Hi All!

So I have become more than a little obsessed with Goodreads…yup. Who knew social media for books could be so fun! Suddenly I have a huge list of books to read and am getting through them much faster than I was. I have always loved reading but Uni kind of killed it for me and fiction fell to the pile of things I wished I had the time and energy for. Not anymore!! I have a goal to read 50 books by the end of 2013, I don’t know how hard or easy this will be but thought it would be fun to try. So far I have found some really amazing books and a lot of young adult fiction that was well worth a read. Here are the 9 books I have read so far.

#1: the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I was drawn into this book and the story and life of the main character who communicates through letters straight off the bat. A faultless book which deserves all its surrounding hype. A short read but one that left me with a head of emotions and thoughts. A slice in the life of a confused and shy young man and a set of characters that were charming and complex.
5 Stars

#2: The fault in our stars by John Green

I hadn’t read anything by John Green and yet kept seeing his name all over the show. Finally I started this book about a Teenage girl with thyroid cancer and a romance that develops with a wonderful and heartwarming young man. Their characters were a joy to read and their resistance at letting their illness define them was inspiring. The romance was believable and so beautiful, I am pretty sure everyone falls in love with Augustus. I cried like a baby and never wanted the story to end (yet I loved the way it did end). Green’s writing was personal and sensitive and a joy to read. I can’t wait to read the other books by him. In my opinion this book deserves all the raves it gets.
5 Stars

#3 and #4: Divergent and insurgent by Veronica Roth

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series of a dystopian universe where there are different factions in society and as usual something isn’t quite right. I actually preferred this to Hunger Games series (which I loved reading) maybe because I thought the story and the environment were a bit more thought provoking and complex and I also preferred the characters just a little. A great pair of books and I’m very excited to read the third. The romance in these….I loved it. I think these young adult dystopian novels can often use quite unbelievable or cliche romances which are fine to read but nothing special but I felt emotionally attached to the love story of these characters (creepy).
5 stars and 4 stars respectively

#5: Perfume – the story of a murderer by Patrick Suskind

I adored this book (what can I say, I read a lot of good books in the last couple of months!). It was grotesque and disturbing in a way I have never experienced. The focus on smells as the core descriptive imagery was powerful and visceral and the characters were despicable and disgusting and yet still I was completely attached to them. A story unlike anything I have read before and a new favorite.
5 Stars

#6: How to be good by Nick Hornby

I picked this up from an Opshop because I really enjoyed About a Boy and thought I would enjoy this too. Sadly I didn’t enjoy this and really struggled to actually finish which doesn’t happen often. I finally dragged myself to the end and felt completely indifferent to the book (which again doesn’t usually happen). I don’t think there was anything really wrong, the story was fine, the characters were okay, the writing was enjoyable but I just didn’t gel with the plot and the main character kind of annoyed me haha.
1 Star

#7: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

So I hate admitting I enjoyed the Twilight series…but I did….and so when I saw this series and how popular it was I decided to give it a read. Being another YA book it was short and quick to get through and I’m kind of happy I didn’t spend too long on it. Interesting premise but I really didn’t enjoy the casual writing style or the characters. The story was predictable and not that exciting and I don’t think I will bother reading the rest of the series.
1 Star

#8: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Phew, away with the books I didn’t enjoy and on to one I LOVED! I wasn’t expecting a lot from this but it was at a Bed and Breakfast Edd and I stayed at so I thought I should read it while I was there. I adored this story and I absolutely loved the three main characters who told the story. This glimpse into 1960s Mississippi and the complex relationships between Families and their “help” was portrayed in a sensitive and honest way. This book managed to be both light hearted and yet serious which I love. Definitely a great read. I should add that I watched the movie last night and thought it was very average. I think the complexity of these three ladie’s stories was lost in a sugar-coated quick over view of the core story.
5 Stars

#9: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

And on to my last book that I finished last night! This is yet another Young Adult dystopian book set in the future where America has discovered a cure for Love and all it’s associated craziness. I loved the premise and the dystopian story of this but I felt that not enough time was spent explaining and developing this future and I had a lot of unanswered questions (which I hope might be addressed later in the series). I know a lot of people loved this book but after Divergent and Insurgent which I loved a lot more I couldn’t give this more than 3 stars. The characters lacked some depth and the romance was unbelievable and a bit forced. Despite this I thought parts of the book were very exciting and the writing was really excellent. I look forward to reading the second in this series and seeing where the story goes. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy dystopian stuff!
3 Stars