48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 5

I've passed the 24-hour mark and am doing well :)

Here's what I've been up to:

2:02AM-2:37AM: Reading Fragile Eternity

Then - sleep, breakfast, shower, cleaning, lunch, an e-mail check (and I'm so glad I did - I won Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover and Geektastic from Elizabeth Scott!)

12:30PM-4:07PM: Reading Fragile Eternity - FINISHED

4:07-5:00PM: Updating my blog, then I'm off to see how everyone else is doing

New totals:

Time: 16 hours 3 minutes

Books: 5: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Hatter M by Frank Beddor, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey, The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham, Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Pages: 1358

A few words on Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (another one I'll be writing a full review for later):

I think I liked Fragile Eternity even more than Wicked Lovely. To start with, the cover again is gorgeous and entrancing. Then Marr creates such elaborate worlds of faeries that you can't help but be sucked in, and does so through beautiful writing. I like how Seth became bolder and more independent, though I was sometimes bothered by how stubborn he could be. This is absolutely gripping to read, especially as Marr brilliantly blurs the distinction between good and evil and plays around with alliances while the potential for war looms ahead. Anyway, if you've read Wicked Lovely you really must check out this sequel, and if you haven't read Wicked Lovely you should really get on that. 9 out of 10.

Anywho... as I said, I'm off to see how other book challenge participants are doing, then back to reading. I think I'll pick up Lovehampton.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 4

One last update for the night...


10:30-10:45PM: Snack/social break
10:45PM-1:42AM: Reading The Gatecrasher - FINISHED
1:42-2:02AM: Updating here :)

New totals:

Time: 10 hours 58 minutes
Books: 4: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Hatter M by Frank Beddor, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey, The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham
Pages: 969

A few words about The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham (AKA Sophie Kinsella):


As this probably isn't as popular as the other books I've read, I'll just sum the premise up as a story about Fleur, a woman who crashes memorial services and funerals in order to find vulnerable men she can take advantage of for their wealth. This time, though, the man she's found herself involved with seems to have a more complicated past, plus a more complicated present family life. This book is what I'd call chick lit with a bit of meat. It's sweet and funny, but there's underlying social commentary so you don't have to feel guilty about reading it. Fleur certainly isn't the most sympathetic protagonist (at times she'll get on your nerves), but she certainly appealed to me more than Becky from the Shopaholic series. Also, I appreciate how Wickham didn't go for a fairy tale ending, considering the subject, though the ending did seem a bit abrupt. 7 out of 10.

I think I'm going to read Fragile Eternity for a bit. And by that I mean until I pass out (I have to admit, I've been yawning constantly so I'm probably fairly close to that point). So, goodnight! Best of luck to everyone else who is participating in the challenge!

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 3

What I've been up to:

8:35-10:15PM: Reading Wild Orchid

10:15-10:30: Blog/mini-review

Updated totals:

Time: 7 hours 41 minutes

Books: 3: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Hatter M by Frank Beddor, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Pages: 667

My thoughts on Wild Orchid (I'm going to do a full review of this later as I feel like it needs to sit with me a little longer):

I loved Wild Orchid, yet was a bit disappointed. The first half of the novel presented Mulan pre-army, developing her background in terms of interest, education, friends (well, really friend), and family history. I really appreciated this depth, except it was partially lost in the second half. Based on the summary and my prior familiarity with Mulan’s story (I promise it’s not just from the Disney movie!), I would have expected her time training and fighting the Huns would have been more significant to the tale. However, Dokey neglected to develop this part of Mulan’s story and more or less rushed through it. Furthermore, the romance between Mulan and Prince Jian seems underdeveloped as they have few interactions throughout the story, and only two are meaningful, so this relationship wasn’t particularly satisfying. Nevertheless, a nice addition to the “Once Upon a Time” collection and a great read for the beach or bedtime. I really enjoyed what was there; I only wish Dokey had expanded the second half of the story. 7 out of 10.

And now, moving along to Madeleine Wickham's The Gatecrasher.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 2

6-6:15PM: Caught up on e-mail
6:15-7PM: Dinner
7-7:23PM: Reading Hatter M
7:23-7:27: Helped sister with math problem
7:27-8:15 Reading Hatter M - FINISHED
8:15-8:35: Blogging and mini-review



New totals:
Time: 5 hours 46 minutes
Books: 2: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Hatter M by Frank Beddor
Pages: 468



Mini-review of Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars Volume One by Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier:


All-in-all, this was a pretty decent graphic novel. I appreciated Beddor's dark take on Alice in Wonderland, but don't think the story or characters were particularly well-developed (just not flushed out, as opposed to his full-length novels). Perhaps it's because of the length (only 145 pages), but I felt like more could have happened over over the course of the book. While the graphics were absolutely gorgeous, I felt as if something was missing there, too. And by something, I'm thinking diversity of images and panelling and such. Still, Hatter M really sucks the reader in and, because of the total cliffhanger ending, leaves you hooked and ready for the next volume. I'd say 6 out of 10.

Next up: Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 1

My first update:


1PM-3:45PM: Reading Hunted
3:45PM-4:30PM: Break to teach violin lesson
4:30PM-5:30PM: Reading Hunted - FINISHED
5:30-6:00: Blogging here with update and review


Totals:
Time: 4.25 hours
Books: 1: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Pages: 323


My thoughts on Hunted, a mini-review of sorts:

I have to say I'm addicted to the House of Night series. I want the next one NOW. Number five is certainly worth the extra money for a hardcover (plus the jacket is awesome as BOTH sides are printed). I love the role poetry plays in this installment and really like seeing the characters develop, such as seeing a softer side to Aphrodite. My only complaint is that there are TOO MANY GUYS for Zoey. I mean, Erik, Heath, AND Stark? I can't even decide who I want her to end up with because it's gotten to the point where they're just overwhelming, especially since Zoey has shown absolutely progress in making up her mind. I'm hoping that number six takes care of this a bit (and as I like all of the guys, I hope it does so in a Person X-finds-another-love sort of way rather than a Zoey-breaks-their-heart sort of way). 8 out of 10.



On to reading! I'm going with Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars Volume 1 by Frank Beddor next (I'm not sure if I'm super excited, but it has been sitting in a pile on my floor with a nice little note from the publisher for a while, so I figure I might as well try it now).

Ready, Set, GO!

OK, folks. It's 1:01 P.M. and I am beginning MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge. My goal is to read at least 20 hours over the next two days. I'm going to try to update this every time I finish a novel and hopefully get a few reviews in.

So, first up (I admit I changed my list around a bit):

Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Wish me luck!

Feed Your Ears IV: The Juliet Club

I’m starting the 48 Hour Book Challenge REALLY soon, so I wanted to make sure to get my Friday Feed Your Ears post in before starting. Because of this, I'm keeping it to three songs (sorry!).

The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

1. Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits

2. Postcards from Italy - Beirut

3. Brush Up Your Shakespeare from Kiss Me Kate

I'm Crazy, or, How Late Nights End Up With Me Doing Things Like Signing Up For A 48 Hour Book Challenge

So, on a complete whim, I have decided to participate in MotherReader's Fourth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge (for full info, check here). To be honest, I've never participated in something like this before and am not sure I entirely get what I'm supposed to be doing, but I figure that I'll just read and blog as much as I can and keep track of the time I spend and that should be good enough.

Here's my to-be-read list (let's see how far I get!):

-The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho

-Hunted by P.C. and Kristin Cast

-Lovehampton by Sherri Rifkin

-Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

-The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham

-Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

I'm also hoping to write a review up for Breathing, Perfect Fifths, and maybe even Heartbreak River and a few of the books I read during this challenge. Who knows? But I admit I'll probably put more time into reading, so don't get your hopes up.

Anyway, I'm going to try to get a ton of sleep now and then start the challenge Friday at 1:00 P.M. (finishing Sunday at 1). Wish me luck!

Waiting on Wednesday: June 3

So, I finally decided to join in and participate in Waiting on Wednesday. So to start with...

Title: Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?

Author: Louise Rennison

Series: Georgia Nicolson, #10

US Release date: October 6, 2009

Summary (thanks Amazon!): Ohmygiddygodspyjamas! The tenth marvy book in the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson is here! Get ready to laugh like a loon on loon tablets. It's the FINAL instalment of Georgia's fab and hilarious diary! Does Georgia escape the cakeshop of luuurve? Can there be more heartbreaknosity in store? Will the Sex God pop up again unexpectedly (oo-er)! And what about the supreme accidental snogmaster Dave the Laugh? Will she FINALLY choose her only one and only? So many boys, so little time!

Why I'm interested: Let's face it, most of us have been following the Georgia Nicolson series since Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging was released forever ago and we STILL don't know who Georgia's going to end up with. I'm still crossing my fingers for Dave the Laugh, and am looking foward to the conclusion of the series so I can finally be satisfied in knowing what happens.

(note: I couldn't find any images of a US cover, so here's the UK one for now as it's being released this month there)

Terribly Twisted Tales

Approaching famous fairy tales from a different direction, the eighteen stories in Terribly Twisted Tales will challenge the reader’s preconceived notion of a fairy tale. This anthology edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg includes stories by Dennis L. McKiernan, Annie Jones, Chris Pierson, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Mary Louis Eklund, Robert E. Vardeman, Kathleen Watness, Jody Lynn Nye, Jim C. Hines, Steven D. Sullivan, Brendan DuBois, Paul Genesse, Ramsey Lundock, Skip & Penny Williams, Elizabeth A. Vaughn, Janet Deaver-Pack, Kelly Swails, and Michael A. Stackpole.

From Grimm to Andersen, classic fairy tales are taken from new angles and sometimes transformed so much that the reader can hardly recognize the original. These stories range from funny to heartbreaking to slightly disturbing, each one distinct from the stories preceding and following it. Some of the best stories include the tale of Snow White’s falling out with the seven dwarfs, another of Rumpelstiltskin as the victim, and of Red-Riding Hood challenging a suffocating religious force.

Anthologies in general are often hit or miss. Terribly Twisted Tales falls somewhere in between, with quite a few absolutely fascinating stories that are scattered among mediocre tales along with a couple that are so complex they aren’t at all enjoyable. Nevertheless, it is worth picking up this anthology just for those great twists on your everyday fairy tales. In particular, McKiernan’s “Waifs,” Pierson’s “Once They Were Seven,” and Swails’ “Three Wishes” are not to be missed as they are very well-developed despite being short stories and are absolutely captivating. Also, fans of Jim C. Hines’ The Stepsister Scheme will appreciate a glimpse of Red who will be central to the third installment of this Princess series. Terribly Twisted Tales is a great read for those who only have short increments of time to read as the varying lengths of the stories and their independence makes the book one that is easy to pick up and put down. 7 out of 10.