The Time Traveler's Wife

Oh, adult novels.  Will they ever be able to redeem themselves in my eyes?  I'm not sure they will.  There are so many things I loved about this book, namely the writing.  Audrey Niffenegger's diction is fabulous and captivating.  The story completely draws you in, and the literary snippets she continuously throws in helps us figure out the characters, their personalities, their passions.  She's really a wonderful writer, and this story was intoxicating.

But there was just too much sex.

Again, one of those books that I cannot, in good conscious, recommend reading.  That makes me so sad.  It's a pity when a book is something you can't share.

In case you don't know, The Time Traveler's Wife is about a man who time travels, and his wife.  Self-explanatory, right?  What I love about this particular science fiction story, however, is not the science fiction.  It's a story about two people having normal, real-life problems and situations in an unnatural setting.  Clare has known Henry since she was precisely six years old, but Henry bet Clare for the first time when he was twenty-eight.  It was never a question to her that they would end up together, and so they do.

I watched the movie again after reading this book, and was very disappointed.  It was very well-done.  The cinematography was great, but the character development was all but non-existant.  Clare's character is completely different in the movie than she is in the book.  So many things are left unexplained... ugh.

Overall, disappointed with both.  Too bad.

The Way of Kings

One month.  That is how long it took me to read this monster of a book.  It is also how long it took me to realize, once and for all, that Brandon Sanderson is the greatest author of today.  I cannot begin to express in coherent words how spectacular his work is, but I will try to at least show you a sliver of the greatness of this one book.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is more than daunting, with 1001 pages of story, followed by an Ars Arcanum, and a note from the author.  Additionally, it is only the first book in The Stormlight Archive.  There is no word on when the next book will be out, but I can promise you I'll be one of the first in line to purchase it.  On his website, he says this book is a basically a dip-of-the-toes into this fascinating world, called Roshar.  That's hard for me to process, as there was plenty of magic, religion, war, and history in this tome.  His writing is styled in a way that it slowly reveals the answer to every question.  There's no volley of information in which you lose eighty percent of the details.  It is well-thought out, completely creative, and told in a way lets you enjoy the story just as much as the mythology, the intrigue, and the individual characters.

I would love to give you a synopsis, but it would take a couple thousand words to do it justice.  I don't really have the time for that, and I doubt you would have the time for reading my mundane summary.  However, I'll tell you that it is very basically about a war, and a coming war that is said to wipe out the entire world.

The three main characters are incredibly deep, and very entertaining.  Sanderson's ability to constantly create, create, create is a never-ending amazement to me.  All of his worlds are so different, but detailed!

Perhaps my excitement over this soon-to-be series should be taken with a grain of salt, seeing as its the only epic fantasy I've ever delved into.  Sadly, the only thing I have to compare it to is Harry Potter, which it surpases in complexity and creativity.  (Did you ever think such a thing was possible?  Believe me, I never even considered it.)  One month ago, I'd have told you that Harry Potter could never be surpassed in the world of fantasy.  I stand corrected.

Go and read this book!

Always,
Krista

Lock and Key

To say that I enjoyed this book would be a heck of an understatement. I devoured it. What I loved about it, though, wasn't just the story and the characters. I was reminded once again that Sarah Dessen is one of the best authors I've ever had the privilege to come across. For Christmas in 2009, my friend Britny gave me another of her novels--Just Listen. I swallowed that one pretty much whole, and at the very end of it was the first chapter of her next book, Lock and Key. I wanted to read it, but then a new semester started, my mind became filled with other things, and the introduction of this book became forgotten. Then, when I came home for the summer, some lovely librarian (how glorious their jobs sometime seem) put this book on the front display. I was currently reading a different book, though, and by the time I got around to it, it seems that several other people had also seen the display, and there was a line of holds one-dozen-long, waiting for it. Upon finding it on Amazon for 49 cents, however, this book became mine!

I love the way Dessen writes. It is entertaining, serious, deep, and intense, without being too heavy or tedious. I do love the story, but I will be forever blown away with the way she writes. I may even look into reading some more of her novels. Never have I been so reluctant to set down a book. Also, it had a great length. Just-over-400-pagers are my favorites, usually.

I would be remiss if I didn't chide the publishers at least a tad for the several elementary spelling and grammar mistakes... Come, now, read through it before you put it in print.

This book is about a girl, named Ruby, who is abandoned by her mother and is suddenly sent to live with her estranged sister and wealthy brother-in-law. Convinced that all the needs to survive is herself, Ruby is reluctant to accept anyone's help, even when she desparatel needs it. As she starts to settle into her new life, however, she starts to realize--helped on by Nate, her ever-helpful next-door neighbor--that connections and friends aren't such a bad thing to have. She starts to redefine her perceptions of family, and who she is, even as she stumbles across someone that needs the same help just as much as she did, and she's the one to give it.

I give it a hearty 10/10!

Hattie Big Sky

The only quarrel I have with this book is that it didn't quite end the way I wanted it to, which, in reality, can't really be a quarrel at all.  After all, it isn't my book, and I still enjoyed it.

I'm once again pleasantly surprised with the Denton North Branch librarians' pick to sit directly in the center of the display table in the young adult fiction section.  Otherwise, I probably never would have come across this book.  Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson was a great, interesting read with an impossibly mature sixteen-year-old at its center.  Hattie Here-and-There, as she calls herself, has grown up as an orphan, being passed from family member to family member.  Then, out of the blue, a long-lost Uncle Chester dies and leaves her his claim of 320 acrs in Montana.  Eager for a place to call her own, Hattie takes the next train from Iowa and settles down to prove up on her Uncle's claim, but finds that friendship is the more valuable possession.

This story was based on the author's great-grandmother by the same name, as well as a few other people she grabbed out of history's folds.  I love that it's set during World War I, and that it deeply affects the book and its characters, just as it did in real life.  That was a great insight to read.  I also love that Hattie was such a writer.  She constantly writes to a relative and a school friend, Charlie (whom she undoubtedly loves, though she never really realizes it).

Entertaining, informative, and sweet.  I wish some of the more intense chapters had been expanded a bit.  It's definitely worth the read!  I almost cried a couple of times.  The characters in this novel are just so real and vibrant, and the hardships and happy times they face are things that really did happen almost a century ago.  At any rate, it was a nice break from werewolves, witches, ghosts, aliens, and everything else I am normally surrounded by.

I'd give it an 8 out of 10.



Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was... well, amazing.  And entirely frustrating.

I saw the movie in mid-May with one of my best friends, and walked away knowing that it was one of the most spectacular films I had ever seen!  The characters were real and relatable, the filming was beautiful, and the darkest parts were so incredibly intense!  I can't wait to see it again (hurry up, redbox!), and I think it might actually wind up in my collection.

Therefore, when I saw the book in Target the other day, I couldn't resist picking it up.  It was a good price, it had Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon on the cover, and the movie was great, so the book's supposed to be better, right?

For once, I really have to say that the movie did some things better.  Let me say this--Sara Gruen is truly one of the best writers I've ever read.  The way she relates a person's opinion along with their train of thought is so well-done!  Her descriptions are detailed, but not too lengthy.  I love the way she brought in all of her research and the tiny details and anecdotes she picked up from what she learned of circuses from the time period.  I really admire the amount of research she had to do for this book.  For several nights, I felt like I could be falling asleep on a train circus.  She really drew me into the world of the story.

This story is set in the summer of 1931 aboard a train circus.  Jacob Jankowski, a Cornell-educated almost-veterinarian, jumps a train in the middle of the night and ends up being roped into working for The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  There he gains unlikely friends, becomes very attached to an elephant, and is helplessly drawn to his boss's wife, Marlena.

At first I was frustrated with the way the book was structured--an old man recalling the summer of 1931 almost absent-mindedly.  By the end of it, though, I really liked it.  It wouldn't have transferred well to the big screen, though, which is why I guess they used the end of the book for the whole movie.  Clever and effective.  I like both ways.

My only qualm with her book is the amount of sex it has in it.  I am very grateful that the movie was rated PG-13, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.  While the book was also great, I was annoyed by frequent side-tracks from the actual plot to mention something sex-related.  None of it was at all necessary.  Yes, there is one scene in the book that is somewhat important to the plot--the night Jacob and Marlena actually have the affair--but there is a way to write that gracefully, and Sara Gruen definitely did not.

Therefore, I have a dilemma.  It was a wonderful book, but I honestly can't--with a good consious, at least--recommend it to anyone.  Too many f-bombs, too much nudity, too much.... just too much.  It really makes me sad.  I have half a mind to take a black marker to those unnecessary bits.  Then I could hand it to all of my friends and squeal, "READ IT!  It's soooo good!" like I so desperately want to do.

Everyone should see the movie, however.  Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon have great chemistry, and it's pretty clean.  Not a whole lot of cussing (though I can't blame him for letting one slip when he almost lost his arm to a lion).

Just a Blog about Books

Hello!  It's certainly been awhile.  However, I just wanted to pop in and link you to this amazing blog called Just a Blog about Books.  It's really nifty, and I like it.  There are a few different girls that write for the blog, and they all have such different, though insightful, things to say about the books they read.  It's just a lot of book reviews, but it gets me thinking about reading something I've never heard of before.  Most of the book titles and authors are some that I've never come across, so it's nice to get that kind of exposure.  Check it out, if you feel so inclined.  :)

Over and out,
Krista

Summer Reading

Summer is coming!  Boy am I excited.  Ten more days and I'll be lying in my queen-sized piece of heaven after a long, long, long drive.  That being said, if anyone wants to suggest an audio book to me, by all means, tell me!

And on that note, I'm gearing up for my Summer reading!  Oh boy.  If nothing else (which there actually is plenty "else"--friends, family, Summer courses online, Texas, etc.), Summer means I have time to read.  :)  I definitely want to read these books:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Hero by Ron Woods (my Creative Writing professor!)
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Vampire Diaries, Return: Midnight by L.J. Smith
The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
The Work and the Glory, Vol. 1: The PIllar of Light by Gerald N. Lund
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship by J.R.R. Tolkein
Rachel and Leah by Orson Scott Card
Ava's Man by Rick Bragg
Othello by William Shakespeare
Tennis Shoes Among The Nephites by Chris Heimerdinger
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
The Kite Runner by Khalad Hosseini
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboskey
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Yeah, okay, so I probably won't read all of these this Summer, but I intend to at least make a considerable dent in my list.

Now I want to know what you think.  What are some of your favorite books?  What are some books that you think I absolutely have to read?  I'd also really like to find some LDS literature.  I know my sister Kathy has some Betsy Brannon Green books; I think I'll look at those (I've already read Hearts in Hiding by BBG--really great book).

Any suggestions?

Alice in Wonderland

This book is absolutely, positively ridiculous.  And I love it.  Everyone needs to read this book.  It's completely magical!  Having finished it a couple of weeks ago, I don't actually remember much about it (see? memory like a freaking goldfish), but you should at least try to give this very short, whimsical book a try.

I never liked the old animated Disney movie of the same name.  It didn't have a direction, or motive for anything at all!  One might say the same for the book, but I disagree.  Everything is still pretty much pointless in the book (if you're not dissecting it and looking into the subtext that is really quite obscure), but makes a whole heck of a lot more sense than the movie.

My friend Megan made a point about reading the classics that I completely agree with, though I'm not as dutiful at reading them as she is.  However, I'm starting to get there. :)  I like to think that Alice is a step in the right direction.

Overall, I enjoyed it very much!  I give this one a 10/10... which is unheard of.  So go read it.

The Dark Divine

The Dark Divine is a book about sixteen-year-old Grace Divine, the daughter of a pastor trying to make sense of why her brother is so bothered by the return of their best friend after three years of his absence.  In the mean time, she breaks promises, discovers what true love is really about, and what trust is made of.

Yeah, okay, cliche discription, but I don't want to give too much away!

I really liked this book.  I scoffed in the beginning because I figured out on the seventh page it was about werewolves.  However, as it continued, and especially in the end, I really came to appreciate the different angle Bree Despain took on lycanthropy.  I've never seen an interpretation like this before, and I believe it to be truly unique.  I really love how she brought everything together to make sense, and the twists that made the story so much more profound.

I love the main character.  It absolutely ruins the story when the main characters (especially if they're teenagers) feel fake, but Grace was so real to me.  She really felt like a high schooler just trying to make good grades and get into art school.  She had true emotions, and didn't handle her situations in overly cliched ways.  I'm also appreciative of this girl's morals, and additionally how clean this book was.  That's so nice to have.

As good as it is, though, it has it's weaknesses.  The writing style isn't one I'm particularly pleased with.  It's not very descriptive.  The killer is the headings of "later," "in the kitchen," and "after showering."  I think we could've made most of those connections without the headings.  Those were quite childish.

Overall, an 7/10.

City of Glass

Wow, City of Glass was intense!  With about two hundred pages to go, I was soooo tempted to just google the end of it.  I just couldn't bear it!

I'm so impressed with the way Cassandra Clare wrapped up this series.  Yes, there's another book coming out, but this was such a good ending.  I almost wish there wasn't another one, because the end in this one was just perfect, and I want it to stay like that.  Slightly ambiguous, but happy.

I'm really proud of myself for figuring out everything.  Granted, I got some of it wrong, but I was excited nonetheless.

The character Clary in this book is so strong, but innately human at the same time.  I love it!  This author is absolutely amazing.

Yeah, I know, I don't have a lot to say, because I can't say a whole lot without spoiling the series for you.  Is it worth the read?  I don't know.  That depends on whether or not you like to delve into a world and start stressing over the characters, because that totally happens with this series.  I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I do wish I had waited for the Summer to read this book and its predecessor, haha.  Goodness.

The only concern I have with this book is its lack of plot.  The previous two were so full of twists and secrets, but this one was more easily figured out, and we knew Valentine's plan the whole time.  But, maybe that's just what comes with being the third book in a series.  Usually it's the second that has the lull, but what can you do about it?

My rating: 7/10.

Go read it!

The Clearing

The Clearing by Heather Davis, described as a love story between two teens several decades apart, seemed like it could only be a wonderful book.

Hmm.  The verdict is still out on that one.  A wonderful story (yes, I'll give it this merit) about a girl that moves away from her mother and her abusive boyfriend to live with her great aunt in the country, she soon meets a boy her age across the clearing in 1944.  He's a perfect gentleman, but he's stuck in time.

I have to say that I loved the story Davis came up with.  I loved the twist near the end, and how she handled it.  Granted, had I written it, it would have been totally different, but I love that she brought the abusive boyfriend back.

However, with a love story like this, how can you have a happy ending?  How can the couple end up together?  Would you have one go back in time, or the other forward?  What would that do to the time stream?  I think that's what bothered me the most about this book.  It built up a perfect romance just to shatter it.  And my expectations.

I wasn't impressed with the writing itself.  I think it's nice that she tried to write it from two different perspectives, but they were written so similarly I often forgot which side of the story I was experiencing.  The descriptions were monotone and uninteresting.

At least it only took me 5 1/2 hours to read.  Had I been reading this for a month, I'd have been even more disappointed.

I do, however, absolutely love the cover.  I could do without "True Love Is Timeless," but I love the way it is formatted, with the clear picture of the girl in the middle, and the faded picture of the boy in the corner, the accents of the colors....  Yes.  That's great.

Overall, I give it a 4/10.  That's the best I can do.

Warbreaker

Every time I finish a novel by Brandon Sanderson, my line of thinking immediately reverts to, "New favorite!"  Rife with underground action, intricate plots and twists, deep characters, different perspectives, magic, and corruption that I've come to associate with Sanderson, this story is the perfect book for any conspiracy theorist.  Dr. Hodgins, this book is for you!

First of all, there's the magic.  Sanderson always has some new form of magic to introduce us to, get us attached to, and then reveal that there's so much more to it than we could've thought.  The magic form in Warbreaker is called Breath.  Every person has one, but the accumulation of hundreds grants better understanding of the senses, such as perfect pitch and perfect tone and hue recognition, and the ability to awaken objects to do your bidding.  The magic of Breath also has everything to do with color.

Then, there's the character development, which is something I highly value in stories.  All I can tell is that they were very well-done, and I'm absolutely in love with the character of Siri.

Sanderson's stories also have the perfect mix between descriptions, inner dialogue, and dialogue.  There's not too much happening, and you always get an insight in to what the characters are thinking.  Also characteristic of his writing, every now and then you get a snipit of information that one of the characters may not have, that you're dying to just jump into the book so you can tell them what they need to know.  He did that all through Elantris, and according to Warbreaker, he is just not one to break his personal motif.

The only problem I have with this story is the character Lightsong.  He's a great character, he just goes through long periods of time being completely unbelievable to me.  There are moments when I think, "Yes!  That's how you should be!"  But then he just reverts to his old self.  Then again, maybe I just can't really relate to this character's way of speaking.  He confuses me to no end, like he confuses everyone he actually speaks to in the book..  I suppose he just irritates me more than anything.

I can't wait to read Way of Kings, but I'm going to have to.  I've got several other books I need to read first, and it's almost 1000 pages.  I have a hard time reading his 600-page books as it is.  I'm probably going to have to wait for this summer to be able to focus that much attention on a single book.

My rating: 9.5/10

Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me

This book by Kristen Chandler is definitely a book worth reading!  A very quick read, the main character is incredibly believable.  I seriously cannot rave enough about how real she is.  She has a social disorder, which is never said outright, but is absolutely obvious.  I wonder why nobody ever took her to the doctor to get something for it.  Anywho, much of the story is about regular feelings and worries of a sixteen-year-old girl.

However, there's another element to the story that just makes it shine--the wolves of Yellowstone.  This book is essentially about how this girl affects something that actually happened.  Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone as a program to help the park regain ecological stability.  This really happened in the real world, and this book sheds some light on how people felt about it, on both sides.

The thing I love most about this book is, it's not fantasy, science-fiction, or of the supernatural persuasion in any way at all.  Yet, it's incredibly intriguing and fun to read.  Most of my life, I've read about characters like Morgan le Fay, Harry Potter, and Raoden.  But this book is so real it makes me crave more.  It seems to touch home a little more than the wizards and vampires.

Of course, that doesn't mean I've turned away from fantasy, or that I love it any less.  I'm actually about to read another by Cassandra Cane.  It's just nice to know that there are stories about normal people in situations that really could happen.  And that they can be incredibly interesting and fun to read. :)

The only downside to this book is that the relationship between some of the characters are a tad exaggerated, and the high school students talk more like they're eleven than sixteen.  They really annoyed me.

I really hope Mrs. Chandler keeps writing.  I'd love to read more of her stories!

My Rating: 7/10