30 Days of Books
Nabbed from cassiphone:
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
A book series that I wished had gone on longer? That's a tough one because most of the series' that I love are so good and written by such smart writers that the books were perfectly balanced and ended where they should have. But based solely one which books I enjoyed the most, Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy would be the one I would go for. The story itself was only a three book arc - any more and it would have felt a little drawn out - but the world Nix created was so intricate and original and addictive that I always felt sad finishing Abhorsen and fare-welling not just the characters but also the world. Perhaps it was for this reason that Nix has written a few short stories set in the Old Kingdom/Ancelstierre world since then and it's wonderful to be able to dip a little toe back in that place but I'd love to be able to sink my teeth into a full novel again.
A book series that I wish had ended already. As much as I still enjoy them, it would have to be Laurell K. Hamilton's Ania Blake and Merry Gentry series' - that should have ended about six to seven books ago for Blake and one or two ago for Gentry. I still enjoy the characters but because there isn't really a story arc in Blake anymore, things just keep going without any particular goal or aim. Interestingly, the same is happening with the Merry Gentry series, at about the same time as it happened with Anita (the Gentry series is about ten books behind the Blake series). With Anita - her goal was to avoid falling into bed and possibly love and servitude with the Master of the city of Saint Louis - the vampire Jean-Claude, not to mention falling for Richard - the werewolf with serious issues and completing the human, vampire, werewolf Triumvirate. Once this happened and the books became more and more about sex and less and less about her more interesting jobs of vampire hunter, US Marshal and animator, you really felt that the plot was definitely lost. The same goes for Merry, whose goal was to get pregnant and win the Unseelie throne. Basically hot, sexy faerie woman + heap of hot sexy faerie male guards = a fun read with some kind of goal. But now Merry's pregnant and while you could argue that the books could go on until she's actually had the kids, Hamilton has already stripped away the goal of the throne and for the most part, Merry's day job of private investigator. Hamilton seems to have this knack for creating a fascinating world, with interesting jobs and wonderfully flawed characters... and then dropping all of that and just reducing a book to, in the case of one of the latest Gentry books - twenty four hours of sex, with no plot or progression. Granted, Hamilton seems to be pulling her act together in the latest books of both series but a lot has been made of the simplification and single-minded focus on sex that has occurred and it has lost her quite a few readers and some like me, that teetered on the edge but kept buying the books in the hope that the plot would return.
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your “comfort” book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
A book series that I wished had gone on longer? That's a tough one because most of the series' that I love are so good and written by such smart writers that the books were perfectly balanced and ended where they should have. But based solely one which books I enjoyed the most, Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy would be the one I would go for. The story itself was only a three book arc - any more and it would have felt a little drawn out - but the world Nix created was so intricate and original and addictive that I always felt sad finishing Abhorsen and fare-welling not just the characters but also the world. Perhaps it was for this reason that Nix has written a few short stories set in the Old Kingdom/Ancelstierre world since then and it's wonderful to be able to dip a little toe back in that place but I'd love to be able to sink my teeth into a full novel again.
A book series that I wish had ended already. As much as I still enjoy them, it would have to be Laurell K. Hamilton's Ania Blake and Merry Gentry series' - that should have ended about six to seven books ago for Blake and one or two ago for Gentry. I still enjoy the characters but because there isn't really a story arc in Blake anymore, things just keep going without any particular goal or aim. Interestingly, the same is happening with the Merry Gentry series, at about the same time as it happened with Anita (the Gentry series is about ten books behind the Blake series). With Anita - her goal was to avoid falling into bed and possibly love and servitude with the Master of the city of Saint Louis - the vampire Jean-Claude, not to mention falling for Richard - the werewolf with serious issues and completing the human, vampire, werewolf Triumvirate. Once this happened and the books became more and more about sex and less and less about her more interesting jobs of vampire hunter, US Marshal and animator, you really felt that the plot was definitely lost. The same goes for Merry, whose goal was to get pregnant and win the Unseelie throne. Basically hot, sexy faerie woman + heap of hot sexy faerie male guards = a fun read with some kind of goal. But now Merry's pregnant and while you could argue that the books could go on until she's actually had the kids, Hamilton has already stripped away the goal of the throne and for the most part, Merry's day job of private investigator. Hamilton seems to have this knack for creating a fascinating world, with interesting jobs and wonderfully flawed characters... and then dropping all of that and just reducing a book to, in the case of one of the latest Gentry books - twenty four hours of sex, with no plot or progression. Granted, Hamilton seems to be pulling her act together in the latest books of both series but a lot has been made of the simplification and single-minded focus on sex that has occurred and it has lost her quite a few readers and some like me, that teetered on the edge but kept buying the books in the hope that the plot would return.
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your “comfort” book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?