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Rabbit Hill posted:To be contrary, I loving loved the Lemony Snicket books when they came out, and right after #12 was published had my one and only experience being pulled over for speeding while I was rushing to the library before it closed to check it out. I was fortunate (har!) enough to have read all of them as they were coming out (I'm 22 now) and literally, I checked off dates on my calendar until the next one came out. The only sad thing is that you never really get many answers. I still have no clue what VFD does, what it definitely stands for (Volunteer Fire Department is implied but nobody ever 100% confirms it), what really happened to their parents, what the Sugar Bowl is, where those twins-who-were-really-triplets went, ect. I understand this was likely intentional on Handler's part, but some of me felt rather cheated back then after finishing "The End" and realizing that he probably actually was just as clueless as his readers were. Some of me still does.
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Dec 8, 2013 06:31
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Speaking of Garth Nix, he just came out with a new book: http://www.amazon.com/Newts-Emerald-Garth-Nix-ebook/dp/B00GLT344I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386482960&sr=8-1&keywords=newt%27s+emerald I haven't read it yet so I can't say anything about its quality, but it sounds fun.
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Dec 8, 2013 07:10
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Radio! posted:Speaking of Garth Nix, he just came out with a new book: Sound rather fun and seems rather light. Pretty cover as well
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Dec 8, 2013 12:15
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Captain Mog posted:I was fortunate (har!) enough to have read all of them as they were coming out (I'm 22 now) and literally, I checked off dates on my calendar until the next one came out. The only sad thing is that you never really get many answers. I still have no clue what VFD does, what it definitely stands for (Volunteer Fire Department is implied but nobody ever 100% confirms it), what really happened to their parents, what the Sugar Bowl is, where those twins-who-were-really-triplets went, ect. I felt the same way, actually. I was really disappointed by the end (I mean, The End) because not only did he not directly answer most of the series' questions, but I had the feeling that the answers were there but coded and I was too dense to figure them out. That was a frustrating experience.
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Dec 9, 2013 16:38
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The Book Thief movie was really well adapted imo. Has anyone else seen it? Obviously the book has more stuff in it, but the movie did a good job of taking the important pieces and themes of the book and morphing them into a movie.
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Dec 15, 2013 05:55
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How do you guys get your books? I prefer audible.com but stockpiling stuff is really expensive.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:05
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Kraps posted:How do you guys get your books? I prefer audible.com but stockpiling stuff is really expensive. Library, amazon, local bookstores. In order of most used to least. I feel a little bad that local bookstores are last, but I still average a book a month from them, and sell them all my used books? Nearly everything I've bought from amazon lately is non-fiction. The San Francisco has a really well-integrated system where it's easy to request books from any branch online and pick them up/return them at your local branch. You can out in requests for books before they come out, too, though very popular books can have a long waiting list! I'm hold number 8 of 310 on 92 copies of Allegiant, and I signed up for it on Sept. 30. Older/less popular books are available within a week.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:24
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Mostly get my books from the library but if I resort to buying I go to bookdepository.com or Amazon as a last resort.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:57
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Kraps posted:How do you guys get your books? I prefer audible.com but stockpiling stuff is really expensive.
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Dec 18, 2013 23:59
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Just "read" Rick Riordan's House of Hades for the second time now, this time via audiobook. I think I might like this one more than Son of Neptune, which was my previous favorite book of his. I can't pin down what I liked about it so much as I can say that it was just fun the whole way through. From Percy and Annabeth's hopeless trip to Tartarus and subsequent deus ex machina Bob appearance/redemption, to Frank's actually stepping up to the plate, to Leo's growing up a bit, and Hazel and Piper getting better at what they do, it was just full of character development. Before this book, I was actually hoping Riordan would have Leo get sent to Calypso at the end of the series as an ending to both their arcs but I like what he did with it better, I think. I also really like that Riordan threw in a gay character without making it TOTALLY awkward. The appearances by Nyx and Tartarus were great too, with the heroes realizing they had no chance whatsoever if there was an actual fight. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it concludes. Last weekend I read through Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy, and was pleasantly surprised, since I hadn't heard great things about the second two books (picked up the trilogy after seeing the movie trailer for Divergent....I know, I'm a heathen). I really liked the second book; my only problem was that Roth insisted on inserting in a billion and one characters and referencing them constantly. The problem continued with the third bookm which is also in a completely different setting, so I wasn't as pleased with it, but overall I enjoyed the series. Not sure what I want to move onto now. I'm going through the Percy Jackson series on audiobook right now since I've only read it, and I'm enjoying it more than the couple times I read it. I was spoiled by the Stephen Fry version of Harry Potter but I still like the reader.
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Dec 19, 2013 05:57
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Kind of missed the boat on Confusion of Princes chat but I just wandered in here to post about it anyway because I was a little shocked by how boring I thought it was. I ADORE the Old Kingdom books, and really enjoyed Shade's Children, but for some reason I just could not get through much of Princes in a single sitting. For the first 75%, it felt like the protagonist was just a convenient vehicle from which to view all the world building and describing of how various anythings worked in this particular universe. The world itself was pretty interesting, but it was really jarring to go from a prologue where the character competently describes his upbringing and general outlook on life as a Prince, and right out of the gate seems to be a complete idiot with no personality. I think almost every spoken piece of dialogue from Khemri is something like 'uh, I do this, right?' 'Uh, I can't do that?' 'Uh, it turns out no one told me anything about Prince culture in regards to assassination attempts right out of the gate?' 'Uh' shows up... too many times. It was weird for a character that, in internal monologue, is so formal and thinks so highly and confidently of himself, but any actual verbal interaction is awkward and bland, and very uncertain for someone who's mostly dictating to his head servant. Most of the book seemed to consist of breakaway paragraphs that describe the function of whatever new concept was just mentioned, except that the whole book was those paragraphs. I think that might have been more understandable for the first book in a series but apparently it's a standalone novel. Now I'm just trying to figure out if this is characteristic of Nix's writing and I'm somehow completely glossing over it in my head in regards to the Old Kingdom series, but I feel like that was way more substantial in that the lore and background information usually directly served the plot. Confusion of Princes felt like I was just reading a bunch of story and concept notes before it was actually written into a book.
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Dec 23, 2013 06:17
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Bohemienne posted:The Raven Boys et al by Maggie Stiefvater Ooh, thanks for the recommendation! I love that it contains ghosts, a rural setting, and psychics and dreams. That's right up my alley.
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Dec 30, 2013 20:02
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redcheval posted:Kind of missed the boat on Confusion of Princes chat but I just wandered in here to post about it anyway because I was a little shocked by how boring I thought it was. Confusion of Princes is set in the world of an existing MMO that Nix helped design. I found that the first half made a lot more sense when I thought of it as a novelisation of the first few hours of playing a computer game. "Would you like to a) train b) rest c) visit the temple"
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Dec 31, 2013 03:33
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Oh what the hell. I had no idea but that weirdly does put it in perspective and explains why it reads like some kind of reality rulebook rather than a novel.
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Jan 2, 2014 00:15
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I have a guilty confession to make - for the last week or so I've been reading a series by Jen Calonita - "Secrets of My Hollywood Life". It's basically a first-person perspective of a 16-yr old Hollywood actress who stars in one of the biggest and longest-running nighttime soap operas/dramas on TV. She's been on it since she was 4, and the show is her life, but she's suddenly yearning for some normal teenager experiences, but she doesn't want to give up acting, so she's in something of an either/or dilemma between acting and normality. Throw in a conniving, backstabbing co-star who plays her twin sibling on the show, a hyper-demanding diva-type mother, ultra-controlling publicist, competitive baby brother trying to get his big acting break, and friends who want to help, and you've got a nice combination of teenage angst. I'm on book 5 of 6 and I like the way the author throws in these little "Hollywood Secrets" whenever she's explaining why something is happening in some bizarre fashion that normal people never get to see or experience. There are times when the main character is too woe-is-me and you want to bash something to get through the pity party, but it's funny to see where things develop and how the main character (and everyone else) slowly grow up. For the superhero fans, I also have to commend Marion G Harmon's "Wearing the Cape" series. Quite frankly it was one of the best superhero origin stories I've read in a long time, and my roommate (big superhero fanboy) really enjoyed the series. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, then I don't know what is. There's also the Susan Bischoff "Talent Chronicles" series that has a darker aspect of the superhero origin story. Both are extremely well-written, with lots of action and an engaging plot. Robert J Sawyer came up with an interesting story in his "WWW" series, which takes the whole computer-becomes-sentient story and changes the premise from "how do we deal with an evil, sentient computer" to "how does a beneficent, sentient Internet deal with psychotic humans who want to kill it simply for existing". I won't ruin the story too much, but suffice to say my friends and I all enjoyed it (we're all IT workers, so it's hard to find something like this that we can all agree is enjoyable without involving rocket science). A few other books that deserved a shout-out: Huntley Fitzpatrick's "My Life Next Door", Jennifer Echols' "Such A Rush", Hannah Harrington's "Speechless", Keary Taylor's "What I Didn't Say", Marni Bates' "Awkward", and for those with a penchant for a teenage assassin there's April Brookshire's "Young Love Murder". A wide range of subjects, but well-written and very enjoyable while sitting beside the fireplace wrapped in a warm blanket while waiting out the impending "Winterpocolypse 2014".
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Jan 5, 2014 16:54
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Aside from Marni Bates' book, I hadn't heard of any of those, but now I really want to check out a bunch. I am totally gonna pick up Secrets of My Hollywood Life first, since a melodramatic soap opera in YA book form sounds like a lot of fun. My guilty confession: Even though I write YA and MG books for a living, this past year I've gotten completely out of the loop over what current releases are getting a lot of love. And so I haven't read any. Anyone have any recommendations for books that came out this past year or are coming out in 2014 that are getting good word of mouth? Children's middle grade books especially, since I should probably know what the competition is currently doing. I think the last MG I bought was Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle, and the most recent YA I got was The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. And both of those were in the first half of 2013. A good majority of my book purchases last year were adult novels, apparently. The only 2014 YA releases I know I want to read so far are Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell, and Bohemienne's debut novel. EDIT: There's no way you can read that plot summary and not immediately want to read Sekret, it's just too cool vvvvvvv Hef Deezy fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Jan 6, 2014 |
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Jan 6, 2014 01:01
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Thanks so much, Hef  for anyone interested, my debut is called Sekret and it's about psychic teens in Soviet Russia who are forced to spy for the KGB. /selfpromoAs for 2014 books I'm really looking forward to: -Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy (cancer girl who does mean revenge things but goes into remission) -The Story of Owen, Dragonslayer of Trondheim by Kate Johnston (modern-day dragon ballad) -Beware the Wild by Natalie Parker (spooky southern gothic) -Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (fantasy world entangled with our own) -The Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne (high fantasy thieves) -Far From You by Tess Sharpe (modern murder mystery) -Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman (WWII historical) -Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (interracial lesbians in 1950s integrated Virginia) -Anomaly by Caroline Richmond (Nazi America alternate history) -The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkowski (high fantasy backstabbery and romance) I'm also incredibly excited for the next Robin LaFevers nun assassins book and the conclusion to Jessica Spotswood's Cahill Witch Chronicles. Bohemienne fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Jan 6, 2014 |
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Jan 6, 2014 01:40
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Update on the superhero series front - just finished reading the third book of Kevin Hardman's "Kid Sensation" series. Jim is a 14-yr old living with his mom and grandfather who dreams of being a superhero and joining the Alpha League, the world's premier group of supers. Unlike most people, however, Jim actually has the talent to do so, and is in fact probably one of the most powerful superheros in the world, with an array of abilities that anyone would envy. Unfortunately Jim's tryouts to enroll in the Alpha Leagues's teen superhero program end in disaster on national television and he becomes an outcast with a bounty on his head. Two years later Jim gets a second chance at his dream, but first there's a few issues to overcome (like aforementioned bounty). All in all a very enjoyable read. I'm a sucker for snark and Jim has it in spades, but it's not overbearing. If you enjoyed reading "Wearing the Cape" and "The Talent Chronicles" then you will probably enjoy "Kid Sensation".
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Jan 11, 2014 14:28
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Looking for a dystopian-like book that has a group of people fight the forces in some regard.
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Jan 31, 2014 09:12
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noirstronaut posted:Looking for a dystopian-like book that has a group of people fight the forces in some regard. I just picked up Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which wasn't technically published as YA but is being embraced as such. It's about a 16-year-old who is part of the lowest caste of a Mars colony who discovers his people have been deceived into being slave labor. Presumably, rising up ensues. I haven't read it yet, but it's gotten a lot of buzz and seems to fit the premise you're looking for.
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Jan 31, 2014 18:54
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As someone who was pretty cold on The Hunger Games and the subsequent competitions-taking-place-in-dystopian-scifi-worlds craze, should I still give Divergent a try? I got it before I knew there was a competition of some sort as the main plot device, specifically because I didn't think there was a competition. I don't know why competitions turn me off so much, but they do. My other options right now are Huntress by Malinda Lo and Miss Peregrine's I Don't Feel Like Looking Up The Title Of This Book Even Though My Kindle Is Six Inches Away From Me by Something Riggs. Leaning towards Huntress, if only because it's a much easier title to remember.
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Feb 4, 2014 05:51
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If you didn't like the Hunger Games, I can't imagine why you'd like Divergent. It's a poorly written rip-off with less interesting characters and more convoluted worldbuilding. (Anybody who actually liked Divergent but not the Hunger Games, feel free to tell me why I'm wrong, though!)
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Feb 4, 2014 08:02
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I agree with aslan, don't bother with Divergent. I also really disliked Mrs Peregrine's whatever, but hopefully you'll have better luck with it!
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Feb 4, 2014 09:20
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Thirding not to bother with Divergent. I haven't read Huntress, but Malinda Lo seems cool on Twitter, so you should read that. A Chinese-inspired fantasy adventure featuring a romance between two girls written by an actual lesbian of Chinese descent? Sounds like a good read to me, though I might be biased since I'm a fellow gay.
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Feb 4, 2014 12:20
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I will hop in on the side of Divergent. I've only listened to the first one, but I wanted to know the ending so much that even though I normally only listen to the audiobook on my commute, I listened to the last 5 or so hours in my living room on a Saturday while grading.
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Feb 6, 2014 05:06
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I just grabbed Winger by Andrew Smith from Powell's because it was on sale. Anyone ever read it?
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Mar 10, 2014 01:18
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I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and thought it was pretty good despite the subject matter (fanfiction! fandom! slash!). Has anyone read her other books? One of my friends thinks Eleanor and Park (another book from her) was extremely sappy or something.
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Mar 12, 2014 08:06
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Schneider Heim posted:I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and thought it was pretty good despite the subject matter (fanfiction! fandom! slash!). Has anyone read her other books? One of my friends thinks Eleanor and Park (another book from her) was extremely sappy or something. I've read both and I think Eleanor and Park is far better than Fangirl, and one of the best YA books period. Though it's definitely an emotionally high-strung book, I think it's the opposite of sappy. It's gotten a lot of love in this thread, you should definitely check it out 
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Mar 12, 2014 08:18
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elbow posted:I've read both and I think Eleanor and Park is far better than Fangirl, and one of the best YA books period. Though it's definitely an emotionally high-strung book, I think it's the opposite of sappy. It's gotten a lot of love in this thread, you should definitely check it out Thanks!
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Mar 12, 2014 10:25
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Tupping Liberty posted:I will hop in on the side of Divergent. I've only listened to the first one, but I wanted to know the ending so much that even though I normally only listen to the audiobook on my commute, I listened to the last 5 or so hours in my living room on a Saturday while grading. Yeah, I'll side with Divergent too. It's pretty much nonsense, but I found it really entertaining and fast-paced. The premise doesn't really make much sense, but if you can get past that and suspend your disbelief, it really is pretty enjoyable. I actually liked it a bit more than the Hunger Games, which I just found okay (and the subsequent books I found pretty terrible, whereas the subsequent books in the Divergent series just get more batshit and ridiculous.) Also, on the subject of Rainbow Rowell, I really liked Eleanor & Park, but I hated Fangirl, so I don't know if my opinion helps. E&P is a pretty maturely handled and interesting love story that has a lot of other stuff going on - I definitely didn't find it sappy, though some of the other issues in it (the abusive stepdad and her mum's non-reaction to the abuse) were dealt with in a slightly heavy-handed manner. I've seen some people who were offended by the treatment of Park's race but I don't really feel qualified to comment on that?
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Mar 13, 2014 17:48
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I loved Eleanor and Park. The ending was that perfect combination of reserved/realistic and upbeat/hopeful. During the time period the book is set, I was in late elementary school, just about to start jr. high. So I wasn't the same age as the protagonists, but I looked up to kids who were. The details were spot-on-- the indie rock of the day, the using up every battery in the house to listen to someone else's tapes on their Walkman. The way the relationship starts over comics and music. All of that felt so perfect to me. I may just be all sappy because some of my favorite students (8th grade English) are loving it and talking about it with me. edit: Oh, I just finished a new novel, released last month. It's Laura Wiess's latest, Me Since You. It's not my favorite of hers, but it's still great. Wiess does a lot of "issues" books for young adults, especially girls. I've mentioned her on this thread before. Me Since You is about a girl named Rowan whose dad is a cop. He responds to an "emotionally disturbed person with a baby" call and, along with a bystander (high school boy named Eli), tries to talk the man down. They fail and the guy jumps to his and his baby son's death. Rowan and her mother witness it all from her family's window. After the incident, the whole town plays armchair quarterback and Rowan's father sinks into depression. I recommended it to my campus library and counselor for our schools grief and loss group. bitter almond fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Mar 14, 2014 |
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Mar 14, 2014 00:27
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Just want to pop in to say that there's an amazing deal on the Young Wizards fantasy series by Diane Duane. I really liked them as a kid, and I was poking around on the mobileread forums and found this post:quote:As of whenever you receive this mail and until midnight Hawaiian time on March 19th -- more or less corresponding with the running of the St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin -- you can purchase anything in our store for a whopping 66% off. elbow posted:I've read both and I think Eleanor and Park is far better than Fangirl, and one of the best YA books period. Though it's definitely an emotionally high-strung book, I think it's the opposite of sappy. It's gotten a lot of love in this thread, you should definitely check it out I read Fangirl, and I thought it wasn't too bad (I thought it was awesome at first, but after a day I started picking it apart in my mind), so maybe I'll look at that, too. kurona_bright fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Mar 14, 2014 |
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Mar 14, 2014 20:09
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kurona_bright posted:Note: The New Millenium editions have been modified by Duane to include more modern technology, a more logical timeline and apparently some revised dialogue. If you want the original version, that's under "International Edition," I think. Having read both versions, the updates are relatively seamless(they show the most in High Wizardry, for obvious reasons, but don't seem any more out of place than the original using an Apple IIc), and do a lot to smoothe over the fact that while they were written over a period of like thirty years, they happen within the space of three. I do recommend the new versions. The revised dialogue mostly applies to A Wizard Alone, whose original handling of autism was a bit-- uninformed, let's say, and to The Wizard's Dilemma, which originally got cancer entirely wrong. Other than that it's pretty much just continuity tweaks. Still, great series, holds up even as a grown-up.
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Mar 17, 2014 02:20
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I really enjoyed Winger, though it gets incredibly dark in the very end and doesn't quite gel that part with the rest of the book as much as it might have deserved. All of Rainbow Rowell's books are excellent, in my opinion, but if you love E&P or Fangirl, please please please don't discount her adult novel, The Attachments, either.
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Mar 22, 2014 21:32
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Conduit for Sale! posted:As someone who was pretty cold on The Hunger Games and the subsequent competitions-taking-place-in-dystopian-scifi-worlds craze, should I still give Divergent a try? I got it before I knew there was a competition of some sort as the main plot device, specifically because I didn't think there was a competition. I don't know why competitions turn me off so much, but they do. Personally, I thought the first two books for Divergent were really good, and I was excitedly looking forward to the third. But then the third book was utter poo poo and completely ruined everything that I had considered good. Wrecked it to the point that I would not recommend reading the series, even though I did enjoy the first two.
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Mar 25, 2014 05:45
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I'm currently reading "Grasshopper Jungle" and I can say that it's absolutely insane. Like, it's "Perks of Being a Wallflower" with mutant grasshoppers and more sexual content. Seriously, read it.
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Mar 27, 2014 13:42
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Picked up The Giver at the library today. I saw the trailer in the Divergent movie. Doubt it will be anything like the movie and that is probably a good thing. Of course Jonas looks way older than twelve. (haven't started, just read the back) I know it is easier to use older teens and such but that is one of my pet peeves.
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Mar 27, 2014 22:22
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A librarian friend of mine that works at a middle school told me to read Ready Player One. This is gonna be my first foray into YA, so hopefully it's a good one.
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Mar 28, 2014 03:14
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Fremry posted:A librarian friend of mine that works at a middle school told me to read Ready Player One. This is gonna be my first foray into YA, so hopefully it's a good one. At least watch the movie WarGames, since it really ties into the story. Other than that, here's a list of other references. Growing up in the 80s/90s will certainly help.
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Mar 28, 2014 04:06
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Grawl posted:At least watch the movie WarGames, since it really ties into the story. Other than that, here's a list of other references. Growing up in the 80s/90s will certainly help. I was born in 1984, so I'm in a good spot for the references.
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Mar 28, 2014 04:48
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