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readwithmesashamarie's reviews
465 reviews
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
4.0
You can click here to see the Full Review .
Initial Thoughts:
Having never read a J.R.R. Tolkien novel, but being very well acquainted with his work through films, I was very excited to start reading The Hobbit. From the movies I knew Tolkien was a master storyteller, but it was an altogether new, different, and exciting experience to get to read the actual words he wrote.
Spoilers!
I’m definitely a fan of this kind of adventure novel, since some of my favorite books include Graceling (by Kristin Cashore) and Eragon (by Christopher Paolini). What I didn’t expect was for each chapter to feel like a short story.
I’ve been really busy with school work, so it was nice to be able to lie down in bed around one in the morning and read a single chapter of Tolkien’s work. Each chapter was a new adventure for the characters and I never felt rushed while reading. Some books carry me away, and before I know it I’ve spent the whole night reading and the whole next day at school regretting it (and to clarify that’s regretting I’m at school, not regretting having stayed up all night to read). This novel was different in the sense that I was able to put it down and still feel completely satisfied with the story I’d read, even if it was only 15 pages.
The characters were comical and brave but I never felt a deep connection to any one person in particular, but I liked that because I was able to really view the story as an outsider, which is what I think Tolkien was going for. He includes the reader in the novel, which made it feel like a personal experience and like an honest storytelling, not just me sitting alone and reading a story.
Tolkien takes his time with descriptions; however I didn’t feel like there was enough meat to this story overall. I think I set my expectations too high and was expecting an over the top, dramatic, battle and adventure that I’ve come to expect and recognize from the movies. Instead I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Biblo’s journey is great, and it was a nice prequel to the real story but other than that I wasn’t really moved and I was left wanting more (and yes I know that contradicts what I just said in the second paragraph…I’m still a bit confused as to how that works, but these are my feelings, I’m just going with it).
What I loved about this book and what I’ll always remember is the feeling I had while reading. As I was reading I kept thinking, wow, I’d love to read this as a bedtime story to my kids one day. This is a perfect story that parents (and no I don’t have children…someday I hope) and their kids can both enjoy.
Conclusion:
This was a light, fun read, with many moral lessons learned along the way. I enjoyed Biblo’s journey, but I don’t think I have the courage to try and read the next three Lord of the Rings books. I really loved Tolkien’s writing style but I did feel like something was missing. I didn’t find that spark that makes me fall head over heels for a book and I didn’t connect with any characters the way I typically do.
There is no denying that this is an instant classic for me, but it’s not one of my all time favorites. I’ll be saving this book to share with my kids one day, and maybe that’s the spark I was missing this time around. Maybe this book reads better with a companion.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Initial Thoughts:
Having never read a J.R.R. Tolkien novel, but being very well acquainted with his work through films, I was very excited to start reading The Hobbit. From the movies I knew Tolkien was a master storyteller, but it was an altogether new, different, and exciting experience to get to read the actual words he wrote.
Spoilers!
I’m definitely a fan of this kind of adventure novel, since some of my favorite books include Graceling (by Kristin Cashore) and Eragon (by Christopher Paolini). What I didn’t expect was for each chapter to feel like a short story.
I’ve been really busy with school work, so it was nice to be able to lie down in bed around one in the morning and read a single chapter of Tolkien’s work. Each chapter was a new adventure for the characters and I never felt rushed while reading. Some books carry me away, and before I know it I’ve spent the whole night reading and the whole next day at school regretting it (and to clarify that’s regretting I’m at school, not regretting having stayed up all night to read). This novel was different in the sense that I was able to put it down and still feel completely satisfied with the story I’d read, even if it was only 15 pages.
The characters were comical and brave but I never felt a deep connection to any one person in particular, but I liked that because I was able to really view the story as an outsider, which is what I think Tolkien was going for. He includes the reader in the novel, which made it feel like a personal experience and like an honest storytelling, not just me sitting alone and reading a story.
Tolkien takes his time with descriptions; however I didn’t feel like there was enough meat to this story overall. I think I set my expectations too high and was expecting an over the top, dramatic, battle and adventure that I’ve come to expect and recognize from the movies. Instead I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Biblo’s journey is great, and it was a nice prequel to the real story but other than that I wasn’t really moved and I was left wanting more (and yes I know that contradicts what I just said in the second paragraph…I’m still a bit confused as to how that works, but these are my feelings, I’m just going with it).
What I loved about this book and what I’ll always remember is the feeling I had while reading. As I was reading I kept thinking, wow, I’d love to read this as a bedtime story to my kids one day. This is a perfect story that parents (and no I don’t have children…someday I hope) and their kids can both enjoy.
Conclusion:
This was a light, fun read, with many moral lessons learned along the way. I enjoyed Biblo’s journey, but I don’t think I have the courage to try and read the next three Lord of the Rings books. I really loved Tolkien’s writing style but I did feel like something was missing. I didn’t find that spark that makes me fall head over heels for a book and I didn’t connect with any characters the way I typically do.
There is no denying that this is an instant classic for me, but it’s not one of my all time favorites. I’ll be saving this book to share with my kids one day, and maybe that’s the spark I was missing this time around. Maybe this book reads better with a companion.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
4.0
You can find the full review on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again .
Initial Thoughts:
As I mentioned above, I won this book from The Book Addict’s Guide. Winning this book has in no way compromised or affected my review and I will not be compensated in any way.
I haven’t been able to read anything other than school related books for a long time now, so I picked what I was going to read next very carefully. I wanted something light, more or less romantic, and set in the real world. This is the first Young Adult Contemporary novel I’ve ever read and I think it was a great gateway into the rising Contemporary genre.
As just a quick little side note: before reading the book I thought the title was cute but I totally did not understand it. It has so much more meaning after reading the book. =]
Spoilers!
What I loved most about this book was the main characters, Amelia and Chris. Amelia is 14, intelligent, struggling at home, and questions everything around her. Chris is 21, charming, sarcastic and self deprecating.
I think this book was so interesting for me because I’ve been a 15 year old girl. I know what that’s like and I think Laura hit the nail on the head. At the same time, I am currently Chris’ age, a college student, struggling to understand life and uncertain about the future. Chris and I are both in that confusing, annoying, and slightly depressing stage of life that involves uncertainties and waiting. Being able to read the book from both of these perspectives was easy for me, because I can relate to both characters individually.
Even though I know this is a contemporary novel and it is supposed to be realistic, I was still shocked at just how realistic it was. Laura seemed to know her characters so well and was able to highlight the traits in the personalities that showed their differences in age while also showing how compatible they are as human beings, despite them being in such drastically different stages in life.
Something I was a little confused about and thought was weird, but still thought provoking, was the fact that a lot of the conversations between Amelia and Chris focused on feminism. I didn’t fully understand why this topic was so important and discussed at such length, but I’m assuming it was there for a reason. That’s not to say that I don’t think feminism isn’t important in general, I just didn’t pick up on why it was so important to these characters. I kept thinking, Laura could’ve picked any topic to elaborate on and to use as a catalyst to get these characters talking and thinking, why would she choose this one?
Other than that I have no real complaints with this book. It was a lovely, quick read (I read it in one day) and just what I needed to break up the mundane work I’ve been doing for school. I was a little surprised by the ending, but not really upset. I think it ended where the characters needed it to end but it could easily be left for the reader’s imagination to fill in the rest.
Conclusion:
I really liked this book and loved the characters. Reading it gave me the opportunity to look back on my life as a 15 year old and to contrast it to the place I’m at now. I especially loved that both characters loved English and Literature so much, and would like to sit down one day and make a list of all the books mentioned and read them.
I am so happy and thankful that I won this book and I know I’ll pick it up in the future if I need a quick pick me up. Thanks again to Brittany and The Book Addict’s Guide!
Ratings:
4/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
As I mentioned above, I won this book from The Book Addict’s Guide. Winning this book has in no way compromised or affected my review and I will not be compensated in any way.
I haven’t been able to read anything other than school related books for a long time now, so I picked what I was going to read next very carefully. I wanted something light, more or less romantic, and set in the real world. This is the first Young Adult Contemporary novel I’ve ever read and I think it was a great gateway into the rising Contemporary genre.
As just a quick little side note: before reading the book I thought the title was cute but I totally did not understand it. It has so much more meaning after reading the book. =]
Spoilers!
What I loved most about this book was the main characters, Amelia and Chris. Amelia is 14, intelligent, struggling at home, and questions everything around her. Chris is 21, charming, sarcastic and self deprecating.
I think this book was so interesting for me because I’ve been a 15 year old girl. I know what that’s like and I think Laura hit the nail on the head. At the same time, I am currently Chris’ age, a college student, struggling to understand life and uncertain about the future. Chris and I are both in that confusing, annoying, and slightly depressing stage of life that involves uncertainties and waiting. Being able to read the book from both of these perspectives was easy for me, because I can relate to both characters individually.
Even though I know this is a contemporary novel and it is supposed to be realistic, I was still shocked at just how realistic it was. Laura seemed to know her characters so well and was able to highlight the traits in the personalities that showed their differences in age while also showing how compatible they are as human beings, despite them being in such drastically different stages in life.
Something I was a little confused about and thought was weird, but still thought provoking, was the fact that a lot of the conversations between Amelia and Chris focused on feminism. I didn’t fully understand why this topic was so important and discussed at such length, but I’m assuming it was there for a reason. That’s not to say that I don’t think feminism isn’t important in general, I just didn’t pick up on why it was so important to these characters. I kept thinking, Laura could’ve picked any topic to elaborate on and to use as a catalyst to get these characters talking and thinking, why would she choose this one?
Other than that I have no real complaints with this book. It was a lovely, quick read (I read it in one day) and just what I needed to break up the mundane work I’ve been doing for school. I was a little surprised by the ending, but not really upset. I think it ended where the characters needed it to end but it could easily be left for the reader’s imagination to fill in the rest.
Conclusion:
I really liked this book and loved the characters. Reading it gave me the opportunity to look back on my life as a 15 year old and to contrast it to the place I’m at now. I especially loved that both characters loved English and Literature so much, and would like to sit down one day and make a list of all the books mentioned and read them.
I am so happy and thankful that I won this book and I know I’ll pick it up in the future if I need a quick pick me up. Thanks again to Brittany and The Book Addict’s Guide!
Ratings:
4/5 Stars
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4.0
You can see my full review, as well as many others on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again.
*I was required to read this book for my Literature and War class.
Initial Thoughts:
This was my second time reading The Hunger Games and after seeing the movie multiple times. I was very familiar with the work, but when I read it this time, through the eyes of a critical reader, the experience was extremely different. As a novel to read for pleasure, I found that I enjoyed the story much more than I did when I was required to read it for class and dissect the literary aspects of the characters and plot.
Spoilers!
I’m assuming anyone who wanted to read this book already has or has seen the movie so this section isn’t going to discuss spoilers as much it is going to discuss the differences in the way I interpreted the novel the second time around.
One of the main things I disliked when reading the novel this time, was Katniss and Peeta’s relationship. To be clear, I wasn’t annoyed with how their relationship progresses in this novel, but having read the entire series I’m simply frustrated with the way I know their relationship will turn out. Throughout The Hunger Games Katniss repeatedly mentions that she doesn’t want kids, doesn’t want a relationship with Peeta or anyone, and yet it is forced upon her. I also think their relationship takes away from the overall message of the book, and depletes the integrity of the story. I felt like the relationship was only added to appease the targeted, young adult audience.
We discussed this aspect of the novel many times in class, and even though a few students argued for the relationship, saying that it was an interesting challenge Katniss had to overcome and deal with in order to survive, it still doesn’t sit well with me. Again, I’m not as upset by the relationship displayed in this novel as I am with the ones in the later novels, but I’ll leave that for another review.
Another thing that annoyed me while reading this time was realizing how much Collins ‘told’ the reader instead of ‘showing’ us. I felt like the book was dumbed down in some ways and that the author or publisher assumed the audience wouldn’t be able to interpret or comprehend Katniss’ actions, so she told us everything that was happening, instead of letting us come to our own conclusions.
I didn’t mean for this review to turn into a rant, so I’ll try and turn it around. The things I really enjoyed about the novel is the fact that I hate that I enjoyed it. By liking this book, I’m playing right into Collins trap and becoming no better than a member of the Capitol. I think it’s amazing that this book, while showing us the horrors of the Capitol and of the Hunger Games, pulls us in and reverses the situation, making us, the consumers and readers and everyone who saw the movie, observers and willing audience members of…well, the Hunger Games. It’s such a brilliant and existential concept that I’m having a hard time adequately explaining it, but hopefully you get what I’m hinting at.
Conclusion:
I’ll openly admit that I enjoyed this book much more the first time, when I was 17 years old and reading it for fun. Picking it up again and reading it critically and analyzing every sentence, every plot twist or character motivation, has definitely given me a new and drastically different perspective.
I think what Collins was able to accomplish with this novel, and through the movie, is an amazing feat that leaves audience members and readers alike examining the world we live in and contemplating what could happen. I’m excited to go and reread the second and third book in the series before the movies come out, and wondering what I’ll like or dislike about those novels after I’ve read them more critically.
Rating:4/5 stars
*I was required to read this book for my Literature and War class.
Initial Thoughts:
This was my second time reading The Hunger Games and after seeing the movie multiple times. I was very familiar with the work, but when I read it this time, through the eyes of a critical reader, the experience was extremely different. As a novel to read for pleasure, I found that I enjoyed the story much more than I did when I was required to read it for class and dissect the literary aspects of the characters and plot.
Spoilers!
I’m assuming anyone who wanted to read this book already has or has seen the movie so this section isn’t going to discuss spoilers as much it is going to discuss the differences in the way I interpreted the novel the second time around.
One of the main things I disliked when reading the novel this time, was Katniss and Peeta’s relationship. To be clear, I wasn’t annoyed with how their relationship progresses in this novel, but having read the entire series I’m simply frustrated with the way I know their relationship will turn out. Throughout The Hunger Games Katniss repeatedly mentions that she doesn’t want kids, doesn’t want a relationship with Peeta or anyone, and yet it is forced upon her. I also think their relationship takes away from the overall message of the book, and depletes the integrity of the story. I felt like the relationship was only added to appease the targeted, young adult audience.
We discussed this aspect of the novel many times in class, and even though a few students argued for the relationship, saying that it was an interesting challenge Katniss had to overcome and deal with in order to survive, it still doesn’t sit well with me. Again, I’m not as upset by the relationship displayed in this novel as I am with the ones in the later novels, but I’ll leave that for another review.
Another thing that annoyed me while reading this time was realizing how much Collins ‘told’ the reader instead of ‘showing’ us. I felt like the book was dumbed down in some ways and that the author or publisher assumed the audience wouldn’t be able to interpret or comprehend Katniss’ actions, so she told us everything that was happening, instead of letting us come to our own conclusions.
I didn’t mean for this review to turn into a rant, so I’ll try and turn it around. The things I really enjoyed about the novel is the fact that I hate that I enjoyed it. By liking this book, I’m playing right into Collins trap and becoming no better than a member of the Capitol. I think it’s amazing that this book, while showing us the horrors of the Capitol and of the Hunger Games, pulls us in and reverses the situation, making us, the consumers and readers and everyone who saw the movie, observers and willing audience members of…well, the Hunger Games. It’s such a brilliant and existential concept that I’m having a hard time adequately explaining it, but hopefully you get what I’m hinting at.
Conclusion:
I’ll openly admit that I enjoyed this book much more the first time, when I was 17 years old and reading it for fun. Picking it up again and reading it critically and analyzing every sentence, every plot twist or character motivation, has definitely given me a new and drastically different perspective.
I think what Collins was able to accomplish with this novel, and through the movie, is an amazing feat that leaves audience members and readers alike examining the world we live in and contemplating what could happen. I’m excited to go and reread the second and third book in the series before the movies come out, and wondering what I’ll like or dislike about those novels after I’ve read them more critically.
Rating:4/5 stars