Little Literary Lass: 2016

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Top Five Wednesday: Books I Will Never Read

As much as I love talking about books I want to read and books I enjoy, I also love talking about books I'm not interested in. Honestly, I wish there were more books that I didn't want to read; that would make my "so many books, so little time" problem better. Top Five Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey and is currently run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. If you are interested in participating, here is the Goodreads page.

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I don't really have anything against this series, I just have no interest in it. I saw the first movie and thought it was okay. I've heard a lot of negative things about the subsequent books, so I'll be avoiding this one. If I'm ever really desperate for a dystopian and I'm out of options, then I'll read this - but that is super unlikely.

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
I've read two John Green books and was underwhelmed by both of them. There's something about his writing that I just don't connect with, and his characters are a little too pretentious for my tastes. I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not reading this book.

3. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
I read Red Queen and didn't completely hate it, but the more I think about it, the less I care. I don't feel like investing time and/or money into a series that I am lukewarm at best about.

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I once wished to read this book. However, this series is just too long. Every book is massive, and I'm just not interested enough. I might watch the show at some point, but I have so many long fantasy series that I'd rather read than this one.

5. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne & John Tiffany
Probably the most controversial book on this list, although it's not technically a book. I really don't want to read a play that's considered the 8th Harry Potter story - I'd rather have a book. If I can't get any insight on characters' thoughts, emotions, and motives, then I don't want to read it. I've heard there are an insane amount of plot holes in this story as well. I just don't care to read this.

August Wrap-Up

I'm trying to get back in the swing of posting, and I haven't been reading a ton of YA books or novels in general, so I thought I'd do a wrap-up to make things easy on myself. You'll see a common theme here...

The Walking Dead Volume 2 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 3 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 4 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 5 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 6 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 7 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 8 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

Bitter of Tongue by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

3/5 Stars

The Road to Woodbury by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga

3/5 Stars

Star Wars: Princess Leia by Mark Waid & Terry Dodson

4/5 Stars

The Fiery Trial by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

3/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 9 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 10 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

4/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 11 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 12 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 13 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 14 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 15 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead Volume 16 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, & Cliff Rathburn

5/5 Stars

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

4/5 Stars

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

5/5 Stars

United as One by Pittacus Lore

3.5/5 Stars

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

3.75/5 Stars

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Book Review: Jackaby

Author: William Ritter
Genre; Historical/Paranormal
Published: 2014, Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4.25/5 Stars

Abigail Rook makes her way to the United States in 1892 after a failed adventure in paleontology. She desperately needs a job, and she happens upon an ad for an investigative assistant. This leads her to the home of R.F. Jackaby, an eccentric, scatter-brained detective who specializes in things normally unseen. Abigail is tossed into the fray immediately, joining Jackaby as he checks out a murder scene, and she becomes involved in world of crime and impossible creatures.

I had heard so many mixed things about this book that my expectations were average to low. I don't know if that had any effect on my enjoyment of it, but I thought Jackaby was incredibly entertaining and fun. Goodreads describes it as a mix of Doctor Who and Sherlock, and that's probably the most accurate description for this book. It's quite short and fast-paced, so I flew through it in just a couple hours.

I loved the characters. I was impressed by how well-rounded and dynamic they were given the length of the book. Jackaby reminds me very much of Matt Smith in Doctor Who, which I appreciated. Abigail was smart, bold, and brave - she didn't shy away from speaking her mind.

The minor characters were great as well. They actually served a purpose in the story and weren't just taking up space, and I can see the potential for more character development for them in the subsequent books in this series.

I thought the plot was compelling - it definitely kept me interested the entire time. If you are very squeamish or easily scared, maybe pass on this book. It's not all that bloody or frightening, but there are some scenes that are a bit gross and creepy. For me, it was just the right amount of gross and creepy. Not over the top, but realistic for the events of the story. If you're looking for something fun with entertaining characters, I highly recommend Jackaby. I've already read the sequel and can't wait for the third book!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

February Wrap-Up

WOW this is late. Sorry. Better late than never, right? I've been feeling the school crunch lately, and I honestly forgot what I read this month until I referred to my Goodreads just now. Well. Apparently February was a okay reading month for me; there were some good ones, but a few brought me down.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

5/5 Stars

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

5/5 Stars

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

5/5 Stars

The Martian by Andy Weir

2.75/5 Stars

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

3.5/5 Stars

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

3.25/5 Stars

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

5/5 Stars

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

4/5 Stars

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

4/5 Stars

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Book Review: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2014, Crown Publishing
Rating: 2.75/5 Stars

When a violent dust storm strikes on Mars, Mark Watney's crew prepares to evacuate the red planet. Mark is injured by debris, and the crew believes him to be dead - so they reluctantly leave without him. However, Mark is still alive and now the only person on an entire planet. He must figure out a way to contact NASA and survive despite seemingly impossible odds.

I did something that I never do: I saw the movie before I finished the book. Not on purpose, technically. I went over to a friend's house to find the movie already playing. I was about 50 pages into the book at that point. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing if it was this incident, the massive amount of hype, or just my personal feelings that made this book underwhelming for me.

I had high hopes for this book before I started it and before I ever saw the movie. As most readers know, going into a book with high expectations can be disastrous. I wouldn't say it was disastrous in this case, but I was disappointed.

Mark, while occasionally funny, didn't make me laugh out loud (which many people apparently did frequently). I liked him, but I didn't care about him as much as I should have. I should have been cheering him on, but I found myself liking the chapters that focused on NASA and Mark's crew much more.

I found it difficult to suspend my belief. Mark faces some insane challenges that he miraculously overcomes. I get easily annoyed when characters nearly die multiple times - it really takes me out of the story. I know the whole point of the book is that its a survival story, but I'm thinking that maybe that's just not my thing. Something that I found unique about The Martian is that it's a type of sci-fi that I haven't read much of. There aren't any creatures or aliens or made-up planets; the science is real (although I've heard that there are issues with the math and science in the book).

This book wasn't for me. There's a lot of math and science jargon that I skimmed over, and I take skimming as a sign of me not liking what I'm reading. This book is super popular, which is why I wanted to develop my own opinion of it, but unfortunately, I'm not a fan.

Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Author: Robin Sloan
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2012, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Rating: 3.25/5 Stars

When Clay Jannon loses his job as a web designer due to the recession, he stumbles across a display window with a "Hiring" sign hanging in it. He lands a job at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and his set-up is pretty nice; hardly anyone comes into the store except a few strange regulars, and books very rarely get purchased. Instead, these odd patrons check out seemingly unreadable tomes and return them a few days later. Clay begins to piece the bookstore's quirks together, and it leads him on a surprising journey.

I gave this book a rating of 3.25 stars because I felt positively neutral about it, if that makes any sense at all. I enjoyed it an average amount, but I liked it enough to give it a slightly higher than average rating. Sounds logical, right? Sure.

A lot of people really enjoy this book - especially a lot of book lovers. I, of course, am a book lover, but there was something about the story that just didn't click with me. I'm not sure if I ever truly connected with the characters. Clay was okay but kind of uninteresting. Kat, the sort-of love interest, was mildly irritating and one-sided. Neel, Clay's best friend, was my favorite character. The plot is slow, even though this isn't a long novel, and I felt like I never got super into it. The best word I can think of to describe my reading experience is "detached."

The mystery aspect of this book was pretty cool. If you're into technology, secret codes, or the history of book printing, you'd probably enjoy this. Honestly, I don't have much to say about this book; it didn't evoke a substantial response from me, positive or negative, so take that how you want. It's not a book that I would readily recommend to a lot of people. If it intrigues you, definitely go for it. The cover glows in the dark, which has nothing to do with the quality of the content, but it's neat anyway.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Top Five Wednesday: Worst Love Interests

Top Five Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey. If you are interested in participating, here is the Goodreads page. I thought this was a hilarious topic, so here are the five love interests that I think are just the worst!

1. Aspen from the Selection series by Kiera Cass
He was so boring. And annoying. And why was he even a thing? Why was he ever a contender? Just to create a convenient love triangle? I was team Maxon just by default. I read all three of these books, saw that more were being published, and then gave my books away. No thanks.

2. Char from This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Disclaimer, I didn't like this book a whole lot in the first place, but I really didn't like Char. I could not understand the initial attraction that Elise had to him or why she continued to pine after him. He was a jerk.

3. Adam from the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
I feel like Adam might be on a lot of lists this week. My feelings about Adam are similar to my feelings about Aspen, but they involve a lot more anger. If you've read the series, you know about the horrible things that Adam does and says to Juliette. I kind of wanted him to die just a little bit.

4. Neal from Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Another book I wasn't a fan of. Is Neal a love interest if he's married to the main character? I dunno. But he was the worst. I wanted to yell at Georgie to stop trying so hard for this guy. He was an arrogant, stubborn, rude, boring bag of pudding. Go away, Neal.

5. Marlena from Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I've written about Marlena a bit in my review for this book, but wow does she bother me. She was absolutely nothing special, and Jacob was head over heels for her. And she got him into a lot of trouble. Nah, not worth it.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

January Wrap-Up

I had a pretty good start to my 2016 reading year. I read 18 books, though a good chunk were graphic novels. I slowed down a little toward the end of the month, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace again soon!

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

4/5 Stars