Holes

I was looking for something a little easier to read so that I could read and watch the Olympics at the same time, and I came across Holes.  I had read it a few years ago and loved it, and seen the movie and enjoyed that as well.  I reread it the other day and it was just as good.  It wasn't as exciting since I knew what was coming, but as a first grader told me a few years ago, "A good book is like an old friend," (which to her meant you could read it over and over and still find enjoyment.

I had to put it in here, since I finished it.  Fantastic read, especially for upper elementary/middle school readers.

I also have begun reading The Kite Runner.  So far I am enjoying that too.  It's reminding me a little bit of Life of Pi, probably because it's about a boy who is growing up somewhere else in the world.  I thought that since it takes place in a place and culture with which I am not too familiar that it would be hard to access, but so far it is very easy to understand, and the words that the author writes from other languages he explains almost immediately.  So far I'm about 15% done, which equates to chapter 6 and page 51 of 391.  I'm anxious to keep reading, but I have so many other things to do this weekend that I'm not sure I will get to much more of it.  Oh well.  It will get done eventually.

The Amber Spyglass: Check!

Well, here we are, mid-February and I've finished the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.  It started out pretty good and went downhill from there.  Bummer.

I just finished The Amber Spyglass, and was pretty disappointed.  Not only was it entirely too long, but it also wandered from the main point and tried to do too much.  I loved The Golden Compass because there was a clear goal in mind (Lyra tries to save Roger) but this one had too many things going on and I was pretty uninterested throughout.

Anyway, I am glad this series is done even though I enjoyed the first book.  Yesterday, in anticipation of finishing this book, I downloaded Emma for free.  I think I will read that next.  As soon as The Return of the King is back in the online library, I will download that to read as well.

Well, this was disappointing.  Hopefully Emma will be more enjoyable.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

I recently finished reading Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  Every once in a while it's fun to read a goofy book like that.  While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Bossypants, it was enjoyable and I liked reading about someone else's life.

I guess I don't really have any commentary on this one.  I just wanted to document that I had read it and that it was good.  There were a lot of funny quotes that I highlighted and will remain in my kindle forever.  (Creepily, as I was typing that, I heard Harry Potter quoting in my head "her body will lie in the chamber forever".....weird)

I'm still working on The Amber Spyglass.  So far I'm about 75-80% done with that book.  Really the only one of those books I've enjoyed so far was The Golden Compass.  The 2nd one was kind of boring, and the 3rd one is dragging on and on and on, seemingly without purpose.  Any symbolism or foreshadowing from book 1 has been lost or forced in.  Honestly, I'm just kind of waiting for it to be over.  The good news is that I have less than 2 hours left, according to my Kindle.

The Subtle Knife: Check!

Well, I guess my Kindle is working in terms of getting me to read more!  We are only seven days into the new year and already I've finished 2 books (and am 11% into The Amber Spyglass). 

I actually didn't like The Subtle Knife at all...it was strange and definitely didn't have the quality of adventure I felt in The Golden Compass.  I'm thinking it may have had something to do with the fact that it mostly took place in this world in present day.  I also wasn't really sure the whole time what Lyra and Will's goal was.  I mean, I realize they were searching for Will's father, but there was not really any sense of why or any urgency or anything that tied the two stories together.  It was as if I was watching a TV show and a character from a COMPLETELY different show showed up and they continued the story by trying to fit their worlds together, with a strange result.  I'm thinking something like a vampire shows up during How I Met Your Mother or something equally as strange.  The whole thing was disjointed and kind of forced.  I don't know...I guess it just wasn't my favorite. 

The good news is that I'm now reading the Amber Spyglass, and am liking that better, as it is starting to make sense again.  So far Will is searching for Lyra, which seems a plausible storyline, and definitely presents some urgency.  I'll report on this when I finish, which will be in 8 hours, as my kindle has so kindly let me know.  After that, I'll have to see if Return of the King is available at the ebook library, and if not I'll have to find something else from my list.

The Golden Compass: Check!

I just finished read The Golden Compass, book 1 of the His Dark Materials series (#9)  I enjoyed it up until the last section of the book, where it got a little tedious and boring.  I now have two other books in that series to finish (which puts me midway through two different trilogies: this one and LOTR)

I read this book when I was 13 or 14 and didn't remember too much about it.  I remember it took me a long time to get through and that I didn't particularly enjoy it.  This time, though I was much more interested and for most of the book couldn't put it down.  I hope the other books are as good.

It was interesting to read about a universe that was almost like ours, but had very distinct differences (daemons, for example). The next book supposedly takes place in a world like ours, but Lyra somehow is part of that as well.  The Subtle Knife is definitely my next read, as I try to power through this series.

I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes:

"That is the duty of the old," said the Librarian, "to be anxious on behalf of the young.  And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old."   (p. 32)

"Yes, I could teach.  Give me the right pupil, and I will light a fire in his mind!"   (p. 330)

"The stars are alive, child.  Did you know that?  Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purposes abroad.  The universe is full of intentions you know.  Everything happens for a purpose.   (p. 330)

"In the same moment, one future would close forever as the other began to unfold"   (p. 349)

Obligatory New Years Post

Well, my numbers this year were disappointing at best.  I read a grand total of 4 books....2 of which were not even on the list, and 1 that I had read already.  All in all, I crossed Cloud Atlas off my list this year.

Maybe 2014 will be the year I finish Lord of the Rings.

Even with my dismal end of the year outcome, today has been an exciting day for reading, and I joined the modern world (of 2010 or so) and bought a kindle.  I've had it for less than half a day, but I am really enjoying it so far.  I figured out that many of the books I need to read are free as they are out of copyright, and many of the rest I can borrow from the library online somehow.  Today I borrowed and downloaded The Golden Compass so that I could start the His Dark Materials series.  I have read that book before, but it was during high school and I was not such a fan.  (However, I felt obligated to read it, as it was a birthday present from a friend).  The only thing I remember about it was that it took place somewhere with snow and was kind of mysterious and there was a girl with a funky name who had a shapeshifter pet with her at all times.

So, now I'm about 15% through the book (my kindle now conveniently calculates my percentage) and enjoying it much more than the first time.  Hopefully it will be a quick read for me.  Apparently the whole book will take me less than 6 hours.....not sure how the kindle knows that but so far it's pretty accurate, so we'll see.

Back to reading!

TKAM: Check!

I finally finished To Kill A Mockingbird.  [does celebratory dance]

I started reading the book this summer after chasing around and trying to decide which version to buy.  I had a terrible time deciding, because I wanted a paperback with the tree on the front, but without the ragged pages.  Every paperback with the tree had the ragged pages, and so did the hardcover.  Eventually, after much turmoil about needing to have the "right" cover, I gave up and got the cheapest version with no ragged pages and a different cover.  I ended up liking the cover I got very much, especially because there is a tree on the cover that continues to the spine and back.  On the spine is the knot in the tree with a dolls and a watch and coins in it, and there are silhouettes of Scout and Jem and a bird and the title is written out on the branches of the tree.  While it is not original, I enjoy it quite a bit.  Here is a picture of the front and back cover and spine.

I had to read this book in ninth grade in little chunks and answer comprehension questions.  At the end we had to take a test on the plot of the story.  I liked the book OK while answering questions, but it was too disjointed for me to pay attention to what was actually going on.  So, I reread the book in preparation for the test and liked it SOOO much better. 

This summer I got a "craving" to read it, and so I started it.  I continued reading throughout the summer and even took it with me on a mini road trip vacation.  I was about 2/3 done when I got a full time job and put it on hold for a while, only to pick it back up a week ago and finish.  It was even better than last time.

Then I caught the reading bug again.  I have a list of movies I'd like to see when they come out on DVD, one of which was "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."  However, I decided I needed to read the book before I saw the movie, so I read it in a couple of days and literally just finished.  It was interesting because it mentioned To Kill A Mockingbird in the very beginning, and really reminded me of The Catcher in the Rye, which is another book the main character, Charlie, reads.  I enjoyed the book in the first half, and then it started getting kind of gloomy.  It wasn't my favorite ever, but it was definitely a quick read.  As a bonus, I can watch the movie now.

As always, my goal is to finish LOTR next, but as we all know, I will inevitably become sidetracked by something else that takes 3 months and I say I will finish it later.  I'm hopeful, though.  Happy Thanksgiving!