Off the Shelf #12

  Hello everyone and welcome to Off the Shelf!  This is my way of sharing any new books I receive or buy as well as let you all know what my reading plans are for the week and what I hope to get off my TBR shelf.

Finished Reading:

 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Currently Reading:

 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Up Next:

 

Why We Broke UP by Daniel Handler

 

 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

#1 in The Mortal Instrument series
Published in 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? 

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Review:  City of Bones has some really awesome things going for it, and some not so awesome things as well.  This review is going to be a little different because I'm going to make a pros and cons list.  Because I feel like it.  And I can do what I want.


Pros

• The Setting - I almost always love books set in New York City.  It's one of my most favorite places in the world, and I loved the whole paranormal underground club scene. 
• Snark and Sarcasm - I can be a pretty cynical beyotch when I want to be, so I found myself giggle-snorting at a lot of the one liners and quips that the characters toss at each other.
• HOTHOTHOTHOT - Jace may be an a-hole, but he's a sexy a-hole.
• Clary is a red head - She's a pretty good heroine.  She deals with all of the bad stuff that happens to her and doesn't take shit.  She's not afraid to stand up for herself and that is awesome.
• Shadowhunter Mythology - I really enjoyed the overall mythology and I think there's a lot of cool stuff to develop in future books. 

Cons

• Repeating the same stuff over and over - There were just too many repeated jokes, references, and phrases for me to really enjoy the writing.  I HATE it when the same adjective gets used twice on a page, and I kept noticing that happening (Brindle.  All the time.  Everyone and everything is brindle colored).  It's called a thesaurus.  Get one.
• Every character is the same - All of the characters have the same sarcastic sense of humor and after a while they all blended together into one giant ball of snark.
• Random plot tangents - There were a lot of sub-plots that didn't really support the main story arc.  I would read a hundred pages and then go "why did we just do that?"  They serve absolutely no purpose for the main story.
• GROSS - I'm not going to spoil anything, but ew.  People who've read it know what it is.  One of the plot points takes a really icky turn that I just do not like to read about.  I was not please that that's the way the story went.

Overall City of Bones has a lot of potential, but I think it was failed by its editors.  I am excited to read the next book in the series because even though I was not in love with this book there were a lot of great moments.  I'm hoping that as the series continues some of the technical kinks will be worked out so the awesome story idea can shine through.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Published January 10, 2012 by Dutton Juvenile
5 Stars


Goodreads Review
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


Review:  I need to put a disclaimer on this review that I highly doubt this review will adequately describe just how much this book means to me.  I've always been a fan of John Green's work, but The Fault in Our Stars takes him to a new category.  There are definitely still the elements that make it a John Green book, such as teens that have a better vocabulary than most dictionaries, references to obscure books, music, and lots of poetry, and in-depth analyses of the meaning of life.  But with The Fault in Our Stars, he does this better than any book he's written before.  Yes these teens are maybe too smart, and yes I had to look up a word more than once, but never the less this book looks at death, love, and illness in a way that is so REAL.  


First I want to give you a little background on where I'm coming from, and why Hazel in particular touched me on a very personal level.  When I was 14 (just about to enter high school), I had to go to the doctor for a routine checkup.  I had some basic bloodwork done, then went home to await the results.  I got a call at 1:00 AM that night saying I had to go to the hospital right then and there.  It turns out my platelet count (they're in your blood and cause it to clot) was so low I was considered a "medical emergency" (An average count is 150,000 - 500,000.  I was at 7,000).  On top of that my red blood cell count was HALF of what it should have been.  I spent that first of what would be many weekends in the hospital with doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me.  

They eventually diagnosed me with ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura) which is basically where my immune system attacks my platelets for no reason.  But I went through months before the diagnosis where they thought I could have anything from ITP to a bone marrow disorder to leukemia.  Yes, I went around for about three months thinking I had blood cancer.  Not very pleasant for a girl just starting high school.  Luckily for me I didn't have luekemia, but I was still in the hospital 1-3 times a week for two years.  I was on a very aggressive steroid treatment as well as periodic IVIg treatments that not only didn't really fix my blood problem, also caused me to gain 80 lbs, have severe mood swings, and lead me to some pretty hard core self image and depression issues.

After 2 years my doctors decided I had to go to a more drastic from of treatment by way of splenectomy.  Word to the wise, if you can avoid having abdominal surgery, I suggest you do it because it hurts like a bitch.  If that didn't work we would have had to resort to forms of chemotherapy, which totally scared the shit out of me.  Luckily the splenectomy worked and after a couple weeks my counts leveled to a perfectly healthy 300,000 which was way better than expected.  I'm basically cured and I don't have to take any medication or do anything special now.  I just have to be aware of my immune system because I am missing a spleen, so I can get sick more easily than other people.  But compared to having blood cancer?  I'll give the spleen freely, again and again.

Ok, I'm telling you all way too much information so you can understand where I'm coming from when I say this book hit me on a very personal level.  John Green does an excellent job capturing the feeling of being sick.  From puffy steroid face to midnight hospital runs to being afraid that your death will ruin the ones you love, John Green covers the realities of illness with sensitivity and honesty.  He really gets what it's like to be sick, and to be so sick that you could die.  It doesn't fall into that sappy lifetime movie-esque melodrama of so many other cancer books.  

I also just LOVE Hazel and Gus.  So much.  And I won't spoil the plot, but I totally did not expect what happened to them in this book, and I am so glad it didn't go the way I was expecting it to.  I loved how their relationship forms and how they understand each other.  What's really great is these characters are people, not just their disease.  Plus the banter back and forth is adorable while their serious conversations made me think about my life and what I really valued.  I particularly loved the lesson Gus learns about wanting to leave a mark on the world, a legacy, something to be remembered by after he has died.  I think we all feel like that, but is the whole world knowing who we are really what's important?  Isn't having people who love you and loving them back enough?  I also loved their "infinity".  I don't want to say more than that, because I don't want to spoil, just tell you a little bit about why I love this book so much.  

While I'm not happy with the cover nor the blurb (I get why Jodi Picoult is on it, I just hate the fact that she is) I hope people outside the YA and nerdfighter community will pick this book up.  The Fault in Our Stars should be read by everyone who has ever felt like their life was less valuable due to something they cannot control, anyone who has ever wanted to be seen as more than "that cancer girl", and anyone who has ever had to come to terms with the finality of a human life.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Sweet Shadows

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!

You all may remember that I did a review and giveaway of Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs.  Well, here we have the second book in the series, Sweet Shadows, due to be published sometime in 2012. Here is the cover art.

I have to admit I'm not that impressed.  I LOVED the cover of Sweet Venom, it's what drew me initially to the story.  I think they're trying to continue the snake/hair theme, but without the braid it losses the effect.  I still want to read the series though because the first book was highly enjoyable.  What do you think?

Booking Through Thursday 1/12/12

This is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday in which every week a different question is posted that generally involved books and reading.

This week is interview week!  Here are some really great bookish questions that I'm going to enjoy answering :)

1. What’s your favorite time of day to read?

I really like to read at night.  I'm a bit of a night owl, so I just love snuggling up at the end of the day with a cup of hot tea and a good book.

2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.)

In the morning I like to read new posts on the blogs I follow and maybe some news updates.  I don't really read a newspaper or book or anything.

3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.)

 I'm really not a big on breakfast food, I usually just like fruit (bananas!).

4. How many hours a day would you say you read?

I try and read at least an hour, I'd say 0.5-3 hours a day.

5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago?

No, I've always been a big reader.  I took a bit of a break when I was in college, but not I read just as much as I did in high school.

6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader?

No, I think I'm medium.  I hear of some people who read a book a day and I just cannot do that.  I'd say I read a book every 3-5 days.

7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Oh wow, this is hard!  I think I'd like teleportation.  I absolutely HATE driving to work every day (45 minutes one way!) so being able to teleport to work would be freaking cool.  Not to mention I could teleport to Italy for a weekend, if I wanted.

8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go?

Yes, I almost always have some sort of book in my purse.

9. What KIND of book?

I always carry around my journal so I can make lists of groceries or whatever.  I may also be carrying whatever fiction book I'm reading at the time.

10. How old were you when you got your first library card?

Gosh, I don't even remember.  I was in elementary school, maybe first grade?  I've always had one (now I have three, because I'm cool like that).

11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?)

I have an original print of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, which is 1908.  It was my grandfathers, and I love it.  

12. Do you read in bed?

Yes!  It's one of my favorite places to read because I just love being all cozy.  I find reading a great way to wind-down from a long day.

13. Do you write in your books?

HELL NO.  I absolutely HATE writing in books of any kind.  I just don't understand why someone would write in a book, especially something that can't be erased like pen or hi-lighter.  If I need to take notes on a book I'll jot down the page number in a notebook.  That's what they're for, notes.

14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be?

I would say to read what you want to read.  Don't force yourself to read something just because it's "popular" or a "classic".  Read what interests you, and you'll find what you love.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

#1 in the Lunar Chronicles
Published January 3, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
5 Stars
DAC 2012

Goodreads Review
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.


Review:  I know it's barely into 2012, but I already think that Cinder will be one of my favorites of the year. I've read a lot of fairytale re-tellings, but never one quite like this.  There's not just one thing about Cinder that makes it so awesome.  The setting, the characters, the twists, the writing style, and so much more all add to this unique reading experience. 

Let's talk characters.  Cinder is fantastic.  She is one of the best heroine's I've ever read.  I love how she faces prejudices against her and still tries to take charge of her own life.  She's her own person and makes her own decisions.  Some of the things that are said and done to her by her "family"are absolutely horrible, but that only makes Cinder more determined.  It's not just Cinder that's an awesome character though.  I really LOVED all of the supporting cast.  Iko, Cinder's robot BFF, is adorable and HILARIOUS.  Cinder and Iko together were some of the cutest parts of the book.  I also really liked (and hated) the evil stepmother and sister.  I think Meyer did an excellent job with these two characters because, while they are still evil beyotches, I understood WHY the were evil beyotches.  They were just flat "bad guys" they had their own motivations and reasoning behind their actions.  

Let's also talk Prince Kai for a minute.  Prince Kai is dreamy and funny with great interaction with Cinder.  I really liked how we also get to read some chapters from his perspective.  Not only does this give us valuable information about the overall story, but we also get to see Kai's struggles.  He's trying to come to terms with his father dying and the fact that he will be the next emperor, which is a huge responsibility at any time, let alone when his country is precariously close to war with a much stronger nation.

I absolutely loved the futuristic setting, AND the fact that it was set in future China!  I've been to China, so I really enjoyed reading her interpretation of how China would have evolved.

Proof!  I'm in the red coat, and yes that really is the great wall behind me.

 Cinder is an excellent start to the series.  There are going to be 3 more books, and each one is going to be a re-telling of a different fairy tale.  They are Scarlet (2013) - Little Red Riding Hood, Cress (2014) - Rapunzel, and Winter (2015) - Snow White.  This is really encouraging because in Cinder there are plenty of questions that still need to be answered, in particular with the Lunars and their evil "queen".  

In all honestly, I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time.  While I don't think I'm doing nearly a good enough job at expressing just why I love this book so much, I hope you all will look past my inadequate ramblings and just buy the book.  You won't regret it. 

The Morganville Vampires Vol. 1 by Rachel Caine

#1 and #2 in the Morganville Vampires Series
Published November 3, 2009 by NAL Trade
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
The first two novels in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires series together for the first time in a new trade paperback edition.

Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas-not a place that exactly screams "hotbed of creatures of the night". But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark...

Glass Houses
College freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood...

The Dead Girls' Dance
Claire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she's invited to the Dead Girls' Dance all hell breaks loose-literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night...

Review: You can tell that Rachel Cain has a foundation in adult urban fantasy.  I felt like I was reading more of a  toned down adult book than YA.  However I think this makes the series stand out from other YA vampire series.  Cain isn't afraid to show you the sexy make out scenes, rather than just tell you it happened and gloss over the actual hooking up.  I really appreciated that because what can I say?  I like a little hot kissing every now and then.     


Cain also puts her characters into very adult situations.  In the first two books we already faced drinking, bullying, drugs, attempted rape, murder, and suicide.  This is almost a bad thing because SO much bad stuff happened already I can't imagine where the series will go without becoming so dramatic it becomes ridiculous.  And there's a lot more in the series (11 books so far).  

Glass Houses 
In the first book in the series we're introduced to 16 year old college freshman Claire.  She is being horribly bullied by some BEYOTCHS and decides to move out of the dorms into an old house with three other teens Eve, Michael, and Shane.  And then the shit hits the fan because Claire finds out there are vampires running this town and the girls who have been bullying her are tight with some scary vamps.  Now Claire and her friends have to basically find a way to save their asses from being beaten or blood sucked to death.  This book was super exciting and really caught my interest because the writing was just so different from all the other YA paranormals.  I also loved that Claire was super smart and didn't abandon school just because of a little vampire problem.  Eyes on the prize girl!


Dead Girls Dance
If you thought things were tense in the first book, then be prepared to be blown away by the second.  Things really get crazy in this book when Shane's dad and his biker gang roll into Morganville to do some major vampire revenge massacre.  In this book I would almost say things were TOO cray-cray because the resolution of all of the drama seemed to quick and easy.  I do like how Claire seems to grow a pair in this book.  She's a lot more resourceful and daring (maybe a little too daring at times).  I also really liked learning more about the vampires and how they work (or don't work) as a society.  (However the title is misleading because there's hardly any dancing).  


I have to admit I was a little wary because of all the hype, but after reading the first two books I see that the series is deserving and am very anxious to read the next bind up.