My Foxy Reading Corner Archives - Page 2 of 2

Hi All!!

Ready for the next instalment in my 50 Book reading challenge for 2013? Today I have 7 more books to share with you. There are have been some great books and some average books but overall I’m so happy to be immersed in reading again. I should forewarn you that almost all of these got 4 stars!! I apologise for the lack in variety but I guess most of what I read was really good haha.

10. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
This was a really interesting read as I guess it falls into the YA dystopian genre but was different from stories like divergent and delirium in that was more of a thriller and ALOT less romance. It’s also told from a male main character as opposed to the typical female lead characters I was used to. At first this slightly more “male” take on the genre wasn’t my cup of tea by the more I read the more I enjoyed it and now I think the book did an awesome job or creatinga world that drew the reader in. Give it a read if you like Dystopian books.
4 Stars

11. Toxin by Robin Cook
I love Robin Cook and his medical thrillers but they might not be everyone’s typical read. He’s one of those few authors for me who I know I can pick up one of his books and ill thoroughly enjoy it. This one was no exception, a great, enthralling read about a fathers daughter who gets sick with food poisoning. Layers of disgusting meat processing investigations and thrilling murders take place in a quick but exciting read that pretty much put me off eating me meat forever (but not really cause I love meat).
4 Stars

12. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
As soon as I read that this was a book about the zombie apocalypse but from a zombie’s perspective (the adorable “R”) I had to read it and I wasn’t disappointed. A unique story with great characters and an enjoyable style of writing. Quick and fun so I definitely recommend it.
4 Stars

13. Tripwire by Lee Child
Like Robin Cook, Lee Child is an author I know I love and can trust that each book will be enjoyable. This one (the third in the Jack Reacher world I believe) was a great, fun action read with a very enjoyable romantic side story. I love the fast paced writing of Lee Child at make reading his books a breeze.
4 Stars

14. Ten by Gretchen McNeil
This horror story takes place on a an isolated island mansion, in the midst of a terrible storm with 10 teenagers ready to party when things start to go wrong. If this doesn’t sound like a cheesy 90s slasher film crossed with an Agatha Christie murder mystery then let me just confirm that that is EXACTLY what this felt like to me. Regardless of the totally predictable plot & characters I have to admit I enjoyed the read (the same way I enjoy a terrible slasher film). It was a fun quick read so I don’t care that the writing was very average and the characters were terribly annoying.
2 Stars

15. Unwind by Neil Shusterman
My other dystopian YA read (can you tell I enjoy these?) was set in a future where between the ages of 13-18 (if I recall correctly) can be chosen to be unwound and have their body distributed to those who need it. I enjoyed the story of the three main characters but I felt like the setting and the background story weren’t really explained enough. It made the whole thing feel a little less plausible however despite that I still really enjoyed the story and its originality.
4 Stars

16.1984 by George Orwell
My last read was this classic novel describing Orwell’s imagined future in a society run on fear, war and complete power. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as a story as I knew it was more of a long essay on one man’s predictions. Having said this I actually found the main character and his struggle in this society watched over by “Big Brother” incredibly interesting and thought provoking. It did take a while to get through but I left the book with questions all through my mind which I love. A hopeless, depressing story that described expertly a terrifying future society.
5 Stars

That’s it for now! Check out my last post on books 1-9 and don’t forget to join me on Goodreads
Xx

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

Archive of ‘My Foxy Reading Corner’ category

My Foxy Reading Corner: #10-16

My Foxy Reading Corner: #1-9