What Should I Read This Week?

Reading With Tequila started this weekly post a while ago, and has been nice enough to let me do it too! If you have not checked out her version, what are you waiting for?

I am slightly changing it up. I have way too many books on my to-read list, so I am going to present you with four books from the list that I own. Leave me a comment with what i should read next, and I will read it next!

In this “prequel” to J. M. Barrie’s 1911 novel, authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson offer possible explanations for mysteries such as why Peter Pan doesn’t grow up, how Never Land came to be, and the secrets behind the magic of flight, among others. Peter and a small group of boys from St. Norbert’s Home for Wayward Boys orphanage are sent on the dilapidated ship Never Land to the island of Rundoon, but their ship is attacked and sank by the infamous pirate Black Stache. Peter and his friends find themselves stranded on an island with fellow passenger Molly Aster and her amazing family secret, a village of natives who don’t like strangers, and sailors and pirates who are determined not to let a group of children stop them from obtaining a mysterious black trunk and it’s unexpected treasure.

I know he lied about it, but I have also heard as a novel, it is pretty good, so I want to check it out.

The story involves a professor who leads his nephew and hired guide down a volcano in Iceland to the “center of the Earth“. They encounter many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy.

A man of infinite jest, Pocket has been Lear’s cherished fool for years, from the time the king’s grown daughters—selfish, scheming Goneril, sadistic (but erotic-fantasy-grade-hot) Regan, and sweet, loyal Cordelia—were mere girls. So naturally Pocket is at his brainless, elderly liege’s side when Lear—at the insidious urging of Edmund, the bastard (in every way imaginable) son of the Earl of Gloucester—demands that his kids swear their undying love and devotion before a collection of assembled guests. Of course Goneril and Regan are only too happy to brownnose Dad. But Cordelia believes that her father’s request is kind of … well … stupid, and her blunt honesty ends up costing her her rightful share of the kingdom and earns her a banishment to boot.

Let me know in the comments what I should read next!

Horror Books and Scenes

It is a beautiful day out today – in the mid sixties and sunny. I can’t wait to go to the park when my husband gets home! So let’s talk about horror scenes.

I was reading a manuscript at my internship a couple days ago and there was a scene that made me shudder. I mad me gag. I made me feel a little queasy. It was amazing. It is a manuscript that I am still unsure about, but that scene convinced me that this person IS a good writer.

Very few writers can makes me have reactions to what they written, especially when it is scary or gross. A couple examples that have are (spoiler alert to Eclipse and Deathly Hollows) when the snake came out of the woman’s neck and when Edward ripped Victoria to shreds.

Stephen King is a master at giving me a reaction to horror scenes. I can’t read his books at night because they scare me so much. But again, I love his writing and his story telling ability (other than Cujo, if you haven’t read any Stephen King, don’t start with that one!).

People who know me would find it strange that I love scary books or scenes. When it comes to horror movies, I am a wuss. I don’t watch them at all. The scariest movie I have seen is probably The Shining. I loved the book but the movies scared the crap out of me. There is something about the movies that I cannot handle. Maybe it is things jumping out at you or how they interpret the stories.

With books, I can bring my own images, which I often think are scarier than movies, but they are my own and in my head, so they don’t freak me out as much and they are more fun than scary.

All of the specific authors or scenes I talked about earlier, especially the on from the manuscript I am reading are great for one reason more than any other. They are not gratuitous. Characters grow from the scenes, they bring the plot forward, and they fit the rest of the book. When someone throws in violence or torture and it does nothing, I get very frustrated. Everything needs a purpose. If it doesn’t have a purpose, it is not very good.

Do you like scary or horror books? Do you have any specific scenes that you love? Let me know in the comments! I am always looking for new things to explore!

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

Title: Surfacing

Author: Margaret Atwood

Paperback: 231 pages

Publisher: Ballatine Books (Random House)

ISBN: 0449213757

Rating: ++

Summary (from allreaders.com):

In Margaret Atwood’s 1972 novel, a young woman returns to the remote island in Quebec where she grew up. Her father has disappeared and she brings two friends (a married couple) and her estranged boyfriend to search for him. Over the course of a week, they search for traces of him while the narrator uncovers suppressed pieces of her past. The marriage between her friends begins to erode as their supplies dwindle and American tourists invade the pristine landscape. “

Review:

I read this book because it is in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. This was her second novel to be published. She has five or six other books that are in the book, and I think I will enjoy them more.

The writing was absolutely fantastic. It technically took me a while to read it, but I read three chapters in four days, then finished the rest last night and this morning. I love her style and how she can manage to describe a place so well without it feeling like too much.

I also thought the look at children, marriage, and divorce were enthralling. The main character (who was an unnamed narrator) was looking at a troubled marriage of her friends all while deciding if love is really something that exists. Throughout the book, I got a glimpse of her troubled marriage and the pressures that exist without even knowing that it is there. As someone who is recently married, it made me look at things a little differently than before and makes me see how important communication between a couple is.

The narrator is a very troubled woman. She has come back to her childhood home after finding out her father has disappeared in an attempt to find out what has happened. He seems to have disappeared, but she is convinced he left clues for her so she can find him. It seems like a stretch and this is the point she becomes crazy and paranoid. Someone comes to say they found her father’s body, but she and her friends are having issues, so she thinks everyone is lying to her, even with information they couldn’t have known.

That was the point that the book lost me. Before part three, it would have gotten at least a three, but her paranoid, animalistic  nature was strange and went somewhere completely different from the rest of the book. The hatred for anything that changed where she was, and blaming it all on the Americans she was convinced were going to invade Canada also started to get on my nerves.

That said, I look forward to reading more of her books because her writing is so good.

Have you read any authors, disliked the book but really wanted to read more? HAve you read any great Atwood books that I should read next? Let me know in the comments!

Good news!

As I type this, my best friend in the world and her fiancee and are on their way to visit! I am SO excited, I have not seen her since December. We are having some new friends over tonight so they can all meet, drink, and be merry. You will have to understand why I haven ot been blogging much this week, and will not be for this weekend either.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Title: Size 12 is Not Fat

Author: Meg Cabot

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Avon A (HarperCollins)

ISBN: 978-0060525118

Rating: ++++

Summary (from AllReaders):

“Heather Wells was a former teen rocker who has fallen on bad times. She has lost her boyfriend, a recording contract and her Mother ran off with her life savings to another country to top it all off she has also gained a bit of weight. She is now a *gasp* size 12 not the size 2-6 she used to be. She has decided to change her life she is now living in the top floor of a house that belongs to her ex-boyfriends brother for the price of doing his detective agency’s books. Heather is also pursuing her college degree and helping to fund this by being an Assistant Dorm Director at one of New York City’s top colleges.

Suddenly there is a death in her dorm that Heather can’t explain away as easily as everyone else. Heather knows these kids and knows that elevator surfing is just not done by girls, especially by one who is quiet and reserved. Then another body turns up and Heather decides if no one else will listen to her she will investigate things on her own. Heather starts asking a lot of questions and in turn starts to put together a theory of who the real killer is. She is right but will he knowing the killer also make her a target?

Review:

I went into this book knowing nothing about it. I didn’t even read the summary on the back of the book. I picked it up because I love Meg Cabot and the title made me very very happy since it is so true no matte rwhat our society says.

I really enjoyed the book. There were a lot of quirky characters. How can anyone not love Magda (and be disappointed that she isn’t in it more)? I wanted to smack the people I was supposed to smack, and got exasperated at Cooper when he wouldn’t take Heatehr seriously.

I don’t read many mysteries, even though I really like them. I laways try to figure out who it is, and a lot of times I can figure it out. That did not happen with this book, so it was a lot more fun to read than your average mystery.

Meg Cabot manages to write to the age of the character no matter who they are. Heather was 28, and acted and spoke like a 28 year old. Heather was funny, sometimes insecure, and a very strong woman. She does not obsess over her weight, she accepts herself for who she is. She is head over heels for Cooper, but she doesn’t let it control everything she does. She cares about the people she works with and the people around her, which makes ehr very likable.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series. If you are looking for a fun and fast read, this is a great choice!