Book List 2014

The She Hulk Diaries

April 29, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

This book was a really quick read once you can manage to get into it, but I found so much of it to be a bit problematic. I wanted to see it as a fun romp but really I was disappointed.

I found the weight shaming in parts of the book to be distracting from the actual plot, and there were many different grammatical errors and spelling mistake throughout that were also quite the distraction.

I just didn’t like this as much as I thought I might, and was left with a feeling of, “That’s it?”

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

April 20, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn’t expect to like this book, nor did I expect to stay up until 4 am this morning in a desperate bid to finish it, or spend my morning when I did awake doing much the same.

Claire is a character who I can get behind, she is stubborn, passionate, intelligent and yet at times so irrational that it’s enough to make me (and Jamie) crazy. But I love her. She is awesome.

Jamie is someone I liked almost immediately, able to picture him so clearly in my mind’s eye and enjoying every moment of it.

There were some scenes in this book that I did have a problem with, but I won’t mention those here as I know that is a certain amount of this novel which only happens because of the time it is in.

It’s not a perfect novel. The sex scenes are often outrageous, and the attitudes of the men concerning but it is fun.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

April 18, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This remains one of my favourite books, upon yet another re-read. The world build is so fantastic, and so welcoming and yet foreboding all at the same time.

The characters are easy to love. Sam with his ernest need to protect Frodo, Merry and Pippin with their steadfast loyalty and their sense of adventure which does begin to crumble. Gandalf with his intelligence and wisdom. Aragorn. Legolas.

And the language, and messages within this book always stay with me. I think years from now I’ll still recall lines and passages and rejoice in knowing them.

“The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present,” in particular is a line I love.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin

April 17, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not really a reader of fantasy books, though I found this one easier to read than most. It’s not due to a lack of descriptive language, but rather the quick pacing of the novel. Every chapter is a short story, from a different characters point of view, which I enjoyed immensely because it makes it so well rounded.

There are characters who I love, such as Arya, and Ned as well as others, but even those I detest such as Cersei are fleshed out. I found the characters emotions were well written into the plot, so that I could identify as a reader in some small sliver of a way.

My only qualm with this book would be the sex scenes which are horridly written, often cheesy and often problematically written.

I also found it interesting, upon this re-read to see how much of this book actually did end up in the series.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

April 16, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I missed something in this book. Some undefinable element which made people love it so much. I didn’t.

There were parts where I wished for it to end, and it wasn’t until page 167 exactly that it captured my interest. The best thing I can say for this book is that when it captured my interest it managed to keep it. The truth evident in the fiction enriched the story, and the bond between the two main characters had me aching as I tried to imagine going through something like that.

The ending seemed poignant, but over all I felt like there was something lacking. Maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

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Book List 2014

Ripper by Isabel Allende (Spoilers maybe)

April 13, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Ripper by Isabel Allende

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book took me quite some time to read, in part because I couldn’t sink into it the way I normally do with mystery novels. The crimes were grisly, as I’ve come to expect from books like this but I couldn’t help but feel that something here was lost in translation. Some scenes just seemed extraneous and like they were there to fill the pages over containing any pertinent information.

I found the plot a little bit predictable, although a child as a main character in a novel such as this was an interesting idea and I found myself enjoying Amanda and some of the other characters. I figured out the two possibilities of who the killer could be, and lo and behold they were both one person so I felt a little bit accomplished.

I feel like there was no reason to kill Ryan however, and do wonder why the author decided to make that decision. For me the most interesting parts of the novel were the last 100 pages, beyond that it is something I won’t pick up again but I just don’t think the style and pacing was my cup of tea.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars) by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

March 28, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well Marshmallows, we got another continuation of the Veronica Mars universe. And it was great.

I absolutely loved this book, and devoured it, searching for the easter eggs for those who had been huge fans of the show. But more than that I also tried to read this book as though I’d never heard of Veronica.

The dialogue, as it always is with Veronica, was snappy and witty, dare I say it even snarky. Mac is back, and she is as reliable and loveable as ever. Dick is the unwitting hero. Wallace is steadfast, and is responsible for one of my favourite moments in the book.

There were things, no spoilers here, that I was actually completely shocked at and that had me flipping and reading as fast as I possibly could.

At its heart though, I’m not sure anyone whose not read the show will get how shocking certain moments are, or appreciate the resurgence of certain characters

But me? I can’t wait for the next one.

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Book List 2014

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

March 25, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slight Spoilers

If the previous books were about the world’s obsession with looks, not being invisible and the need to be something you’re not in order to feel special than this book is about the obsession with reality TV and the need to expose everything of ourselves in the effort to get some attention.

New characters abound and while Aya’s naiveté was understood I often found myself annoyed with the way in which she acted, which I suspect was the intention. She cares more about being famous, than being trusted but there is a delightful evolution from the girl she is in the beginning of the book and who she comes by the end.

This is truly an interesting novel, and shows how the world can become corrupt even when there is a perceived freedom.

I really enjoyed this novel, despite what I felt was a slow beginning and the action and pacing of it toward the middle and end was what made it for me.

I would encourage almost everyone to read this series.

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Book List 2014

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

March 23, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was the one I had the hardest time getting into out of the series thus far but yet the end was fantastic. The development and growth of Tally after the degradation of yet another manipulation was supremely well done.

The thought of invisibility, and being unknown to those around you had me nodding my head in a few parts.

But it was in the thought of how brutality man can be that really had me frightened about the implications of a world like this, where people push into the wild to take what they want and take no prisoners while doing so. But the almost triumphant ending had me quite content.

The slang fell away slightly in this novel to some glorious descriptive explanations of what was going on that allowed me to close my eyes and really picture the world as it burned down around them.

It’s an interesting commentary on the direction the world is currently heading in and there are few characters with whom I could not sympathize with during this book.

Anyone who likes dystopian reflected in a way that is engrained with messages of where our current “Utopia” is heading this is definitely the book for you. It shows us the direction of lives and people who have not heeded the warning messages inherent in nature.

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Book List 2014

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (Very Bubbly Making, short spoilers)

March 21, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is totally bubbly making.

And now that I’ve gotten my one, and hopefully only use of the slang out of this book…Here are my thoughts.

I don’t know what I expected to happen in this book but this was definitely not it and I’m not complaining about that. The thought of losing ones identity so much just to be what the world wants you to be is terrifying. But then to have it all come rushing back and realizing the circumstances behind you losing yourself are even worse.

The science behind these books is fascinating and I wish that it was explained a little more in depth though I’m certain it will be within the next couple of books.

Tally is still as interesting a character to me as she was in the first book, perhaps even more so because despite being pretty she inadvertently cures herself, most likely due to a placebo effect and believing that she was cured.

David wasn’t in this book a lot but when he was he ended up being as kind of a character as he could be given the circumstances.

This was a very solid second book in a series, and with the way it ended I’m actually quite excited to move onto the third.

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