I really wanted to write today, and my brain wrestled over what the topic should be for a while. I regret to inform you (actually, the title probably already informed you. Dang.) that this is simply a Reading Bingo Update post. Don’t be too excited.
I am not moving nearly as quickly as I need to be in order to accomplish my reading goals for this year. I need to step it up a notch. Even though I posted this picture before, I didn’t take any time to talk about the books I’d read, so I’m going to write about them briefly in the order I completed them.
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and Dan Levithan (a book without a love triangle)
I think I expected something edgier when I decided to read this. It was very, very light reading, and not overly compelling. It was a strange transition from Catching Fire to Dash and Lily. The action was minimal and the plot wasn’t overly interesting. Cute is the best word to describe this book and its characters. While it definitely doesn’t come close to my top ten, it was an enjoyable and pleasant read. (Sidenote: It annoyed me that Dash was supposed to be from New York but used stereotypically British phrases. Something like that should’ve been caught in editing but skated by and there was no explanation for it.)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (the last book in a trilogy)
As you already know, I am in love with The Hunger Games series. After I read Mockingjay, I could only describe myself as wrecked. Catching Fire was my favorite book of the series, which I realized stems from my desire to see Peeta happy, which he was at very specific points in that book. I had very high expectations for Mockingjay after reading CF and I am SO GLAD I read it before seeing the films. I was disappointed with the gratuitous violence that plagued the final chapters of Mockingjay. I understood the purpose, and it wasn’t because I was emotional about it (which I obviously was), but because of the absurdity and crudeness with which the events were described. That being said, I can’t say I liked this book. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I am still in love with the series as a whole, but Mockingjay was easily my least favorite of the three.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (a book set in the past)
Immediately, I fell in love with the main character, Ari. I love his attitude, outlook, the way he keeps everything inside, all of it. I just adored him and I loved the way he was written. Dante irritated me, which is just a sort of personality clash. I enjoyed this book, especially after the story picked up toward the middle. I had a slight problem with the ending; I felt that Ari changed in a way that didn’t feel natural to his character. But overall, definitely a quality read with quality characters and some of the things Saenz writes are flawless and brilliant.
I hope your Bingo adventures are going as smoothly as mine, and hopefully faster. Enjoy your 2014 reads!
joy writes things 