Sunday 31 May 2015

Will Grayson, WIll Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Review:

This was another book which has been sitting aimlessly on my shelf for what's likely nearly a year now, and for some unknown reason,  I have only recently decided to pick it up.  I guess I was just scared of disappoint (as this is by likely two of my favourite authors), didn't know really what to expect and wasn't amazingly hooked by the blurb.  But nonetheless, I decided to finally pick this up some time last week.  And, honestly, I'm really glad I did.  I loved the characters, storyline and grew more and more attached through the book, until I was laughing and smiling along with them right till the very end.

The characters in this book were likely one of the main things that kept me reading,  I loved both Will Graysons and found that the split POV worked well and was easily followed, with the writing style of each really reflecting their separate character.  I also found the crossover between the two's lives and of the characters in general really made the story come together more and allowed what began as two separate stories to end as one.

Having said that, my favourite character would have to be Tiny Cooper, as I'm sure others would agree with me.  I loved his bold and flamboyant character, and his musical was something I never found myself minding hearing about - in fact, I quite enjoyed learning more about it.  Not only was he funny, but he also became the glue between the two stories, giving them something in common and ultimately making the story a whole lot better.

Another aspect which I liked was the humour in this book, as no matter how subtle, I found myself laughing and smiling along with all the characters.  I liked how realistic it all seemed and I guess that's how I felt so attached to the characters by the end of it.

Speaking of the ending, I would have to say that this was possibly my favourite part the whole book.  It was so nice to see everyone come together, even characters who prior to this had only been seen in one POV, and I honestly found myself smiling through it all.

All in all, I'd say that my only complaint about this book would be the fairly slow start, although I do think this wasn't helped by the split POV, and so could be put down to this.  Otherwise, I would recommend this to anyone who wants a funny, fairly lighthearted read, or is a fan of either John Green, David Levithan or both!


Quotes:

The things you hope for the most are the things that destroy you the most in the end.

When things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again.  It's because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to.  The whole shape has changed. 
Being in a relationship, that's something you choose.  Being friends, that's just something you are. 
Maybe there is something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go.  It's gonna hurt.  It's gonna hurt because it matters.  

Songs: 

Better Than Me - The Brobecks 
Golden - Fall Out Boy

Other Books:

Paper Towns by John Green - I think my main reason for recommending this one is pretty clear, but it also centres alot around friendship, as I believe Will Grayson, Will Grayson doe as well.
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn - As with the above suggestion, this book is also here due to it being written by David Levithan, but it also shares another aspect as this story is also told in a split POV by two people who are not often in each others stories.(Review here) 

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Top Ten Tuesday Eleven

Top ten books I plan to have in my beach bag this summer

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish.  After not participating in this for a while now, I decided that this topic was a perfect one to get me back into it, as it was one I knew I could create a pretty healthy list for, and one which I would enjoy making.  So, here are my top ten books which I plan to have in my beach bag this summer:

1) Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - Having read Anna last year whilst on holiday, I can't seem to bring myself to finish the series before summer this year, simply to end it the way I started it.  But, you can be assured, that as soon as I can, I will reading this in a heartbeat.

2) The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith - Contemporaries and romances are always a must to read over the summer, so this is which I will definitely be picking up when the sun is out.

3) The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - This is another book which, despite wanting to read so badly, I can't seem to do so until the holidays again, as this was when I first read The Prince of Mist by Zafon two years ago.

4) The Disrespectable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart - After reading We Were Liars last year, I can say that I love E. Lockhart's writing style and books in general, so I can't wait to pick this one up this summer.

5) Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan - Despite not usually being the type of book I would read this summer, I am almost certain that this one will be in my beach bag this summer as I am really excited to continue the series with this fourth installment.  

6) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - This is another contemporary which I am definitely planning to finally get round to reading this summer, after having sat on my bookshelf for too long now.  

7) The Mortal Instruments:City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - Due to the length of this one, it is extremely likely that I will hold off reading this till summer, when I will almost certainly have to time to continue this series and give this book my full attention. 

8) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling - I can't believe that I am still yet to read this series, having so far only read the first book, so I determined to continue it and read this one in the summer.

Thursday 21 May 2015

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Review


After first reading the blurb of this book late last year, I have been anxiously waiting for the day when I would finally allow myself to read it rather than reading those books which have been on my shelf just a little too long.  The entire concept of two stories in one, especially with the major connection between the two just drew me in almost instantly, as I was not only interested Lizzie's story, but in Darcy's as well.  But after being so excited to read this, I was so worried that I would be let down tremendously,

However, this was definitely not the case.


Even after simply reading the first page, I felt as though I was hooked, with both of the first opening chapters short length but large impact drawing me and making it almost impossible for me not to read on.  I have to admit that as I got further and further through the book, my progression and speed in reading it did slow, the entire book taking me just over two weeks to read in total.  But for the length of it, I still believe this to not be too bad at all (for me personally).  I found the characters, especially the likes of Darcy, Mindy and Imogen, to be very intriguing, and I liked how Darcy still felt like a teenager, and didn't just mature because of her situation.  I also liked the sub-plot given to us in the form of Imogen, and I really enjoyed watching her story unravel just as Darcy did as well.

Despite being intrigued by both stories, I have to admit that I was more excited for, and did end up enjoying Darcy's story just slightly more than Lizzie's.  I found hers more relatable (obviously!) but I also founds hers to just generally be more interesting.  Saying this, I did however begin to to prefer Lizzie's towards the end of the book, with a plot twist and overall exciting ending given to her story. I think I just generally loved the connection they had, such as when a mention was made about the ending of Lizzie's story in Darcy's.


However, despite my almost glowing review so far, I did have a few bug bears about it, such as the lack of supporting characters.  Both of the stories focused mainly on the lead characters, Lizzie and Darcy, with very few other characters, other than those very close to them, had a large role in the story.  And even those who did play a part in the plot were almost always in the background, with only a small number of scenes even referencing to them.  Another aspect I disliked was the predictability of Lizzie's story.  I understand that it is meant to be a representation of what Darcy, a teenage girl, would have written, but I still feel as though the story, particularly the romance, could have been more original and more entertaining.  I even found myself bored to death of Yamaraj by the end of the book! 

But, all in all, I think it's all pretty clear about what my views on this are - mostly all good!  I would definitely recommend this one to anyone, but particularly those interested in writing.


Quotes:

"The real world worked differently than stories.  In a novel you always knew the moment when something Happened, when someone Changed.  But real life was full of gradual, continuous transformation.  It was full of accidents and undefinables, and things that just happened on their own.  The only certainty was "It's complicated"." 
"...he said that ghosts are just stories that tell themselves." 
"So are the living."
"Maybe that's the price of loving someone: you lost your grasp of where they ended and you began." 

Songs: 

Underdog - Imagine Dragons 
On A Lonely Night - A Rocket to the Moon 
Glory and Gore - Lorde

Other Books: 

Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any other books to suggest here, so I figured than rather recommending a book with very little in common with Afterworlds, I would just leave it.  Sorry!