Shades of Grey - Not to be Confused with the Uninspired Twilight Fanfiction

Publicity shot: Jasper Fforde http://www.jasperfforde.com/grey/bigidea.html

Shades of Grey

By Jasper Fforde

*****

5/5 stars

How can you not like a book that was published in a color by number, limited edition hardback?

Okay, so I have been in a bit of a book slump.  It’s not that I haven’t been enjoying the novels I’ve been reading, but nothing has shocked me.  Most of the novels I’ve read have been good but not page turners in the sense that I actually want to read. In fact, reading has been more of a chore lately.  While I enjoyed The Once and Future King (I’ll blog about it soon) it was predictable in the sense that I am a King Arthur girl and knew the gist of the story arc already.  And while I love my Gentleman Bastard series, I will painfully admit that I was left a little empty with Lynch’s latest installment.

Shades of Grey asks us to consider the idea that color is far more important than this series of light beams that enter our pupils when we look at an object. While we take the hues that we see for granted, this book presents the idea that each individual can only see a certain amount of color and thus is limited on the amount of the world they organically experience.  A hierarchical order is constructed around this thought process.  The more color you can see, the better off you are, and vice versa.

Originally, I wasn’t keen on this book.  I picked it up on a whim while I was at Powell’s over the summer, based a suggestion from a certain Australian.  It wasn’t that I wasn’t open to the concept, but it seemed almost bland.  There was something about this hierarchy that I kind of shrugged at because I simply assumed that the world in the novel would be like our own and honestly, I hate reading about our own world.  I tried reading this novel a few months ago and quickly set it down in dismay, thinking that it was going to be yet another long and tedious process for me to get through a book that didn’t even exceed four hundred pages.

In better spirits, I picked this book up again last week in an attempt to give it another go.  I’m so happy/angry that I did.  The happy, I can tell you about… the angry? 

Jasper Fforde created something that isn’t necessarily original, but is refreshing.  With themes reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984 (one of my favorites) the world created in this book (which I am told is set in South Wales. Huzzah!) is so distant from our own that I even question if the people populating this novel are meant to be the future human race or if they are simply a leftover construct of our own race, and have gained some intelligence.  The characters, except for one, aren’t really described and when they are, they tend to be more of an anamorphous figure or some sort of worker drone.  Our kind is nowhere to be seen though, having apparently died off in what is known as the Previously.  Little is known about what happened leading up to this new Chromatic point and whatever is given to us through the dialogue of the characters is horribly misconstrued.  Think of playing telephone as a kid and you have the type of information that this society has now.

In a world where you marry to increase your color percentage, where if you can’t see color, you are practically a slave, and where you die for the slightest infraction, Jasper Fforde has combined the Big Brother idea with the whimsy and hilarity of old style fairy tales. 

I will admit that I spent a good portion of this book feeling off kilter simply because the concepts aren’t explained to us in detail.  Though, that might be what I love about this book.  These themes and these rules are a part of this world.  The people here know them instinctively.  The fact that they aren’t explained to us makes this society more believable.  After all, Eric Kripke once put it best when he said you don’t really describe events to people who already known what you are referring to.  By doing this, the author has created a dystopian world inside a bubble that we have to actually pay attention and learn about.  This book is smart. The writing is smart. The clever pop culture references that are slightly construed so as to distance itself from our time period are threaded throughout the text in such a way that make you giggle and also foreshadow things to come.  Yes, Jasper Fforde may have just became one of my new favorites to read and I was relieved beyond belief to learn that this is a series and that I will not be left sitting in my living room, feeling incomplete.

My critique of this book? It did get a bit tedious for me in the middle.  I felt like once I had established the world and its rules, there was a lag time where there was more establishing that I didn't feel was all that necessary.  While I love the cast of zany characters we encountered, I did feel a bit tired in the middle of the novel.  I can guarantee that the last hundred and fifty pages makes up for this though.  I sat down today to simply read a chapter or two and ending up finishing the book and ignoring the dirty dishes and the hyper active cats demanding food they for some reason think they need. 

Not my cat but you get the idea

(Side note: I’m not starving my cats.  They are small little whales in the making.)

Now, that was the happy on my scale of emotions. I did mention there was some negative feelings as well.  But, as for them…?

Spoilers.

Read this novel.  If nothing else, it is entirely refreshing from the other mass market fiction that is plaguing our bookstore shelves.  Too often, it seems that literature is written simply to sell quickly and widely and not be remembered.  Thankfully, Shades of Grey does not suffer from this fate.

Has anyone else read this one? I don’t feel like it’s as widely known as I want it to be.  Are the next in the series just as good?  Also, who out there didn't like it? I can easily see where this book would alienate people pretty quickly and I’m curious to hear the downfalls that I am looking over simply because I’m a giddy school girl again and am memorized by pretty words and imagery.

Random shout out to my people that have liked me on my Facebook page over the past few months.  You guys made me pick this up again.

I know it's been a while but remember to like me on Facebook and follow me on Google + . Both links are in the sidebar and are craving your attention.  Also, drop me a line.  Would love to hear what you guys have been up to.

World War Z by Max Brooks

4/5 stars
****

I liked this book. I really really did. Zombies that actually become scary is a rare commodity in this world and let me tell you, when you live alone, and you have cats with a penchant to knock things over unexpectedly, this book becomes terrifying.


Told post the War, World War Z does an exemplary job on describing events that we, as a reader, need to believe changed our entire world. It isn't just one country effected. It wasn't just one category of people. This books spans a variety of cultures and gives voice to several different groups who are now forever united together in a single events that was meant to destroy them. In moments that are blindingly terrifying, this novel portrays zombies in a refreshing way. It does not spend hours focusing on how the zombies move or give us countless images of them gnawing on torn limbs, blood staining their face. It instead focuses on the survivors, what they think, what they had felt during the time, who they were concerned about and whether they thought the entire scenario was a joke or not. This leaves countless things up to the readers imagination and in this scenario, it works. This is the type of novel where less is a hell of a lot more because what the brain can conjure is always going to be much more personal and much more skin crawling, than what an author can try to give you.


What I think impressed me most about this book was that there was something for every type of reader. World War Z. Brooks had a story for every type of reader here and switched between voices with conviction and ease. That alone makes me sit back in awe of him. He didn't just have one story he set out to tell in this novel. He had dozens.

For example, I do not enjoy politics. When that point in most novels is reached where the authors spends pages going over a political structure or the on going push and pull between two parties, I zone out. It is a necessary thing to have in novels, especially ones that are trying to set up and brand new world. Often you'll see me complain about this because I am not the type of reader who cares how the world functions so much as how the people inhabiting it do. My brain registers the hints of a political rant or even a financial explanation, and starts to wander to more exciting moments that I wish were taking place instead. Max Brooks had his fair share of stories told from a politician or someone who knew way more about economics or even how the business aspect of the world worked. He also had stories about parents trying to keep their children alive just one more day, computer geeks escaping from a four story apartment complex, and pilots who became so delirious that they could not explain how they even logically made it out of the war zone alive. This type of story works in the structure that Brooks has set up and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of

I am genuinely excited to see the movie adaptation of this and am looking forward to buying the audio book to enjoy this experience all over again. World War Z was a novel that I did not expect to enjoy, nor did I expect the range of emotions that poured out of me while reading. It is one of the first critically acclaimed novels that I've read in quite a while, that actually lived up to its hype.

If you want to see what else I'm reading this month, visit here: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-book-reads.html

And don't forget to like me on facebook.  Also, if you like the Zombie propoganda posters that you see here, visit their website.  There are plenty more where these came from. http://www.behance.net/gallery/WPA-Style-Zombie-Survival-Guide-Posters/9388537

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

3/5
***


Children fighting a battle well beyond their years, taken from their homes before they even really got the chance to live, thrust into a world that makes them adults quicker than they ever should. Ender's Game has some harsh topics worthy of exploration and it is easy to see why this is a series, given the amount of room this author has created in his world. However... I was not a fan of this book.


As I say the above, I almost feel as if I should apologize. As said in some previous posts, this is one of those novels that has always been floating in my reading vision. It was a book that if you hadn't read, you had at least heard about. It's iconic. It's probably considered one of the fundamentals of Sci-fi. But, as I curled up on my sofa, a cup of coffee in hand, looking forward to a book that is so revered, I was disappointed. The only thing that I really took away from the story after a good three hours of reading was this was a “guys” book. And I hate using that term because I know there are females out there that enjoy the type of writing I'm talking about (big explosions, lots of immature insults to each other, more big explosions). Hell, I'm even one of them when the mood strikes me. However, Ender's Game was slow moving except for the numerous descriptions of battle that took place. The action in between the battles/training was filler at best. Character growth felt choppy, any connections that were supposed to form between characters felt very flat, and most of the in-between scenes talked about fighting, or involved fighting in the halls of the school.


Though, to be fair, most of those complaints I just listed happened at the school where our main character, Ender, was taken for training in the upcoming war. When we stepped back home and got to visit his brother and sister, I found myself enjoying the novel much more. Valentine and Peter were intriguing reads and I think I would have much rather read an entire novel about them.


Also, lets address the weird dialogue choices in this book. These are children. Small small children. Yet, they spoke better than adults. Now, in Ender's case, I can at least justify it. He is in a school where he is forced to grow up. I see what the author was going for there. But what about in the case of his siblings? Why were they small children with eloquent tongues and brilliant minds? Was this explained and I just glossed over it? Therein lies one of the fundamental issues with me and this book. There were things that we as a reader were just supposed to accept but we were to accept them with little to no information about the world or time that the book was taking place in and often times, these facts were just kind of thrust at us in such a way that they didn't stick. I didn't even know that the aliens being fought looked like bugs for a good amount of the novel and probably wouldn't have known if they hadn't kept calling them buggers.  Though, I am fully ready to admit that might be on me and the lack of attention I was able to keep on this book.


Now, obviously this novel isn't all bad because I gave it a three out of five stars. I must admit that some of my amusement for this book comes from the fact that this very homophobic author had several naked wrestling scenes throughout his story. Should something like that make me smile? Yes. Yes it should.


The true reason it has gotten a three star rating though, and the reason why I'll most likely read it again in the future in hopes of giving it another shot, is the ending. There is a plot twist at the end that made me giddy for the first time. The pay off that I had been waiting for did actually show up during the last fifty pages or so and, if I'm being truthful, around page two hundred, the book did catch my attention much much more. Pretty much the moment things got 'real' so to speak is when I started enjoying it. Now, this sort of payoff works fantastically in novels because it is the last thing you remember before ending the book. It leaves you with good feelings that bump up star rating and make you rethink your previous opinion (honestly, without this ending, it would have gotten a two star). However, it is the authors job to make the novel entertaining before this point so you don't put it down or dread reading the next chapter or two.

I know plenty of people that do enjoy this book. I'm not saying its a bad one. I'm saying that I found a lot of fault in it that I personally couldn't get past. It was too big Hollywood, summer Blockbuster movie for me. I'd seen it before and I will see it again. That being said, I need to give it some credit because while I have seen this story before, this one came first. You can easily see the influence that this book has had over such things as Hunger Games, Mass Effect, Halo and so on. For that, I do have respect for it. But is it a novel that holds up over time? Not really.



If you are an avid reader, I'd say read Ender's Game because its iconic. At least then you can make up your own opinion. If you are someone that has trouble reading in the fist place though, or know that Sci-fi isn't really your thing, give it a pass.

That being said, I will go see the movie because Harrison Ford. Yes. I did just say that. :)

For more of what I'm reading this month: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-book-reads.html

And be sure to like my on Facebook and follow me on Google+

October Book Reads

If you've noticed, I did skip September mainly because I was behind on my reading choices for moths prior and I was honestly just tired of reading. Those moods hit me every once in a while where books are more of a chore than anything else. It takes a really good book to finally snap me out of it and thankfully, Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch did that for me. I'm back in my reading mood and hopefully, my blogging mood again. There are many little things to tell you, dear bloggers. Many many things.


But for now, here are my hopeful picks for September.


Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

I don't think there's a single Sci-Fi reader out there that doesn't know about Enders Game. I have been hearing about how amazing this book is for years now and after a good friend of mine plowed through it in a few days time, I decided it was time for me to give it a go as well. It's been sitting on my shelf ever since, haunting me with its blue cover that screams space wars . The odd thing about this book, is I couldn't begin to even tell you what the plot is. For a book that is so well loved, it is not one that seems to be common pop culture knowledge. I'll give it a go though and see if it breaks my stigma on books that are set in space, all being the same.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/10/enders-game-by-orson-scott-card.html

World War Z by Max Brooks

I haven't seen the movie. Let me get that out of the way first. I fully plan to watch it but I wanted to read the novel first, even though I hear that the novel and the movie have nothing to do with each other.


This is a book that I do know something about. Set in a post apocalyptic world, it shares the accounts of what the Zombie War was truly like. It intrigues me simply because it is a collection of stories from the perspective of people who lived through the war. It's a different take on the zombie movement and lets face it, the zombie movement is one that needs to be fresh if it plans to keep going. I've talked before about how much I love Zombies Run! But that is pretty much the extent of my love for zombies because.... well, because there never seems to be anything new about them. I'm not a big zombie person. I don't even like Walking Dead. I know. It's a slight against my nerd card but most of the time find that show boring. Although, maybe I'm just desensitized at this point.


Anyway, we will see if World War Z catches my interest. It has all of the components that I liked to see in an experimental novel such as this, but I can see where it could get stale very quickly.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/10/world-war-z-by-max-brooks.html

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Read the authors names and if you follow this blog, you know why I'm reading this book. John Green is my author crush. He can do no wrong in my eyes. I realize that this might make me biased before I even read this novel but that man has yet to let me down. Is he the greatest author I've ever read? Of course not. Is he one of the most truthful ones? Yes. I think that's an important distinction to make.


Hooded Man by Paul Kane

I was walking through the book store the other day when I spotted this. A picture of a man caught my eye as he stood before me, his head bent, a green hood shadowing his features. My response?


ROBIN HOOD?!?!


Like Peter Pan, I have this special affinity for the man in lincoln greens. There is something about that story that I've always swooned over in a very unladylike, fangirl fashion. If Robin was to show up at my window, I'd go with him in a heart beat. Peter on the other hand....?

I'm fully aware that just because a story is about Robin Hood, it does not make it good. However, I have to give it a shot because honestly, I have never read a portrayal of Robin Hood that I've enjoyed. Even the original by Howard Pyle didn't manage to captivate my attention like the idea of Robin does. I liked it. I even laughed. But it didn't encapsulate the snarky thievery that I've come to associate with Robin. Nor did the man come across as a hopeless romantic that cared too much for the people around him. The only version of Robin Hood that I've seen that has managed to portray all of this was the BBC version of Robin Hood. If you haven't seen it, go and watch. Then sit down in a ball and rock back and forth while weeping bitter bitter tears.


Also, it may have come to my attention lately that I really like thieves... I'm not sure that is something I should be admitting on the infinite interwebs.

Stolen

Three out of five stars

A sixteen year old girl is kidnapped by a man who has been stalking her since she was ten. He doesn't lay a finger on her during her entire incarceration and not once threatens her. His past is tragic at best and in the end, he is lonely. Do we sympathize with him?


This book has left me very conflicted. Gemma is the girl in question who was kidnapped and while I am very appreciative that she does not fall in love with her captor and forgive him for all that he does (the girl tries to escape, she tries to harm him) I still am left feeling very uncomfortable with the turn of this novel. Does she grow to have feelings for him? Is it Stockholm syndrome? Is the author writing a novel to add to the long list of fucked up teen books that romanticize abusive relationships? Okay, okay. Lets get that one out of the way first.

No. I don't think that Lucy Christopher is romanticizing this kind of abuse. She makes it very clear that what this person did was wrong and towards the end of then novel, she even calls into question some of the thing that the kidnapper was telling Gemma to maybe cause Gemma to question her home life and if it was truly better than what he was giving her. For this reason, I do appreciate this author. She does however add the confusing element of the kidnapper, Ty, being a character that one can sympathize with. It's a weird feeling to have. When it came to Ty, I was much more brutal in my opinion of him because while he did have a horrid childhood, and while he never tried to hurt Gemma, he still drugged and kidnapped her from the airport. I don't consider the man a monster like the public does in this book, but I don't consider him a character to lend my sympathy to. I can see how a reader could go there though and that's what makes the book terribly uncomfortable for me and terribly confusing.


On a side note, can we just take note for a minute how annoyingly bland the public reaction can be in books like this? Why is it that there is always some female archetype stroking the young girls hair and waxing poetics about what a monster said bad person is and how said victim is too confused to understand what really just happened. Said victim was there. Annoying hair stroker was not.

While I do not romanticize this story, I think many will.  The deeper picture of this story is that there is always more to what we see.  When the book is boiled down to its bare bones, that is what it is about.  However, in this society, teenage girls are falling into these horrible patterns of falling for the emo "misunderstood" boys out there that treat them like shit.  They are going to gloss over the fact that the situation Gemma was in could have been much worst; that in fact, what happened to her was psychologically traumatizing and that while she did somewhat begin to fall for this guy, there is a much more confusing and deeper layer that we must understand in which Gemma's feelings probably stemmed from the fact that he was all she had.  There is so much meat to this story and so many different angles that we can dive into, but unfortunately, most people do not.  Most teens sigh in love and whimsy and dream of their captors coming to sweep them off their feet and take them to Australian.

Alright, so maybe teens aren't that bad but that seems to be the type of teens that I hear from when researching books like this.

Lucy Christopher is a decent writer. I wasn't a huge fan of the first person narrative or the lack of chapters, but she does get her point across with little to no nonsense and focuses on a character development that is very believable. For the novel also only focusing on two characters, it doesn't get dry or boring. If anything, this is an exploration into the mind set of two very different and very broken people. Watching Gemma's sanity slip like it does is what makes this novel worth the read. It is done subtly and I was surprised to find how much the character had truly changed by the end of the novel. For that, I have mass respect for this author.


While it wasn't exactly the kind of book I would normally read, I did enjoy it. I would recommend it to people that are looking for something a little dark and a little different. It's an easy read through and one that does stick with you as well.

Red Seas Under Red Skies

****
4 out of 5 stars

My faith in literature is restored.


This is the second in a series of novels that I have publicly declared my adoration for to the point where it might be bordering on obsessive. The first, the Lies of Locke Lamora, I have waxed poetics about to anyone who would listen. The characters are beautifully done and, lets face it, any story where you give me thieves or pirates, I'm pretty much going to squee like the little fangril that I am. These novels fit under the criteria I have for fantastic books by causing that horrible moment of not enjoying any novel read directly after finishing these ones, because nothing else compares.


In Scott Lynch's sequel, Red Sea's Under Red Skies, we pick up where we left off in the last book. Now, I won't give anything away in case you've had the misfortune of not picking this series up yet, but lets just say, that when we last saw our antihero's, they were pretty much up the creek, without a paddle, while trying to heal gaping wounds and knowing that the gods and anything else remotely powerful, had a price on their head. It was good times for all.



So of course, Red Sea's jumps right into the character trying to rebuild what they have lost and trying to adjust to a new city. And by adjusting, I mean that they get caught up in gambling rings, political upheaval, a secret society that wants their heads on a platter, and a whole slew of misunderstood moments because Locke has issues but we love him to death because he's the embodiment of what a rogue should be. Also, Pirates.

Pirates.

They are female and can hold their own and you don't want to shove them off a cliff for being a stereotypical ice cold bitch because apparently us females can only be written three different ways... I may have some issues with female characterization lately....

Anyway! Fully realized, kick ass, women who actually still feel like they are women! Huzzah!

At this point I think it should become pretty apparent that I'm babbling and may just really love this book because there are pirates in it. Have I mentioned the pirates.

Alright, now for the serious portion.

Lynch is what I would consider a good writer. He strings words together to form these beautiful moments that I have to stop and say out loud because they are simply the type of words you want to feel roll of your tongue. Then, in the next paragraph, he is crass and vulgar because his main characters are vagrants who are cheating, lying and drinking their way through a city and a job. I love this about him. He knows when certain dialogue is appropriate and he knows how to tug on romantic heartstrings and send his reader into a brief love affair with words.


That being said, he can be long winded. One of the things that I've noticed about him in the last two novels is that he spends a lot of time developing his world. While normally that wouldn't be an issue for me because I am all about development, I feel like there are moment that Lynch dives too far into his description. I'm not sure if I want to consider this a slight on him however because I know a lot of people who love description. Blocks of text work for some people. I'm the type of reader that wants dialogue, however, and don't care so much about what the city looks like when we first enter the scene or the political structure that is controlling this society. I want to find all that out as the story goes. But, I am aware that this is more of a personal choice than anything else. I also think that part of my irritation about these blocks of text stems from the fact that I wanted to know what was happening next. Lynch writes such an intriguing story that I don't really care what the city looks like or about the aqueducts that were laid when it was first built. I want to know if Locke is going to make it out of the situation without being beaten to death and if he has another trick up his sleeve to do so.


My other issue I would like to bring up isn't so much of a complaint but more of a warning. Do not read this book if you are someone that wants to sit down and check out for a while. If your mind is prone to wandering during novels, this is not your tale. Lynch loves to write with intricacy and he snuggles up to convoluted ideas at night with a warm mug of cocoa. There were moments that I found myself having to go back and fact check things because he throws so much at you that at times, you struggle to remember who is good and who is bad and who it is they are supposed to be trusting. Which, now that I think about it, is probably the point. However, it is not a novel you can sit down and passively read. Get yourself immersed in this world and learn these characters because if you don't, you are missing out on the genius of this story.


And finally, I love these characters; The Gentlemen Bastards. Their names and titles fit them perfectly (both their real names and their false ones). Jean has become much more developed in this book and has moved passed the muscle of the group and Locke, and I don't think I can stress this enough, is what a rogue should be. He can't fight. He's not someone that you should be entrusting with an army or even with your life. But he can talk his way out of a situation and rob you blind, all with a smile on his face. The fact that the author did not make him strong or even all that competent in fights, the fact that he is somewhat of a coward, makes this character real. He has flaws and he has many. I have a feeling we will be learning more about these flaws in the next novel when a certain redheaded woman who we've been hearing about for two books, finally makes her appearance.

If you are a fantasy reader, buy this book. It is intelligent, funny, and all the things that a woman looks for in a man but has the added benefit of not whining at you while they are sick with the common cold or a leg cramp.

Also. Pirates.

To see more of what I was reading this month go here: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-book-reads.html

Also, like me on Facebook and leave me a comment in the comments section down below.

Elric of Melinbone by Michael Moorcock

This is the perfect example of what I do not like about sci-fi/fantasy books until quite recently.


Elric of Melnibone is a series of books that are short and to the point. Normally, I would say kudo's to the author for that. There is no time that is wasted on prose that are unnecessary and the story that is told is clear and concise. The problem here is that Moorcock seems to have cut everything out to the point where it's not enjoyable even in the slightest. The dialogue is fake and forced, the prose are bland and overall, the story is lacking any sort of captivating imagination.


Now, I'm not sure this is Moorcock's fault. Yes, he wrote the novel but it seems to me that up until recently, most sci-fi/fantasy novels just had this quality. There was something about the writing that always seems either very dry or over the top to the point where you can't become immersed because its so ridiculous. These aren't necessarily bad stories but they are stories that are best told orally as opposed to read.


While this book is a short read, it took me an inordinate amount of time to get into it. While the main character has the advantage of being morally gray, it is never a theme that seems to be fully explored. The world feels very two dimensional as well and the characters that are coming into contact with the main storyline fall into peril during one page and then are suddenly saved two pages later. This quick and choppy style detracts from what could be a good story. The author seems to just be rushing through a series of events while peppering his work with dialogue that could be written for daytime soaps.

Troy and this random puppet, in fact, has better dialogue than this book... and they're not even saying anything!

I realize too that there are a lot of readers out there that enjoy this style of writing. I know a lot of readers that enjoy this style of writing and the friend that recommended this book is definitely one of them. For me, however, there is nothing to this. There isn't talent or passion. There is simply a telling of a very linear story that you could find anywhere. Imagination is lacking here and it is instead something to just pass the time. These are the stories that I feel don't stick with you and they are not the kinds of stories I want to be spending my time on.

What I don't understand is the fact that this series is actually popular.  It's a movie, references to these characters are made in different novels, tv shows and comics... but I can barely read the 180 pages that are provided to me.  Is there something I'm missing? If you are seeing or reading something that I'm missing, please tell me because I'm confused by this popularity.



Overall, if you are a person that can't seem to get through larger novels and want to read something in the course of an afternoon, I would actually recommend this. If you are someone who likes to dive into your stories and wants something rich and full of life, skip this. It is not a story that is going to offer you much more than a coma induced state of boredom most of the time.

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Google +

Also, here's a look at what else I'm reading at the moment. Follow the links here http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-book-reads.html

and here

http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-book-reads.html

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I have some mixed feelings about this novel. I spent the first half of it struggling to keep my eyes open and the second half of it fairly impressed with how everything was coming together. When it comes down to it, I think that I enjoy the mechanics of this book, and maybe even the story itself, but its not something I would normally read.


Jellicoe Road is a hard book to summarize without giving away what truly makes it interesting. What I can tell you is that it is about a girl who was orphaned very young, trying to find her mother. The beginning was a bit confusing to me because I was a uncertain where the main character was staying and if the “territory wars” they continued to talk about was something to pass the time at the camp like environment she seemed to be inhabiting, or if they were actual territory wars. Although, that could all be on me because like I said, I didn't actually get into this novel until I was half way through.  Half the novel felt more like a chore or one of those books that teachers make you read in high school because it's supposed to be amazing but you struggle to see why from the moment you open it.

The most enjoyable part of Marchetta's storytelling is held within the story itself. Yes, there is a story within the story in this novel and every time we moved into the more linear storyline, I found myself wanting to go back to the stories about boys in trees and teens who loved each other in loyal and honest ways. In fact, I think that the story of those souls, overshadowed the rest of the tale. When bit parts are more interesting than your main character, you have a problem as an author. I fell in love with the characters that the girl was learning about and I too wanted to know more about them. The main character of Taylor though was one that I was bored with from page one. Again, this is more of a personal preference than a critique on the book but the substance that Taylor had was nothing compared to some of the other characters in this book. Not to mention that Taylor fell flat on the page and was more akin to that carbon copy type of character that we see through most teen novels.


As a whole, Jellicoe Road is worth a read. I plan on keeping my copy and giving it another go sometime in the future because I do believe that this book is a decent distraction from our reality. While it is not the best that I've read, the author intertwines the past and the present in very neat twists that make me appreciate what she was trying to do with this novel. Marchetta had a very definite goal in her storytelling and she was able to convey it in a clear manor. That's not something that I see often with teen novels. Lately, a lot of teen novels have been taking notes from Hollywood and are trying to distract you from the gaping holes within the plot with pretty faces and witty dialogue.



Overall, Jellicoe Road is a solid three star book. If you are looking for a mystery novel then this is the one that I would point to. It is reminiscent of a good summer read and this is definitely a novel to sit on the beach or around a campfire at night and indulge in. 

Make sure to follow me on facebook and Google + and for more reviews of what I'm reading this month (and the last since I haven't been able to read much lately) go here

http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-book-reads.html

and here

http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-book-reads.html

August Book Reads

Last months choice of books have left me not really enjoying reading that much. Granted, I've been busier than usual so I haven't had a lot of time but the stories that I am working through currently aren't ones that you can sink into. I'm having one of those sensations where I am aware of what I am doing. That's usually how I set apart good books from the truly amazing. If you are aware that you are reading about a character and that you are sitting in your living room or bed, reading something someone else has written, something is wrong. The same with movies. These are vessels of escape. They are emotional time bombs. I want to be taken away when I read. Unfortunately, the stories that I am wading through at the moment, don't have that quality and have left me not wanting to read. I haven't picked up any other books either because I didn't want to get distracted.

Today I decided that was stupid.

This months book choices aren't very long but they hopefully will allow some progress and get me back into reading once more.

Elric of Melinbone by Michael Moorcock

One of my nerd friends gave this to me to read. It's a short little read and, according to him, is one of those books that is just meant to get someone into reading if they aren't a book person. The concept though is supposed to be good. From what I can gather from it, the main character doesn't really seem like a decent guy either so I'm a bit intrigued over that fact. My only fear of this novel is that it was printed in the 70's. I have this thing about science fiction that is older than the past decade. There's something about the way those authors wrote that bothers me. They do it in such a way that is not exactly over the top, but it is not natural. There's a distinct lack of flow from them. This doesn't make them bad writers, or even make the story bad, but it doesn't feel like it's a world that is secretly lurking in the shadows, which is how I prefer my fiction.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/elric-of-melinbone-by-michael-moorcock.html

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

A love story between a kidnapped girl and her kidnapper? Uh.... alright.

This is another novel that was given to me by a friend. But, unlike the previous one, this one was given to me by someone who does not like to read. She is a girl who enjoys tales, but it takes a lot for her to get into a book. Stolen, however, she finished within a week. That to me says there was something about it that was special in order to captivate her and that has got me curious. I like this girls taste in most things so I'm curious to see what this book contains. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise.

Like I said, this month is a short read list mostly because I would like to continue trudging away on my previous months list. I'm half way through John Dies at the End (which, I would like to add, is a complete WTF novel) and Jellicoe Road. They just take a bit more time than most novels do.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/09/stolen.html

If you have any book suggestions, leave a comment. Also, remember to like me on Facebook and Google +

Let It Snow -- I'm Swooning like I'm in an 80's movie

I needed this book. I needed it in a 'light some candles and relax in a hot bath' kind of way. As I write this review, I will try my hardest not to shower you with my overwhelming love for John Green. I will try not to explain to you guys in several different ways how he is a fantastic young adult author and that I love him for not having rippling biceps anywhere in his books. I will try to contain myself over the fact that he writes teens, especially teen nerds, in such a way that makes you swoon. Let's face it though. I probably just lied to you.

Let It Snow is a series of three short stories, all taking place over Christmas. It originally appealed to me because John Green writes one of these said stories. Also, I have a soft spot for Christmas. There is something about the mass amounts of twinkle lights, the idea and in my case, hope for snow, and the smell of a ginormous tree that takes up your entire dining room in your tiny one bedroom apartment, that just makes the holiday magical. No? No one else has trees like that?

Let it be known that I have a certain prejudiced against young adult novels. I think a majority of them shouldn't have been published and when I walk into the young adult section at Barnes and Noble, the one I used to spend hours in as a child, I am overwhelmed with pictures of shirtless, hairless, man-boys and girls with doe eyes and glossy lips. Soft. Core. Porn. This is not to say that I think we should shy away from sexuality in teen novels nor do I think it is something we should be making taboo. But, when I see almost every book jacket gooped up with these images, all I can think is that Fabio and Edward Cullen have done the impossible and have somehow made a baby. This said vampire sexed up child is now gracing the covers of poorly written novels. Or at least what I assume to be poorly written novels. I might never know either because I don't tend to crack open those books which is probably a flaw on my part since they could be hiding a literary gem. I highly doubt it but I'm trying to give the benefit of the doubt here.  

But seriously.  What is that?

My point is, I don't like young adult novels. The teens in them annoy the shit out of me and most of the main characters are whining females concerned only with vapid tendencies that are important to them and only them. I know. I know. There really are people like that in the world and we tend to notice it the most in teenage girls. This isn't exactly an inaccurate portrayal. But, are teen girls this way because we are shaping them to be these self centered, dramatic, 'I can't believe she is wearing the same dress as me' type of person? Or are they this way because its what they truly want to be? Better people and much smarter people can probably answer that question. I simply can't believe that a majority of teens are that shallow and one dimensional as a human being. More on that later.

Now I won't go over plot details with you so as not to spoil the stories but I have to say that two out of three of these stories made me feel like I was sixteen again and falling head over heals for the boy in first period. I was smitten while reading these and that has been one of the things that I think sets John Green (and I'm going to include Maureen Johnson in here too) aside from other authors. Both Green and Johnson created characters and a corresponding romance that was genuine, unique, funny, and filled with all the first time cringe worthy moments that make us feel alive.

Maureen Johnson is not an author I have read before but I will be seeking out her other work soon. She had the first story in the Christmas trilogy and had me hooked with her writing style from the first page. The fact that most of the story centers around a Christmas house collection called Flobie Village and the insanity of people who are collecting them, endeared me to her in ways that I don't think is healthy. I will admit I was looking for something wrong with her section of the story, my teen novel prejudice coming out to play. But, the moment that I thought I had found it in her portrayal of cheerleaders, another character came along and called the main character out on this generalization. Not that the generalization didn't have some truth, but the author did acknowledge that this is not the case all the time.

The love story of this tale was by far my favorite and by the end, I was cheering on the nerd boy, wanting him to win over the nerd girl. I want to see future stories of these two characters and see what their nerd babies turn out to be. I want a conclusion to the Flobie Village catastrophe!

Next was John Green. I love John Green. A lot.

Again, the romance and the characterization in this story were believable in the awkward 'hey we're real people' way. What I liked best about this switch of authors and characters was that while it still mentioned the characters introduced to us in the fist story, a whole new set was given to us, each with their own distinguished personality. Green captures different voices in a way that I am continuously envious of. Furthermore, the way he writes females makes me so happy. And that's kind of where my love for the first two stories comes down to. I feel like Johnson and Green give voice to a female character that I embodied growing up, and didn't feel was represented in media.

In an epic battle to get to a Waffle House, in the middle of a snowstorm, Green tells another love story and the quest for hash browns. It is perfect in every way and during those brief moments when the characters stop acting as old friends and have to navigate the new waters of a potential relationship, I was hiding under the covers, my heart beating fast, agonizing over whether they would be together or not in the end.

These first two stories made me nostalgic for high school again. They made me want to be that awkward teen that didn't know what the hell she was doing or where she was going or if she was smart/pretty/funny/etc. Both Green and Johnson portray the jumbled mess that is the teenage years in a stomach twisting, butterflies swarming and heart skipping kind of way. I love them and want to wax poetics about them forever.

Then we got to the third story. Now, off the bat, I was against Lauren Myracle's section of the story. Her main character was the embodiment of what I hated about young adult novels. The girl was shallow and spent the first five chapters dramatically relaying to her friends in that attention fishing way (Go look on Facebook. You'll find an example of this kind of person, I'm sure) about how her and her boyfriend were no more and it was all her fault and she was so sad and the world was ending and bla bla bla. I hate characters like that. We see them frequently and I often feel like adults view all teens as this mass of superficial, dramatic, things. They don't tend to realize the complexities of the person before them or how the cheerleader might go home at night and be the oldest of several siblings that she is trying to help take care of. They see the artificial part and that's about it. That's what this characterization felt like. Again, I know there are girls like that in the world. I know there are guys in the world that are exactly like the character of Charlie in this book and think they are Gods gift. I'm not saying that this is inaccurate. I just hate that voice to a dramatic extent because there is so much more of a story to tell. I want to know what's behind those personalities. I don’t care about the shade of nail polish they are wearing.

Now, I'm going to be a bit spoilery so if you don't want to have slight plot points given away, scroll down until I yell at you in unnecessary caps lock and bold type face.

I soothed my soul by saying that Myracle was simply giving voice to another aspect of teen life. No, it's not an aspect I like, but it is an aspect I have to accept. Then, a nice thing happened. The author acknowledged the self absorption of the character. Seeing that was like someone turning a sweet smile at me. I was very pleased.

While Lauren Myracle's was my least favorite of the three stories, I was happy to see the turn around that happened there. I still didn't like the character in her story much, but that is a matter of personal preference. The best part of the third and final story in this novel, however, is the fact that at the end, every character you've met along the way, merges together in the middle of a Starbucks coffee shop while oohing and awing over a baby pig. It brought the story full circle and allowed us to see interactions between characters that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten to see. It was the kind of music swelling ending that you want to see at the end of a feel good movie where you may have binged on ice cream.

OKAY YOU CAN READ AGAIN!

The baby pigs made you read that paragraph. Admit it.

Let It Snow is sigh worthy. Is it for everyone? No. Absolutely not. I know a lot of my feminist friends that would turn their nose up at this story with a kind of disdain because it is a teen love story and 'how could that possibly be interesting compared to stories written by Joyce or insert other classic author here'? I know others that are going to go 'that sounds too sickeningly sweet for my taste'. I know I thought that before

reading it. If it wasn't for John Green and the subject of Christmas, I never would have read it. But, it touched every little piece of my hopeless romantic heart that I often lock away in the closet because it leaves me swooning like a Disney Princess.

If you have no problems with swooning like a Disney Princess, though? Get this book. Do it. Also, go buy everything by John Green because he is the voice of nerd teens everywhere and is giving representation to a previously hidden away group of individuals who are exceedingly interesting.

And now I leave you with Sharpie Face.  Bestselling authors need to be more like him.

To see what else I'm reading this month click here: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-book-reads.html

Also, like me on the Facebooks and Twitters and all those soul sucking sites.