Book Reviews by Today, I Read…

A Continuous Book Review and Vocabulary Assignment

March 2

Comments: 5

Teaser Tuesdays: A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott

by Ann-Kat

Teaser Tuesdays Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays

Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
  • Please avoid SPOILERS

A Wish After Midnight This week’s teaser:

My first week here, I cried myself to sleep every single night. I’d just curl up, pull the blankets over my head, and cry ‘tip I fell asleep.” pg. 131 A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliot

I’m only just beginning this book, so I’m still forming my thoughts. In other words, I’m reserving judgment, but I must admit the writing so far is compelling. It’s told in first person by Genna Colon, an ambitious fifteen year old mixed race girl (with dark skin and short nappy hair) living in the ghetto.

These opening chapters give us a glimpse of her life and the life she wants to one day have. But, the book also promises to have elements of historical fantasy, so I’m eager to see how that unfolds. I have no doubt that this will be a book I’ll want to savor as I read rather than blaze through.

January 19

Comments: 5

Teaser Tuesdays: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

by Ann-Kat

Teaser Tuesdays Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays

Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
  • Please avoid spoilers

The Sea of Monsters This week’s teaser:

As the chariots lined up, more shiny-eyed pigeons gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly the campers in the stands were starting to take notice, glancing nervously at the trees, which shivered under the weight of the birds.” pg. 79 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Last year I read the first book in the series, The Lighting Thief, and enjoyed it very much. In fact, it made my 9 books I’m glad I read in 2009 list. For the longest, I’ve been meaning to pick up the second book and continue Percy’s adventure. Now just seemed like the perfect time.

A bit of fantasy to help me escape from the trappings of impending responsibility and I have a soft spot for Greco-Roman mythology. So far this book isn’t disappointing, but I’m still in the early portions of the book.

On an almost random tangent, I just learned that a new movie based on The Lightning Thief is due out in theatres and I can’t wait to see it.

November 24

Comments: 5

Teaser Tuesdays: Fallen by Lauren Kate

by Ann-Kat

Teaser Tuesdays Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays

Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
  • Please avoid spoilers

I’m smack dab in the middle of two books right now, but the one nearest to me is Fallen by Lauren Kate and so that will be from where the teaser is pulled.

Fallen This week’s teaser:

“Even from this distance, Luce could see black mold covering the face of the dorm. All the windows were obstructed by rows of thick steel bars.” pg. 17 Fallen by Lauren Kate

So far the writing is smooth, but there has only been one small bit of action that’s piqued my curiosity. In fact, I’ve already developed a few quibbles.

I don’t know what to make of Luce just yet, but she’s teetering perilously close to the edge of being a whiney heroine and I believe nearly nothing about her new “friend” Arriane; her actions are anything but consistent with what we’re told. But there’s still time for character development. I might be surprised.

At best I feel the book will redeem itself by the end, and at worst, it will just turn out to be another average read. (I’m hoping for the former.)

November 3

Comments: 4

Teaser Tuesdays: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

by Ann-Kat

Teaser Tuesdays Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays

Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
  • You also need to share the title and author of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
  • Please avoid spoilers

Wuthering Heights This week’s teaser:

“He endeavoured to pronounce the name, but could not manage it; and compressing his mouth he held a silent combat with his inward agony, defying, meanwhile, my sympathy with an unflinching, ferocious stare. ‘How did she die?’ he resumed, at last—fain, notwithstanding his hardihood, to have a support behind him; for, after the struggle, he trembled, in spite of himself, to his very finger-ends.” pg. 98* Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Thinking back to high school, I would have much preferred reading this to Jane Eyre. Don’t get me wrong, JE rocked, but Wuthering Heights…it’s like an eighteenth century soap opera with ghosts and betrayal and gold-digging and revenge that spans generations.

Every other page my eyes are bugging out and I’m saying WTF?!? in the back of my head. So far, everybody, save Mr. Lockwood and maybe Ellen Dean, is nuts. And by nuts, I mean dose-dive off a cliff CRAZY.

Right now I’m savoring as I read, so it’s slow going—I’m only about halfway through, and even though I’m anxious to realize the conclusion of this engrossing tale, I must pace myself.

Wuthering Heights - Penguin Deluxe Classics Cover* Although I linked to the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of the book (because I love that cover), I’m actually reading it from my Project Gutenberg printout—therefore, the page number may not correspond with any of the traditionally published volumes.

On another note, if you’d like my cleaned up & pre-formatted Word document to print a copy for yourself, just leave a comment and I’ll email it to you.

June 16

Comments: 6

Teaser Tuesday: Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

by Ann-Kat

Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday Remember how I said that I was reading The Great Perhaps last week? Well, yeah, I’ve set that aside for a minute.

Gena Showalter’s Blacklisted is my current detour. It’s an easy read. In fact, I’m nearly finished—so close to finished that I will be in the next fifteen minutes. It hardly seems fair to use it for my Teaser Tuesday piece, but it is the book I’m currently reading. So, here goes…

Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
  • You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
  • Please avoid spoilers

Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

“They pounded toward us, guns raised. But there was surprise in their eyes, as if they hadn’t expected to see us.” pg. 129 Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

So far, I’ve enjoyed reading this book. It’s light and fluffy and, in some cases, stereotypical, but entertaining. I don’t feel as though I’ve wasted my time with this detour. (I needed one of those “shut your brain off and jump into the story” reads and this definitely fits the bill.)

 

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