Some Readathon Book Reviews

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

For a readathon read Enna Burning was a quick and satisfying. It had the characters I had got to know through Goose Girl and the story was quite interesting. Enna , Isi’s friend from Goose Girl is the protagonist who gets the power of Fire Speaking. Enna can control fire . She thinks of using this against a neighbouring nation which is raging war against Bayern ,until the fire takes over Enna and she becomes controlled or should I say over whelmed by it.  Enna struggle to come to terms with her power and to understand the true meaning of  love and friendship ,form the crux of this wonderful story. Shannon Hale’s story telling was simple yet beautiful . I am waiting to read the next book in the series .Recommended to all those who love fantasy and fairy tales .

My Rating : 4.5 out of 5

Forget About It by Caprice Crane

Tired of a life where she is treated worse than dirt by her  family and a cheating boyfriend , Jordan decides to fake amnesia when she involved in a minor accident. She uses her amnesic phase to get the life she always wanted ,  until another accident actually puts her in a spot she least imagined .  I loved the book .It was funny and quite satisfying . Hilarious at places it made me laugh out loud . As a protagonist Jordan was quite a character  to read about though certain situations were cliques it turned out well in the end.I think that should pretty well summarize  it  . I am definitely on look out for other books by Caprice Crane. A definitely recommended if you are on a look out for a light read.

My Rating :4 out of 5

Twenty Ten Reading Challenge 2010

Bart’s Bookshelf is hosting the Twenty Ten Reading Challenge .

Here are the guidelines :

• Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
• The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
• Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
• Each book can only qualify for one category.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.

So, on with the categories

1. Young Adult
   Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.
2. T.B.R. **
   Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.
3. Shiny & New
   Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!
4. Bad Blogger’s ***
   Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago).
   
5. Charity
   Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.
6. New in 2010
   This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)
7. Older Than You
   Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!
8. Win! Win!
   Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so!
9. Who Are You Again?
   This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!
10. Up to You!

This category being my choice I choose Graphic Novels (have grown fond of them after a good start in 2009 with this genre )

So are you joining in on the fun?

The Marple Poirot Holmes Challenge

My blogger buddy Kals is hosting this wonderful challenge and I couldn’t resist. Here are the guidelines :

1. This  challenge is from  January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

2. You will have to read a minimum of 6 books in total: two Miss Marple mysteries, two Sherlock Holmes mysteries and two Hercule Poirot mysteries. You can of course, read more than 6 books if you want to.

3. The books you have chosen for this challenge can overlap with other challenges.

My List 😦 To be updated )

1

2

3

4

5

6

Cover Attraction

I know this book has been getting mixed reviews all over but it definitely has one of the best covers I have seen this year.

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Another cover that I liked was Ash by Malinda Lo . Found this one on S.Krishna’s blog. The black and white contrast makes it look really intriguing..

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Thanks  to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting this fun meme..

The Dead And The Gone

Summary :

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event–an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex’s parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

My Review :

The Dead And The Gone scared me.. I am serious.It did. Life As We Knew It did that too but the proportion with which this book got me was higher.Set in a metropolitan it gave a sense of what might happen if this scenario arose in future. Apocalyptic novels were never my favorite genre but for this book I make an exception.

Susan Beth Pfeffer makes us realise how ill-equipped we are mentally and resource wise to handle a calamity of this proportion. It was difficult at times to read on. I must have stopped at least 15 times in the course of entire book because it was a painful. Miranda in the first book had similar issues but it was visited in a manner I thought kept us away from the real happenings. Focus was more on her thoughts,but here reality hits directly in the face.

Alex our protagonist is smart , he is resourceful but is that enough? Can he provide for his sisters when the moral values and ethics have gone off the face of earth .When people are plundering dead bodies for money and jewelery to get food in exchange. Can he survive in this world which doesn’t resemble even remotely to the world he remembers having lived in ?

Is that how we are going to survive if such a thing happens?

If you have read the first book then this is a must read for you..If you haven’t, then grab both the books and read them.

Highly Recommended

My Rating : 5 out of 5