Basically Books! discussion

Emma wrote: "Jeshu wrote: "Hahahaha, well so far I'm enjoying it, a lot, but I want to end it now and there are still like... 500 pages in my way XD"

Wow, 500 pages is longer than most of the novels I am tendi..."

I think I'll do that, my fingers are itchy to flip the pages of other books. Forgive me, Dumas!

Im currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, im close to being finished and getting ready to start on a new book soon. :)

Reading The Crippled God. Pretty much 900 pages of badass. =)

Colena wrote: "Im currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, im close to being finished and getting ready to start on a new book soon. :)"

Oooh. Oooh. We had a conversation about this book a bit earlier in the topic! What do you make of it? I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which is by the same guy and wasn't a fan.

Because Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters can only be described as rubbish I'm going to reread alongside it

currently reading ali smith - the accidental
does anyone else like ali smith?

Today I'll start Wolfsangel :D

Naomi, I don't know Ali Smith. What kind of books does he write?

I've made a bit more progress with Wolfsangel and I still think it's good but it's just not gripping me, so I've also started too.

I've not heard of Ali Smith either.

Just started reading City of Fallen Angels last night after finishing Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

I haven't heard of Ali Smith either, I will have to look her up.

I haven't either. Can you link us to her author page Naomi?

How was Snow Flower and Secret Fan? It was a book that got nominated for a BotM one month (possibly in another group) but didn't win so I never purchased it. Haven't they just released a movie based on the book? Or plan on releasing one soon... or something...!

I think they are planning on releasing the movie soon.

The book was pretty good but it was sad. I guess I am a sucker for a happy ending! I was drawn into their world and related to the characters even though our cultures are completely different. The relationship between the two main characters is special and unique. It's a book that I am still thinking about and picking apart the details but it's not the type of book I will read again and again. Overall I am glad I read it and it was well written but It's definitely not one I will be raving about.

Am reading Outside by Shalini Boland . Only read a little of it but it is really good. Its one of the books in my blog giveaway but it truly is the sort of book I would have picked up from the shelf of a bookstore, Will put reviews on here and blog when I finish it.

im starting to reading http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50...

Angela wrote: "im starting to reading http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50..."

I read that book years ago! It's really good :)

I just finished Finding Alice which was a really good book about mental illness. I'll be starting The Help tomorrow.

I am reading Angel Fire by Lisa Unger. Also, three cups of tea... but there's a glitch in my ebook and it won't rememer it's page if I close the book... so that one's gonna be a while.

Tara wrote: "I think they are planning on releasing the movie soon. "

It is on limited release right now.

Just finished:

http://wp.me/p1CKWU-ao

Now on to:

Tabitha wrote: "I'm currently reading Sisters Red (so far I'm kind of struggling to get into it). Oh and The God Machine (graphic novel)"
It is initially a bit odd to get into but once you do it really is worth persevering with as it is quite good!

Now people may remember me saying ages ago that I was reading Wuthering Heights well I have an audiobook so I'm listening to it instead. XD

Char wrote: "Now people may remember me saying ages ago that I was reading Wuthering Heights well I have an audiobook so I'm listening to it instead. XD"

Congratulations, char! I've been waiting for this moment XD

Jeshu wrote: "Char wrote: "Now people may remember me saying ages ago that I was reading Wuthering Heights well I have an audiobook so I'm listening to it instead. XD"

Congratulations, char! I've be..."

Lol, I managed Frankenstein but Wuthering Heights seems to hate me. I've listened to the first two chapters and I like the narrator. XD All the books I'm reading at the moment are rubbish so I've not done much reading. =(

Char wrote: "Jeshu wrote: "Char wrote: "Now people may remember me saying ages ago that I was reading Wuthering Heights well I have an audiobook so I'm listening to it instead. XD"

Congratulation..."
That's too bad :( I remember I had a difficult time with Frankestein too. I read it when I was 14 and I wasn't used to romanticism. Besides, my mother decided to scold me for reading "horror literature" XD

Now that I think about it, I've never listened to an audio book :O

I quite liked Frankenstein. I didn't think it was at all scary. Haha. I don't get why she told you off. XD

I haven't either, it's a new experience for me but I got a voucher for a free audiobook so I decided to take advantage. XD

I liked Frankestein too, and it wasn't scary. My mother hadn't read it and she had the idea of the Frankestein from the old movies, which presented him as a terrifying monster and had nothing to do with the plot of the book.

Lol, Oh your poor mum. Now I get why she was like "Noooo, step away from Frankenstein!" I think my mum would have been too. The monster was my favourite character lol. XD

I'm reading Blue Bloods and I'm like how the hell did she get this shit published?! It's all tell, tell, tell. I want you to show me, damnit, not tell me!

Also, she doesn't know the difference between less and fewer and it's bugging me.

Lol, that series is average. I'm so meh about it. There are worse out there.

It's the worst style of writing I've read in a while. Even Twilight was written (as in the actual storytelling, not the storyline) better than this!

The start of it doesn't even make sense. She introduces three separate POV characters at the nightclubs and then doesn't actually do anything with the clubs! What the hell was the point in that then?!

I can't believe you said that!

I think you may find out but I can't remember because I read them so long ago.

Neither can I. But it's true. This author does not know how to show things. Like Bliss. "All the other kids would copy her in non too nice a way whenever she said 'y'all' or 'laike'." Don't write that! Write an exchange between Bliss and another kid and SHOW the kid making fun of her. And what the hell is with the huge info dump on what it means to be a vampire? ARGH. This one is annoying me. :p

Haha, I do tell people to avoid that series. Jack and Schuyler annoy me. I know what you mean about show not tell, but a lot of writers do it now.

I can see why you do. I didn't pay for it at least so the author will not be getting any money from me. The name Schuyler really annoys me. I can't figure out how to pronounce it. I'm calling her Skyler in my head atm. I'm about half way through the book and I don't feel strong like or hate for any of the characters - that is bad.

It's really bad that authors do that. They shouldn't allow them to publish if they're not able to write properly.

It is Skyler... I was pronouncing it Shooler. I know what you mean. I like Mimi and you know it's bad when you prefer the bitch.

I know. I want to be shown plot development.

That's close to how I was pronouncing it but then someone called her Sky and I knew I was pronouncing it incorrectly. Yeah, I think I prefer Mimi. And what the hell is the obsession with describing clothes and food?

This author deserves credit where it's due: I have never EVER seen so many brand names mentioned in one story!

So do I. That's why I avoid YA.

I still didn't get it lol. XD I know what you mean.

It's Gossip Girl with vampires. Didn't you know?

It's why I SHOULD avoid YA.

What's even worse is that Schuyler is one of the more "normal" names in the book. >.< I see that a lot in books now. I don't want to know the intricates of what everyone is wearing. I'm not interested. I want the story! Grr.

Having avoided Gossip Girl I didn't know what I was letting myself in for. Now I know I won't ever touch GG with a 6ft barge pole.

I find myself being drawn to it. I need to snap myself out of this madness!

I know. There are some pretty out there ones. Bliss is a Muse reference. Melissa taking it one step further than SMeyer. I know, it's not important to me. It isn't relevent.

Hahahaha! Sorry, aww I did warn you GG was bad. I gave you some warning.

I know. Me too. Grrr!

I didn't know it was a Muse reference. I was wondering what hick what call their kid "Bliss". And how does she get to Mimi from Madeline? And Jack from Benjamin? -_- Yeah it really frustrates me when authors spend half the story describing clothes. This woman has managed to take it beyond half the story. It wouldn't surprise me if it reached a good 2/3rds of it!

You did indeed. I have learnt my lesson here. Hopefully I will not feel the need to read the other books. Hopefully.

It's because it's so easy to read whereas if I want to read an adult book I need to commit to it properly for hours. Sigh.

Yeah, Muse did a song called Bliss and Melissa is a fan. I know. They are pretty random nicknames. I know. It's integral... it sohuldn't be though.

Good, you should listen to me. We have such similar taste. =D

I know. I'm really struggling with the onews I'm reading.

Why is it that all YA authors that publish but can't write are fans of Muse? :/ Poor Muse. It's the Jack one that gets me the most. Even the teachers call him Jack instead of Benjamin. It really shouldn't. I go out of my way to not mention clothes when I'm writing.

I'll let you know how the temptation goes. I have books 1 through 4 so we shall see.

I'm finding it hard to just sit down to reading right now. I wish I knew why.

I know. I'm beginning to pity them a bit. I won't thank them if I get published. I know, that's weird, they shouldn't do that. I do too, unless I feel it's necessary and then I don't brand them.

Lol, Gutted, I actually like book 5. There's not much Jack and Schuyler.

Me too. I want to know too. I miss reading.

They're getting a lot of fans who only like them because their favourite authors like them, not because they like their music. I pity them for that, as they're a group that lives for playing live, not recording more albums. I bet she never explains it either. Yeah, sometimes it's necessary to mention an item of clothing, but not multiple times on every single page.

Lol. :p Are they that bad? Jack seems a bit like an aloof bastard atm and Schuyler is just a personalityless robot.

I think mine might be the knowledge that I need to read about 20 French classics before X-mas. :p

I know. The thing is proper Muse fans hate those fans so they aren't ever going to be accepted as Musers. They;ll be standing on the sidelines of Muse fandom. I know, she doesn't. They wear them because they can. It's as simple as that. I know. That gets really annoying.

Yes they are. It happens in later books but yes, they really are. They're almost as bad as the leads in the Evermore series. I can't remember their names though.

Ouch. That would petrify me lol. =P

Well, I finished it. Unfortunately the story cannot be called finished and I might have to read the next book just to actually know about the silverbloods. You don't even get to be SHOWN who the bad guy is, they just tell you! So goddamn annoying. At least in VA she had an antagonist, showed you who he was and bought him to justice. Here I feel like I've only read half a story. Well, a tenth of a story and an awful lot about designer brands.

Yeah I know. I'm lucky that I only really like Muse live. I don't ever have to interact with those Musiboppers. Mimi's the worst for the brand name dropping, but even Schuyler feels the need to describe to me every item of clothing that she is wearing and even where all the holes in it are situated! I do not need to know!

Yeah, they didn't really get anywhere in the first book so I still feel indifferent towards them. Never read Evermore. Unless it gets picked for BotM (please, please ensure it doesn't!!) I never will.

It is dragging me down somewhat. :(

Would you like me to tell you who tried to kill Schuyler just so you don't have to read it? Lol. =P

I've never seen them live. I really like their music though. I think it's awesome. Well Mimi is a material person so in a way all the designer dropping makes sense though it is still annoying. I find it worse with Schuyler though because she keeps saying that she doesn't care but she tells us EVERYTHING!

I know, you will detest them, they're really mushy. As the mod that chooses which books go through to the poll, I can assure you it never will. I am not reading it again not for love, money or anything else that may be offered.

I can see why. It sounds difficult. =(

That might be a good idea. :p It would save me reading multiple books and writing long-winded reviews (which I now need to type up.) It would also allow me to read things I want to read rather than things I feel I need to read to get the end of the story! lol.

I've seen them live... 5 or 6 times now. They're so much better live than they are on CD. There are two types of musicians: those who live to record music, and those who live to play it live. Muse are the latter and they are fabulous live, which might be why I can't enjoy them as much just listening to the CD now. Yeah, I meant to say that but got lost in my own head (been happening a lot lately :( ) - but even though she's so material, it's still overdone. And I totally agree with you about Schuyler: it's a complete character contradiction. Like when she goes for the modelling shoot and enjoys herself.

Oh pfft, why are all YA couples so mushy these days? It gives teenage girls unrealistic expectations of what a relationship with a teenage boy will be like. It went through a couple of months ago! I'm so thankful it didn't win.

It will be. Not so much because they're difficult to read, but because French classics are like English classics: written for a different class of people in a different era with different likes and dislikes.

Lol. It was (view spoiler)[ Bliss. It turns out that they're half sisters. It makes no sense to be honest but there you have it. (hide spoiler)] Hahaha, I know what you mean about bad reviews, they seem to be longer than good ones.

I know what you mean. I have their live CD's and I adore them on there. They really do what they do well. It's okay I do the same. I realised when I went to bed last night that I forgot to ask Tara if I could lead the 30 day thing. Grrr. I know, you can be materialistic and still tone it down a bit. Scuyler's a complete contradiction, she isn't very well created if you know what I mean.

I know. The best YA couple I've read this year is from , they were just two kids in a reltionship as horrible things happened around them. No it didn't. You're thinking of Blue Bloods, not Evermore. (I just checked lol)

Yeah, I get what you mean even more, I really struggle with adult classics but I'm alright with children's classics. I prefer them in fact.

I thought it might have been! At least this proves my instincts are still going strong, even if my mind is failing me. Oh yes, my Blue Bloods review is twice as long as the review of the book I actually liked. I guess I'm better at picking something apart than I am at praising something's good points.

They do. :) I keep an eye on their tour schedule to make sure I'm aware that they'll be touring. As I've had time to mull it over now, I think the materialistic thing is to cover the fact that she can't write worth a darn. She isn't. I disliked her as of the get go when she's described as "incredibly pretty" wearing her rags and then she's "hand picked for modelling" in her rags with lanky, two-weeks-unwashed hair. Molly coddling the Mary Sue character a bit much there?

I haven't read much YA with couples in it this year. I haven't really been impressed by any of them. Unless you as YA (some do but I got it from the adult shelves) in which case their relationship (or rather build up to the relationship) is my favourite. Aaah, I probably was. I knew I was potentially going to be required to read one of the two.

Children's classics are fun, easy and usually a ripping good yarn. Those aimed at adults are usually dry and a difficult slog. I've discovered that one is a piece of theatre, but I've forgotten the name of it already, so I'm going to read that one first.

Haha, Woo! Mind you the plots are too easy now. Is it? I know one of my longest is for a book I absolutely detested. I just had to rant about it. Although I did a long, glowing review of by Michelle Zink. I adored it.

I can hear why. I've not heard a bad comment about Muse live. Aaaah, fair enough. I can see why you'd think that (because it's true) but teens don't mind as long as there's a lead character that can be them and it contains vampires or werewolves. I know, but ut's about building up the reader's self esteem because they're Schuyler.

Fair enough. I haven't seen that one. Is it one to watch out for?

They are. I know. There are some that may not be as bad but it's going to be a nightmare getting there.