This weeks musing asks...Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself/someone else, and why you chose that/those books.
I actually received a book I pre-ordered last year just a couple of days ago - Underworld by Meg Cabot. I read Abandon, the first novel in this series, late last year and I absolutely loved it, so last year at Christmas when I got some money from family and decided to use a portion to buy some books, I pre-ordered Underworld. I really hope this is a good follow-up to Abandon - I really enjoyed the twist on the Persephone and Hades myth, and where the second book was heading was established pretty well at the end of book one - it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
What about you? Do you have any exciting pre-orders that you're anticipating the release of?
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (George Smiley #1) by John le Carre Release Date: June 1974
Publisher: Random House Format: eBook Pages: 400 Rating: 3.5/5.0 This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 GVR Summary from Amazon:"The first novel in John le Carré's celebrated andNew York Times bestselling Karla trilogy featuring George Smiley,Tinker Tailor Soldier Spyis a heart-stopping tale of international intrigue.
The man he knew as "Control" is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the Circus. But George Smiley isn't quite ready for retirement-especially when a pretty, would-be defector surfaces with a shocking accusation: a Soviet mole has penetrated the highest level of British Intelligence. Relying only on his wits and a small, loyal cadre, Smiley recognizes the hand of Karla—his Moscow Centre nemesis—and sets a trap to catch the traitor."
Review: This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me - some parts I really enjoyed, whilst others I really, really did not. For the first 2/3 or so of the book, I was just really confused - being an espionage novel, there's quite a bit of mystery, which is to be expected, but sometimes it just got way to confusing for me to actually follow the plot. There were so many characters in this novel, that at the beginning I found it hard to a) remember them all and b) discern which were integral to the main story. Ultimately all the characters played some role in the novel, but there were some that I really needed to pay attention too, and at the beginning I found it hard to figure out who these people were. I also found it hard to keep track of what the characters relationships were - at some points, I felt like I needed some sort of diagram showing me how all the characters knew each other. But, once I started reading the last third of the book, things started to come together. Characters that were really integral to the plot became more obvious, the connections being made were easier to remember, the plot started to make sense, and the book just became more interesting. It took me about 3 weeks to read this book, but the majority of that time was dedicated to that first 2/3 that was confusing - once the book picked up, I flew through it in a couple of days. Overall, I can see that this book would appeal to some people, but it wasn't really for me - a tad too many characters, coupled with a plot that was a tad confusing led to a book that was justa tad interesting.
Whilst transversing the blogsophere the other day, I stumbled upon this AMAZING competition for a Marissa Meyer, aka the author of The Lunar Chronicles, swagpack and I just had to share it, because I loved both Cinder and Scarlet oh so very much. Check is out HERE.
This weeks musing asks...Describe one of your reading habits.
One of the things I always tend to do when I pick up a new book is quickly flip to the back. Mostly I do this to see how long the book is, so I can gauge how long it will take me to read it. I can be put off by books that are over 500 pages long, and I'm more likely to leave those till when I'm on holidays, rather than tackle it during semester. What I used to always do was also quickly scan the last few sentences of the book. I have no idea what would possess me to do that - waaay too much potential of ruining the book (in fact I think I did ruin a book or two by reading the last few sentences) - luckingly I've broken out of that habit! What about you? Do you jump to the end of a book before you start reading it?
The movie Red Dog just last night - animals dying in films gets me every damn time. What chore do you absolutely hate doing? I don't actually do many chores. It's 'highly recommended' to me that I give my bedroom a thorough cleaning at least once every 3 months, which basically means that my room gets striped, everything is dusted and every corner is vacuumed. What is your favourite form of exercise? Walking, generally with my dog tagging along.
What is your current desktop picture? It's a collection of all the Lifescouts badges I've collected, Lifescouts being the adult version of boy/girl scouts . If you're interested in what Lifescouts is take a look here. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where would you go? Europe, hands down.
It's been a while since I wrote a post concerning movie adaptations, because it's not often that I read a book before it's translated to the big screen. More often than not, movies actually introduce me to new books - The Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments and The Caster Chronicles were all brought to my attention when I heard about the films or saw the trailers. BUT, I actually have some thoughts on some upcoming films which are based on books that I've already read - for once I'm ahead! 1. Divergent Casting If you've been reading my book reviews, you guys would know that I absolutely loved Divergent when I read it earlier this year (my review here). And no sooner had I finished the book that news came out that it was being adapted for film. What with the success of The Hunger Games, dystopian films are all the rage right now. The film's currently in pre-production and will be released sometime next year, and only a little information about the casting has been made public - but we do have our two leads!
Shailene Woodley was cast a little while ago as our female lead Tris. To be honest, I'm still not sure on this casting. Woodley didn't jump out to me as the perfect choice, not the way Jennifer Lawrence did with Katniss. But, Woodley can act - she's proven herself in Secret Life of an American Teenager and The Descendants. I'll be interested to see how Woodley goes - I'm still not convinced she's the absolute perfect choice for Tris, but she could prove me wrong.
More recently we were told who has been cast as our male lead Four - Theo James. You might recognise him from The Inbetweeners Movie or Downton Abbey, where he had a small part yonkers ago playing Kemal Pamuk. Personally, James is an unknown to me, so I have no idea what his acting abilities are like. Again, I'll be interested to see how James goes.
Alongside Woodley and James, Kate Winslet is set to appear in the film, but what role she will play is still under wraps. It's been theorised that she'll either play Jeanine or Tris' mother, both roles that Winslet could easily rock. Also, Zoe Kravitz - is it just me who thinks she is the perfect fit for Christina?!? 2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone I was super excited when I heard that Daughter of Smoke and Bone is being turned into a movie. It's very early days yet, but we do have a screenwright - Stuart Beattie, who is responsible for Pirates of the Caribbean. I really hope Beattie is able to translate DOSABwell - I think it could be a bit tricky, but if it's done right, I've no doubt this movie will be amazing.
3. Mockingjay will be 2 films The 3rd installment of The Hunger Games film franchise will be split into two films. Whether or not this is the right decision, I'm not 100% sure. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two films and that worked out, but I think everyone can agree that one Breaking Dawn film would have sufficed. I think, if done right, splitting Mokingjay in half could work - I think there is just enough material in the book to fit into two films. Finding a place to stop the first film and start the second is probably going to be tricky, but I think that's always going to be the tricky part of splitting a story into 2 sections. The Hunger Games was an amazing film, so I think it's safe to assume that the sequels are going to be amazing too (at least I really hope so). And, one of my main gripes with the first film was that it cut out some important plot points - splitting Mockingjay into two films is sure to solve tihs problem! What about you? Have you read Divergent? What about Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Are you excited for their upcoming movies?
Beautiful Creatures (The Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Maraget Stohl Release Date: 1st December 2009
Publisher: Little Brown Books Format: Paperback Pages: 563 Rating: 5.0/5.0 This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR Summary from Amazon:
"There were no surprises in GatlinCounty. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."
Review:
Ooooo did I enjoy this book. Let's keep this short and sweet. I really enjoyed basically everything about this book - the plot, the characters, the supernatural themes, the romance, the twists and turns. I really liked how the history and romance of Ethan Carter Wate and Genevieve Duchannes was intertwined with Lena and Ethan's romance, and ultimately their future. However, I did think that the ending was a bit of a cop out - it seemed like the easy way out that allowed the story to continue in more books. But, overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the sequal (and seeing the movie too, but I've heard mixed things about it - well, at least I hope it's good!)
I actually received a book I pre-ordered last year just a couple of days ago - Underworld by Meg Cabot. I read Abandon, the first novel in this series, late last year and I absolutely loved it, so last year at Christmas when I got some money from family and decided to use a portion to buy some books, I pre-ordered Underworld. I really hope this is a good follow-up to Abandon - I really enjoyed the twist on the Persephone and Hades myth, and where the second book was heading was established pretty well at the end of book one - it'll be interesting to see how it goes. 
