Sunday, April 27, 2014

Book Blog #109: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author: John Green and David Levithan
# of Pages: 310 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: will grayson, meet will grayson

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, culminating in heroic turns-of-heart and the most epic musical ever to grace the high school stage.
Review: This review contains spoilers about writing style. Plot spoilers will be hidden.

This book contains sexual content, foul language, and other mature content. If you don't think you can handle that, look elsewhere.

I almost gave this book two stars. Through most of the book, I was pretty confident with my decision. It wasn't until I reached the last ten pages did I suddenly change my mind and gave three.  The ending was touching!

When I read the first two chapters of this book, I noticed a distinction between them in writing style. Since this book is co-written, I had a sneaking suspicion that John wrote every other chapter with David writing the chapters John did not...

I finally decided to it up and find out once and for all if I was correct and if my theory that the odd numbered chapters were written by John (as they seemed to have his writing style). And, what do you know? I was indeed correct.

I was not impressed with what Levithan did with his chapters. Pretty much all of his chapters were in lowercase (yes, including the words in the beginning of the sentence) and the dialogue was in chatroom format, even when the characters were not talking in a chatroom. I understand that the author may have intended the writing style to reflect the his Will Grayson, but it was just really annoying and made it harder for me to connect to the characters. There are more effective ways to show aspects of a character, and this isn't one of them.




Even though this is not one of my favorite John Green books, I do recommend it. Among the crappy, cheesy writing, there are some really deep messages that I thought were portrayed very well in this book. If you read the whole book and one off these messages gets through to you, then that's all that matters.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Book Blog #108: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 759 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: 'His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.' With these words "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" draws to a close. And here, in this seventh and final book, Harry discovers what fate truly has in store for him as he inexorably makes his way to that final meeting with Voldemort. In this thrilling climax to the phenomenally bestselling series, J.K. Rowling will reveal all to her eagerly waiting readers.
Review: This book, my friends, used to be my favorite book of all time. The book seemed to be spotless, the definition of perfection. It had amazed me so much that I was unable to read anything for two whole days (which is a really long time for me)!

But a second reading revealed that it is not as amazing as I once perceived it. In order to give this book a fair review, I took notes while I read. These notes will include spoilers (of course) and will make up most of my review.



Deathly Hallows is still a great book, although my perception of it's image is slightly degraded.  I am still willing to give it five star because of the emotional turmoil it was able to inflict on me, although not in the same way it did the first time.

And now, I have completed the Harry Potter series for the second and perhaps last time in my life.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Book Blog #107: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 652 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: The war against Voldemort is not going well; even the Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet, as with all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate—and lose a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort—and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

Review: Oh jeez. The Harry Potter series really does evolve from the first book to now into something different.



Yes...recommended!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Book Blog #106: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 870 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...
Review: In case anyone didn't know, this book is the longest book in the series. It's also one of three Harry Potter books that I have in hardback.

It's hard to carry this thing around with me

It's so easy for me to slip into the world of Harry Potter; I laugh when it's funny and cry when it's sad. Rowling spent way too much time writing details on the beginning bit and that was really, really boring for me.

Harry has some major emotional problems, which is understandable; he's experienced a lot in his short fifteen years of his life. But that doesn't prevent me from thinking that he should just calm down. He throws a lot of tantrums throughout the book...I wish he'd handle frustrating situations a little bit better.

Still recommended.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Book Blog #105: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 734 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march...
Review: Jeez, Rowling disappointed me with this one. I just couldn't give this one five stars.

So far, out of the four books I have reread, this one is my least favorite. It doesn't help that Rowling increased the size of her books by three-hundred-ish pages.



I pray for improvement in the next book. Of course I'm going to recommend it; if you've gotten to book four, you're pretty committed to the series anyway.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Book Blog #104: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 435 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It's assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?
Review: Not sure what to say in this review other than what I've said in the first two. This is another fantastic book that is hard NOT to read. Instead of doing more important things, I found myself sprawled across my bed for hours reading chapter after chapter of this book.

It's like a drug, an addiction I can't possibly get over. Everything plays out so perfectly; in my mind's eye, I can see scenes from the movie as I read the words off the page.

RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE!!!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Book Blog #103: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
# of Pages: 341 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble beings, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself.
Review: Another great book from Rowling. After reading it for the second time, I am beginning to understand the story a lot more than the first time I read it. The only problem is that I have a hard time figuring out if the plot is being too predictable, or if it's just me slowly remembering what was happening the book.



Of course I recommend this book!