Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Book Review #213 - A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

A Girl Named Digit (Digit, #1)

Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . . .
 
 
 
My Rating: 3.5/5
 
 
I picked up this book expecting a fun, light and fast read. It was light and fun but it took me longer to read than expected.
 
 
I found this book to be at a slower pace than the amount of action it contained would suggest.
 
 
The main character Farrah, was interesting to a degree but was mostly ittitating. I hated how she cried everytime she wasn't going to get her way.
 
 
John, the main male character was mysterious, so even at the end of the book you don't know too much about him. This made him hard to connect to at times.
 
 
This book was really unrealistic, and whilst this made it unpredictable for the most part it was annoying.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Book Review #212 - Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines
Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.


And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.


Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.


My Rating: 5/5

 
Although I have never read any of Jodi Picoult's books I had high expectations for this book based on her reputation of writing good books.

 
I read this book in only a few hours. I flew through it as I was unable to put it down. It was hard to believe it was over 300 pages.

 
I really liked all the characters especially Delilah, which is weird because female protagonists are usually never my favourite characters.

 
My favourite aspect of this book was the concept of a book within a book. I found that really fascinating.

Monday, October 29, 2012

It's Monday! What are you Reading? #12

"It's Monday! What are you reading?" is a fun meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey. This is where we share the books we have read last week and our reading plans for this week.

 
Last week I reviewed:

 
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis

 
Happily Never After (Grimm Chronicles #2) by Isabella Fontaine

 
On Beauty by Zadie Smith

 
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

 
Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton

 
The book that I am currently reading is:

 
Cracked Up to Be
When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?



Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.
 
 
 
Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.
 
 
 
Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.



Book Review #211 - The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids is set in the future after a devastating global nuclear war. David, the young hero of the novel, lives in a tight-knit community of religious and genetic fundamentalists, who exist in a state of constant alert for any deviation from what they perceive as the norm of God's creation, deviations broadly classified as 'offenses' and 'blasphemies.' Offenses consist of plants and animals that are in any way unusual, and these are publicly burned to the accompaniment of the singing of hymns. Blasphemies are human beings; ones who show any sign of abnormality, however trivial. They are banished from human society, cast out to live in the wild country where, as the authorities say, nothing is reliable and the devil does his work. David grows up surrounded by admonitions: KEEP PURE THE STOCK OF THE LORD; WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT. At first he hardly questions them, though he is shocked when his sternly pious father and rigidly compliant mother force his aunt to forsake her baby. It is a while before he realizes that he too is out of the ordinary, in possession of a power that could doom him to death or introduce him to a new, hitherto-unimagined world of freedom.
 
 
 
My Rating: 3.5/5
 
 
This book was really slowly paced, apart from the last third of the book where all the action took place.
 
 
This book was not very descriptive. I found that really distracting, and was the reason I wasn't fully able to get into the book.
 
 
I really liked all the characters especially David and his friends. I found their superpowers really interesting and would have liked to have known more about it. 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Book Review #210 - Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?
 
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
After the first chapter I didn't think I was going to like this book. The two teenage girls Jessie and Emma were every stereotype of teenage girls and I found them incredibly annoying. I found that once they landed in New York, I was able to overlook that fact.
 
 
The other main character Finn was likeable and the only genuine character in the whole book. His storyline, although predictable was entertaining.
 
 
The fact that this book is set in New York was the main reason why I decided to read this book as I have always wanted to visit there. This is the reason why I was able to connect with the characters even though I didn't particularly like them.
 
 
Although this book is filled with pop culture references and is heavily stereotyped, I found this book really enjoyable and a fun and light read.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Book Review #210 - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Jasper Jones
Late on a hot summer night in 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress. Jasper takes him to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother; falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu. And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.
My Rating: 5/5
I was very interested in reading this book because not only did it have an intriguing premise but it is also set in my home state.
I really liked all the characters especially Jeffrey as he was witty and funny. I really liked the inclusion of cricket as it is one of my favourite sports, and how much details was put into it.
I found that the mystery of the murder was pushed into the background, as I was more focused on the characters especially Charlie and Jasper.
The only problem I had with this book was the length of the chapters. In 299 pages there were only 9 or so chapters. I hate stopping in the middle of a chapter, but I had to sometimes with this book.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Book Review #209 - On Beauty by Zadie Smith

On Beauty
Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful?




Set in New England mainly and London partly, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families—the Belseys and the Kippses—and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love. For the Belseys and the Kippses, the confusions—both personal and political—of our uncertain age are about to be brought close to home: right to the heart of family.
My Rating: 2.5/5
I found this book extremely hard to get into. It is really long and drawn out and extremely slow paced. However, I was never bored whilst reading.
The only characters I really didn't like were Howard and Victoria. The rest of the characters, although I didn't love any of them I was able to find positives about them.
I found all the characters to be selfish and overall I don't think they were fleshed out enough.


I liked this book alot more than what a rating of 2.5 suggests, but I didn't think rating it a solid 3 was fair to the other books which I liked alot more that I have rated 3.



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Book Review #208 - Happily Never After (The Grimm Chronicles #2) by Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky

Happily Never After
200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.

Literally.

Now the characters of the Grimms’ stories walk among us. With every day that passes, they grow more evil. They are the Corrupted, and only a hero can save them.

For 18-year-old Alice Goodenough, that means taking precious time off from her summer vacation. In addition to volunteering at the local library, Alice must stop the Corrupted who are now actively hunting her down. With the help of her magic pen and her trusty rabbit friend, the world has suddenly gotten a lot more complex. The Corrupted are everywhere, and only Alice can see them for what they truly are.
 
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page can be found here.
 
 
This book is the sequel to Prince Charming Must Die. I found that I didn't like this book as much as the first.
 
 
I found the protagonist Alice annoying at times, especially when she was whinging about her parents.
 
 
Briar the Rabbit is my favourite character, and he has the best lines. I enjoyed the chapter from his point of view.
 
 
This book involved alot more action than the first book which I enjoyed. I also liked the inclusion of sharks as they are my favourite animal.
 
 
This book was really unpredictable, and I was never able to guess where the story was going to go.


Book Haul - 23 October 2012




Books I got last week:


Torn by David Massey - For review from Scholastic Australia



The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - From Library


Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction - Gifted



Between the Lines by Jodie Picoult and Samantha van Leer - From Library


Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee - From Library

Monday, October 22, 2012

Book Review #197: Part 2 of 7 - The Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia
When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy took their first steps into the world behind the magic wardrobe, little do they realise what adventures are about to unfold. And as the story of Narnia begins to unfold, so to does a classic tale that has enchanted readers of all ages for over half a century.
 
 
 
My Rating: 3/5
 
 
I feel really stupid for only reading this book for the first time now, as this is a book that I would have really enjoyed when I was a child.
 
 
I really like the whole concept of Narnia, although most of the descriptions of it are to do with the temperature and nothing else.
 
 
The characters don't have much depth to them, especially Aslan. I wanted to like him but I never understood what made him as great as depicted. 
 
 
There was no real need for the children, other than the mention of a prophecy. They did absolutely nothing in this book except be present.
 
 
Overall, I would have preferred to have liked this book more than what I did, but am interested enough to carry on with the series.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Book Review #207 - Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1) by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is--now it's getting harder. She's having nightmares of a desperate desert journey, visions of three women weeping tears of blood. And why is she possessed by the sudden, unstoppable urge to kill the handsome new boy in school, Lucas Delos?

A love written in the stars . . .

A feud started in ancient Greece . . .

A curse not even the gods can break.
 
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
I read alot of mixed reviews about this book with people tending to either love or hate it. Whilst I can see where the negative reviews are coming from - mainly because it does resemble Twilight to a degree, I was able to look past this fact and enjoy the book for what it was.
 
 
Helen was a really enjoyable protagonist and one that I found I could really relate to and I connected with her almost instantly.
 
 
The mythology aspect was great, although at times I thought it was vague and would have liked more depth.
 
 
I really liked the amount of action this book had, it really made up its really slow pace.
 
 
I had mixed feelings about the romance between Helen and Lucas. I really liked the connection between them, but I never really connected with Lucas.
 
 
The ending felt rushed and at times didn't make much sense but I still intend to read the next book in the series which I have on my TBR.


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Book Review #206 - Freak by E.K. Henry

Freak
Being a lower-class human born into a world where vampires rule sucks. No matter how hard Juniper Rayne tries to fit in, she's labeled a freak. When her dad signs the family up to take part in a reality television show, Juniper hopes that it'll give her the edge she needs to shed her freak label.

Unfortunately for Juniper, vampires aren't that accepting.

She decides to take control of her life and become a vampire hunter, instead of continuing to live in her own personal hell any longer.

She will regain control or die trying.
 
 
My Rating: 3/5
 
 
I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page is here.
 
 
The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of depth especially with the characters. I didn't like any of the characters either and I found Juniper irritating.
 
 
I found the plot really interesting especially when Juniper became a vampire hunter as that was when the book sped up.
 
 
The whole vampires ruling the world aspect was interesting, but I wished the author had added more detail with this. There was no real world building at all.
 
 
I'm not sure whether this book is the first in a series or not because it ended with a cliff hanger.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Book Review #205 - Prince Charming Must Die (The Grimm Chronicles #1) by Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky


On the eve of her 18th birthday, high school junior Alice Goodenough feels on top of the world. Classes are almost finished. She’s about to start her summer job at the local library, where she’ll be surrounded by all of her favorite books. And she has a wonderful boyfriend.




Then the rabbit shows up. The giant talking rabbit. He has a message:
 

200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.
 

Literally.

With the help of a magic pen and paper, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm brought all of their characters to life. The world was a more magical place … for a time. Cinderella found her prince. Briar Rose's spell was broken. The dancing princesses spent their nights hidden away in a secret underground city. The old miller's boy found true love.
 

Then, slowly, the Grimms’ characters began to change for the worse. They became Corrupted. Evil. They didn’t belong in our world, but it was too late for the Brothers Grimm to destroy them.
 

Only a hero can save the day. Every generation for the past 200 years, a hero has been chosen to fight the Corrupted and rid the world of the Grimms’ fairy tales. To her horror, Alice has been chosen as the next hero. As her 18th birthday nears, she begins to realize life is never going back to normal. School will never be the same.

As for her boyfriend, Edward … well, he might be hiding a terrible secret.
 
 
 
My Rating: 5/5
 
 
I received this book from the author for review. The author's Goodreads page is here.
 
 
I found this book really fast paced and because it was also really short I read this in next to no time.
 
 
Whilst it does lack depth, I think that it being light and fun makes it more effective, and it does have alot of depth for its length.
 
 
I have never read any of Grimm's fairytales although I am familar with some of them, so I appreciated that the stories that were related to this book were included at the end.
 
 
This story is entirely unique which is what I loved the most about it, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday #15

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Each week features a different topic, and you make a top ten list about it.


 
This weeks top ten list is the top ten authors in a certain genre. The genre I have chosen is young adult. And these are in no particular order.
 

 
1. J.K. Rowling


2. Richelle Mead


3. John Marsden


4. John Green


5. Simone Elkeles


6. Sarah Dessen


7. Cassandra Clare


8. Sara Shepard


9. Scott Westerfeld


10. Maggie Stiefvater

Book Review #204 - Whispers in Autumn (The Last Year #1) by Trisha Leigh

Whispers in Autumn (The Last Year, #1)
In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.


Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.

Then she meets Lucas, everything changes.

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.
 
 
My Rating: 5/5
 
 
I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page is here.
 
 
I read this book in one sitting, which is something I have only done once previously. Once I started this book I was not able to stop.
 
 
I didn't know anything about this book prior to reading, not even the synopsis and thought that it was set further into the future that 2015.
 
 
I really liked Althea and liked how you are in her world immediately without any introductions. I also liked her relationship with Lucas because they bonded over time and not instantly like in most young adult novels.
 
 
I am really interested in where this series is going especially finding out the possibilities of Althea and Lucas's powers.



Monday, October 15, 2012

Book Review #203 - The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

The Casual Vacancy

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.


Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
 
 
 
My Rating: 5/5
 
 
 
I went into this book with mixed expectations. I was excited to read it because Harry Potter is my all time favourite series, yet I didn't want to have high hopes as I knew it was nothing like Harry Potter.
 
 
At first I found the book extremely slow paced. The characters were all introduced so quickly, and there being so many as well it was hard to remember which character was which and how they were connected to other characters.
 
 
I found that once I got all the characters sorted out and their stories began to intertwine with one another that I was unable to put the book down.
 
 
The whole political aspect was what I expecting to dislike the most before reading, but whilst I did find it somewhat boring I found it rather interesting also.
 
 
What I liked most about this book was the characters. Each and everyone of them had so much depth to them. I also really liked the way Pagford was described. I was able to picture it with amazing clarity that I felt like I had been there.
 
 
I am so happy and somewhat relieved that I enjoyed this book as much as I did and am looking forward to whatever J.K. Rowling writes next.



Saturday, October 13, 2012

Follow Friday #50

Gain New Blog Followers
Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison of Alison Can Read.




This weeks question is:
 
 
 
 
What book do you think would make a great Halloween movie? Please explain in graphic detail of goriness...
 
 
 
 
The first book I thought of was Vampire Underground by Brian Rowe. It doesn't have much gore, but it would make a really good halloween movie as it is really eerie and has unique vampires.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Book Review #202 - Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web
An affectionate pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, White reminds readers to open their eyes to the wonder and miracle found in the simplest of things.
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
This is the first time I had ever read this book. I was familar with parts of the story though prior to reading.
 
 
I would describe this book as the perfect book for children to read. I think that adults will enjoy it as well, but children will get the most enjoyment from it.
 
 
From the opening chapter I thought this book was going to be about Fern's life and her relationship with Wilbur. I soon understood it was more around Wilbur and Charlotte, but was mystified why Fern disappeared at the end.
 
 
I didn't like Wilbur all that much. He was too immature and whiny, and I know that he was only young but I found him really annoying.
 
 
I really liked the descriptive language used, especially used when describing the farm. It was really realistic and felt like you were there.
 
 
The ending was not what I was expecting, especially since this is a children's book but overall I really did enjoy reading it.
 

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Book Review #201 - Dear Miffy by John Marsden

Dear Miffy

My Rating: 3/5


This book is told in a series of letters from Tony to Miffy. This means that you only ever know parts of things, which annoyed me at times but I feel that it worked really well with the tone of the novel.
I didn't really care for Tony that much. He was too aggressive for my liking. I could see that he had a very traumatic life.
The ending came out of absolute nowhere and I was very surprised. The ending changed everything that I had previously thought of the novel.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Book Review #200 - Mickey O: Determination. Hardwork. And a Little bit of Magic by Michael O'Loughlin

Mickey O: Determination. Hard Work. And a Little Bit of Magic
When Michael O'Loughlin was drafted by the Sydney Swans at just 17 years of age, he was the no. 40 selection and the last player picked. Back then he could not have imagined the extraordinary future that awaited him: the numerous awards and accolades, the respect and admiration of fellow players, a huge number of personal supporters, and a record-breaking 303 games in the red and white. This is the inspiring story of Michael's life from the childhood lessons of hard work and self-belief imparted to him by his mother, Muriel, to the discovery of the stunning sporting ability which would take him into the elite legions of AFL. By 2009, Michael had broken the Swans' games record. He had kicked more goals for the club than anyone except the legendary Bob Pratt. He played more finals for the Swans than any other, and became one of just three Indigenous players in the history of the sport to reach 300 games. MICKY O is the extraordinary story of a kid who combined his talent with sheer determination to become one of the greatest AFL players of all time.
 
 
 
My Rating: 2.5/5
 
 
This is the first autobiography I have read where I didn't have a personal interest in the subject. I read this book as part of the 2012 50 Books You Can't Put Down list.
 
 
What I did like about this book was that is was primarily about his football career. Although I'm not a Swans fan I found this interesting as I had watched most of the games he described.
 
 
The main problem I had with this book was the editing. I found that there were alot of times where the wrong grammatical tense was used.
 
 
Whilst reading, I felt like there were missing pieces and felt like it was too jumbled at times.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Book Review #199 - Bras, Boys and Blunders: Juliet & Romeo in Bahrain by Vidya Samson

Bras, Boys, and Blunders: Juliet & Romeo in Bahrain
What’s a girl gotta do to get her first bra, her first kiss, her first love?

If you thought the Middle East was all about fatwas and burkhas, think again. Join the fun as Veena, a naive teen from India, bungles her way through adolescence on the island of Bahrain. Laugh out loud as she deals with the intricacies of stubborn bras, crazy parents, racist classmates, first love, and the No-No Club, an abstinence club that degenerates into the Yes-Yes Club.

If you’ve ever struggled with body image issues, ever wanted to be different from what you are, ever wanted a hot guy or girl you couldn’t have, or if you just want a good laugh, this novel is for you, whether you’re nine, ninety, or anywhere in between.
 
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page is here.
 
 
After I read the first sentence of this book, I didn't know what I was about to read. It was one of the strangest opening sentences I have ever read.
 
 
The concept of this book is unique, an Indian girl in a multicultural, religious school. It also incorporates heavy topics such as race and religion in a interesting way.
 
 
The book also had very humorous aspects to it which was my favourite part. Veena had a really good sense of humour made me like her from the second she was introduced.
 
 
Veena's family dynamics were very interesting especially her mother's relationship with the family dog. That was one of the funniest parts in the book.


Monday, October 8, 2012

Book Review #198 - When It Happens by Suzane Colasanti

When It Happens
 
An off-the-wall love story told in two voices. Straight-laced Sara dreams of two things: getting into her first-choice university and finding true love. Rock-loving slacker Tobey also dreams of two things: winning Battle of the Bands – and winning Sara. He is determined to make her fall in love with him. Tobey's quirky wit and big blue eyes are hard for Sara to ignore. But can a scruffy rock-star wannabe ever win the heart of a girl who’s both beautiful and brainy? Sara and Tobey's intense connection will have you rooting for them from the very minute they meet!
 
 
My Rating: 3/5
 
 
I received this book for review from Scholastic Australia.
 
 
Given that I don't normally like straight up romance novels, I liked this book more than I thought I would.
 
 
The characters were okay, there wasn't much depth to them and I only ever felt the connection between them when reading from Tobey's perspective.
 
 
There were no surprises in the book, I was always able to predict what was going to happen.
 
 
I really enjoyed the writing style, I thought that it really encapsulated the voices of both teenagers.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Book Haul (6 October 2012)



1. Lord of the Shadows (The Saga of Darren Shan #11) by Darren Shan;


2. The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1) by Jasper Fforde;


3. Twisted (Pretty Little Liars #9) by Sara Shepard;


4. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants #3) by Anne Brashares;


5. On Beauty by Zadie Smith (From Library);


6. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Follow Friday #49

Gain New Blog Followers
Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison of Alison Can Read.




This weeks question is:


 
What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?
 
 
 
I don't really want to accomplish anything. I just blog for fun and anything else that I get from doing it is a bonus.

Book Review #197: Part 1 of 7 - The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia #6) by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia

When Digory and Polly are tricked by Digory's peculiar Uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. What happens to the children when they touch Uncle Andrew's magic rings is far beyond anything even the old magician could have imagined.
 
 
 
Hurtled into the Wood between the Worlds, the children soon find that they can enter many worlds through the mysterious pools there. In one world they encounter the evil Queen Jadis, who wreaks havoc in the streets of London when she is accidentally brought back with them. When they finally manage to pull her out of London, unintentionally taking along Uncle Andrew and a coachman with his horse, they find themselves in what will come to be known as the land of Narnia.
 
 
 
My Rating: 4/5
 
 
This is the first Narnia book I have ever read. I had been putting off reading it because I had extremely high expectations for it.
 
 
I found the book really slow paced up until the point where Aslan the lion was introduced. From then on though, I was unable to put the book down.
 
 
 
The writing was old fashioned, and it did take me a while to get used to.
 

 
I found it hard to connect with the characters, as they are alot younger that what I am used to reading but I still liked them.
 

 
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books as I know that this book was only written to clarify things about the series.