75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2012 Challenge)
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Jillian's 75 in 2012
Hi, Jillian. I admit I haven't read anything by Stephen King for a very long time, but I agree with you about the quality of his storytelling. Several of his have stuck with me over the years . . .
Kay wrote: "Hi, Jillian. I admit I haven't read anything by Stephen King for a very long time, but I agree with you about the quality of his storytelling. Several of his have stuck with me over the years . . ."I'm never disappointed with his writing!! I highly recommend The Shining and The Green Mile (though very, very different!)
2. Real Murders by Charlaine HarrisCharlaine Harris has written two of my favorite heroines: Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly. They are spunky and dynamic, and have lots to offer to the reader. Aurora Teagarden...not so much. Don't get me wrong. She's a fine narrator. But her personality doesn't quite live up to her name. She's a bit boring actually. Maybe boring is the wrong word. Underdeveloped? Regardless, she's got promise, but no pizazz. At least not in this first installment.
The plot of this mystery was okay. It moved quickly and Harris presented many potential suspects. However, like Aurora's character, it was underdeveloped. I struggled keeping many of the characters straight (there were a LOT of characters introduced very early on), and didn't have a strong reaction to the "big reveal" at the end of this.
I'll give the second installment a go 'cause I'm a loyal Harris fan, and like I said, I think this series has promise. But if you've never read a Harris before, I'd recommend one of her other series over this one.
Jillian wrote: "I highly recommend The Shining and The Green Mile (though very, very different!)"
You know, I really SHOULD read those. I saw both movies, but I know that as good as the movies are they can't quite touch the writing. Only thing that probably came close was the lengthy mini-series for The Stand.
Jillian wrote: "1. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen KingI've said it before, and I'll say it again: Stephen King is so underrated. People assume that because he is a prolific writer, he does not turn out quality writin..."
I SO AGREE! King's voice is so distinctive... have you read his book "On Writing"? I adored it.
Kay--I've owned The Stand for awhile now and I keep meaning to pick it up. Everyone raves about it. I didn't know it was a mini-series as well!Meghanly--I have read On Writing--And I've actually taught sections of it to my students. SUCH a good book!
Meghanly wrote: "Jillian wrote: "1. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Stephen King is so underrated. People assume that because he is a prolific writer, he does not turn ou..."
Here's another vote for On Writing. It's excellent! I also loved both The Green Mile and the epic Dark Tower series. I find King to be very hit-or-miss for me, but when he hits, he knocks it out of the park! His writing has definitely matured over the years; I was never a fan of his early, more lurid works, but I really enjoy the subtlety and suspense he's learned to weave into his later stories to such great effect.Edit to add: Regarding The Stand - There is much to like in this one, as there is great characterization and world-building, but one big deus ex machina had me tearing my hair. I can't for the life of me understand why he included it, but I really enjoyed the book other than that aspect and a handful of nitpicks. I think any time a book becomes that lengthy and involved, it's bound to stumble a few times.
Candiss--What are your favorite King novels? I'm open to suggestions!Candiss wrote: "Here's another vote for On Writing. It's excellent! I also loved both The Green Mile and the epic Dark Tower series. I find King to be very hit-or-miss for me, but when he hits, he knocks it out..."
3. The Night Circus by Erin MorgensternThis book was so good . As in, couldn't-put-it-down, thinking-about-it-all-the-time-good. I loved everything about it. Morgenstern's world is bright with color and sound and smell. I wanted to crawl inside the world of this book and just stay there. Wander around the circus for a night. Drink tea with Tsukiko. Walk through the ice garden. Watch Celia's act, and eat a caramel apple with Poppet. Give me my red scarf; I am officially a reveur.
This is one of the most vivid and beautiful novels I have ever read. I savored every page, and was so sad when it ended. The good news--I plan on returning to it again and again. If you are a fan of the magical and mystical, you will not be able to resist. Seriously. Go get it. Now.
4. A Bone to Pick by Charlaine HarrisBlech. The only thing this had going for it was that it was a quick read. Of the Harris books I've read, this is by far the worst. Too bad. Her other series are quite good. Sorry Roe--I won't be frequenting your world again.
5. The Replacement by Brenna YavanoffBy all accounts, I should have loved this book. Really. It's YA (check) and urban fiction (check). It's dark and twisted (check) and has a really great premise (check). However , I didn't like the characters. Or, let me clarify. I didn't care about the main character (or anyone else in the book for that matter). And so, I ask you this: Can you truly enjoy a story if you don't care whether your protagonist lives or dies? I would even have been content to dislike Mackie Doyle. But I can't even say that much for him. He seemed like a horny, wishy-washy, stereotypical teenager with the little problem of actually being a fairy/goblin/underworldly type creature.
The story itself wasn't half bad (though I did find myself raising questions that seemed to have no logical answers), but if asked to recommend a YA novel of this genre, I would 100% hands down endorse Tithe over this every single time.
6. The Help by Kathryn StockettDefinitely enjoyed this, but I can't say that I loved it. I always get nervous reading something that gets a ton of media hype. The bar is set so high that even the best of books rarely meet my expectations.
I'm not saying that this wasn't good. It was. Actually, quite good. And definitely worth the read. Stockett does a really great job of capturing a difficult topic, and you will absolutely fall in love with the women that she creates. Worth the read, but I won't be reaching for it again anytime soon.
Side note to anyone else that read this: Did you find yourself wanting to read Skeeter's book?? I definitely did!
7. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil GaimanA sweet little tale about a boy named Odd that would make a fantastic bedtime story for any little boy or girl with a big imagination.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for Neil Gaiman. I love everything he writes. It's magical and mystical and full of wonder. But that's not the only reason I drink it up. There's just something so honest and raw and true in his writing.
Sigh.
OH, and I just found out that Gaiman himself reads on the audiobook, I think I may have to re-visit this...
Mod
Totally agree Andrea! He is such a good writer!Andrea wrote: "I also loved King's On Writing! It was the first book I read by him. I later read the Green Mile in the original format of ?6 or 7 small books. That was also great! Then last year I read the Stand ..."
8. Chains by Laurie Halse AndersonWow. You'd never know that this was the same author of Speak and Winter Girls . Anderson's historical fiction doesn't read like any of her other novels. Not saying this is necessarily good or bad...just an observation I guess.
I enjoyed this, though it was a difficult read. Not difficult because of the language or the density. The writing was very readable. But the content was difficult. You find yourself rooting for Isabel through all of her horrific experiences. And it just reminds you again and again how disgusting humans can be in the way we treat each other.
I think this book would work really well in a history or ELA classroom to supplement a unit on the Civil War.
9. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
10. The Lover's Dictionary by David LevithanA sweet little love story. A unique (albeit gimmicky) format--this reads as a series of dictionary entries. The word at the top of the page guides the content of the entry. They also take the reader through a series of scenes/emotions/moments in one couple's relationship.
Cute, light, and fluffy.
11. Girl in the Arena by Lise HainesThis book had so, so much promise. I fell in love with the concept: Gladiator combat in modern day Boston. Excellent right?
Not so much. I don't know what I expected--but it wasn't this. I wanted a fast-paced story with a strong protagonist and a well-constructed world. While Haines did a nice job of explaining how Gladiator culture came to exist in today's world, she didn't do a great job of constructing a plot. The main event of the book, Lyn fighting her father's killer in an attempt to win her own freedom, doesn't happen until the last 30 pages. The last 30 pages of a 300+ page book. That's right--so for the first 270 pages or so, we get this big build up to an event that actually turned out to be rather anti-climactic.
If you want to read a fight-to-the-death book, I'd recommend The Hunger Games . That's not to say that these two books have much in common--they don't. But that's my point. There are books that deal with a similar topic that are done much, much better.
12. Chocolat by Joanne HarrisThe good news--I can finally see the movie now! I've always wanted to, but haven't because I knew there was a book. Most people I've talked to love the film, so I had high hopes for the book. Unfortunately, it didn't really do it for me. I liked the style of alternating chapters between the protagonist, the chocolate shop owner, and the antagonist, the village priest. I also liked the elements of magical realism. But the plot was slow and the characters lacking. Not my cup of tea (or should I say, cup of chocolate?)
Mod
Andrea wrote: "Jillian, I'm a total book over movie 99% of the time -type of a person. This is one of those 1% of the time where the movie was better than the book for me."I'm also a book over movie person. The books are generally so much richer in character, which is usually what gets cut from the movies.
Andrea--I'll definitely be checking Chocolat out in hopes that the film redeems the story a bit!
13. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleI read this years ago, and remember loving it. So, I decided to revisit it. Funny--I enjoyed it, but it was absolutely nothing like I remembered!
14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak2012 review
Things I love about this book:
*The unique narrator of the story--Death.
*The characters--Liesel, Rudy, Hans, Rosa, Max. Re-reading was like visiting old friends. I know I'll revisit this in years to come because as soon as I turned the last page, I already found myself missing the characters.
*The imagery that the author uses. In an interview in the back of the book, Zusak says that he likes to include a gem on each page of his writing. I think this is an understatement; his writing is simply gorgeous.
If you haven't read this, you should. Immediately. It's that good.
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsRe-read this because I wanted to refresh myself before seeing the film. I must say, I still really enjoyed it. The pacing of this story is great--just zips you from one chapter to the next and doesn't even give you a chance to catch your breath. Think I'll re-read the rest of the series while I'm at it, although if I remember correctly, I don't think I enjoyed the next two as much. Definitely a good read and worthy of a read (or a re-read!).
16. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins2012 review
Definitely didn't like this as much as the first one--and after reading my 2009 review, I realize that the element I liked about this book (first time around) was the plot. I was so interested in what was going to happen.
This time through, my focus wasn't on the plot-- I was more focused on character development and the relationships. I still love Peeta--definitely my favorite character.
Still good, but not as good on re-reading.
17. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins2012 review
Definitely like this the least of the three books in this trilogy. The first time through, I was so interested to learn what happened that I didn't care about the choppy pacing. This time, it really, really bothered me. Especially since her first two books were so well executed. I also felt Katniss' character changed--she was much more selfish and self-serving in this one.
Still a great series, but this book is nowhere near as strong as The Hunger Games.
18. Rumble Fish by S.E. HintonThis is my first Hinton--which is surprising because everyone on the planet seems to have read The Outsiders .
I enjoyed this novel--definitely an easy read. Thinking it might be a great book to teach in summer school this year??
19. Shanghai Girls by Lisa SeeThis was my first Lisa See. I have no idea how I managed to avoid Snow Flower since everyone I know has read it (I do, in fact, own it. But that can be said of many books that I've yet to visit). Shanghai Girls came to me in a stack of books by See and I reached for it because it had come up in conversation recently.
While I enjoyed the parts about China and its history, that wasn't what sold this book for me. The best part about this book was the relationships that See built. I especially liked the relationship created between Pearl and May, the two sisters. I love See's thoughts on sisters: "parents die, daughters grow up and marry out, but sisters are for life." So true, and anyone who has a sister can relate to this. I also enjoyed the different generations of women in this novel and the values they represented about Chinese and American culture.
That being said-- I think I'd be more apt to recommend Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club over this; though they address different parts of Chinese history, the relationships between the women (the mothers and the daughters, and the sisters) drive both texts. Joy Luck has such a satisfying ending. This one? Not so much. The last 20 pages were very frustrating. I've noticed that many reviews suggest holding off judgment until reading the sequel. So I think I'll have to do that and then perhaps revisit this one.
Jillian, oh, I loved [book:The Joy Luck Club|7763! I've had Lisa See on my list of authors to read for quite awhile . . . maybe someday.
I prefer Amy Tan--but if you are interested in Chinese history, Lisa See does a great job bringing the past to life!Kay wrote: "Jillian, oh, I loved [book:The Joy Luck Club|7763! I've had Lisa See on my list of authors to read for quite awhile . . . maybe someday."
20. Dreams of Joy by Lisa SeeI enjoyed Shanghai Girls but was unhappy with its ending--it left you wondering what was going to happen next with no other alternative than to go out and get the book. Unfortunately, this scenario ends one of two ways:
1. The sequel is fantastic and you end up loving the work as a whole.
2. The sequel is disappointing which taints your impression of the first book as well.
The latter was true for me. I did not enjoy this book. It switched back and forth from Pearl and Joy's perspectives, and I hated the Joy sections with a passion. I can't stand her. She's selfish, impulsive, and utterly unbelievable. I appreciated the documentation of China under Mao's reign, but I didn't enjoy the story. At all.
As my students would say, Lisa See, you "forced it."
Jillian wrote: "20. Dreams of Joy by Lisa SeeI enjoyed Shanghai Girls but was unhappy with its ending--it left you wondering what was going to happen next with no other alternative than to go out and get the b..."
That's disappointing. That the sequel was so disappointing, but also that it's so tied to the first book. I know it's tough when dealing with series, but I still feel like a book should be able to stand on its own. Especially first books.
I totally agree Charleen!Charleen wrote: "Jillian wrote: "20. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
I enjoyed Shanghai Girls but was unhappy with its ending--it left you wondering what was going to happen next with no other alternative than to go o..."
21. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian SelznickA+ for the format. I love how Selznick uses pictures and words to paint his story. The artwork is absolutely stunning. I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book.
B for the plot. It's good, but nothing spectacular.
I can't wait to see the film. Most people I talk to say that it is better than the book (how rare!) because it does a better job of capturing the story as a film (which is what the book tries to do...I think...)
22. The Fault in Our Stars by John GreenI've read three John Green novels to date: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and now The Fault in Our Stars . What to say? Well, let's start with this: I like John Green's work. I appreciate his nerdiness and wittiness. But he isn't an author writes just for me (if that makes sense). I always feel a sense of outsider-ness when reading his novels. Like I get what he's doing and appreciate it...but at the end of the day, it isn't meant for me. Does that make ANY sense?
My two main gripes with Green's work:
1. A bit formulaic (but forgivable because of the entertainment factor)
2. A bit pretentious. Teenagers don't talk that way. They are not nearly as articulate or snarky as Green's characters. It's a shame, but true.
Of the three texts that I've read, this was my favorite, followed by An Abundance of Katherines and then Looking for Alaska . If a student asked me which one to read, I would recommend Looking for Alaska ; if a co-worker or peer asked me, I would recommend this one. I liked Hazel wayyyyy better than the female characters in the other two.
Definitely a worthwhile read, and if you haven't read any Green, this is a great place to start. Just make sure you have your tissues handy.
3.5 stars
Mod
I just finished Shanghai girls, and started Dreams of Joy, and I'm only about 50 pages in, but I already think Joy is a little snot! LOL...glad to think someone else thinks so too!
Yup! Still have two more to go...but took a little break!Andrea wrote: "Jillian, looks like you are on a Lise See streak! I think I have all of theses books at home but have yet to read one."
Joy--I'm so curious to see what you think of DOJ!Joy wrote: "I just finished Shanghai girls, and started Dreams of Joy, and I'm only about 50 pages in, but I already think Joy is a little snot! LOL...glad to think someone else thinks so too!"
23. The Stand by Stephen KingThe Stand is one of those novels that has been on my to-read list for a ridiculously (embarrassingly) long time. I've reached for it a couple of times, balked at its length, and consequently, always popped it back on the shelf in favor of something shorter/lighter/less daunting. But then, summer rolled around and I knew it was time.
The length is what it is. Once you acknowledge it and stop fighting it, you'll be fine. And honestly, the story is so fantastic that you won't really notice that at 500 pages in, you are still under halfway through. You won't notice this because you will fall in love with the characters. (I'm a total Nick Andros and Stu Redman kinda gal. OH, and Tom Cullen. Let's not forget him.) You'll spend so much time with these characters that you feel like you know them, and when King kills some of them off, you'll be devastated.
Thematically, this is one of those quintessential good vs. evil novels with all the goodies that you'd expect: love and redemption, the power of choice, questions about human nature, the resilience of man, etc.
I loved this novel, and I would challenge anyone who wants to write off King as a fluffy horror writer to read this novel and then reassess.
24. Deadlocked by Charlaine HarrisSigh. Sigh. Double Sigh.
There's nothing to say about this book because, just like the last 5 or so in the series, NOTHING HAPPENS. And nothing happens because Harris continues to introduce plot points that really don't matter in the grand scheme of Sookie's life and relationship.
I love Sookie. I really do. I want to invite her over for tea and sweet potato casserole. I want to look at word of the day calendars and assess if her ponytail is truly as perky as she says.
But more than that, I want this series to end. Now. Please, Ms. Harris. End it. Please.
Jillian wrote: "23. The Stand by Stephen KingThe Stand is one of those novels that has been on my to-read list for a ridiculously (embarrassingly) long time. I've reached for it a couple of times, balked at it..."
Jillian, earlier this year you got me in the mood to read something by Stephen King. Wouldn't you know, it was "The Stand" that I picked up - even though I have already read it! It's been a very long time, though, and I remember how well-written it was. I'm sure I'll enjoy it again. And then I'll have to go for something of his that I haven't read yet!
Yay for inspiring each other to read! He's such a great writer!Kay wrote: "Jillian wrote: "23. The Stand by Stephen King
The Stand is one of those novels that has been on my to-read list for a ridiculously (embarrassingly) long time. I've reached for it a couple of tim..."
Mod
25. Alias Grace by Margaret AtwoodNot a light read. Not an easy read. But a good, solid read that calls you back for more.
The Washington Post quote on the cover reads: " Alias Grace has all the pacing of a commercial novel and all of the resonance of a classic." I couldn't agree more. I loved the style of the novel, and wasn't bothered at all by the shifting points of view, interjections of poetry, and the occasional letter. Atwood seems to be presenting her reader with various pieces of evidence about Grace's situation, yet somehow manages to successfully withhold her own opinion on Grace's guilt. And knowing that it was based on one of the most sensational murder cases of the 19th century definitely added to my interest.
Took me a little time to get into it, but once I did, I was completely absorbed.
26. A Separate Peace by John KnowlesRe-read this every summer since it is one of my students' summer reading books!
27. Arms and the Man by George Bernard ShawAnother summer reading re-read.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Stephen King is so underrated. People assume that because he is a prolific writer, he does not turn out quality writing. I beg to differ. He possesses a natural gift of storytelling, a wild imagination, and the ability to create likeable, flesh and blood characters.
That being said, if you aren't into vampire books, don't read this. It's classic vampire fiction. It's gory (though, not unnecessarily so--much of the horror is in what you imagine), and the vampires are brutal. Don't expect any Edward Cullens in 'Salem's Lot .
Not my favorite Stephen King, but definitely worth the read if you are a fan of the vampire genre.
3.5 stars