Fandoms

Whether you're a tribute, a demigod, a shadowhunter, a wizard, or Divergent, you all have one thing in common. You my friend are part of the wonderful, and painful, book fandom world. The membership includes favorite characters, plot twists, and cliffhangers, all drawing you closer and closer to the inevitable end to the book or series. Now, I just fell a bit like ranting about the ups and downs of the first three of the above mentioned fandoms.

The Hunger Games:

The characters are amazing. You have Katniss, who is so brave and relatable. Then there's Peeta, always sweet and kind to Katniss. Prim is adorable. Effie and Haymitch offer comic relief. There is a great balance. President Snow, even, is a fantastic character. I don't mean his sparkling, sunny personality, but he's so dark, evil, and cold, and does such awful things, I love to hate him. Without his evil, we have no good to root for.

The annoying thing though, to me, is that Katniss doesn't choose Peeta from the beginning and considers Gale for so long. How could you resist Peeta's sheer niceness. Is it just me or is Mockingjay too sad? They kill off so many great characters and there is so much bleakness. I am known to love a perfect happy ending though.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians/The Heroes of Olympus:

I'm lumping these two together because they are really one long series and the characters are the same. There is so much good in these books; the cute couples, great friends, families, and Rick Riordan's epic sense of humor. I get so jealous of the characters and their adventures, wishing I could live in the book.

The bad and painful part of this fandom is obvious. There are too many cliffhangers! I get the new book, I read it in two days, and come face to face with a massive, suspenseful cliffhanger, and then I want to cry. The next book doesn't come out for another year, so I'm left wondering until the next book comes out for me to tear through, leaving me with a new cliffhanger. It's a vicious cycle. Not to mention, I'm always wondering if my favorite character is going to die because they get into some pretty serious and life threatening situations.

The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices:

Yet another two that should be lumped together. I'm in love with their life as shadowhunters, and half the characters. Then there's the fabulous Magnus Bane, one of the most fabulous characters ever. Tessa too, is an amazing and strong female character. I'm jealous of her life, and also want to be her best friend.

My one problem is the main character in The Mortal Instruments. Clary bugs me because she's so irrational. She jumps into action without thinking it through at all. Maybe it's meant to be considered brave, but she ends up doing something dumb. She is not useful in a fight and has little ability to defend for herself in her magical world. Why does she rush into battle when she can't fight? She's not helping, but making it worse, so Clary can be annoying that way.

Thank you for bearing with my little speech. If you have any comments, want to give an opinion, or bring up your thoughts on a different fandom, post them! I know that there are so many other great fandoms that I didn't mention.

Citations:

Fandom Crossover-Ther Are Not Only Books. Digital image. Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Hunger Games Logo. Digital image. Insert Geek Here. Blogger, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

 

Mortal Intruments and Infernal Devices. N.d. The Book Mom's Reviews. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians. N.d. That One Geek Girl Reviews. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Book Recommendation Websites

The other day, I was looking around for book reviews, when I stumbled across this web article, about good websites for finding a book you might like. To see this website click here.

This article was written by Tamar Zmora to help those people who don't necessarily get a lot of useful book recommendations. Her writing style was humorous and easy to read. The sites that are suggested are really great. I especially think that Whichbook is a great website, and is very user-friendly. Then you can search for books by their tones and content. Zmora adds good information. For example, I was not aware that at Whichbook, if you click the buy button, you are sent to Amazon, or if you click borrow, you go to a library web page.

Goodreads is really great. You get the benefit of other people's comments, and if you want to rate a book you read, you can do that, too. The fantastic thing is that the books on Good eads are already ranked for you, and you can search in certain categories

Also, remember that in book stores, there are the staff's picks for books. Although many seem to just pass over that little section, it is a valuable resource for the book hunt. They do actually know what they're talking about.

I always just check the library. You never know what you may find there.

The information that I got from this article was really useful, and I plan on using it in my future book searches. I hope it will be useful for many others.





Harman, Dianne. "25 Signs You're Addicted to Books." Photograph. Webshots. n.d. Web. 4 February 2014.

Welcome 2014!

Awesome! A brand new, shiny, sparkly year. My resolution is to not make a resolution. Although it's cliché, it's better that way. If we're all honest here, resolution just means unattainable goal. So if you're going to do something, don't make it a resolution. I hope the New Year gives some people time to grow up and really examine their life, because a generation that can accept YOLO and use it as an excuse to do idiotic things needs to do so, and soon. YOLO is something I hope dies out in this next year. Personally, my slogan is, "Why do something today when you can do it tomorrow." Maybe I need to reexamine my life too. I'm not really sure what the New Year holds for this blog, but maybe I'll change it up a bit. No ideas yet, but the times are changing, after all we have entered a whole new era. The world is one year older. Happy birthday, World! One thing I know for sure won't change is books. My fictional friends don't disappoint. I think that we should all expect more books with Hunger Games futuristicness, and the mythological bits that Percy Jackson books and the Mortal Instruments offer. It seems like all the good books are written though, but I guess I'm not creative enough. Good thing other people are because I would probably go insane if I didn't ever get to read anything new. That's what New Years is all about, new ideas, new people, new innovations, and new books! Please leave comments!

2014. 2014. Photograph. N.p.

Finding That Hidden Gem: How to find that perfect book

I find myself often wanting new books to read. The only problem is, it can be hard to find a book you like. I, being the picky reader that I am need more than a recommendaton or an ad to be convinced to read a book. I have a few methods for finding a good book.

Step 0:
This is for those of you who have a book that was recommended for you by a friend. Look it up at the library. It's nice to know a little bit about the book before you read it. Library websites will have a small synopsis that will give just enough away for you to get a little hint as to whether you'll like a book or not. Wikipedia is an option, but be careful. On Wikipedia, if you read to far, it might ruin the book for you.

Step 1:
If you have a book you like, chances are your going to like other books by the same author, so choose a book and check the author.

Step 2:
Search the author online for a list of their other works. Wikipedia is usually a good source for this.

Step 3:
If you just choose a book you like, try searching for it on Amazon. At Amazon, when you search a book, lower on the screen they show book suggestions based on that book. They also show what other books people who bought that book online bought with it.

Step 4:
If all else fails, go to the library. At a local library they often print up pamphlets or sheets with books that they recommend and include a little summary. This is a great way to find some really good books that are more discreet.

That's all! Please post comments and suggestions!


Today, I will be taking my blog in a new, but similar direction. Instead of summarizing books as before, I will be giving a review of the book; my personal opinion of the book at hand. That being said, I will be reviewing Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine.

This book is inspirational with Ling's struggles and transformation. It is heartbreakingly wonderful to see her life ripped apart to be reconstructed slowly again. In revolutionary China, Ling starts to grow miserable with the wear of lack of food and questionable living condition. She keeps going everyday because she still has something to live for, mainly her parents, her father in particular. Her love for her father is beautiful. She is driven by that, so when things turn sour around her, when people go missing or are hurt, she has her father to fall back on. She has hope and shelter from him. Her father though is arrested, and when he is taken a way from them, she is exposed. She has no safety net. The removal of her father forces Ling to be strong on her own. She is faced with adversity but she powers through. The loss of a close friend, the knowledge that her mother may commit suicide, and the oppression of the bullies at school don't stop her. She is no longer a protected little girl at the end. Ling grows up and transforms into a strong, but wearied mature young woman. Luckily for her, the torment ends with the return of her father. Transformation is key in this book. The transformation of Ling, the transformation of China, everything is transformed , like a piece of paper into origami.

Chapter 2: Hoot

Today I will review Hoot by Carl Haissen:

 

http://goo.gl/RrXTC7

This book is set in Florida, and focuses on environmental issues, like the majority of Haissen's books.  The main character, Roy Eberhardt, sees a mysterious running boy while being tormented by the school bus bully. Roy from that moment makes it his mission to find and talk to that boy. Another day on the bus, Roy spots he boy again while being strangled by the same bully, Dana. In his excitement to follow the boy, he punches Dana in the nose, bumps into a girl boarding the bus and chases the boy through a golf course, where Roy is promptly knocked unconscious by a golf ball to the head. When he is found and brought to school, he is punished for punching Dana, and breaking his nose. At lunch, Roy is cornered by the girl he bumped into on the bus, Beatrice, who warns him to stop bothering the running boy. Roy does not, however, and he persistently searches for the boy, finally having a brief encounter while blindfolded. Meanwhile, Officer David Delinko and foreman Curley have been trying to stop a series of vandalisms at the construction site of Mother Paula's Pancake house, unsuccessfully. Beatrice decides to enlist Roy's help with the running boy, who happens to be her runaway step-brother, Mullet Fingers. They show Roy that Mullet Fingers had been vandalizing the construction site because they were going to bulldoze over some burrowing owls illegally. Roy is enlisted by Mullet Fingers to help with the mission. Roy, Mullet Fingers, and Beatrice all work together with the children of Roy's school, peacefully protesting the construction at the ground breaking ceremony. They are successful and the zone is dedicated to be a reserve for the owls.

http://goo.gl/OvvZur

Next I will review Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine.

Please post comments and suggestions!

Chapter 1: The Secret Garden

Today I'm going to review The Secret Garden:

http://goo.gl/dr20hm

The Secret Garden is a sweet heartwarming book. The main character, Mary Lennox, a British girl born and raised in India, was an unhappy, spoiled, ugly child. At least until she was forced to move in with her only living relative, her uncle, the reclusive Mr. Craven. This wealthy hunchback has a large mansion with expansive grounds in Britain. Little does she know, the British countryside is the best thing for her. She becomes pretty and healthy after living there for a little while. Exploring the grounds, she befriends a robin that live in one of the closed up gardens on the grounds. Mary learns from her maid, Martha, that the garden was closed because Mr. Craven's wife died after being injured in that garden. He was so angry that he locked up the garden and buried the key. Mary's robin friend shows her the key to get into the garden and there she discovers her passion. Meanwhile, Mary also discovers her uncle's sickly son, Colin, who is cooped up in the mansion. He is much like she was, in that he is spoiled rotten. She makes friends with him and shows him how to enjoy himself. Mary wishes to fix up the garden, and with the help of Dickon, Martha's outdoorsy brother, she does so. Eventually, Mary recruits Colin to help them. She, Dickon, and Colin show Mr. Craven the fixed up garden and he is happy for the first time since his wife died.

http://goo.gl/e2dK45

Next time I will be reviewing Hoot by Carl Hiassen.

Please comment a book to read and review.