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Friday, May 31, 2013

Armchair BEA Ethics and Non-fiction



Today's Armchair BEA topics are ethics and non-fiction. 

ETHICS:

Interesting article on Armchair BEA about ethics in blogging. I haven't thought a whole lot about ethics in blogging just because I would hope that I would be ethical in everything I do. The article mentions the connection between bloggers and authors. If we are "friends" with an author through Twitter or Facebook or the like, should we disclose that in our reviews? Does it change our reviews? I had never really thought about that before. I disclose when I've received a book for review per FTC guidelines but the relationship aspect of it I don't.

A comment left on that article says that a relationship between bloggers and authors is bound to happen. It's just par for the course and I agree. There will always be interaction between book bloggers and authors. Authors want to promote their books to the people who are going to buy them and bloggers are going to promote books for the authors they like. How should that relationship be noted, if at all?

There are many different aspects of ethics but plagarism is probably the biggest in the book blogging community. My blog is not big enough to have ever had this problem but blogger friends have had portions or even whole posts used without their permission. This is unacceptable, of course, but hard to stop. The internet is so big that how do you even know that your work is being used? I think the only way to stop it is to make it such a bad thing that no one would want to be caught doing it.

NON-FICTION:

I was one of those kids in school that hated summers because summers meant no learning. I took home worksheets to fill out and wrote papers on different topics. I liked learning. Still do. So non-fiction is one of my favorite genres because of that love of learning. My favorite topics change but my love of non-fiction doesn't. I currently love Christian living non-fiction and anything related to entrepreneurship but am read a variety. 

Most of my favorite bloggers never review non-fiction books but my reviews of non-fiction have some of the highest page views. This review of a Taste of Home cookbook is the highest viewed post on my blog. I think that is because so few people review non-fiction. 

If you read and enjoy non-fiction, I'd be curious as to your favorite book or topic. As I said, I love it and am always looking for suggestions. Leave a comment or leave me the info here

And if you posted about either of these topics as part of Armchair BEA, please leave a link so I can visit.

Armchair BEA Ethics and Non-fiction



Today's Armchair BEA topics are ethics and non-fiction. 

ETHICS:

Interesting article on Armchair BEA about ethics in blogging. I haven't thought a whole lot about ethics in blogging just because I would hope that I would be ethical in everything I do. The article mentions the connection between bloggers and authors. If we are "friends" with an author through Twitter or Facebook or the like, should we disclose that in our reviews? Does it change our reviews? I had never really thought about that before. I disclose when I've received a book for review per FTC guidelines but the relationship aspect of it I don't.

A comment left on that article says that a relationship between bloggers and authors is bound to happen. It's just par for the course and I agree. There will always be interaction between book bloggers and authors. Authors want to promote their books to the people who are going to buy them and bloggers are going to promote books for the authors they like. How should that relationship be noted, if at all?

There are many different aspects of ethics but plagarism is probably the biggest in the book blogging community. My blog is not big enough to have ever had this problem but blogger friends have had portions or even whole posts used without their permission. This is unacceptable, of course, but hard to stop. The internet is so big that how do you even know that your work is being used? I think the only way to stop it is to make it such a bad thing that no one would want to be caught doing it.

NON-FICTION:

I was one of those kids in school that hated summers because summers meant no learning. I took home worksheets to fill out and wrote papers on different topics. I liked learning. Still do. So non-fiction is one of my favorite genres because of that love of learning. My favorite topics change but my love of non-fiction doesn't. I currently love Christian living non-fiction and anything related to entrepreneurship but am read a variety. 

Most of my favorite bloggers never review non-fiction books but my reviews of non-fiction have some of the highest page views. This review of a Taste of Home cookbook is the highest viewed post on my blog. I think that is because so few people review non-fiction. 

If you read and enjoy non-fiction, I'd be curious as to your favorite book or topic. As I said, I love it and am always looking for suggestions. Leave a comment or leave me the info here

And if you posted about either of these topics as part of Armchair BEA, please leave a link so I can visit.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Armchair BEA Giveaway Day + Literary Fiction



Today's Armchair BEA topic is literary fiction. Now that I have a book blog I've been reading more YA books. They are enternaining but most importantly, they are quick reads. Quick reads = more reviews. I am a slow reader as it is so literary fiction takes even longer...I like to savor the words. I have quite a few literary books on my TBR but I haven't gotten to them yet. The last book I read that I'd consider literary was The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. 



What's your favorite? Know of a book that I've just got to read? Suggest it on my Worth the Read feature here.

Today is also Giveaway day! I'm giving one winner their book of choice from The Book Depository. Up to $15 value. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Contest is open internationally as long as TBD ships to your country.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Armchair BEA Giveaway Day + Literary Fiction



Today's Armchair BEA topic is literary fiction. Now that I have a book blog I've been reading more YA books. They are enternaining but most importantly, they are quick reads. Quick reads = more reviews. I am a slow reader as it is so literary fiction takes even longer...I like to savor the words. I have quite a few literary books on my TBR but I haven't gotten to them yet. The last book I read that I'd consider literary was The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. 



What's your favorite? Know of a book that I've just got to read? Suggest it on my Worth the Read feature here.

Today is also Giveaway day! I'm giving one winner their book of choice from The Book Depository. Up to $15 value. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Contest is open internationally as long as TBD ships to your country.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Armchair BEA Blogging and Genres



Tell us about things you've done to expand your blogging horizons, and the things you'd like to do but haven't managed (or figured out) yet. Come back here to link up your post, and then go see what other participants have to say. Let's foster our development as bloggers and learn from each other!

I first started a blog years ago but didn't start a books only blog until late last year. I'm currently just trying to learn as much as I can. There is lots of talk about "finding your voice" when doing reviews and I'm still trying to. I tend to write more formally than I talk. I'm trying to write a bit more like I talk. Being myself will help people to decide if they want to follow my blog. 

I've been trying to interact more on Twitter (@littlelovelybks) and it makes my day when I see that I have a new interaction on there. The whole thing makes me think a bit of high school though...I want to sit at the "cool" table but I don't have the guts to ask. When I *do* jump in to conversations, everyone is so nice though.

If you’re a reader of genre fiction do you have a favorite author or series? And what keeps bringing you back for more fantasy/sci fi/horror etc? And if you don’t read one (or more) of these genres what is it that deters you from those sections of the bookstore? I’m also curious to hear why you think these genres often don’t get the recognition they deserve.

I read so widely that there isn't much I don't like. I'm not big on contemporary adult romance and I don't read anything with demons but other than that, I like most everything. My heart skips a beat for dystopian, zombies, fairy tales and retellings, sci fi and fantasy. So I like many, many genres. 

Armchair BEA Blogging and Genres



Tell us about things you've done to expand your blogging horizons, and the things you'd like to do but haven't managed (or figured out) yet. Come back here to link up your post, and then go see what other participants have to say. Let's foster our development as bloggers and learn from each other!

I first started a blog years ago but didn't start a books only blog until late last year. I'm currently just trying to learn as much as I can. There is lots of talk about "finding your voice" when doing reviews and I'm still trying to. I tend to write more formally than I talk. I'm trying to write a bit more like I talk. Being myself will help people to decide if they want to follow my blog. 

I've been trying to interact more on Twitter (@littlelovelybks) and it makes my day when I see that I have a new interaction on there. The whole thing makes me think a bit of high school though...I want to sit at the "cool" table but I don't have the guts to ask. When I *do* jump in to conversations, everyone is so nice though.

If you’re a reader of genre fiction do you have a favorite author or series? And what keeps bringing you back for more fantasy/sci fi/horror etc? And if you don’t read one (or more) of these genres what is it that deters you from those sections of the bookstore? I’m also curious to hear why you think these genres often don’t get the recognition they deserve.

I read so widely that there isn't much I don't like. I'm not big on contemporary adult romance and I don't read anything with demons but other than that, I like most everything. My heart skips a beat for dystopian, zombies, fairy tales and retellings, sci fi and fantasy. So I like many, many genres. 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Armchair BEA Classics


Today, tell us all the reasons why you love classic literature. What are your favorite classics? If you could give a list of classics to someone who claims to hate them to make them change their mind, what would be on it? How would you convince them to give classics a try? And why do you keep coming back to those old favorites?

So, classics fans, here’s your chance and your day to discuss your favorites and find new classic loving friends.

I should probably feel a bit of embarrassment that I was an English lit major in college and yet I don't really enjoy that many classics. I am easily swayed to the shiny new cover over the classics. The language is also different from now so it takes me even longer to read. I'm already a slow reader so I hate to add additional time.

Jane Eyre is probably my favorite classic book.

Do you read classics? If so, what is your favorite?

Armchair BEA Classics


Today, tell us all the reasons why you love classic literature. What are your favorite classics? If you could give a list of classics to someone who claims to hate them to make them change their mind, what would be on it? How would you convince them to give classics a try? And why do you keep coming back to those old favorites?

So, classics fans, here’s your chance and your day to discuss your favorites and find new classic loving friends.

I should probably feel a bit of embarrassment that I was an English lit major in college and yet I don't really enjoy that many classics. I am easily swayed to the shiny new cover over the classics. The language is also different from now so it takes me even longer to read. I'm already a slow reader so I hate to add additional time.

Jane Eyre is probably my favorite classic book.

Do you read classics? If so, what is your favorite?

Armchair BEA - Introducing Myself



Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? 

This is my first Armchair BEA. I first read about it on Twitter and since I'm unable to go to the real thing, I thought this would be incredibly fun. I've jumped in with both feet...I'm also a cheerleader this year.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 

I'm the queen of sarcasm.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? 

I'd have dinner with the Darkling from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Anyone who follows me on Twitter has heard me say that he wants me to marry him and have his evil little babies. So I guess it could be the rehearsal dinner for our big wedding.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

This one is really easy...the interaction with other book loving people! I love reading comments here on my blog, leaving comments on my favorite blogs and interacting on Twitter.

Armchair BEA - Introducing Myself



Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? 

This is my first Armchair BEA. I first read about it on Twitter and since I'm unable to go to the real thing, I thought this would be incredibly fun. I've jumped in with both feet...I'm also a cheerleader this year.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 

I'm the queen of sarcasm.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? 

I'd have dinner with the Darkling from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Anyone who follows me on Twitter has heard me say that he wants me to marry him and have his evil little babies. So I guess it could be the rehearsal dinner for our big wedding.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

This one is really easy...the interaction with other book loving people! I love reading comments here on my blog, leaving comments on my favorite blogs and interacting on Twitter.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Summer Lovin' Readathon


The Summer Lovin’ Readathon is a week-long readathon event hosted by seven independent bloggers. (Oh, Chrys!, Tumbling Books, Effortlessly Reading, Love Life Read, Shelf Addiction, Read Sleep Repeat, and Reviewing Wonderland)

Spend the week of July 1st through the 7th reading at your own pace, when and how you want too. There will be daily challenges for awesome prizes and opportunities to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Beginning at 10 am on Saturday, July 6th to 9:59 am on Sunday, July 7th the week will end with a 24-hr marathon readathon. Twitter parties, mini-challenges, games, prizes given every hour, and more chances to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Sign-ups will be open through July 6th. I’m in, are you?

Summer Lovin' Readathon


The Summer Lovin’ Readathon is a week-long readathon event hosted by seven independent bloggers. (Oh, Chrys!, Tumbling Books, Effortlessly Reading, Love Life Read, Shelf Addiction, Read Sleep Repeat, and Reviewing Wonderland)

Spend the week of July 1st through the 7th reading at your own pace, when and how you want too. There will be daily challenges for awesome prizes and opportunities to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Beginning at 10 am on Saturday, July 6th to 9:59 am on Sunday, July 7th the week will end with a 24-hr marathon readathon. Twitter parties, mini-challenges, games, prizes given every hour, and more chances to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Sign-ups will be open through July 6th. I’m in, are you?

Revisiting My Favorites


I've been thinking quite a bit about the books that I'd like to re-read. Though I've never been really big on re-reading books, there are some that I do like to read again. I've read the Harry Potter series several times. In high school there was a Danielle Steele (gasp!) book that I read every Spring Break at the beach.

Since starting my book blog, I haven't re-read any books at all. There are several reasons why I don't re-read:

1. There are literally hundreds of books on my Goodreads TBR list.
2. Reading a book I already read means one less "new" book that I can read.
3. If I loved a book enough to want to read it again, I fear that I won't like it as much the second time. That would crush my little bookish heart.
4. I tend to push aside books I've already read for the stack of shiny new covers.

There are books that I have really been thinking about though. And summer seems like such a great time to revisit some of my favorites. The longer days and slower pace. Staying up later. It being too hot to do anything else ;-) 

My list to revisit:

The Harry Potter books
The Hunger Games trilogy
Slammerkin 
Jane Eyre
Howard's End is on the Landing

I think that I'm going to spend June, July and August revisiting some of my favorite stories.

Revisiting My Favorites


I've been thinking quite a bit about the books that I'd like to re-read. Though I've never been really big on re-reading books, there are some that I do like to read again. I've read the Harry Potter series several times. In high school there was a Danielle Steele (gasp!) book that I read every Spring Break at the beach.

Since starting my book blog, I haven't re-read any books at all. There are several reasons why I don't re-read:

1. There are literally hundreds of books on my Goodreads TBR list.
2. Reading a book I already read means one less "new" book that I can read.
3. If I loved a book enough to want to read it again, I fear that I won't like it as much the second time. That would crush my little bookish heart.
4. I tend to push aside books I've already read for the stack of shiny new covers.

There are books that I have really been thinking about though. And summer seems like such a great time to revisit some of my favorites. The longer days and slower pace. Staying up later. It being too hot to do anything else ;-) 

My list to revisit:

The Harry Potter books
The Hunger Games trilogy
Slammerkin 
Jane Eyre
Howard's End is on the Landing

I think that I'm going to spend June, July and August revisiting some of my favorite stories.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Introducing Worth the Read

Introducing Worth the Read, a new feature here at Little Lovely Books. 

I sometimes have trouble deciding what to read next. I tend to read the same types of books without trying anything new. Worth the Read, is my way of asking my blog readers to suggest their favorite titles for me to read and review. 

I am open to most types of books but do reserve the right not to read a suggested book if it contains a topic or is a genre that I hate. I also need to be able to get a copy through my library unless I already wanted to purchase a copy.

If you have a book that you think is Worth the Read, please suggest it in the form below. I will randomly choose the first book to read and will post each time I read another suggestion. This might be weekly or less often, depending on number of titles suggested. 

Huge thanks to Renae at Respiring Thoughts and Christina at A Reader of Fictions for allowing me to borrow the idea. 



Introducing Worth the Read

Introducing Worth the Read, a new feature here at Little Lovely Books. 

I sometimes have trouble deciding what to read next. I tend to read the same types of books without trying anything new. Worth the Read, is my way of asking my blog readers to suggest their favorite titles for me to read and review. 

I am open to most types of books but do reserve the right not to read a suggested book if it contains a topic or is a genre that I hate. I also need to be able to get a copy through my library unless I already wanted to purchase a copy.

If you have a book that you think is Worth the Read, please suggest it in the form below. I will randomly choose the first book to read and will post each time I read another suggestion. This might be weekly or less often, depending on number of titles suggested. 

Huge thanks to Renae at Respiring Thoughts and Christina at A Reader of Fictions for allowing me to borrow the idea. 



Saturday, May 25, 2013

{Blog Tour + Giveaway} Praefatio by Georgia McBride



Title: Praefatio (Praefatio #1)
Author: Georgia McBride (Website)(Facebook Page)(Twitter)(Pinterest)
Pages: ebook
Source: Publisher via book tour
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: May 21, 2013

Summary from publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway. After missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup, and her family from worry over her safety. But instead, authorities believe that Grace is ill, and suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace’s claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace’s story actually be true? Praefatio is Grace’s account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. Who do you believe?

I'm excited to be participating in another blog tour for Month9Books. This time I was able to read and review Georgia McBride's Praefatio. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not big on angels and/or demons in books. As a way to read a bit out of my "comfort zone" I gave this one a chance though. I find it a bit hard to review because I'm quite afraid that I will post spoilers.

I was impressed that this was a first novel. The world building, characters and dialogue were good. The concept was a bit different for me but McBride made it work quite well. I had a bit of a hard time at first keeping the characters straight but was able to figure things out fairly quickly.

It actually wasn't as dark as I was expecting but it was plenty dark. The angels and angel myths presented within the story are interesting and developed.

Although angel books will probably never be a go to genre for me, Praefatio was a quick read with plenty of action to move along the plot and well developed characters.



About the author:

Georgia loves a good story. Whether it’s writing her own, or publishing someone else’s, story is at the heart of everything Georgia does. Founder of Month9Books, YALITCHAT.ORG and the weekly #yalitchat on Twitter, Georgia spends most of her days writing, editing, or talking about books. That is, of course, when she is not blasting really loud music or reading. Born and raised in NYC, she now lives in North Carolina with four dogs, a frog, a parrot, 2 kids, parents and a husband. PRAEFATIO is her first novel.




TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:
Grand prize includes a signed copy of PRAEFATIO, nail polish, Halo perfume, postcards, candy, Garnier Nutrisse hair color, and a PRAEFATIO keychain (US Only).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blog Tour + Giveaway} Praefatio by Georgia McBride



Title: Praefatio (Praefatio #1)
Author: Georgia McBride (Website)(Facebook Page)(Twitter)(Pinterest)
Pages: ebook
Source: Publisher via book tour
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: May 21, 2013

Summary from publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway. After missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup, and her family from worry over her safety. But instead, authorities believe that Grace is ill, and suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace’s claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace’s story actually be true? Praefatio is Grace’s account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. Who do you believe?

I'm excited to be participating in another blog tour for Month9Books. This time I was able to read and review Georgia McBride's Praefatio. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not big on angels and/or demons in books. As a way to read a bit out of my "comfort zone" I gave this one a chance though. I find it a bit hard to review because I'm quite afraid that I will post spoilers.

I was impressed that this was a first novel. The world building, characters and dialogue were good. The concept was a bit different for me but McBride made it work quite well. I had a bit of a hard time at first keeping the characters straight but was able to figure things out fairly quickly.

It actually wasn't as dark as I was expecting but it was plenty dark. The angels and angel myths presented within the story are interesting and developed.

Although angel books will probably never be a go to genre for me, Praefatio was a quick read with plenty of action to move along the plot and well developed characters.



About the author:

Georgia loves a good story. Whether it’s writing her own, or publishing someone else’s, story is at the heart of everything Georgia does. Founder of Month9Books, YALITCHAT.ORG and the weekly #yalitchat on Twitter, Georgia spends most of her days writing, editing, or talking about books. That is, of course, when she is not blasting really loud music or reading. Born and raised in NYC, she now lives in North Carolina with four dogs, a frog, a parrot, 2 kids, parents and a husband. PRAEFATIO is her first novel.




TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:
Grand prize includes a signed copy of PRAEFATIO, nail polish, Halo perfume, postcards, candy, Garnier Nutrisse hair color, and a PRAEFATIO keychain (US Only).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 24, 2013

{Thoughts On} The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald



Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pages: 159
Genre: Classic
Source: my own copy

Summary from Goodreads:

Jay Gatsby is a self-made man, famed for his decadent champagne-drenched parties. Despite being surrounded by Long Island's bright and beautiful, Gatsby longs only for Daisy Buchanan. In shimmering prose, Fitzgerald shows Gatsby pursue his dream to its tragic conclusion.The Great Gatsby is an elegiac and exquisite portrait of the American Dream

I have a wonderful hardcover from the 50s that I bought at a library sale years ago. I so prefer it's plain design to the awful paperback copy with the floating eyes. 

I had thought that I read this one in my early twenties but I recalled nothing from the story. I decided to read it since the movie version is out. Now that I have finished it, I've realized that there is not a single person who would be interested in watching it with me so it will be a Redbox rental instead.

I enjoyed this look into the rich back in the 20s. I haven't read much from that time period so it was interesting to see how Fitzgerald wrote the people of that day. The descriptions of the time period and especially those of Gatsby's house were well written and I loved that I felt like I was there. 

Jay Gatsby was an interesting character but at the end was still a mystery to me. I was left wondering what was real and what wasn't. He seemed so uncharacteristically eager near the end. So different from the description of him at the beginning. I was somewhat baffled by his attraction to Daisy. She seemed like such a boring, pampered woman who did pretty much nothing during the entire novel. 

I must say that the language got increasingly easier to read the more I got into the book. I think that I need to read classics more frequently but I'm a bit terrified of them because of the differences in turns of phrases between then and now. 

Overall, I enjoyed The Great Gatsby and look forward to reading more Fitzgerald, and classics in general, soon.


{Thoughts On} The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald



Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pages: 159
Genre: Classic
Source: my own copy

Summary from Goodreads:

Jay Gatsby is a self-made man, famed for his decadent champagne-drenched parties. Despite being surrounded by Long Island's bright and beautiful, Gatsby longs only for Daisy Buchanan. In shimmering prose, Fitzgerald shows Gatsby pursue his dream to its tragic conclusion.The Great Gatsby is an elegiac and exquisite portrait of the American Dream

I have a wonderful hardcover from the 50s that I bought at a library sale years ago. I so prefer it's plain design to the awful paperback copy with the floating eyes. 

I had thought that I read this one in my early twenties but I recalled nothing from the story. I decided to read it since the movie version is out. Now that I have finished it, I've realized that there is not a single person who would be interested in watching it with me so it will be a Redbox rental instead.

I enjoyed this look into the rich back in the 20s. I haven't read much from that time period so it was interesting to see how Fitzgerald wrote the people of that day. The descriptions of the time period and especially those of Gatsby's house were well written and I loved that I felt like I was there. 

Jay Gatsby was an interesting character but at the end was still a mystery to me. I was left wondering what was real and what wasn't. He seemed so uncharacteristically eager near the end. So different from the description of him at the beginning. I was somewhat baffled by his attraction to Daisy. She seemed like such a boring, pampered woman who did pretty much nothing during the entire novel. 

I must say that the language got increasingly easier to read the more I got into the book. I think that I need to read classics more frequently but I'm a bit terrified of them because of the differences in turns of phrases between then and now. 

Overall, I enjoyed The Great Gatsby and look forward to reading more Fitzgerald, and classics in general, soon.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

{Thoughts On} The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and the Olympians


Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (book #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Pages: 375
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Published: June 2005 (1st printing)
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:






Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

With cover art from the major motion picture, this first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.
After a Twitter discussion between me, Alexa, Jessica and Katelynn on good MG to start out with, I remembered that I had this one sitting on my shelves. Since they so highly recommended it, I gave it a try and really enjoyed it.

Percy is a 12 year old boy and I liked seeing the world through his eyes. He's been kicked out of every boarding school he has attended and when his class makes a trip to a museum, all the weirdness that is his life begins to click into place. Once this starts to happen, he really begins to see how things have happened to him in the past that are way out of the ordinary.

Once he makes it to the Half Blood's Camp, my enjoyment level went way up. I so loved hearing about the different gods and goddesses and about the training that the kids did. I adored how well the Greek myths were woven into the story. It made me immediately request a book on Greek Myths from the library so I can learn some on my own.

But once their quest began, I was on the edge of my seat and flying through the pages. As much as I enjoyed the action and the mystery, I did get to a point where I was ready for it to all wrap up. At almost 400 pages in length, it was fun but a tiny bit too long.

Grover, his best friend and protector, and Annabeth, Athena's daughter, were so much fun and such lively characters. I enjoyed the banter between the three. They grew into such brave kids and I loved the way their relationship gets more solid as they complete the quest. 

A couple of twists and turns surprised me and I enjoyed that immensely. I look forward to reading the other books in the series soon.

I was able to follow up my reading with watching the movie version and I was a bit surprised at how much was changed. I did learn that I have a new celeb crush. Logan Lerman, who played Percy, wasn't bad on the eyes. I'll forget the fact that he is technically young enough to be my son.  Pish posh...book boyfriends and celeb crushes don't have an age requirement, I say.


{Thoughts On} The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and the Olympians


Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (book #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Pages: 375
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Published: June 2005 (1st printing)
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:






Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

With cover art from the major motion picture, this first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.
After a Twitter discussion between me, Alexa, Jessica and Katelynn on good MG to start out with, I remembered that I had this one sitting on my shelves. Since they so highly recommended it, I gave it a try and really enjoyed it.

Percy is a 12 year old boy and I liked seeing the world through his eyes. He's been kicked out of every boarding school he has attended and when his class makes a trip to a museum, all the weirdness that is his life begins to click into place. Once this starts to happen, he really begins to see how things have happened to him in the past that are way out of the ordinary.

Once he makes it to the Half Blood's Camp, my enjoyment level went way up. I so loved hearing about the different gods and goddesses and about the training that the kids did. I adored how well the Greek myths were woven into the story. It made me immediately request a book on Greek Myths from the library so I can learn some on my own.

But once their quest began, I was on the edge of my seat and flying through the pages. As much as I enjoyed the action and the mystery, I did get to a point where I was ready for it to all wrap up. At almost 400 pages in length, it was fun but a tiny bit too long.

Grover, his best friend and protector, and Annabeth, Athena's daughter, were so much fun and such lively characters. I enjoyed the banter between the three. They grew into such brave kids and I loved the way their relationship gets more solid as they complete the quest. 

A couple of twists and turns surprised me and I enjoyed that immensely. I look forward to reading the other books in the series soon.

I was able to follow up my reading with watching the movie version and I was a bit surprised at how much was changed. I did learn that I have a new celeb crush. Logan Lerman, who played Percy, wasn't bad on the eyes. I'll forget the fact that he is technically young enough to be my son.  Pish posh...book boyfriends and celeb crushes don't have an age requirement, I say.