I'm taking called independent reading. (Review).

Challenges this fit into: A to Z, Library, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Quick Fix, Book Bingo, New Authors, and First Reads. 

8. 

The final book I completed in March is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I thoroughly enjoyed Cinder and can't wait to pick up its sequel Scarlet. Everybody that I know has loved this book and they were so right it was amazing. (Review).

Challenges this fit into: Library, Let me Count the Ways, Outdo Yourself, Fairy Tales Retold, Book Bingo, In the Middle, New Authors, First Reads, Telling Tales, and Spring Reading Thing.

April TBR

If you read my post about not following your TBR pile you would know that I deviated from my March TBR and didn't finish the books I put on it. In fact only 2 of the books I read in March came from my TBR list so April is going to be catch up month because I do still want to finish those books I put on my March TBR plus add a couple to the list. 

Does the list look farmilair? It should. I had  4 of these 6 books on my March TBR. The books I plan to read in April are Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Splintered by A.G. Howard, and Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. Hopefully I will be able to stick to my list and get these amazing books read in April. I'm currently reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult and it is amazing. 

The Monster Read-A-Thon Progress

I almost missed a read-a-thon, but thankfully I found out about this amazing read-a-thon.

I'm going to try and complete these three books this week. Splintered and Silver Linings are both due back at the library by the 10th so I need to get to reading them. 

 Day 1 March 29th, 2013

pg 272 to pg 376 in Cinder by Marissa Meyer
I fell asleep while reading so unfortunately I didn't get to finish the book.










Total Pages: 104 Pages

Day 2 March 30th, 2013

pg 376 to pg 387 in Cinder by Marissa Meyer
 I loved the book you should check out my review.

pg 0 to pg 111 in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult










Total Pages: 122 pages


Day 3 March 31st, 2013

pg 111 to pg 174 in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.
I was at my Grandma's house yesterday for Easter, but I was able to get some reading done. I'm loving this book.








Total Pages: 63 Pages

Day 4 April 1st, 2013
 pg 174 to 302 in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.
If you can't tell from the page count I reallly love this book.

Total Pages: 128 pages

Day 5 April 2nd, 2013
  pg 302 to pg 395 in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.
Total Pages: 93 pages

Day 6 April 3rd, 2013
 pg 440 to pg 460

pg 0 to pg 26








Total Pages: 46 pages

Day 7 April 4th, 2013

pg 26 to 56










Total Pages: 30 pages

Day 8 April 5th, 2013
 pg 56 to 61

Total Pages: 5 pages

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (no spoilers)

Hosted by Misty @ The Book Rat and Bonnie @ A Backwards Story

Book: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication: January 3rd, 2012
Source: Local Library
Rating: 5/5 Stars






Summary (from Goodreads):

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

 Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts:
I thoroughly fell in love with Cinder. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about read this book because I'm a self diagnosed Disney fanatic and I love Cinderella like I love other Disney movies so would Marissa Meyer be able to change the story in a way I enjoyed? I didn't know, but I jumped right in and I ended up loving the book.

Cinder is basically a retelling of Cinderella except Cinder is cyborg and there is a raging lunar war going on. This book is so much more than a Cinderella retelling. Marissa Meyer was able to take bits and pieces from the classic Cinderella story and entwine them in Cinder. It didn't feel like I was reading a fairy tale it felt like I was reading an original work because I was. Although Marissa Meyer was able to be somewhat true to the traditional story she made it her own in Cinder. I really enjoyed that.

Cinder is a futuristic retelling of Cinderella also. It is set in Beijing, China that is now know as the Eastern Commonwealth and has been peaceful for 126 years. The annual festival is coming up to celebrating the ending of World War IV. Cinder will be allowed to go to ball only if her stepmother Adri lets her. Unlike the traditional tale Cinder isn't too worried about going to the ball. This disease called Letumosis is raging throughout the Eastern Commonwealth. Cinder is a mechanic and also a cyborg. Everything changes for Cinder when she meets Prince Kai at the market and he asks her to fix his android. Her life is turned upside down and we have to keep reading to see how she will go about fixing it.

What I really liked about this story that always bugged me about the Disney movie is there was no instant love. Cinder did not just meet the Prince at the ball. There was a built up to their relationship. Prince Kai was  not the normal stuck up Prince we see in every single fairy tale. He was literally such a gentlemen and I really fell in love with his character. Although this book was set in China he is the only person I imagined to be Chinese. Kai was really good looking in my mind and that never hurts to make me fall in love with a character. I also fell in love with Cinder. She is so different from how you would ever imagine Cinderella. She had a robotic leg and arm. She maybe isn't the most beautiful person in the room, but she is willing to do what is right.  Cinder unlike every Cinderella didn't need to be saved she could stand up for herself and was doing everything she could to help her family and Prince Kai.

Adri her stepmother was a witch from the start and as the story moved forward I grew to hate Adri more and more. Cinder's stepsister Pearl was evil as well and I never liked her. She reminded me of Priscilla from the Disney movie (the one in the green). Peony was such a sweetheart and really the only one who treated Cinder right. She was the younger of the two sisters. I really wish what happened to Peony didn't happen, but it was such a driving force in the book that it had to and I can respect that.

The Lunar war is something I see going on throughout the four books and I have seen reviews where they believed this was not necessary  I think it was because what happened to Cinder at the end of the book was all fueled by the threat of the Lunar war and Queen Levana. It would have been a completely different novel without that aspect.

This ending left me railing and I can't wait to read the second book Scarlett very soon. Although I believe Marissa Meyer could have brought Cinder to a full and complete ending the more I think about it I'm okay with the ending she gave us. It was a straight up cliff hanger, but didn't leave you at peace with Cinder either. I would defiantly recommend this book. I thought is was an amazing, original work, and I am so glad that I read this book.


Thanks for reading


Rachael

Weekend Library Reading (4) Cinder by Marissa Meyer and The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

I'm sorry this is a day late, but better late than never. I'm reading a library book so let's go for it. Actually this week I'm going to cheat and tell you about a book I just finished and a book I have yet to start. . Orginal by Kristilyn @ Reading in Winter.

Book: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Why I took out this book: Everybody has read this book so I wanted to read it. I see why everybody has read this book it is amazing.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

 Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Book: The Storyteller

Why I took out this book: Anybody who has spent a fair amount of time on my blog knows that Jodi Picoult is by far my favorite author ever since I read The Pact in 2011 so of course I would want to read her new book. I haven't started it yet, but I know it is going to be a good book.

Sage Singer befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses…and then he confesses his darkest secret - he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

 What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice? 

Thanks for reading


Rachael

April Read-A-Thons and Event Sign Up Post

Spring into Horror Read-A-Thon hosted by Seasons of Reading. Despite the name you are allowed to read whatever you want. This read-a-thon will overlap with the other two read-a-thons I plan to do this month so expect similar posts. Despite the name you do not have to read horror books. I won't be. Seasons of reading promotes reading any book you want. 

Busy on the weekends that is okay Rebecca @ Love at First Book and Alison @ The Book Wheel are hosting a weekday read-a-thon for your reading pleasure. This event will take place on April 24th, 2013. I will be a person that only pops in at night and maybe in the early morning since I do have school that day, but  I think this is a great idea and would love if they would continue to do them every couple of months. 

I will also be also be participating in the famous Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon. This read-a-thon will take place on Saturday April 27th, 2013. I'm not going to a crazy reader and start right up at midnight, but will start as soon as I get up in the morning and read until late at night of course taking breaks in the middle. 

All books on My April TBR list will be eligible to be in these read-a-thons. 

Really wish I found this event sooner, but I'm glad I found it anyways. Thank you to Sandra @ The Musings of a Book Addict for hosting this challenge. The point is to list all the books you plan to read up until June and make some dent in the list and having a wrap up post at the end. Although I don't overly plan what I'm going to read I have a bit more since I started this blog. Below I will list a few books that I know I will read before June. Then my wrap up post will contain all I actually accomplished. This event actually started on March 20th so get your sign up posts up and begin. 

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

3. Splintered by A.G. Howard

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

5. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

6. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

7. Warm Bodies by Issac Marion

8. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

9. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

10. And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

Thanks for Reading

Rachael 

Book Review: Marvel Fairy Tales by C.B. Cebulski (no spoilers)

Hosted by Misty @ The Book Rat and Bonnie @ A Backwards Story

Book: Marvel Fairy Tales
Author: C.B. Cebulski
Illistrators: Jod Lemos, Niuno Plati, Takeshi Miyanzawa, Ricardo Tercio, and Kyle Baker
Publication: February 3rd, 2010
Source: Local Library
Rating: 3/5 Stars
















Summary (from goodreads):

Re-imagining the greatest Marvel stories through folktales, myths, and fables from across the globe. In Avengers: Fairy Tales see Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers as you've never seen them before with all-new interpretations of Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and the Wizard of Oz. In Spider-Man: Fairy Tales, Mary Jane fills the shoes of another famous red-head in this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with super hero sensibilities. Will Spider-Man be able to save her on her way to Aunt May's house? And in X-Men: Fairy Tales, it's a re-imagining of the tragic origin of Professor Xavier and Magneto. In the ancient African tale, The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle, dangerous circumstances cause two pals to take violently different life paths... Collects Avengers: Fairy Tales #1-#4, Spider-Man: Fairy Tales and X-Men: Fairy Tales #2.

My Thoughts:
This is my very first graphic novel I have ever read. I had to read a graphic novel for a class I'm taking. The reason I chose this one was that my library owned a copy and I wanted to do something with fairy tales. I found this one. I do think I would enjoy this novel more if I was familar with the Marvel characters, but I will explain more of that below. I kind of see this novel as a collection of short stories since each fairy tale is about 23-25 pages long. Sometimes I think that is too short, but in other stories I was okay with the length. I will put my personal feelings about each fairy tale below.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is the first short story in this graphic novel and as you all know I have been in a Peter Pan mood lately since reading the classic novel so I was glad to see the story in there. The graphic novel was able to give a good gist of the Peter Pan story in a period of 25 pages, but it didn't really give you a lot of time to follow in love with the characters. On the first page Peter Pan flies in and they fly off to Neverland and before you know it you are at the end of the story. I like that it covered the story, but it didn't really add its own twist that much besides changing a few minor details. I think they needed a bit more time to put a little bit deeper plot development into the story.

Pinocchio

Pinocchio was the second story with this one I liked that they altered the story. They changed the dad's name and Pinocchio was a robot named Vision. That is similar to Peter Pan because they changed the names in that story too, but besides that they didn't change much in Peter Pan. I feel like Pinocchio could stand on its own a little bit better than Peter Pan although not fully. Vision (Pinocchio) talked a lot about being bullied because he was different and that is something I completely identify with. I don't feel like Vision's (Pinocchio) actions were justified just because he was bullied. The old saying goes two wrongs don't make a right. Vision's (Pinocchio) conscience in this book was not a cricket, but a fairy and the fairy turns out to be a very surprising person in Vision's (Pinocchio) life. In the end Vision (Pinocchio) makes a selfless decision and that was the biggest change from the original fairy tale or Disney movie as I know Pinocchio.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is the third story in this graphic novel and so far it is my favorite of the bunch, but don't take that compliment too highly because this story is full of flaws. Alice like Pinocchio talks about how she is bullied and that is how she falls into wonderland where she meets all the characters we have grown to love. In this retelling Cassie (Alice) is a very angry character and I didn't like her in that light. I loved the Cheshire cat pictures and I loved that character. I laughed that the Caterpillar was blue and red because he was supposed to be spider man. The mad hatter and his gang and the king and queen were all still mad, but I don't believe their characters were well executed. It annoyed me so that the dormouse repeated the same phrases over and over again. In the end Cassie (Alice) made an admirable decision and I respect that. My only complaint about the ending is that is was almost too perfect. Most orginal fairy tale endings don't end in happily ever after. Although I really enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland story like Peter Pan I believe it needed more pages to be better developed because at the end of the day most of the characters fell flat because we didn't have the time to know them.

Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz was the fourth story in this graphic novel and my least favorite of the novel. I have to admit Wizard of Oz is not a story that I know well and I have never seen the movie so I don't believe I was the right person to judge this story. I'm not a fan of the Wizard of Oz story to begin with. The girls name was Jennifer (Dorthy) and she set off to see Oz so she could go home. In this retelling Jennifer's (Dorthy) shoes were green instead of red although I have seen the actual shoes and they are actually a dark red, but they changed the color on the screen. Besides that the Witch was weird in this story and did not die in the same way as the movie. The lion, scarecrow, and tin man I don't think were done justice. Again I have a hard time giving an accurate account of this story because I have never seen the movie. I just know little bits and pieces  The ending as far as to my knowledge was kept the same.

Note on the picture: The shoes in the right corner are the actual shoes from the movie. I took that picture at the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C.

Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood probably had the most of the Marvel characters and I also think the Little Red Riding

Hood had one of the better stories developments of the book. At first I wondered how they were going to incorporate Little Red Riding Hood in then she goes off to see Peter's aunt May and I understood. My only complaint about this story was how fast it was over. Once she set off on the path it seemed like the story was over in no time and I just wished it lasted longer and had a bit more story development.









The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle
This was my least favorite story of this graphic novel. I really hated how the tortoise and the eagle were just

instantly friends. I wish there was a bit more leading up than that. Everything seemed to happen so fast and the story was over. There was really no sanctification after reading this story because it didn't feel like there was a story.

Final Thoughts
Overall I have to admit I enjoyed my first graphic novel. Do I believe there a better graphic novels out there? Yes I do believe I did not find the best Graphic Novel. If you have any recommendations I would be willing to read them.


Thanks for reading

Rachael

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most:

1. Something Borrowed/ Something Blue by Emily Giffin. I really loved both of these books and I love to recommend them to people. 

2. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I recommend this one all the time and so far nobody has disliked it. I think the topic is really sensitive, but Jodi Picoult did a great job handling it.

3. Love Comes Softly Series. I can't get over how much I loved this series. I loved it so much I read all the books twice and it is a 12 book series. If I could have everybody in the world read one series it would be this series.

4. The Year I Turned Sixteen by Diane Schwemm. My sister found this book after somebody recommended it on Youtube. This book was our first inter-library loan. The book was 720 pages of pure awesome. It took me the whole month of July to read, but I loved this book and someday I may even reread this book.

5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. If you have spent any amount of time on my blog you would know that The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my favorite books and I love to talk about it with people.

6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I know this book is super popular right now and I know the movie was a major let down, but I still loved the book and I'm still telling people to read this book.

7. Doomed by Tracy Deebs. My sister borrowed this book from a friend and I read it too. I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but I ended up loving it. It just came out this year and it is the first novel by Tracy Deebs that I have read. 

8. Paper Towns by John Green. This was my first John Green novel and I have to admit I hadn't heard much about this book before I read it. Then I read it and I fell in love with the mystery and the friendship of this novel.

9. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. I really didn't expect this ending although I have read many Nicholas Sparks books. I fell in love with Dawson and Amanda's story. I didn't want to stop reading.

10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Although this book has taken me a number of weeks to read I have truly been enjoying every moment. I love Melanie and Wanda as a character. I love Jared and Ian although I can't choose which one I like more. I would recommend this to everybody even if you didn't like The Twilight Series.

Thanks for Reading

Rachael 

Bloggiesta Finish Line

I had a very sucessful weekend during Bloggiesta. 

• First off I finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer. You can read my review here. 
• I made my review archive which you can click on the tab at the top or follow this link .
• I put the features pages off until almost last, but in the end it wasn't that hard to make. You can click on the tab up top or follow this link.  I created both the feature and the review archive page in excel and copy and pasted it to my blog. 
• I only planned to draft next weeks TTT post, but I ended up drafting three weeks post so I'm very proud to complete that goal. 
• I didn't draft as many discussion posts as I hoped, but I did get two done and even created some pretty cool pictures in Photshop.
• I found four Read-A-Thons to join and I archived my past read-a-thons in the top bar. You can click the tab up top or follow this link. 
• I didn't post that I participated in minichallenges so I will post it here because I did participate. 

There is just a general idea of what my review excel spreadsheet looks like. It is not as fancy as the challenge's  host Lauren @ the ramblings of a book lover, but I think it will work for me. 

I also added a search bar for Amanda @ On a Book Bender's challenge Through a Visitor's eyes. 

I made a lot of improvements over this weekend and did a lot of things that I believe will make my blog more accessible to people who don't know where all my posts are. As I move forward I hope to continue to keep improve my blog as I learn more about being a blogger. I hope to continue to share my passion of books with everybody for years to come. 

This Week in Books (6) March 24th, 2013

This week in books is going to be a new feature I'm going to be doing on my blog. This week in books is in no way my original idea. It is a combination of Friday reads, its Monday what are you reading, weekly wraps up, and any thing else you can think of. The basic idea is I will be telling you what I read last week and what I would like to read this week which is always subject to change.

Read Last Week

I was very close to not finishing any books this week, but I managed to finish The Host by Stepenie Meyer a couple of hours ago. Review. 









Currently Reading

I haven't officially started Cinder by Marissa Meyer, but it is the book I will be reading.







To Read

This book is coming for me at the library on Wednesday and I will be reading it immediately. 







Thanks for Reading

Rachael

Book Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer (no spoilers)

Book: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publication: May 2008
Source: Local Library
Rating: 5/5 Stars












Summary (from goodreads):

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

 As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

 Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

My Thoughts:
The Host is truly riveting. I totally agree with the summary after reading this amazing novel.

The Host took me a long time to read a whole fifeteen days is a long time for me to read only one book. The Host is 619 pages long so it does take a consirediable amount of time. Truly the page count is what has kept me from reading this book before, but I was wrong. This book was worth every minute I spent reading it.

The beginning of The Host is really confusing and I think that is the part where most people would put the book down. I wasn't sure I was ever going to understand the story, but once I got past page 50 I got a good grasp on the story and once I got past page 100 I fully understood the story. Although I didn't fully comprehend the beginning I was instantly intrigued in the book and wanted to keep reading to find out more about Melanie and Wanderer's life.

At first I was very unsure if I was going to like Wanderer as a character. I instantly fell in love with Melanie. How does that work they are the same person? At the beginning of the book we see Melanie through her memories. Eventually I warmed up to Wanderer as did the other characters of the book. Eventually we meet Ian, Melanie's brother Jamie, and Melanie's love Jared. As we meet many characters who dislike Wanderer with a passion the most noteworthy being Ian's brother Kyle. Soon Wanderer finds her place in the human world. She builds relationships with Humans and I quickly forgot that she was indeed a parasite.

My favorite part about the legnth of this novel was it gave Stephenie Meyer a lot of time to do world building. She was able to fully discribe every location and paint a clear picture in my head. Although some places weren't too excited others were. Some of the places were just beautiful in my mind.

Some common themes that Stephenie Meyer kept in this novel from the twilight series was first off the love triangle. The nice thing about this love triangle was that is was different from other love triangles and it wasn't over bearing on the book. The romance took second place in this novel. Survival was more important and I liked that. Another theme Stephenie Meyer kept was that two conflicting forces can work together. I can't say much more on that subject without spoiling. Otherwise The Host is a totally different book from the twilight series.

Towards the end I believed I knew the ending, but then Stephenie Meyer threw a huge plot twist at me and I was left with a unexpected, but more satisfying ending than I could have expected out of this novel.

Overall I fell in love with The Host and I would say even if you strongly disliked The Twilight Saga (which I loved) give this book a try because it is such a different more complex novel compared to The Twilight Saga. Stephanie Meyer did a great job writing this novel and I can't wait to see the movie which comes to theaters on March 29th, 2013.

Thanks for reading


Rachael