currently reading
Okay, I'm going to try to do this on a regular basis (HA! I wonder how many posts I've said THAT in). Mostly for my own amusement, but I know a lot of you are big readers too, so maybe we can discuss titles we might both be reading.
Candor by Pam Bachorz - I'm about halfway through this book and I really like it. The main plot is that the teens in a small town in Florida is controlled by subliminal messages to make them "perfect". Oscar's father is the one behind the messages, but Oscar has figured out how to manipulate them. In fact, he's started a business on the side of smuggling the really rich kids out of the neighborhood (for a fee, of course). Then a new girl shows up in town and Oscar really like her. But should he get her out of Candor before the messages mess with her unique personality, or let her stay so he can be with her? I really like Oscar's voice, seems very realistic for a 17 year old boy. Can't wait to see how it ends!
Marked by P.C. Cast - this one, on the other hand, I just want to END! I have to read this for a book discussion thing I'm going to later this month. And I'm facilitating the discussion so I can't not read it. The story is cliche (think Harry Potter, but with vamps instead of wizards - they even have an uber-blonde evil person...though it's a girl in this book), the main character a Mary-Sue in every way, the other characters walking stereotypes (a very gay guy who is attractive and dresses well and calls everyone "honey", an African-American girl with an attitude...) and to top it all off, it is VERY poorly written - lots of showing and telling and then telling again with a lame pop culture reference that already seems dated. I have to read this with my breakfast because my brain is still not 100% awake. I don't think I could take it if I was fully aware.
The Restless Dead - I'm also reading this for the book discussion. It's not a painful read. It's a short story collection of original supernatural tales. Problem is, most of them feel like writing exercises. Like the authors got a memo that said "we need a 10 page story that has a supernatural element with a twist!" and they wrote them. None of the stories have blown me away. I'm interested to hear what the teens have to say about this one, mostly because I've read Poe and watched Twilight Zone, but if you're not familiar with this genre, you might be more surprised by the twists at the end.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - I'm listening to this one and the audiobook is fantastic. It only has a single narrator, which usually turns me off, but Simon Vance manages to create unique voices for EVERYONE in this book. And there are a lot of people. This is actually an adult mystery. The Swedish title literally translates into "Men who hate women", which gives you a bit of a hint of what sort of mysteries you'll be dealing with in the story. But there is SO much story, I' can't even figure out how to sum it up here. I just put disc 7 into my player this morning and the plot if really thickening. I know I'll be picking up the sequel as soon as this one finishes.
Sitting Next to my bed and waiting for their turn:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray - I've never read any of Bray's Gemma Doyle series, but when I read a blurb about this in a magazine, it sounded like my kind of story. A teen gets mad cow disease and begins to go crazy. Wacky, weird, and hilarious. Will be a nice read after the heaviness of 'Girl' and 'Candor'
Night Trippers by Mark Ricketts and Micah Farritor - this was in a Library Journal article about book talking graphic novels to adults. Sounded like an interesting title. Swingin' 60s London WITH VAMPIRES! Who could say no to that?
Candor by Pam Bachorz - I'm about halfway through this book and I really like it. The main plot is that the teens in a small town in Florida is controlled by subliminal messages to make them "perfect". Oscar's father is the one behind the messages, but Oscar has figured out how to manipulate them. In fact, he's started a business on the side of smuggling the really rich kids out of the neighborhood (for a fee, of course). Then a new girl shows up in town and Oscar really like her. But should he get her out of Candor before the messages mess with her unique personality, or let her stay so he can be with her? I really like Oscar's voice, seems very realistic for a 17 year old boy. Can't wait to see how it ends!
Marked by P.C. Cast - this one, on the other hand, I just want to END! I have to read this for a book discussion thing I'm going to later this month. And I'm facilitating the discussion so I can't not read it. The story is cliche (think Harry Potter, but with vamps instead of wizards - they even have an uber-blonde evil person...though it's a girl in this book), the main character a Mary-Sue in every way, the other characters walking stereotypes (a very gay guy who is attractive and dresses well and calls everyone "honey", an African-American girl with an attitude...) and to top it all off, it is VERY poorly written - lots of showing and telling and then telling again with a lame pop culture reference that already seems dated. I have to read this with my breakfast because my brain is still not 100% awake. I don't think I could take it if I was fully aware.
The Restless Dead - I'm also reading this for the book discussion. It's not a painful read. It's a short story collection of original supernatural tales. Problem is, most of them feel like writing exercises. Like the authors got a memo that said "we need a 10 page story that has a supernatural element with a twist!" and they wrote them. None of the stories have blown me away. I'm interested to hear what the teens have to say about this one, mostly because I've read Poe and watched Twilight Zone, but if you're not familiar with this genre, you might be more surprised by the twists at the end.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - I'm listening to this one and the audiobook is fantastic. It only has a single narrator, which usually turns me off, but Simon Vance manages to create unique voices for EVERYONE in this book. And there are a lot of people. This is actually an adult mystery. The Swedish title literally translates into "Men who hate women", which gives you a bit of a hint of what sort of mysteries you'll be dealing with in the story. But there is SO much story, I' can't even figure out how to sum it up here. I just put disc 7 into my player this morning and the plot if really thickening. I know I'll be picking up the sequel as soon as this one finishes.
Sitting Next to my bed and waiting for their turn:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray - I've never read any of Bray's Gemma Doyle series, but when I read a blurb about this in a magazine, it sounded like my kind of story. A teen gets mad cow disease and begins to go crazy. Wacky, weird, and hilarious. Will be a nice read after the heaviness of 'Girl' and 'Candor'
Night Trippers by Mark Ricketts and Micah Farritor - this was in a Library Journal article about book talking graphic novels to adults. Sounded like an interesting title. Swingin' 60s London WITH VAMPIRES! Who could say no to that?