14 posts tagged “50 in 365”
I'm sure this list will change as I go, but this is my 2009 reading list. So, unless something catches my eyes this year and pulls me kicking and screaming into it's pages (ok, not really)...I'll be reading these 50 books this year. I decided to choose a bunch of the books on my LibraryThing list of books I want to buy or read. I'm a librarian, so I'm constantly adding books from Booklist or Library Journal recommendations. Some of these books I actually started in 2008 (or earlier LOL), but I just didn't have the time to finish them. The list in my LibraryThing library (The list found at this link will change if I change or add to my list for this year).
Yeah, I'm probably not gonna make it to 50 this year. LOL Unless I count all the journal articles I've been reading. ;)
Anyhoo......
This week I read the 4 Twilight Saga books. I really never thought I'd read these books. I'm not into romance and sappy love stuff and teenage drama. Just didn't interest me. But, many of my friends online have read them and were always talking about them because of the upcoming movie (next Friday). I still wasn't persuaded to read them really...but I figured I'd see the movie, just for the heck of it.
Then, I got the flu last weekend and on my trip to Walgreens, they had the books there. I don't know why, but I bought the first book, Twilight and went home and began reading. My friends were very excited. lol I ended up enjoying the first book very much. It wasn't nearly as sappy as I thought it would be. So, I bought the other 3 books and read them too. Finished last night. (Yeah, I tend to read a novel in one sitting, sometimes two. I can't put books down. lol).
So, here are my reviews for the Twilight Saga
Book 15: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
As I said, it wasn't nearly as sappy as I thought it would be. It was certainly a teenage romance book, but it had some depth too. I actually found myself identifying with Bella. She was a bit of an outsider. She was quiet and a loner. She had parents that were separated. She was a bit of a traveler and she adjusted well to new surroundings. When she made up her mind, when she made a decision...she stuck to it. She took care of her mother. She was a lot like her father and had a good friendship with him. She was attracted to the quiet, odd boy. She liked old things. Finally, she was a klutz (I'm not nearly as bad as Bella, but I have a few scars. lol). So, Bella was interesting to me. Then we had Edward, who was written as this beautiful, perfect 17-year-old boy...but that isn't what attracted me to him. I'm not all gaga over him, but I was very interested in the character. I think Meyer did a great job of describing him in such a way that he was appealing and interesting and yet...very, very creepy. The stillness, the reactions, the smiles..they were all in character. Never did he feel like the typical romanantic male lead (thankfully). I really like the character of Edward. The darkness and the conflict of good and bad. I'm not a girl who likes the bad boy. What actually appealed to me about Edward was that he was dark and scary - but when you got close to him and studied him, he was not dark and scary at all. He fought the darkness, and that was cool. I know it's been done before...the good vampire; the vampire love story; etc...but I think Meyer did a good job of describing him as not human and creepy, and she stuck to it. The story was also not bad. I could not agree with Bella on the weather thing....I'm the exact opposite. I love cold, snow, dreariness, overcast days, rain....I hate the sun. But, I could identify with her passionate dislike in regards to the weather. She did finally give in though...and I won't. I do not like summertime and I never will. But, back to the story. It did feel to me that Bella figured "it" out too easily and that Edward accepted her too easily. But, I realize that this was part of the deal...they were like magnets to one another and couldn't help but understand the other. I like that we get little glimpses of Edward along the way...that's he's just as curious about Bella as she is about him. He's just as scared and freaked out too...which is different. You wouldn't think a vampire would be frightened of anything. But, that's the character of Edward. That's part of his personality. So, overall, I think this book is worth the read. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the entire series to everyone, but I think everyone would enjoy some aspect of this book.
Book 16: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
This book was good as well. I liked the four books in the order they are written, liking the final book the least. In this book, we still have Bella and Edward, but they are happily together...in that time in the relationship when they are still new, but they know each other pretty well. Then, the book takes a weird turn. A few things happen and we are left, for nearly half the book, with a depressed Bella, alone and empty. We also get to know Jacob more, a character introduced to us in the first book. I liked Jacob in this book. This book gave us more of the in-your-face supernatural stuff with vampires. Not just the mystery of them. Lurking...knowing what they are, but not really being part of it. In this book, we go to Italy and meet the Voltari. Creepy Italian Vampires that are very bossy. lol We get a lot deeper into the character of Edward too and he's even more interesting now. Overall, my 2nd favorite of the series...although I did cry with Bella for about half the book...which was exhausting. :)
Book 17: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
This book gave us a very different Jacob...and I hated him. I just wanted Bella to deck him. To smack him silly. I really, really disliked Jacob in this book. Edward and Bella were still themselves..but we got a look at a more violent, angry Edward. We had seen this side of him before, but now he had some added pressures to give him anxiety and make him upset. With that, we also got a closer look at his level of self-control. I'll tell you this...Bella's view on marriage is STUPID and I hated that whole plot line. How incredibly lame. If she wanted to become a vampire and live with Edward forever, practically from the moment she met him, why would she be so against marriage? It's just a flippin' ring to symbolize what she's already asked for and wants. The whole mom hates marriage thing and Bella being all weird about it. That was just stupid. I rolled my eyes at the whole thing. Meyer succeeded in making Bella look like a stupid fool. *sigh*
Book 18: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
This was my least favorite of the four. In fact, I can't say I liked this book at all. Edward and Bella were so weird together. Their characters were off...not quite in character. Meyer wrote them a little differently. They didn't feel like they had progressed to this place...it actually felt like I was reading someone's fanfic based on Edward and Bella (and we all know that fanfic writers never get the characters exactly right). And then we have sex scenes...not graphic, mind you. In fact, Meyer cut away as soon as we knew that the deed was about to happen....but still. Everytime the two of them were alone, they were like bunnies. It got old. Also, she had this whole freaky, monster baby plotline...which was disgusting, weird, and not appealing at all. That thing was creepy and I could not identify with any of the characters and their 'love' for this freaky thing. Jacob did redeem himself a little in this book. I liked him better. And then...all this tension, all this drama...and then it's all just 'fixed'. The ending was too 'perfect' and 'happy ending'. Not that I wanted some tragic thing to happen...but it was just so anti-climatic. So yeah, pretty much this book sucked. :)
I've been reading a lot of books that I've read before. I do this often. I love revisiting stories. :) I'm going to count them toward my 50, because I don't think it has to be 'new' books...but just that you've taken the time to read! :D I find something new and lovely every time I read a good book...no matter how many times I've read it before. So, here are the three re-reads that I've read so far:
12. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
The first time I read this book, I couldn't put it down. It was exciting, terrifying, adventurous. I just HAD to know what would happen. I LOVE how the aliens are destroyed by a virus. That God planned everything in our world to co-exist. The visuals you get when you read this book are wonderful. I really love this book...it's on my top 10. :D
13. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
I didn't read this until after Lord of the Rings. I was in my 20's when I read this and I remember that I just couldn't wait to get on the adventure again. I love books like that. When you truly look forward to opening the pages and getting lost in the story. I'm not sure I could give it a review or summary that we all don't already know, or that you couldn't find elsewhere...so I'll just leave it at this: It's a wonderful, exciting adventure that's sure to touch your heart. :)
14. Jane Eyre by
Next to Moby Dick, this is probably my favorite novel. There is something about Jane that I can relate to. The fact that this really isn't a typical 'romance' is great too. I hate sappy romances. This is darker and more mysterious. I love how they have a playful banter and friendship throughout the book. I like that throughout the book, a reaccuring theme is that first appearances are not necessarily accurate. :) I love this book. :D
Book 11 in the 50 in 365 challenge: Skovbo by Viggo Mortensen.
This is actually a book of photographs, along with some poems and prose. The photography focuses on trees. Mortensen shows his characteristic artistic photography...often doing odd things to the camera itself, in order to achieve the bizarre effects in the photographs. The book is interesting and there is something new to digest every time you visit. It's not my favorite collection by Mortensen, but it's certainly a good one. :) This book accompanies two photography exhibits currently running in Iceland and Denmark.
Book 10 in the 50 in 365 challenge: Mast of the Sea by Jose Sarney.
This is the other LibraryThing Early Reviewer book that I have won so far. I had some hopes for this book, as it was compared to the adventures in Moby Dick (my favorite novel). So, I tried. I really did. I gave it 3 chapters. I skipped ahead and tried a middle chapter. I even read the end. This is just not my thing. I found this to be difficult to follow in parts. Any time the narration moved into a memory or dream, the language was choppy. I also frequently became annoyed at the continual use of "He" at the beginning of each sentence. There were parts that felt very amateur, but that might have been the translation rather than the actual writing. I found the introduction of the ghosts and magic to be sudden and strange. The flow seemed to be lost when this happened. I didn't like the main character. I had no pressing desire to know what was going to happen next. It wasn't my taste, but I am not familiar with this style/genre, so I am not sure if it is good by that genre's standards. Another one bites the dust. :)
Book 9 in the 50 in 365 challenge: Dali & I: The Surreal Story by Stan Lauryssens.
A book needs to get my attention within the first couple of chapters. I need to want to stay and learn about these characters and the story. This book just did not do that for me. Perhaps it redeems itself toward the end, but I decided to stop wasting my time with it. It's a memoir of an art dealer who only deals in Salvador Dalí works. He's a greedy, proud, liar who just wants to be rich, no matter what he has to do...lie, cheat, steal. I have no interest in reading a memoir of a man who is proud of these traits in his personality. There is no redemption that will make sitting through a hundred pages of crap worthwhile. So, my ninth book was a bust. It was also a LibraryThing Early Reviewers copy...I have no luck with that program. LOL When I do win a book...it's a lousy one. oh well. :)
next book in the 50 in 365 challenge:
another book read in 2008 :D
The 6th book in 2008
This is the 5th book read in 2008:
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