Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

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Let's Talk About: Your Books > What are you reading AND what do you think?

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message 51: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) I am reading Iron Kissed (Mercedes Thompson, #3) by Patricia Briggs and I think it's going to be another 3 star book like her others.


message 52: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments I am reading Looking for Alaska by John Green and liking it so far. I loved Paper Towns so much. I just wish I had more time to read nowadays. Teaching 9 hours a day does not leave much time for reading!


message 53: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) If you like John Green, try reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson


message 54: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments Ok, cool. I will add it to my TBR shelf. Thanks, Amanda!


message 55: by Sashana (new)

Sashana I'm reading Paradise by Judith McNaught because I needed a 'P' for the Sign of Time Reading Challenge. It's really good, I honestly don't know why I didn't start reading Judith McNaught sooner. She is a romance genius.


message 56: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments I finished Angel Burn about a week ago and thought is was really interesting. Sashana I'm not sure if you'd like it, it has alot of wierd things that happen BUT it's different than the other angel books, the angels are actually considered bad in this book. It's up to you if you want to read it.

I'm currently reading In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane so far so good but I just started it so can't tell you how I really like it yet...


message 57: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Lacey wrote: "I finished Angel Burn about a week ago and thought is was really interesting. Sashana I'm not sure if you'd like it, it has alot of wierd things that happen BUT it's different than the other angel ..."

What did you rate Angel Burn, Lacey? And that does sound different, usually the angels books that I read has two types of angels- the fallen (a.k.a. the bad type or seeking redemption) or the ones who still have an in with God (a.k.a. the good guys).


message 58: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Well, I waited it four stars just for originality, It's really intersting to see how weatherly created the looks of them and then made them out to be these horrible creatures. Don't get me wrong there was one angel that wasn't bad but let's just say the thousands of others were evil. Hmmm...you could give it a try, it's on my kindle right now or I'd send you the copy to read.


message 59: by [deleted user] (new)

im reading the Narnia series ..... 2nd Book


message 60: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Farah wrote: "im reading the Narnia series ..... 2nd Book"

Are you enjoying it, Farah?


message 61: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Just started Macbeth in my AP Lit class and I don't know what I think because I don't understand what anyone is saying :/


message 62: by Shay (new)

Shay | 923 comments Sashana wrote: "Just started Macbeth in my AP Lit class and I don't know what I think because I don't understand what anyone is saying :/"

Try this. If you read it online it's free, it costs to download it to an ereader or phone, though. It's the original on one side and a modern "translation" on the right. http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/


message 63: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Thank you so much, Shay. You just saved me a lot of headache and more importantly, my grade.


message 64: by Shay (new)

Shay | 923 comments Sashana wrote: "Thank you so much, Shay. You just saved me a lot of headache and more importantly, my grade."

You're welcome. There's also a "Shakespeare Made Easy" series that is published in book form. Also, as much as people may not want to read it even once, the first time you read a play, it will usually have to be read at least twice.


message 65: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Thanks, Shay. I just say a copy of Macbeth (SparkNotes Literature Guide) on Barnes and Nobles and I think I'll buy that one. Can't beat the price.


message 66: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments For me, any Shakespeare is hard to follow. I just can't do it very well. Thank goodness for sparknotes, movie adaptations, and supportive teachers!


message 67: by Kristen (new)

Kristen  | 223 comments I have found that with Shakespeare I understand it so much better if it's spoken aloud. A lot of times in high school we would divide into groups and we would each get a part to read for the day. I thought it was an effective way to teach it because each person had to participate and got to act a character.


message 68: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) Shay wrote: "Sashana wrote: "Just started Macbeth in my AP Lit class and I don't know what I think because I don't understand what anyone is saying :/"

Try this. If you read it online it's free, it..."


That's a great link, Shay. I too never really enjoyed Shakespeare because I couldn't understand what people were saying. Wish I'd known about this when I took AP Lit. :) I'd plan on reading more Shakespeare and this link will come in right handy then.

@Mckris10: We did that in high school as well. Even spoken out loud, I can't understand it. A couple of days ago I started watching Zefferelli's Romeo and Juliet (I'd enjoyed it the first time I'd scene it in high school English), and the acting along with the speaking helped my comprehension a bit. Some parts, though, I was still lost.


message 69: by Shay (last edited Jan 25, 2011 07:03AM) (new)

Shay | 923 comments Mckris10 wrote: "I have found that with Shakespeare I understand it so much better if it's spoken aloud. A lot of times in high school we would divide into groups and we would each get a part to read for the day. I..."

Exactly, Shakespeare should be read aloud especially the first time you read a play. The thing to remember is that Shakespeare never intended we read the plays. They were made to be seen on stage. I don't think he meant the plays to be read by anyone other than actors or people connected with performing a play. Also, the basic structure of a play is something you have to get used to. Unless it's spoken out loud, you don't get into the character's head and know their thoughts, feelings, motivations. So, part of reading a play is figuring all of that out. Think of yourself as an actor and how you would perform it on stage when you're reading it.


message 70: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Finished In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane and now reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and I love it, I had at first read Jane, which is a spin off of Jane Eyre but is more modern and loved it and I was wondering how it compared to the original and I love Jane Eyre so far, the writing is so beautiful....


message 71: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Mckris10 wrote: "I have found that with Shakespeare I understand it so much better if it's spoken aloud. A lot of times in high school we would divide into groups and we would each get a part to read for the day. I..."

We're reading it in aloud in class (I've been assigned the roll of Lennox, btw), but like Niquae said it doesn't make it anymore understandable.


message 72: by Alicia (new)

Alicia I'm finally finishing up Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. It's a really sweet, beautiful story and just very, very British - you get a real sense of modern British culture/etiquette from reading.

I don't find Macbeth to be one of the more accessible Shakespeare plays, but at least it's not Lear! I think the comedies tend to be the most accessible/easily understood for people who have a hard time with Shakespeare - As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. I think humour is easier to get across, regardless of the elizabethan language, than anguish or irony or social commentary - those don't tend to be as easily picked up on as a dirty joke, sadly enough.


message 73: by Shadow Jubilee (last edited Jan 26, 2011 03:01PM) (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I'm listening to Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan because my library's digital system doesn't have an e-book version. In fact, many of the YA books are in audio, which frustrates me because audio is not my favorite way to "read" a book. I tend to tune out the speech which means I have to constantly go back to re-listen to what I'd miss.

The narrator is Jesse Bernstein. He's pretty good with voices and decent with voice-acting, but sometimes the type of voices he chooses to use is silly, exaggerated, and stereotypical. He's not a boring narrator although I will admit to falling asleep while listening to this in bed. I think that kids would enjoy his narrating more.

After I'd read The Lightning Thief, I'd read a few reviews on Goodreads. Some of the negative reviews complained about the similarities between this series and Harry Potter. I have to admit that I'd completely overlooked those similarities. As I listen to Sea of Monsters, I can now easily identify the similarities, which does dismay me. I can not enjoy the series as much as I did when I first started now because I'm mentally, automatically comparing the two series.

Lesson: Do not read reviews after reading a book I'd enjoyed.


message 74: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) I am finally listening to Twilight...I know, I know... I don't want to hear it ; D

I started reading Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell and so far it's good.


message 75: by Sans (new)

Sans I'm (finally) reading Poison Study and I'm really enjoying it even though it's in first person. I can't tell why it's not bothering me for this book when that's usually a deal breaker. I'd like to give Margg an up close and personal tour of the privy system though.


message 76: by Galla (new)

Galla | 110 comments Sans, I think first-person narrative works so well for Poison Study in part because Snyder uses it to increase the tension. As Yelena works out her fears, her suspicions, and her decisions, she's acting on incomplete information, but she makes sense most of the time--and her thought processes tend to mirror the kind of process readers are already using to figure out what's happening in the book.

I don't have anything against first person as a rule, but many authors do have problems with it. (The most frustrating manifestation of it for me is unrestrained, repetitive navel-gazing.)


message 77: by Sans (new)

Sans Galla, I do believe you're right. That's exactly why it's working for me. And as Yelena grows into her new job and new life and gains more knowledge and more clues as to what's going on, we can actually see her growing as a person.

Gah. When I get the navel-gazing books, they're automatically thrown against the wall then tossed into the sell/swap pile. Bleh.

What I can't understand is why so many UF authors use first person. Was there a vote at a secret club meeting or something? These authors can (usually) write well but by limiting themselves to a single narrator and making them as annoying as possible, it reflects poorly on them. Then again, maybe it's the genre itself that upsets me and the first-person is just a catalyst.


message 78: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) I just finished Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King and The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan and they were both really good. I started Crash into Me by Albert Borris and I am having a bit of trouble getting into it.


message 79: by Liz (new)

Liz Fichera (lizfichera) I finished TRAPPED this weekend. It was fun to read a YA in a male POV. He totally nailed the teenager's voice but the ending left me with mixed emotions. Trapped by Michael Northrop


message 80: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I am reading Rhapsody for the Read With Me Challenge. To be perfectly honest, I'm not enjoying it too much. I once read that someone had trouble finding patience reading fantasy because of the made-up and unpronounceable names. I feel I can totally relate now. I wonder whether my many years primarily reading romance over fantasy has diminished my ability to read through world building, made-up names and creatures, and odd forms of magic. It certainly did affect what I want from my books - a happily ever after, especially with couples, which is something fantasy doesn't always guarantee.

We are given our first "couple" in the first "chapter" of the book, and then something happens. We are told nothing else. I got sooo frustrated by this because I couldn't figure out who these characters were, what happened to them, what was going on, and why we were introduced to totally new characters from the second "chapter" on. I kept flipping through the book to find out what happened to the first "couple" and whether they'd get back together. I think I have a vague idea now, but I'm still not certain.

By page 60-70, the ONLY part I truly enjoyed was the first 3 pages when we first meet Rhapsody. My first impression of her was, with dismay, "Oh no. Not another Mary Sue-ish character." That tavern keeper and his wife adores her. Then, she became really funny. I nearly snorted aloud on the train. But when we meet the baker... Ugh. I used to like Mary Sue-ish characters, but for some reason, these days I have less patience with them.


message 81: by Sans (new)

Sans Aww, I'm sorry Niquae! I was really confused for a while too but it didn't diminish my enjoyment. I hope it picks up for you!


message 82: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) It kind of is in that I no longer feel a reluctance to read it. It helped that I now have some idea of what may have happened to the first characters. I can only read it on my commute. I keep wanting to read it before bed but I fall asleep. o_O


message 83: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I've been reading Rhapsody exclusively. I even stopped listening to Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan even though that's a library audiobook that I was listening to almost every day for a couple of hours in order to complete it. I think I'm halfway through with that one.

I am impatient to meet up with Ashe.


message 84: by Sans (new)

Sans I heart Ashe. *_*


message 85: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I haven't met him yet but I did meet the two Gwydions. Getting tired of all these people looking stunned upon seeing Rhapsody though. It reminds me most unpleasantly of people's reaction upon seeing the vampire Bella in Breaking Dawn. Can't help rolling my eyes each and every time this happens.

I'm torn. I desperately want to start Blackveil by Kristen Britain. It arrived in the mail today. I've been waiting a few years to read it. But I also want to meet Ashe and find out what goes on in Rhapsody next. So while I wait for a impulse decision, I waste time online. lol.


message 86: by Sans (new)

Sans Niquae, I'm so sorry you're not enjoying Rhapsody very much. It just might not tickle your buttons at all. I adore Ashe, but if you're just not enjoying the book, maybe leave it for a bit and read something else? Come back to this after you read Blackveil maybe?


message 87: by Sandy (new)

Sandy | 110 comments I'm reading a YA book Voices of Dragons
by Carrie Vaughn. So far I'm enjoying it.


message 88: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) At the moment I am reading Sir Percy Leads the Band by Baroness Orczy (Classic) and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (YA). Considering the fact that I was most unimpressed by the first three chapters of The Titan's Curse, I suppose it is no surprise that I am enjoying Sir Percy Leads the Band more.


message 89: by Alicia (new)

Alicia I'm reading I Am Number Four and really wondering whether I am going to be able to continue with it for another 400 pages. I'm totally bored with it. Can anyone who's read it tells me if it gets better after the first 8 chapters?


message 90: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) Alicia wrote: "I'm reading I Am Number Four and really wondering whether I am going to be able to continue with it for another 400 pages. I'm totally bored with it. Can anyone who's read it tells..."

I never finished it either. A lot of people liked it, I wasn't in that group.


message 91: by Alicia (new)

Alicia Amanda wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I'm reading I Am Number Four and really wondering whether I am going to be able to continue with it for another 400 pages. I'm totally bored with it. Can anyone who'..."

I'm just finding it so... teenagerish. Not that teenagerish is always a bad thing for a book to be, but this one is just so incredibly cliched and I have no interest in any of the characters - they seem like teenage cliches, not real people.


message 92: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) Ha, I thought the same thing. I'm way out of the teenage years so that is probably a huge reason why I thought that. I can see how a lot of teen and YA groups would love the book.


message 93: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) Amanda wrote: "I can see how a lot of teen and YA groups would love the book."

That's exactly the way I felt about Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I liked the idea and the humor, and even somewhat of the way he set it up, but I didn't think that the series was GREAT. It had promise to be better but was kind of dumbed down, I thought. I could totally see why young adult readers might really enjoy it though.


message 94: by Sashana (new)

Sashana niquae wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I can see how a lot of teen and YA groups would love the book."

That's exactly the way I felt about Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I liked the idea and the h..."


I don't think the series is great either. I can't get what all the hoopla is about. I couldn't even finish the first book. But I guess to each his own...


message 95: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I'm reading Without Reservations by J.L. Langley. It's a good thing I got it for free because otherwise I wouldn't have picked it up since I am tired of paranormal romance, and most especially tired of werewolves. However, I'm surprised to find myself enjoying this somewhat.

What intrigued me was the fact that it was a m/m paranormal romance - my first. The main protagonist is apparently straight and ends up with a gay mate. While I didn't think that the author handled that part of the storyline very well, the characters are fun. If I had to describe this book with one word, fun is the first word that would pop into my hand. So far, I think it is a 3-star. I am more than halfway done.

Without Reservations (With or Without Series, #2) by J.L. Langley


message 96: by Amanda (new)

Amanda  (peanutty222) I just started Lucky Charm (Lucky trilogy, #1) by Carly Phillips and it's good so far.


message 97: by Sashana (new)

Sashana I'm reading Dreamfever and I think it's a step up from all the other books in the series. The first half of the book was exhilarating.


message 98: by Liz (new)

Liz Fichera (lizfichera) I started MATCHED this week. Matched (Matched, #1) by Ally Condie I'm enjoying the world-building. I'm usually not a huge fan of futuristic, sci-fi books but I'm into this one so far.


message 99: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Liz wrote: "I started MATCHED this week. Matched (Matched, #1) by Ally Condie I'm enjoying the world-building. I'm usually not a huge fan of futuristic, sci-fi books but I'm into this one so far."

I have yet to hear something bad about this book. I have really high expectations.


message 100: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Liz wrote: "I started MATCHED this week. Matched (Matched, #1) by Ally Condie I'm enjoying the world-building. I'm usually not a huge fan of futuristic, sci-fi books but I'm into this one so far."

Hey, I loved this book, I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it and fell in love with it instantly. So it's been awhile since I've read it but I still remember the major details of it. If you guys like this one I think you'd like Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver I think I might like it better than Matched....


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