Tuesday, October 20, 2015

2015 Reading: Emergent

I finished this book some time ago, I've just been busy/lazy (and yes, that is possible at the same time) and I forgot to blog about it. This was a fine conclusion to the series. I like the open ending and the fact that everything remains up in the air NOT even in a good position, but literally could go either way. Clones are running around rampant, except some that are going back to being slaves, humans are the bad guys except when their not... It's just as confusing as real life and I kinda like that concept right now. Maybe it was the frame of mins I was in while I was reading the book, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I started reading a few books after this one and I ended up discarding most of them. I finally started another one and I hope to have it done within the next few days but I never know when I'll be in the mood to just sit down and immerse myself in a book.

Hopefully soon.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

2015 Reading: Beta

I knew of the author from her Gingerbread series, but these were new and I figured I ouwld get the library to order them so I could try them out. Turned out to be a pretty good idea.

I didn't LOVE the book, but it did keep me interested and I have the second book all ready to go.

This story line has been done before. Several times.

Clone realizes it is its own person and DOES have feelings and wants to be released from the slavery that its creators have put it in. Rebellion. Feelings. Love interest. Danger. Shocking ending.

Meh.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

2015 Reading: Dexter is Dead

I did not know this book existed! I thought that Dexter's Final Cut would be the last one! I was so excited when I saw this, I immediately checked it out and put it before all of the other books I had originally lined up to read next.

Ugh, I forgot how much I love Dexter's sassy inner monologue. There are some things that I know I've forgotten about the book series since it's been a while since I read the last one, but I got the hang of it eventually. I sometimes wish that the TV show had taken the same route as the books because, in some ways, I think that would have been a far more interesting track. I would love to see how the characters developed on the screen as they did in the book: Doakes with no arms or legs, LaGuerta dead WAY sooner, Brain surviving and being a part of Dexter's life, the kids becoming tiny serial killers... It would have been interesting, to say the least.

And now I'm sad. I knew that this was going to be the last book and, I mean, come on, the title says it all "DEXTER IS DEAD" but part of me still didn't want to believe that was the way it was going to happen. I don't want him to be dead. I mean, he and Brian finally got to hang out a little more and bond and kill people together and their Dark Passengers finally met and it was beautiful and I had the biggest smile on my face and IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!

I need him to come back.

One thing that I think I said about Dexter in my (ill-fated) vlog, or maybe I just thought about it in my head and never said it out loud, was that book!Dexter is a true psychopath. It was very obvious by the way he was very willing to give up his kids to Deb without really a second thought and all he was concerned about was his survival. Now, show!Dexter was merely a man-made (re: Harry-made) sociopath who was raised in a very unhealthy way. Show!Dexter had feelings! He cared about people other than himself and therefore was not beyond help. HARRY was the one who thought so and led him to the life of killing successfully. A little bit of therapy (which he should have had anyway considering the way in which he was found after his mother's death) and he would have been a high functioning member of society. Harry repeatedly told Dexter that he was a sociopath until he finally believed it to be true, but he wasn't. Show!Dexter cared about his family, his kids, his sister. He loved Rita and eventually Hannah... He experienced fear, pride, sorrow. All things that psychopaths and even sociopaths do not experience.

Book!Dexter was a killer by nature. Show!Dexter was a killer by nurture.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

2015 Reading: The Lovely Bones

I had seen this movie for the first time a couple of years ago and I remember thinking it was absolutely magnificent. I loved everything about it; the setting, the look of the movie, and ESPECIALLY the fact that Stanley Tucci was the weird pedo-creepy neighbour.

This, I think, is the perfect telling of what happens to the survivors of people when they die. Thoughts are so fleeting sometimes and they can run from one thing to another very quickly, but after a tragedy, they always seem to always return to the sadness if just for a little while.

The times that Susie is watching is with each character are the times that they are thinking of her. That's why she flits from person to person and stays with them a certain amount of time. By the end of the book, she spends less and less time on Earth because her family and friends are finally starting to move on. It's all very beautiful when you think about it as well as being incredibly sad, but I guess that's the way life is sometimes.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm very glad that I read it because it explained some of the things that I really didn't understand in the movie (namely, the "heaven" scenes in the gazebo that just went over my head when I was watching it).

Onward!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

2015 Reading: One Man Guy

This book was kinda cute. I personally thought that the characters were a little too young, but then maybe that's just because when I was 14 I had NO clue what the hell was going on. I was a late bloomer, okay? There are things I STILL don't know.

The one thing that I have to complain about (well, not really complain per se, but it's just an irk I had), was the emphasis on the nationality of the main character. Was it really necessary to the story to go on and on about him being Armenian? Did it really enrich the story? For me, no. I would have been just fine if that part had been left out.

Other than that, I thought that the characters were good and the writing was excellent and I reall enjoyed the story. It made me smile.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

2015 Reading: Twisted

I DEVOURED this book.

I started reading it on my lunch break at work and the next thing I knew, I was 50 pages in. Then I came home and basically swallowed the rest.

This book was funny and heartbreaking and dark and I loved it.

There's something about stream of consciousness narration that makes things seems real. I know that it denotes an unreliable narrator and you only get to see one side of things that are going on, but I loved being in this kid's head.

And it didn't end all rainbows and puppies and shit. It just ended. Life was not suddenly better all around for everyone, but there was hope and then nothing. It left it open to whatever and I really liked that.

This author has done that before with me. I really enjoyed Speak and this was sort of in the same vein, only a lot funnier and more outgoing.

2015 Reading: Confessions of Son of Sam

I have been terrible at reading this year so far. I find myself ordering books and picking out books that I think are going to be awesome and that I am going to love, but then when I actually begin reading them, I lose interest right away and then they sit there while I watch NetFlix.

However, I stuck with this one and actually finished it. Probably because serial killers. 'Nuff said.

I had never really read in depth about David Berkowitz before. Sure I had read some of the case files about his victims and the nature of the crimes, but never about the man himself. This was a very nice change from that. Especially since it was written by someone who was in contact with him. There are several conversations transcribed verbatim within the book and I really enjoy that. I love getting in depth about people and their state of mind. Since this was written from the transcripts right after he was arrested and during his trial, the events are still fresh and the way he describes everything is very much in the moment instead of a remembrance from years after the fact.

It was fascinating to read about how David (because we're on a first name basis) tried to blame insanity and demons for his wanting to kill people and everyone wanted to believe that except for one psychologist. It's funny how no one ever wants to believe that sane people are capable of things like murder. They always want something else to blame because if an otherwise rational person can commit atrocities like that, then they fear that they are also capable and some people just don't like to think about that.

This was a very interesting read and I would definitely like to read more books like this in the future.