What do you think about Video Book Trailers? Do they pique your interest in a book? Here are a few Trailers that I found on YouTube that I thought were cool. Tell me what you think and/or share a link to your favorite trailer!
WAKE/FADE
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
WICKED LOVELY
Are you interested in contests and giveaways? A Reader’s Journal Blog is hosting “Contest Central Fridays” which will have a list of all the contests going on each week on the various blogs. So check it out!!
http://readfromatoz.blogspot.com/2009/10/contest-central-fridays.html
Sorry, I know I’ve been kind of quiet lately. I’ve been busy reading, catching up on my to-read list! I thought I’d give some quick reviews of some of the books I’ve been reading this summer.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This is a great book! I had a hard time putting it down! It's dramatic and entertaining, with a strong female lead character. I could see this being made into a movie!
Without giving too much of the plot away....the novel is set in the future after the collapse of the world and its rebuilding by The Capitol. To maintain order, The Capitol hosts The Hunger Games each year in which a boy and a girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to compete to the death....that's right....to death!!!
The story is compelling and the characters are likable and believable. Drama, romance, and alot of edge of your seat moments! That's all I'm going to say, you will just have to read it yourself and find out what happens!!
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The novel's heroine, Mary, lives in a village surrounded by a chain-link fence, beyond which is a vast forest full of the eternally ravenous undead--the forest of hands and teeth. No villager ever goes outside this fence, unless they want to die. Mary's world is bound not only by the fence but by an archaic religious order called the Sisterhood. Marriages, childbirth, death, every stage of life must be controlled to sustain the village's precarious existence.
I was hesitant to read this because I'm not a fan of zombie stories. But I was pleasantly surprised! This was a really good read! It was riveting and had alot of edge of your seat moments. Great writing too! It was hard to put down! In fact I didn't put it down, I spent all day reading it!
Evermore by Alyson Noel
I know alot of people love this book. It's hard to go into details without giving away the plot. I thought it was a good read and it held my attention. There was alot of mystery surrounding the male character....who is he and what is he. But once that mystery was revealed, it was a bit unfulfilling. The explanation was confusing and never fully answered all the whys. And the female lead never really questioned the strange things that would happen, like red tulips appearing out of nowhere. I'm hoping the next book in the series will go more indepth about the Immortals.
The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley
The Stolen One is a good historical novel set in Elizabethan England. Those of you that enjoy books like The Other Boleyn Girl will enjoy this novel of mystery and romance.
The novel tells of 16-year-old Kat, who has grown up in a country cottage under the care of a foster mother. After her death, Kat goes to London in hopes of learning her parents’ identities. There she is taken under the wing of Queen Elizabeth I, and soon a rumor swirls through court that Kat’s mother is the queen herself. The mystery of Kat’s past is intertwined with the always-involving question of whether her heart lies with one of the handsome rogues at court or with a young farmer back home.
This book is well written with a strong protagonist. I loved the imagery and experiencing what life may have been like living in the Queens court. I enjoyed having Queen Elizabeth as a supporting character too. The author did a great job at bringing her to life.
So what have you read lately? I’ve been trying to get through my summer reading list. I’ve made a small dent in it already. I need to catch up on my reviews though. Here’s a few that I’ve read so far:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (highly recommend)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (highly recommend)
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (highly recommend)
September Sisters by Jillian Cantor (recommend)
Yellow Star Jennifer Roy (recommend)
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
In The Land of Invisible Women by Qanta Amhed
The Talented Mr Ripley
Currently reading: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Up next: The Complete Works of Jane Austen
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
An orphan, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating story of family secrets.
Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales, Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of twists and turns and intrigue. It was a really long book though, 550 pages, and it did drag out in parts. And it jumped around through different time periods which was hard to get used to at first. But once the story gets going, it really holds your attention. It’s well written, had interesting characters and many layers and kept me guessing until the end.
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
In this look at the Holocaust through the eyes of a child, the author retells the true story of her Aunt Syvia's experiences in the Lodz Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Syvia is four years old in 1939, when the Germans invade Poland and start World War II. A few months later, her family is forced into the crowded Lodz ghetto, with more than a quarter of a million other Jews. At the end of the war, when Syvia is 10, only about 800 Jews remain-only 12 of them are children. Syvia recalls daily life: yellow stars, illness, starvation, freezing cold, and brutal abuse.
It is written in diary format which may not appeal to all readers but I found it to be very well written and thought provoking. I felt like I was right there, seeing and feeling everything along with her. The author doesn’t go into graphic details which makes it appropriate reading for all ages.
I just discovered this blog. Every Friday they give away free books! You just sign up. That's it! And each week, they feature a new YA author with an exclusive author interview! Check them out!
http://teens.freebookfriday.com/
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Help is about a young white woman in early 1960s Mississippi who becomes interested in the plight of the black maids that every family has working for them. She writes their stories of mistreatment, abuse and heartbreak while working in white families' homes and at a great risk to their lives.
This was a wonderful book....touching, thought-provoking, humorous and compelling! It was a pretty long book though, over 400 pages, but it was not boring. The main characters were strong and you could really sympathize with them. I felt myself rooting for each one of them and hoping things would turn out okay in the end!
This is a book about love and suffering, hatred and faith, fear and courage. It is about women of strength and dignity who carry on and manage to care about others despite an unjust system.
Abigail and Becky are exactly two years and a day apart, and are often referred as the September Sisters by their mother. However, despite their close proximity of age, they constantly squabble with one another and compete for their parents' attention.
But after the sudden disappearance of Becky, Abby's whole life changes. Her mom grows more and more distant and her dad becomes overbearing and obsessed with the investigation. Abby struggles to deal with the loss of her sister and desperately tries to keep her family together.
This was a really good book, although it did drag on a bit towards the middle. The main character, Abby, was very well-written and all of her emotions were portrayed realistically. She is a strong heroine, even given her tragic situation.
What is the most disturbing story you’ve ever read?
For me, it was Geek Love. My bookclub read this a few years ago.
The story is about a traveling family freak show.….the most troubling part…..the wife purposely took strong drugs and chemicals while she was pregnant so that she would have children with severe birth defects so they could be a part of their freak show!! One of their daughters was an albino dwarf with a hump on her back and one of the sons had flippers where his arms and legs should be and would swim around in a fish tank.
As repulsive as this premise was to me, I couldn’t put the book down! It was strange and haunting and heartbreaking. The writing was compelling and strong and you really feel for the characters. But I felt very uncomfortable and icky while reading it. Can I recommend it? I honestly don’t know. It’s definitely unique and nothing like I’ve ever read before! But man is it disturbing!!!
I know some people really love this book. But I didn't care for this story at all. Maybe because I'm just tired of the stereotypical "rebellious teenager" who chain smokes, swears heavily, and has the drunk parent who doesn't care. Contrary to popular belief, this is not how all teens are!!!
This story had pontential, and maybe the sequels are better. But I found the story confusing and the main character unlikeable and unsympathetic. The basic plot is you have a girl that saw fairies when she was younger. Now she's a teenager, and is seeing fairies again and finds out that she is one. But there is zero explanation for this. There was no backstory! And some things the character did made no sense at all! The reader is thrown into a faerie world without a good understanding of what’s what and who’s who.
I know alot of people aren't bothered by too much swearing, but for me overuse of the F-word is just distracting and unnecessary. And it's obvious the author is or was a smoker because someone in the story is either lighting up or taking a drag.
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
I enjoyed this story. It was a long book but not boring. It’s a hard book to explain….a combination of a Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, and a dark fantasy, with a touch of romance.
The story is about a teenage girl, Gemma, who is sent to live at a boarding school in London after the death of her mother. She discovers she has supernatural powers which allows her to transport into another realm.
This is the first book in a Trilogy, so there was a lot of character and plot development. There were also a few loose ends left and some of the plot lines were never fully explained. But I think the sequels will go into more this. I look forward to reading them!
Wake by Lisa McMann
Without giving too much of the plot away....the main character, Janie, gets sucked into other peoples dreams. And not when she is sleeping. If someone falls asleep near her during school or at work she blacks out and is propelled into their dream.
The story was original and fast paced. Although I felt it was a bit too rushed in the beginning, jumping from dream to dream without much else going on. It started to really get into the story about half way through. I probably would have enjoyed it more without all the swearing and sexual suggestions. But it did leave me wanting to read the sequel to see where the dreams take her!
Do you have a Goodreads account? It's a great site which allows you to catalog your books, create reading lists, read reviews, and meet other readers. If you have a Goodreads profile, please add me! I'd love to check out your reading lists!
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/261698
JANE AUSTEN NOVELS
One of my favorite authors. People always ask me which book is my favorite. I love them all! Each book is witty, charming, and full of unique characters. Truly classics! I can't get enough of her books and movie adaptations!
HARRY POTTER SERIES by JK Rowling
Who doesn't love Harry Potter? You can read this series over and over and never tire of it. I'm so sad the series ended!
THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath
About a woman's struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide. It's a bit dark but very honest and moving. I've read this several times and each time I'm drawn in and become emotionally involved.
THE NOTEBOOK by Nicholas Sparks
I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but this one is well written and very moving. It touched me and made me cry several times. The movie is also pretty good.
NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
I read alot of novels about the Holocaust. I'm fascinated by stories that deal with survival and the strength of the human spirit. Night is intense, heartbreaking, and draining. The author describes his time in two of the most infamous concentration camps, and provides painful details of the day-to-day living conditions. He not only records the brutality and inhumanity of the Nazi guards, but more tellingly, describes the inhumanity of the camp inmates toward each other for the sake of survival. This book left me speechless.
THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls
I enjoy reading memoirs. This one drew me in from page one. The author chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents who made homelessness seem like an adventure. The children learned to support themselves, eating out of trashcans at school and painting their skin to cover the holes in their pants. She writes honestly but without pity, and often with humor.
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by LM Montgomery
One of my favorite books and movies. A funny and charming story of an spunky orphan girl growing up on Prince Edward Island. I've read this book several times and can quote the entire movie from having watched it dozens of times. You can't help but fall in love with Anne!
THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova
This is a long book but it's not boring. It has a bit of everything...mystery, suspense, mythology, and takes you all over the world....and there is also a subtle touch of Dracula. The story is hard to explain in a short paragraph, you'll have to just read it and find out for yourself!
MOLOKA'I by Alan Brennert
A very moving story of a young girl growing up in a leper colony in Hawaii. Although sad at times. the author avoids turning this novel into a ten-hanky tearjerker, focusing instead on the lives the patients create for themselves and on their attempts at normalcy.
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC by Sophia Kinsella
If your looking for a quick and funny read, the Shopaholic series is good. Also, Can You Keep A Secret by the same author.
TWLILIGHT SERIES by Stephanie Meyer
Fantasy, romance, vampires. A fun book and an easy read.
THE WAITING CHILD by Cindy Chapnella
A true story of a woman's quest to adopt a child from China. This book has heart and soul. It's touching and inspirational and had me sobbing out loud several times!
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte
I enjoy reading classics. This is one of my favorites....gothic, romantic, dramatic, and a mad wife locked in the attic!
THE OUTSIDERS by SE Hinton
As a young teenager, this was the first book that really moved me and made me think. It stayed with me for a really long time. Written by a 16 year old, the book deals with the conflicts between gangs, social groups, family violence, and friends.
EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT by Betty Eadie
I like reading spiritual books that make me think about the afterlife and challenge me spiritually. This book is uplifting and encouraging. It chronicles the authors near death experience and spiritual journey and gives the reader a very vivid look at heaven.
KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND
I'm fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I and biographies and historical books about kings and queens, and knights and castles.
