Tag Archives: interesting

Heartless

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Book: Heartless by Sara Shepard

Pages: 274, Hardcover

Oh.  My.  God.  By the end of the book, I was speechless, and utterly confused.  Just when you think the girls are going to jail, charges against them are dropped.  They go home to find that Jenna Cavanaugh was killed…just like Ali was years earlier. 

After the fire, no one believes them when they all insist that they saw Ali.  Emily gets sent to Lancaster, where she discovers that Officer Wilden was a part of the Amish community, and that a girl named Leah disappeared around the time of Ali’s death.  She thinks he killed her and that he can’t be trusted. 

Aria goes to a seance, but learns nothing.  She sees another medium, who says that Ali killed Ali.  Hanna gets sent to a clinic by her father because he doesn’t want her eating disorder to appear after everything that’s happened.  She meets Iris, who Hanna comes to think is involved with Ali’s murder.

Spencer, on the other hand, finds out that her dad had an affair with Ali’s mom, and tries to comes to terms with the idea that Jason and Ali might have been her half-siblings.  Her mom finds out about it for the first time, and thinks her mother might have killed Ali because of it. 

They get sent to jail, like I mentioned earlier, and then they get released, because Billy Ford, someone who was working on a gazebo at Ali’s old house, is now a suspect.

So there’s a lot going on, and I was kept interested the whole time.  I didn’t want to put it down, and when I was finished, I was in disbelief.  I didn’t see any of this coming, and if there’s anything Shepard is good at, it’s keeping reader’s guessing. 

I think this is my favorite of the 7, because there’s so much going on and I was kept guessing the whole time.  It gets a 5 out of 5!

Shantaram

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Book: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Pages: 936, Paperback

Shantaram is one of my favorite books of all time.  It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, so I decided to give it another read.

I found that I didn’t like it as much as I had the first few times I read it.  Don’t get me wrong, I still like the book (a lot) and it’s still one of my favorite books of all time.

But this time, it seemed to go on forever.  Granted, the book is over 900 pages long but at times, the narrator, Lin, rambled on for a little too long.  Here’s a quick summary of the book: Lin escapes from a prison in Australia, escapes to India, and starts a new life there, working as a member of the mafia in Bombay and establishing a medical clinic for the people in one of the slums.

The book was (very loosely) inspired by real life events- Roberts escaped from a prison in Australia and escaped to Bombay, where…he was a street soldier for the Bombay mafia.  It’s a super-fictionalized version of his own life and while certain events have ended up in the novel (and quite possibly some of the people he met), it is by no means a memoir or an autobiography.

I did love the characters, especially Prabaker.  I think Prabaker is my favorite character in the whole book; however, I think Lin is my least favorite character.  He offers more than his fair share of wisdom, and it got very tiresome after a while.

It’s obvious Roberts loves India, and I felt like I knew what it was really like to live in the slums and villages after finishing the book.  There is a lot of detail, but I could have done without most of the descriptions of Karla and how beautiful she is.  And it would have been nice if it were a tad bit shorter: while I appreciate the fact that he loves India and his time there, it would have been nice if he had left out a few details and some of the descriptions.

While it is a good book, I think it would be better suited as a movie.  As for a rating, I would have to give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, and there was a good balance between interesting characters, adventure and romance.  But condensing it would have been nice.

Fast Food Nation

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Book: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Pages: 399 (Paperback)

Fast Food Nation is an interesting book.  I first read it for a sociology class years ago, and I decided to read it again. 

It’s about the fast food industry, and how it’s changed over since World War 2.  He also talk about marketing to kids and what it’s like working in the slaughterhouses. 

The part about the meat-packing industry was interesting and yet disturbing.  He describes what it’s like working there and what happens to the animals.  The workers work in terrible conditions, with injuries not being reported.  If they are, then a lot of them are falsified so the slaughterhouses don’t get into trouble.  And the workers that keep working no matter how sick they felt and no matter how bad any injuries were sustained.

I’ve had my copy for several years now, so I’m sure some of the statistics are out-dated.  And while I loved the book the first time I read it, this time, it was just okay.  We all know fast food is bad for us, but the book felt like a one-sided argument on why fast food is evil.  It’s definitely implied that fast food is the reason for all of society’s problems.   

It is fairly well-researched, though, and it did make me think about where my food comes from and how it’s processed.

I would give it a 2 out of 5.  It felt one-sided, and not terribly focused, but it does get points for making you think.

Killer

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Book: Killer by Sara Shepard

Pages: 343 in hardcover

The tales of the Pretty Little Liars continue in book #6 of the series.  The girls learn that Ian, the man they thought was responsible for killing their childhood best friend Ali, was framed.  Emily has sex with her boyfriend Isaac, and it leads to their break-up because his mom finds out and tells Emily that she can no longer visit.  Aria falls in love with Ali’s brother Jason but he becomes cold and distant.  Spencer meets Olivia Caldwell, who she thinks is her biological mom.  Spencer attempts to move to New York, but finds out it was a scam and loses all of her college money.

There is an opening party at the Radley hotel, which was a former haven for “troubled youth” and Emily finds out that Jason used to be a patient there.  All of the girls come to believe that Jason had something to do with Ali’s death, and Ian confirmed their suspicions that Jason and Officer Wilden had something to do with Ali’s murder.  Someone sets the woods behind Spencer’s house on fire and the girls see someone they believe to be Ali running away.

For a book that’s only a few hundred pages long, a lot happens in this book!  I liked it a lot better than the previous book, and I should have known it really wasn’t Ian.  Who is A and why are they only sending texts to Emily?  What is Wilden up to?  And most importantly, if Ian didn’t kill Alison, who did?  And Ali died, so how on earth did they manage to see her?

The mystery definitely continues, and I honestly don’t see any of the revelations coming.  Just when you think you know who the killer is, or what’s going on, it turns out that you’re wrong.  It’s been a fun read, though, and I want to know what happens!  Is Ian really alive and hiding or is it all a ruse by the police because they screwed up and don’t want anyone to know?  I have the feeling that Officer Wilden may not have been involved, but then again, he could be.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  It’s fun and Shepard is pretty good at keeping the mystery alive!

Yay For Write-Ins!

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I had a productive day yesterday, and feel very glad I went to a write-in yesterday. 

I managed to write a lot more than I have been (at least since the weekend), and I’m definitely at the same point for both of them now, so that’s always good.  I’m roughly 3 days behind for both novels, so catching up completely and ending up with a combined 100,000 is not out of the question.  I just need to write a little more everyday and hope that I can have a couple days where I write an insane number of words. 

  • The Mermaid One: 11,689 words!  I’ve been focusing a lot on the other mermaids in the world, and the different clans they have, which has been a big help.  I think I’m going to be writing more about the magical sanctuaries too, so that’ll be fun, and I get to write about fairies and stuff!
  • The Mistaken Identity one: I’m at 11,670.  I think my problem with this one is that I didn’t do enough planning for it.  I didn’t have a clear idea of it before I started, and I’m really starting to feel that.  I’ll give it another week, and if it’s something I’m still struggling with, I’ll drop it.

I’m at 23,359 right now, and I’m aiming to be 2 days behind by the end of the weekend.  There isn’t that much to report, but I think I’ll be posting some of my funny typos this weekend.   

 

 

 

 

Plot # 2 For 2011!

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So, I was going to do the novel about the funerals, but I decided over the weekend that I didn’t want to write that one.  Instead, I’m switching to the 3rd plot I had.

This novel is about a girl who’s being followed by a group of men in black suits.  I have 3 characters, and I only have the basic details on them.  I think I’ll need to add a few characters, and they’ll just be there.   

The main character is Kaylee, and she is the one being followed.  The direction that I’m going in- at least for now- is that she works for a diplomat (or someone really important) and gets mistaken for someone else.   

Something that’s a distinct possibility is that she stumbles across something she wasn’t supposed to and they realize she could be useful.  Only there’s someone else who stumbles across this mysterious something and they send an assassin out to take care of it.  And of course, the assassin tries to kill her because they somehow mistake her for someone else.       

I still need to add a few characters, and I also need something mysterious that she can stumble upon.  Maybe I should steal an idea from my other novel for the year and have her stumble on a magical creature sanctuary.  I’ll go with that if I can’t come up with anything else. 

This is going to be a short one, since I’m still working out some of the details.  Tomorrow’s post will be about the music I have for this novel.

Thoughts on Books

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I’ve read a lot this year- an amazing 98 books.  I’ll definitely hit 100 next month- if I read anyway, which I probably will.  Knowing me, and my obsessively large (495 books and counting) to-read list, I’ll definitely read some number over 100.  I need to start making a dent in that to-read list after all.

A majority of the books I’ve read this year can be classified as either children’s books or young adult books, and there’s something I’ve noticed.

Why does everything seem to have at least a sequel?!  Some books have had a sequel, others are a part of some sort of series.  Some of the “Adult” books I’ve read have been a part of series too, so it’s not just children/young adult arena that’s guilty of this.  But children/young adult being the largest genre I’ve read…that’s probably why I’m noticing it.

*Random, but very important note: From here on out, a series will refer to books that have at least 2 books in it.

How hard is it to come up with an idea that’s contained in one book?  Why is there a need to have so many series?  It’s really overwhelming, especially since a lot of them don’t seem to have some kind of numbering or ordering system.  Like, the Vampire Academy Series or the Pretty Little Liars series.  There doesn’t seem to be any indication on the covers as to which number in the series it is.  At least there’s a “here’s what’s coming next” at the end of each Pretty Little Liars book.  But since I’m requesting a lot of books from other libraries, I’m utterly clueless as to which book is first and second and so on.  I seriously need to have a list of the order right next to me.  Google and Wikipedia help, since I can google the series to figure out the order.  It’s really not that much work, but it’s still frustrating.

But back to why everything I’m reading seems to be part of a series.  Is it because series are just insanely popular, or is it the types of books I’m reading?  I am reading a lot of historical fiction/fantasy/historical fantasy and supernatural/paranormal books.  Do these genres lend themselves to being a part of a series or are young adult authors really unable to wrap up their story in a few hundred pages?  Some of the authors I’ve read or want to read seem to have multiple series.  It’s like their mind works in series, and not in something that stands alone.  A combination of all of these questions seem likely- a mix of reading certain genres, series being popular, storylines that can’t be wrapped up in one book, and quite possibly marketing.  Honestly, I don’t want to think about the role marketing has.

And why is there a lot of title: a novel?  Is adding a novel after the title necessary?  I think not, because I feel like I’m pretty good at figuring what is a novel and isn’t a novel.  Is it a way of distinguishing themselves from all the series out there?  Or is there some other reason?  I just don’t understand!

I think that’s enough ranting and raving for now…I’ll need to save up my ranting and raving energy for November, when I’ll need it the most!

Can’t Wait For Once Upon A Time

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I’ve settled into my “tv watching schedule” now, and I’m really enjoying everything so far.  Once Upon A Time is being pretty heavily advertised, and I can’t wait!  Jennifer Morrison on House was okay, but I can’t really tell whether her character is similar to Dr Cameron or not.  I guess I’ll find out in a week-ish, when it premieres. 

I really liked NCIS this week.  We learned Abby was adopted, and she meets her biological brother.  It was nice learning more about her and her family, and I hope we learn more about them.  First a McGee-centric episode, then an Abby one!  I wonder who’s next…I hope it’s Ducky or Jimmy.

Everything is going okay, but I’m behind on Person of Interest and Revenge.  I’m positive I’ll catch up, since it’s only the last couple episodes for each one that I need to watch.  I have to say, this watching tv online thing is really interesting, and the great thing is that it’s not hard to catch up.  My problem is that I like to sit and watch it on a tv, and it’s a little hard sometimes getting myself to sit down and watch it.  I have no idea why, since I’m (essentially) watching it on some sort of screen.  But there’s this part of me that’s insistent tv should be on a tv, and not a computer.  I’m sure in a few months I’ll be raving about how amazing watching tv online is…or maybe not.  Who knows?

But I really like everything so far, and it’s keeping me entertained.  Go good tv!

What To Talk About?

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First, I really want to talk about t.v.  I watched Pan Am on Sunday and Terra Nova on Monday.  That just leaves the premiere of House and Once Upon A Time.  So, I’m not really into the whole retro tv show thing, but Pan Am has been hyped up, and it’s the only one that’s really jumped out at me.  I liked it, and I think I’ll keep watching.  It was better than I expected, and I’m really curious about one of the character who had more mentions than appearances in the episode.  Hopefully, we’ll see more of her over the course of the season.  If we don’t see her, I hope they at least explain a little more about her.  And Terra Nova!  Another show that was really hyped, and while I liked it, I’m still not sure.  I was reminded of Lost when I was watching the premiere, since there’s something odd about Terra Nova.  Seriously, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s definitely something weird.

NaNo’s getting really close!  A month and a few days…and I still need to work on all my plot bunnies.  Since I have a few weeks left, I really need to get into gear and start working on this.  That might actually mean something if I hadn’t been saying that for the last few months.  But this time, I really mean it!  Because, you know, I have 3 ideas, and there is no way I can absolutely wing it this year.  I have a general idea for each one, but I actually need to work out the details, since they’re all the sort of novel that need to be planned.  At least to a certain degree, because if I don’t, it’ll be a hysterical mess that will make me want to bang my head against the wall.  Oh wait, don’t I do that already?  Why, yes, yes I do, but even more than normal.  If I don’t plan, it’ll end up being like that year when I just started writing a novel feeling inspired by a song.  As entertaining as that was…I really need to not do that again.

I do have an announcement to make.  Next month (which is really this week), I’ll be switching to a 5 day a week posting schedule, and I’ll be introducing some specific columns.  Music Mondays, Writing Wednesdays, TV Fridays, and Tuesday/Thurdsay…I have no idea what’ll be filling those 2 days…probably book reviews and stuff that doesn’t really fit with the specific columns.  I might be posting on Saturday or Sunday every once in a while, but I’m not promising anything.  In November, I’ll be posting everyday, but that’s because it’s NaNo, and NaNo is a really big event in my life.  Monday/Wednesday/Friday should be kind of obvious right?  I’ll talk about music (or podcasts) on Mondays, writing-related things/updates on Wednesdays, and recap the week in t.v. on Fridays.  I may deviate from that schedule, but if I do, it won’t be very often.  Because what’s the point of having a schedule with different features and stuff if I’m not going to stick to it?  The last week of October will be devoted solely to NaNo, and maybe the first week of December too, as a pre-NaNo special, and a post-NaNo wrap-up.

What is bringing about this change?  I really want to do something different with my blog, and while I’m not running out of things to say, sometimes…I just don’t want to post something.  And yet I do post something.  There is another reason why I’m trying out something different.  When I started this blog 11 months ago (has it really been that long?), it was to talk about my writing, and to chronicle my attempt to write 3 50k novels in one month.  Sure, I talked about food, and music and some other stuff, but I tried to connect it all to writing.  But nearly a year later, I talk about everything except writing.  I wanted to update my “posting schedule” and introduce new columns on specific days to reflect everything that I talk about.  Everything I talk about will still be around, but on specific days.  I feel like I’m lost a little bit of my blogging focus, and hopefully an actually schedule with specific things on specific days will help me regain some of that focus.

So, that’s it for today…I should have a book review posted sometime this week.  Have a great day everyone!

The Iron King

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Book: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 363 (Paperback)

The Review: The Iron King is about Meghan Chase and her journey to find her younger brother Ethan.  It turns out that Meghan is the daughter of a fairy king, and her younger brother Ethan is kidnapped by the Iron King.  She journeys through the Nevernever, which is Kagawa’s version of the land where fairies and such reside.  Her best friend Robbie turns out to be Puck, from A Midsummer’s Night Dream, who leads her to Nevernever, and helps her find her brother.  She meets other people along the way, and gets into all kinds of trouble along the way.

I liked it.  Kagawa’s descriptions are amazing, and I could picture everything so vividly.  I have to say that I loved Grimalkin, who is very much like the Cheshire Cat from Alice In Wonderland.  A few times, his response to things was “I’m a cat,” and I could picture Grimalkin saying it like that explained everything.  I’m not sure what to think about Meghan, the main character.  She is impulsive, and a lot of the trouble she gets herself into could have been avoided if she listened to Puck, or if she thought things through.  But at the same time, she did want to save her brother and would do anything for him.

I did like the concept of the Iron Fey.  In The Iron King, if fairies touch iron, they could die.  The faeries aren’t a big fan of the advances made in technology and science, since science “proves” they don’t exist.  But the Iron Fey were really interesting.  The Iron Fey are fairies that evolved from the traditional fairies in the book, and they are immune to iron, and are slowly poisoning Nevernever.

I enjoyed it, and you’re left wondering what happens to Meghan at the end.  There are a couple sequels, so I may have to add those to my ever-growing list of books to read.  It was fairly fast-paced, especially the 2nd and 3rd sections.  Random side note: 1- why is dividing books into different sections so prevalent? and 2, why does everything need a sequel?

Random side note aside (read: there WILL be a blog post about this), I love reading about fairies.  I feel like fairies are going to be the new vampire, because there seem to be a lot of YA books involving fairies now…

Rating: 4 out of 5.  It’s definitely a mix of different books, but I love how vivid the descriptions are, and how I feel like I’m there with Meghan.  Add the Iron Fey, and you have a really interesting take on fairies.