Book Talk Friday: Catching Fire

Currently Reading: In the Woods

Reader,

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins

In the second installment of the Hunger Games, all is not well in the districts.  The daring events that ended the first novel are sending ripples of dissent through the districts.  Katniss's one small act of rebellion is the spark, but how big will the fire be?

Why did I pick it up?  Around a year ago I read Hunger Games in a class, and fell in love.  After a year I finally was able to pick up and read this one.

Why did I continue reading? I couldn't stop.  I read as much as I could in the break room at work, and spent my shifts either upset that I had to leave the book, or looking forward to my next break to pick it back up.

Writer's Take:  The astounding part of this novel is the pacing.  Most writers struggle with pacing, and the differences between showing and telling.  If you show everything, you have an epic length novel with detail overload.  If you tell everything, you get a shorter novel that is probably quite dull.  The ability to hold a reader in limbo, turning page after page after page, is difficult to master.  Suzanne Collins has mastered the pacing in her novel, and the reader just eats it up.

I'd suggest this to: Valkyrie, and anyone else who loves young adult novels as an adult. 

Until next time,
Rose 

Friday Book Talk: A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That

Currently Reading: In the Woods

Reader,

I've done it again.  They say you need to do things over twenty times before they become habits, so maybe in thirty weeks I'll be posting regularly without having to think about it.  Until then, I'm trying out a new calendar, so hopefully I'll stop promising to post more regularly and start actually doing so.

A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That
by Lisa Glatt

Rachel Sparks is in her thirties, a successful college professor, and her mother has breast cancer.  At the core of this novel is Rachel's struggles to cope with her mother's illness.  Surrounding Rachel's story are the stories of other girls struggling with men, sex, infidelity, and cancer. 


Why I started reading: I was wandering through the library looking for any books th at caught my eye, and this one did.  Not only is the title catching, but the image is the perfect compliment to such a catchy title.


Why I finished: The stories of different women drew me in.  I was intrigued by the connections made between Rachel and the other women.


Writer's Take:  One very interesting aspect of this book, whether you enjoy the story or not, is the choice of perspective.  Rachel Sparks' story is a first person narrative.  Breaking up her story are third person narratives.  This shift in perspectives makes for a very interesting read, allowing the reader to keep in touch with the main character's "I" while reading the third person "she"s.


Who I'd recommend this to: Women who don't mind a look at the grittier aspects of being a woman.

 

Until next time,
Rose 

Friday Book Talk: Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Currently Reading: A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That: A Novel

Reader,

Good News!  I have the idea for a few blog articles, and the time off to write them!  Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere will resume it's regular twice weekly schedule!

Jane Austen Ruined My Life
by Beth Pattillo

Emma Grant had it all.  She fell in love with her own Austen-esque hero, an esteemed professor who encouraged her to teach and be a scholar of Austen.  She had it all, that is, until her happily ever after fell to shreds.  In a campaign to expose Jane Austen for a fraud, Emma travels halfway around the world to uncover the lost Austen letters.

Why I started the book:  Like many of the books I read, I'm sure I first heard of this novel in a blog.  However the title in and of itself is an eye catcher.  It engages the reader, and at once you want to know how?  Why?


Why I finished the book: I have to be honest, I have yet to read any Jane Austen.  I am pretty sure none of the high school or college classes I have taken ever covered her work, which is a bit of a shame.  This novel is a bit like The Da Vinci Code for literary types.  You marvel at the coincidences, and wonder what the end will be.  Even when you're sure you know exactly how the novel will end, it still has the potential to surprise you.  And it made me want to read not just one Jane Austen book, but all the ones mentioned.


Writer's Take: This novel is a fantastic example of poetic license.  The author has taken Jane Austen's novels, letters, and the truths known about the literary legend, and played a game of 'What if?'.  It's purely fiction, but it is imaginative fiction that ties all of Austen's works together to help tell the story of Austen's life.


The other thing this novel is a prime example of is the way in which new fiction can help spark interest in classics that should have been read, but may not of been.  Everyone should have read at least one Jane Austen book, however I am one example of that not happening.  This book made me want to start reading her work to see how they influenced Beth Patillo's novel.

Who I'd Recommend This To:  Valkyrie because she's a insatiable reader and would love it, TC because I know she's read much more Austen than I have, and women everywhere who blame something else for their ruined lives.

Until next time,
Rose 

Book Talk Friday: Soulless

Currently Reading: Commencement (Vintage Contemporaries)

Reader,

Soulless
by Gail Carriger

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster, set on the shelf without as much as a chance at marriage.  Her mother claims that Alexia's skin is too dark, her nose too large, and her intelligence too sharp to be the marrying type.  Little does her mother know that Alexia is also Soulless.

Why I started the book: It was first recommended to me by a swell guy in North Carolina before it had come out.  He had heard about it and was anxiously awaiting it's debut.  Later Soulless started causing quite the ruckus throughout the literary blogging community.  After suggesting it to the library as a book they should acquire I was finally able to read it.

Why I finished the book: Oh man, this book has a little of everything.  It's a speculative, historical, steampunk, paranormal, romance, and mystery novel.  The protagonist is a strong feminist female in a time when standing up for one's rights was not easy to do.  It's a fun read and I loved every moment of it. 

Writer's Take:  I must agree with Agent Kristin over at Pub Rants when she claims that Soulless is a key example of great opening pages.  The best part is that the energy doesn't peter out.  The reader doesn't feel that the opening pages, the grabber, was amazing but the rest of the novel didn't live up to it.

Who I'd Recommend it to: Starzy, Phule, Valkyrie, Scorpius, Momica, lovers of paranormal romance, historical romance, and those who ever wondered if the world would have evolved differently with the interference of paranormal beings.

Until next time,
Rose 

Book Talk Friday: The Magicians

Currently Reading: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)

Reader,

The Magicians: A Novel
by Lev Grossman

Quentin Coldwater has always been an overachiever at school.  He's worked hard all his life to ultimately attain the "perfect life."  Perfect according to who?  Quentin has always imagined there was something more.  Most children read about Fillory (Grossman's Narnia) as a child, but Quentin was obsessed with it.  He always knew he was destined for something less mundane than suburbian perfection.  


Why I started the book: Rachelle Gardner mentioned in a post a few months ago that the book caught her eye, and after reading the synopsis, it caught my eye too.
 
Why I finished the book:  Although there were a few things that drew me away from the book, I would have to say the thing that kept me reading was the need to know if Quentin could ever find happiness where he was. 

Writer's Take:  From this I think one can learn a lot about pacing.  Not necessarily good pacing, as I didn't much like it, but some people might.  In my humble opinion Grossman spends far too much time in the first section, or far too little in the second, third, and fourth.  The first doesn't feel long or drawn out, per say, but the first half of the book is Book I and the rest has Books II through IV.  This can leave the reader feeling unbalanced.

In spite of it's flaws, the novel is actually a well thought out exploration of pessimism, happiness, and leaves the reader to interpret the last line.  Is the glass half full, or half empty?  Endings like this can be unsettling, but Grossman does the ending well.  It's not cheesy, or corny, but does send a chill down your spine and leaves you wondering.


Who I'd Recommend this too:  Phule, Rok, Valkyrie, those who enjoy studies of emotion, psychology, those who enjoy character driven Urban Fantasy, and pessimists.
 
Until next time,
Rose 

Book Talk Friday- The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Currently Reading: The Magicians: A Novel

Reader,

Thanks to everyone clicking on my google adverts.  It takes only seconds and it helps pay for coffee which makes this writer happy.  

Today is the first ever book talk Friday!  Feel free to leave me feedback so I can continue to improve the blog.

The adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox has no memory of the past year.  Jenna Fox has no memory of her past life. She is told her name is Jenna Fox, and she was in an accident a year ago.  Her memories will come with time, she is told.  So why is she a walking encyclopedia of facts not relating to her?

Why I started the book: I had been hearing bits and pieces about the book on and off for a while.  What really caught my attention was this book trailer.  After hearing the last line, I had to read it.

Why I finished the book: The exploration of identity and humanity throughout the novel blew me away.  What makes someone human?  How much can you take away before you aren't human anymore?

Writer's Take: One thing that caught my eye about this book is how little the original mystery matters to the overall story.  At the beginning of the book, the reader should notice that something is most definitely wrong.  An assumption would be that the suspense of solving the mystery would be the heart of the book.  Instead the main mystery is solved at the halfway point, leaving the second half of the book for the emotional consequences of the revelation.  This is a different take on the traditional Mystery/Suspense thriller in which the solution is the last quarter or less of the book.

Who I'd suggest it to: Those of any age who are struggling to figure out who they are in life.  Also those who like philosophy and/or ethical dilemmas would enjoy this book.

Remember, if this book interests you, you can buy it from Amazon to help support the reviewer. 

Until next time,
Rose