So since I'm trying to avoid writing the essay necessary for my rural electric cooperative scholarship as well as my English homework, I'm going to write a post about the books I've read recently.
Actually, I'm going to start with the topic of eReaders. Like, Kindles and Nooks and stuff. When they first started showing up, I thought they were a bit ridiculous. I like books. I like the feel of paper, the smell of it. I just like the entire reading experience. It's something that's always been entirely enjoyable for me. Anyway, I really didn't want one.
My parents decided that I really didn't know what I was talking about and they bought me one for Christmas. A Kindle, to be exact. And I'm not going to lie, I love it to pieces. (Not literally.) But it's really really cool. Don't get me wrong; I still adore my actual physical novels, and I'm going to continue to buy them. A piece of technology can never replace an actual book. However, the Kindle does have its advantages. So I alternate reading on my Kindle and from my actual physical library these days. I will never give up my books, but I will definitely continue to use my Kindle. It's really good for reading classics. Probably one of the niftiest tools in it is its dictionary, which you can actually use as you're reading. You move a little cursor up to a word and the dictionary pops onto the bottom of the page. Totally handy. I love it. (=
FIRST OFF!
The Scarlet Letter: Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is the first book that I read on my Kindle, and I read most of it while traveling to and from Seattle, Washington. It's a rather abysmal tale, in all reality, but I enjoyed it. The preface is long and arduous to get through; it also seems vaguely irrelevant, but I think that it's probably worth it.
The content of the actual story is interesting and can lead to a fair number of religious and philosophical questions regarding not only human nature but the nature of society. It's been almost two months since I read it last so I can't really get into it now (on my own, anyway) like I could have been able to then, but it's okay. All in all, if you never read it for school, I would suggest picking it up. Don't let the preface scare you off; even skip it if you must. It's what took me longest to get through. There are also a lot of really good quotes from this novel, the majority of which I highlighted on my Kindle--another of my favorite features.
Queen of Shadows: Dianne Sylvan
This might be the first book I actually bought on my Kindle, and it was worth every penny (that was charged to my dad's credit card). (tee hee).
It's about an empath and a vampire, who happens to be the leader of his areas Shadow World population (containing mostly just vampires, I think.) It's a really cute love story, but it's so much more than that that you can really excuse it. There's a dark plot that keeps getting closer and closer to the two main characters until all hell literally breaks loose. It's not a love story like you'd exactly expect, though. It was really interesting and extraordinarily compelling, also filled to the brim with excellent dialogue and, interestingly, a few life lessons worth learning. (It's worlds from preachy; trust me.)
I give this book a full five stars, and I might even have to add it to my favorite book list. Just maybe. ;)
Just Listen: Sarah Dessen
Yes, she's a teen fiction writer for teenage girls. Yes, I read this stuff. Yes, I actually enjoyed it. No, I'm not embarrassed.
Now that that's been covered, this is a really good novel about a girl that makes friends and eventually romance with the boy that everyone avoids. He's kind of misunderstood, but he's kind of weird--I won't lie. He's also really sweet, though.
The point is that he's really into music, so he tries to introduce her to all of this stuff, and he makes her a huge pile of mixed CDs, the majority of which contain material that makes her grit her teeth and squinch her eyes shut. (I know "squinch" isn't a word, but it should be.)
I read this months and months ago, so I'm really kinda forgetful about a lot of the finer points, but he really just wants to get her to listen. Not just to the music, but to her heart and to him and to what's going on. Something like that. I may have just been slightly misleading. In any case, if you're a girl between 12 and 20, I would definitely suggest reading it. Hell, I'll go all the way up to 24 even, though that may be pushing it just a touch. Your call. I thought it was good. It made me happy.
This Lullabye: Sarah Dessen
I just finished this one like, yesterday. And at first I didn't really like it very much, but maybe just because Remy's attitude toward life reminded me too much of mine and they always say you wouldn't like yourself if there were two of you. Not that we're identical by any means, but there's that level of cynicism that kinda... irritated. You know? Maybe not. haha.
Either way, Remy has a strict code about dating and is really not interested in musicians, except for this one. First he irritates her, then he intrigues her, and then he loves her. But she's kind of afraid of the whole concept of love and all that because her mom's on her 5th marriage, something she shares in common with this musician dude named Dexter. It ended up not being so bad, but I didn't like it as much as I've liked her other stuff. It was still good, I guess, it just... tried my patience a little bit. I think I need to go back to my intense fantasy material and ditch the teen fiction for awhile. I go through phases of what I need to read. I've been that way for ages. Can't help it.
Before I Fall: Lauren Oliver
As if you totally can't read the book cover. Whatever.
Anyway, so this book is about a high school girl who's apparently really bitchy (though, reading it, I don't really get that so much...) high school girl who ends up dying one night in a car accident, except that she wakes up again in the morning, and it's the same day. Sound familiar? Groundhog Day with Bill Murray: bing bing bing, yes.
This is a teenage rendition of a story anyone older than 12 probably already knows. She dies and then wakes up to relive the same day over and over and over again until she can actually manage to accomplish something, which, if I recall correctly, is saving someone else's life? Something like that. I'm not very far into it yet, but so far it's been alright. (Apparently she seduces her hot math teacher one of these repeats, so I'm kind of looking forward to that section. Mostly just because it should be terribly amusing... and--never mind.)
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Kim Harrison
So she apparently wrote a teen fiction novel?
Honestly, she's better at 18-24 age range fantasy novels, but it's actually a pretty fun story. It's a continuation of a short story contributed to Prom Nights From Hell (a collection I actually have, I should mention).
The basic plot (begun prior to the novel) is that a girl is shipped to her father's place after sneaking out one too many times. While there, she ends up leaving prom with a guy that was not her date who promptly gets her into a car accident (which doesn't kill her) and then whips out an energy sword and kills her. Only there's some big epic plot there that I'm not aware of yet because I'm not far enough into it to know.
Anyway, there are angels and guardian angels and reapers: dark reapers kill people before their time; light reapers try to prevent them and ferry souls to the other side, basically. The problem is that the main character (whose name I actually hate to admit I just forgot) steals the amulet of the guy that reaped her, and amulets are what make all this business work.
I don't think any of this actually makes sense...
Basically, she's dead. But because she has this amulet, she's able to fake being alive. Only there's a shit-ton of issues involved all the time, and things aren't going so great. I can't really tell you much else because I'm still reading it and I'm not even halfway through, I don't think... so that's that.
I don't think I actually have any more material to cover with you... Oh. Maybe just one.
Anna Karenina: Leo Tolstoy
I downloaded a bunch of classics onto my Kindle because I've been meaning to read them for ages but I just never manage to get around to it. I hardly feel motivated to go buy them when there's so much other stuff I can spend my money on. Anyway.
So far, I really don't like this book. Granted, I don't think I've even finished the entire first chapter. But oh my gosh, it's just bad. So far, it's about a guy that cheated on his wife with his kids' governess and doesn't feel bad about it at all because how can he be expected to love her when now she's old and ugly? Like, really? Conceited asshole.
I just know that it has to get better than this. There's no way this ridiculously long novel can be about just this. There has to be something that makes this worth reading, and if there's not, well, then I guess I'm just going to waste a buttload of time on it, because I intend to read it. Sometimes my endeavors are hardly worth their trouble.
I think that's all I'm going to cover today. I could easily cover two more Sarah Dessen novels and Lord of the Flies, but I'll refrain. You're welcome. hahaha. (God I hated that book.) That's my literature for the week.
I shall write you again tomorrow, but this time the subject matter may be a tad more laugh-worthy. Everyone loves pick-up lines, but for a slew of different reasons. We'll chat tomorrow. (=
Until next time,
~Emily Renae
Blog Playlist (those I can find on Youtube are hyperlinked for your convenience):
Await the Sun--The Workday Release
Never Know You--Jonny Diaz (They Need Love)
Where I Ended--Everyday Sunday
Are We Alright Now?--I'm OK, You're OK (Presents...)
Love in a Box--The Workday Release
Tumbling After You--Starfield
I Don't Wanna Go Back in the Bag--That Was Something
Firefight--Jimmy Eat World
For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic--Paramore
Misfit--Lesley Roy
Getaway Car--My Favorite Highway
Fall For You--Secondhand Serenade
I Don't Wanna Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem)--Good Charlotte
Say So--My Favorite Highway
Actually, I'm going to start with the topic of eReaders. Like, Kindles and Nooks and stuff. When they first started showing up, I thought they were a bit ridiculous. I like books. I like the feel of paper, the smell of it. I just like the entire reading experience. It's something that's always been entirely enjoyable for me. Anyway, I really didn't want one.
My parents decided that I really didn't know what I was talking about and they bought me one for Christmas. A Kindle, to be exact. And I'm not going to lie, I love it to pieces. (Not literally.) But it's really really cool. Don't get me wrong; I still adore my actual physical novels, and I'm going to continue to buy them. A piece of technology can never replace an actual book. However, the Kindle does have its advantages. So I alternate reading on my Kindle and from my actual physical library these days. I will never give up my books, but I will definitely continue to use my Kindle. It's really good for reading classics. Probably one of the niftiest tools in it is its dictionary, which you can actually use as you're reading. You move a little cursor up to a word and the dictionary pops onto the bottom of the page. Totally handy. I love it. (=
FIRST OFF!
This is the first book that I read on my Kindle, and I read most of it while traveling to and from Seattle, Washington. It's a rather abysmal tale, in all reality, but I enjoyed it. The preface is long and arduous to get through; it also seems vaguely irrelevant, but I think that it's probably worth it.
The content of the actual story is interesting and can lead to a fair number of religious and philosophical questions regarding not only human nature but the nature of society. It's been almost two months since I read it last so I can't really get into it now (on my own, anyway) like I could have been able to then, but it's okay. All in all, if you never read it for school, I would suggest picking it up. Don't let the preface scare you off; even skip it if you must. It's what took me longest to get through. There are also a lot of really good quotes from this novel, the majority of which I highlighted on my Kindle--another of my favorite features.
This might be the first book I actually bought on my Kindle, and it was worth every penny (that was charged to my dad's credit card). (tee hee).
It's about an empath and a vampire, who happens to be the leader of his areas Shadow World population (containing mostly just vampires, I think.) It's a really cute love story, but it's so much more than that that you can really excuse it. There's a dark plot that keeps getting closer and closer to the two main characters until all hell literally breaks loose. It's not a love story like you'd exactly expect, though. It was really interesting and extraordinarily compelling, also filled to the brim with excellent dialogue and, interestingly, a few life lessons worth learning. (It's worlds from preachy; trust me.)
I give this book a full five stars, and I might even have to add it to my favorite book list. Just maybe. ;)
Just Listen: Sarah Dessen
Yes, she's a teen fiction writer for teenage girls. Yes, I read this stuff. Yes, I actually enjoyed it. No, I'm not embarrassed.
Now that that's been covered, this is a really good novel about a girl that makes friends and eventually romance with the boy that everyone avoids. He's kind of misunderstood, but he's kind of weird--I won't lie. He's also really sweet, though.
The point is that he's really into music, so he tries to introduce her to all of this stuff, and he makes her a huge pile of mixed CDs, the majority of which contain material that makes her grit her teeth and squinch her eyes shut. (I know "squinch" isn't a word, but it should be.)
I read this months and months ago, so I'm really kinda forgetful about a lot of the finer points, but he really just wants to get her to listen. Not just to the music, but to her heart and to him and to what's going on. Something like that. I may have just been slightly misleading. In any case, if you're a girl between 12 and 20, I would definitely suggest reading it. Hell, I'll go all the way up to 24 even, though that may be pushing it just a touch. Your call. I thought it was good. It made me happy.
I just finished this one like, yesterday. And at first I didn't really like it very much, but maybe just because Remy's attitude toward life reminded me too much of mine and they always say you wouldn't like yourself if there were two of you. Not that we're identical by any means, but there's that level of cynicism that kinda... irritated. You know? Maybe not. haha.
Either way, Remy has a strict code about dating and is really not interested in musicians, except for this one. First he irritates her, then he intrigues her, and then he loves her. But she's kind of afraid of the whole concept of love and all that because her mom's on her 5th marriage, something she shares in common with this musician dude named Dexter. It ended up not being so bad, but I didn't like it as much as I've liked her other stuff. It was still good, I guess, it just... tried my patience a little bit. I think I need to go back to my intense fantasy material and ditch the teen fiction for awhile. I go through phases of what I need to read. I've been that way for ages. Can't help it.
As if you totally can't read the book cover. Whatever.
Anyway, so this book is about a high school girl who's apparently really bitchy (though, reading it, I don't really get that so much...) high school girl who ends up dying one night in a car accident, except that she wakes up again in the morning, and it's the same day. Sound familiar? Groundhog Day with Bill Murray: bing bing bing, yes.
This is a teenage rendition of a story anyone older than 12 probably already knows. She dies and then wakes up to relive the same day over and over and over again until she can actually manage to accomplish something, which, if I recall correctly, is saving someone else's life? Something like that. I'm not very far into it yet, but so far it's been alright. (Apparently she seduces her hot math teacher one of these repeats, so I'm kind of looking forward to that section. Mostly just because it should be terribly amusing... and--never mind.)
So she apparently wrote a teen fiction novel?
Honestly, she's better at 18-24 age range fantasy novels, but it's actually a pretty fun story. It's a continuation of a short story contributed to Prom Nights From Hell (a collection I actually have, I should mention).
The basic plot (begun prior to the novel) is that a girl is shipped to her father's place after sneaking out one too many times. While there, she ends up leaving prom with a guy that was not her date who promptly gets her into a car accident (which doesn't kill her) and then whips out an energy sword and kills her. Only there's some big epic plot there that I'm not aware of yet because I'm not far enough into it to know.
Anyway, there are angels and guardian angels and reapers: dark reapers kill people before their time; light reapers try to prevent them and ferry souls to the other side, basically. The problem is that the main character (whose name I actually hate to admit I just forgot) steals the amulet of the guy that reaped her, and amulets are what make all this business work.
I don't think any of this actually makes sense...
Basically, she's dead. But because she has this amulet, she's able to fake being alive. Only there's a shit-ton of issues involved all the time, and things aren't going so great. I can't really tell you much else because I'm still reading it and I'm not even halfway through, I don't think... so that's that.
I don't think I actually have any more material to cover with you... Oh. Maybe just one.
I downloaded a bunch of classics onto my Kindle because I've been meaning to read them for ages but I just never manage to get around to it. I hardly feel motivated to go buy them when there's so much other stuff I can spend my money on. Anyway.
So far, I really don't like this book. Granted, I don't think I've even finished the entire first chapter. But oh my gosh, it's just bad. So far, it's about a guy that cheated on his wife with his kids' governess and doesn't feel bad about it at all because how can he be expected to love her when now she's old and ugly? Like, really? Conceited asshole.
I just know that it has to get better than this. There's no way this ridiculously long novel can be about just this. There has to be something that makes this worth reading, and if there's not, well, then I guess I'm just going to waste a buttload of time on it, because I intend to read it. Sometimes my endeavors are hardly worth their trouble.
I think that's all I'm going to cover today. I could easily cover two more Sarah Dessen novels and Lord of the Flies, but I'll refrain. You're welcome. hahaha. (God I hated that book.) That's my literature for the week.
I shall write you again tomorrow, but this time the subject matter may be a tad more laugh-worthy. Everyone loves pick-up lines, but for a slew of different reasons. We'll chat tomorrow. (=
Until next time,
~Emily Renae
Blog Playlist (those I can find on Youtube are hyperlinked for your convenience):
Await the Sun--The Workday Release
Never Know You--Jonny Diaz (They Need Love)
Where I Ended--Everyday Sunday
Are We Alright Now?--I'm OK, You're OK (Presents...)
Love in a Box--The Workday Release
Tumbling After You--Starfield
I Don't Wanna Go Back in the Bag--That Was Something
Firefight--Jimmy Eat World
For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic--Paramore
Misfit--Lesley Roy
Getaway Car--My Favorite Highway
Fall For You--Secondhand Serenade
I Don't Wanna Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem)--Good Charlotte
Say So--My Favorite Highway
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