Austenland by Shannon Hale
I'm an Austen fan, don't get me wrong, but I only thought this book was so-so. It was occasionally witty, but not charming enough or engaging enough or funny enough to be at all notable. Basically, I finished the last page, put the book down, and promptly forgot all about it. (Sorry Hale fans.) C-
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
I think I would love this book if I were 10 years old. This is a good thing, as 10-year-old girls are the targeted audience. From an adult perspective, I thought it was a little boring... but I would still recommend it as a fun fairy tale to my little sister and my nieces. B
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
For a book about running, The Maze Runner took forever to get going. Although I disliked Thomas (the main character) for his annoying mood swings and narrow mindedness, I did like many of the minor characters, even though they were never quite developed enough. The most redeeming feature was the epilogue, which gave me hope for book two. (Did anyone else get LOST flashbacks while reading this? Unexplained phenomenons going on all over the place, survival theories, exasperating main character in Thomas/Jack, a severe lack of answers, etc.) (This LOST query does not count in my 4 sentences.) C-
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Arg. I loved Hunger Games. Catching Fire was irritating though. Too many things were told, not shown; all of the characters were stagnant; the plot was just a repeat of Hunger Games... I was disappointed with this book, but that still didn't prevent me from preordering book three on Amazon. C
The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
Hmm. I do believe it's possible, normal even, to be a married woman and have male friends... however, I would have a really hard time if my spouse acted the way Becky Jack acts with her devilishly handsome, disgustingly wealthy, impossibly charming soulmate. It wasn't a physical affair, but it sure felt like an emotional affair. I don't think I'm alone on this, so let's take the book for what it is: A licorice and chocolate gummy bear cupcake. Totally and completely implausible, but kind of enticing in a weird and mildly unwelcome way. So, behind the bizarre sugar rush, I thought the characterization was good, the writing was funny when it wasn't overdone, Hale writes emotions well, but the story seriously dragged- she should have cut about 150 pages (I almost stopped reading halfway through because the novel just wasn't progressing)... all in all, I can see a lot of people taking this book too seriously and fleeing to the Ensign for comfort, but if you can get past the pretense you might enjoy it, so long as you don't fall asleep while reading. (I am aware that this review only barely qualifies as 4 sentences. Deal with it.) C
Next on my list:
-Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins which comes out next week!!!!
-School Stuff.
PS- Thanks for the book recommendations! I plan on reading all of your suggestions, though it may take some time to get through them all. :)
Did you ever see Lost in Austen? It was a PBS special, and sounds like it may be based off of Austenland. I hear ya on catching fire, but I still loved it, and am counting the days until Mockingjay. Live it up until grad school. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I've pre-ordered Mockingjay, too. :)I have been reading like crazy this summer and taking a lot of your suggestions, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just found a paper next to the computer written by Lindz. It's entitled "Books I must Read." Under it are listed the titles of the 5 books on this post. Your influence is felt over here.
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