The Luxury of Rereading

Well, better late than never!  It's been one of those really full of family time Easters, so I'm only just now settling down to write my post.  Pardon my tardiness.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about rereading...

It all started when a good Twitter friend wrote a blog post about a favorite book of mine and mentioned a concept that I had not seen during my multiple readings of this particular book.  I, naturally, wanted to respond to her thoughts, but decided I really needed to read the book again myself to see if I pick up on it.  That's not to say that I am reading to prove her wrong or anything; but I want to respond with a close memory of the book.
I recently reread The Great Gatsby for an event and realized how much I love that book.
I recently found out that The Good Earth--a book that I always think fondly of when I remember that I've read it--is actually part of a trilogy.  Of course, I need to start the trilogy from the very beginning!
I recently have been thinking a lot about John Steinbeck because of a project at work and really want to read his magnificent works--East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath.

It seems that I am surrounded by the impulse to reread books from my past the summer that I'm 25 (rather, the first summer that I'm 25, because I plan on "being" 25 for a few years).  Ooh, and now I'm thinking that maybe age has something to do with it...Ugh.  I'm too young to be that nostalgic.

Anyway!  I know that within the book community there is a pretty good sized debate about rereading books.  Some people are working to read allthebooks and life is too short for rereads.  Other people like to look back on books they remember fondly to see if things have changed as their lives have changed.

A favorite blogger of mine has posted about doing a Summer of Rereading.  I like this idea.  In Oklahoma it's usually this close to being too hot to think during the summer.  You don't want to have to tax yourself with something new, unfamiliar, and challenging!  You want to curl up at the pool and read something familiar.  Or curl up in the AC if you are so inclined.  You aren't as busy because there's no school and summer is a time for fun, not work and blah.  The days are longer so you have more time to read.  I don't know what it is about summer that makes it a good time to reexplore and reevaluate, but I am definitely going to do it this year.

If reading is a luxury, a chance to get away from the blah-ness of daily life, then rereading seems like the ultimate luxurious act of pleasure.  I already know what's going to happen in these books.  I already once felt favorably towards these books.  Yet I am reading them again for the absolute and utter sheer pleasure of reading them.   It sends shivers down my spine.  I have hundreds of unread books on my shelves, but I am going to spend three months reading books I've already read.  I love it.

I have several ideas of what I want to reread, but no definite list.  Summer feels like a good time to do it, but summer seems so far away!  There's that whole thirty days of April and a part of May that I have to live first.  I may go ahead and start summer early.

So, where do you fall on the topic of rereading?  For it?  Against it?  Why?

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 3/17 - 3/30

Kelly's Book Haul

Looking over the books I've gotten in the past few weeks, only four can't be classified as historical fiction. Good thing it's my favorite genre! It's been a good time in my reading life lately.

From the library:
-Sever by Lauren DeStefano: I'm still not sure what to think about the final installment of the trilogy...
-Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
-Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender: so creepy! A bit like YA Stephen King.
-Captive Queen by Alison Weir
-Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
-Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe and The Last Great Dance on Earth by Sandra Gulland: the final two books in an absolutely wonderful trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte

Bought:
-The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: LOVE. I read this in a few hours. SO GOOD.
-The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick: the pretty cover convinced me to buy it :)
-Blood Royal by Vanora Bennett

ARCs for review:
-Roses HaveThorns by Sandra Byrd: I'm excited for this one, I love Elizabeth I!
-The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy: I've heard nothing but good things about this author so I can't wait to start this!

Daisy's Book Haul

Egalleys for Review:

First off I need to tell you about the book that made me want to drop everything and which I have already read:

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson: I love, love, LOVE this series and The Bitter Kingdom was a perfect ending, but now I'm sad I won't be going on adventures with Elisa anymore... But you should all read it!!

-Hopeless by Colleen Hoover: this sounds REALLY intense and slightly creepy!
-It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long: I love the Pennyroyal Green series and Julie Anne Long's writing in general, these books make me happy!
-An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands: there is just something about lairds.
-No Angel by Helen Keeble: this will be either REALLY good or really bad, I'm counting on the first.
-Find Me by Romily Bernard: I will be so creeped out by this book and it will be awesome!
-The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas: ALL THE EXCITEMENT! This sounds like such a me-book!
-Twinmaker by Sean Williams: because who hasn't dreamed of an easy way to improve your appearance? I'm curious to see the nasty effects this has!
-The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White: I've heard pretty much nothing but good things about her books and this one has EGYPTIAN GODS in them! Be still my mythology-loving heart!
-Blackout by Robison Wells: a mysterious virus infecting teens with impossible powers, YES I'm all over this!
-Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon: described as the teen version of The Girl of the Dragon Tattoo, it sounds really good!
-False Sight by Dan Krokos: I LOVED False Memory and can't wait to continue this series!
-The Taming of Ryder Cavanagh by Stephanie Laurens: I want so bad to LOVE one of her books again, I do always enjoy them though :)
-Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare: a Spindle Cove novella, I've fallen in love with Tessa Dare's writing.
-Hideous Love by Stephanie Hemphill: it's about Mary Shelley and sounds just fascinating!
-Prophecy Girl by Cecily White: this sounds like a fun paranormal romance series!

Bought:
-Crossed by Ally Condie: I haven't read Matched yet, but I will soon! And then this one!
-The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: I gave into peer pressure and bought it, even though this book scares me ;)
-Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: I still need to start this series but it bugged me that I didn't have the final book.
-A Beginner's Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch: I've been eyeing this author's books for a while and figured this would be as good a book to start with as any :)
-Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson: a retelling of Bluebeard, the fairytale that gave me nightmares, I really want to love this, I've heard mixed things about it though..
-Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs: I really enjoyed Sweet Venom and am looking forward to continuing this series!

Gifted:
-Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston: I won this in a giveaway by my lovely blogging buddy Karin from My Life..., thank you so much! I'm really excited to read this!


Oh, and if you're looking to add to your haul, I'm having a giveaway for a boxed set of The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare over my personal blog Between the Pages, open to US, Canada and UK residents!


Our Broke & Bookish book haul is inspired by memes like IMM & Stacking the Shelves& Mailbox Monday. This is just our very simple way of doing it collaboratively so we can participate in all of them and not have to choose one.

Bookish Deals (16)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Welcome to today's biweekly edition of Bookish Deals where I (Julia) try to scour the Internet to find you guys an array of deals to fit in with any budget! This weekend is hella hectic so I only had time to throw in two. If you have any other good book deals, throw them into the comments!




The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski - $.99

AZ | BN

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?

The Host by Stephanie Meyer - $1.99

AZ | BN

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. But Wanderer, the invading "soul" who occupies Melanie's body, finds its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Soon Wanderer and Melanie-reluctant allies-set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Daisy Talks About Series Ending

A while ago, Jamie talked about her fear or reading the next book in a series on her blog. And I realized I don't so much share this fear as that I have a fear of reading the last book in a series. Because then it will end and pretty much it leaves me like this:

Only more like: but WHY did this series have to end? Now what will I do with my time if I can't wonder what'll happen next for the characters I've come to know and love?? How will I survive not living in this world and not going on new adventures anymore?? After reading the last book in a series I always feel a bit sad, like I've had to say goodbye to friends who are moving halfway across the world or something. They're still there, just not in the same way they used to be.

And I know, I know, I can re-read the books and get lost in the world again, but it's just not the same! And what if one of my favourites dies? How do I cope with this knowledge? What if the main character ends up with the wrong guy FOREVER? (See, this is why I don't like love triangles)

So 2013 is going to be a hard year for me as I'm going to have to say goodbye to a lot of my beloved series, or maybe I'll just put it off, after all, I still haven't read Inheritance by Christopher Paolini yet either..

So how about you guys? Do you share my (maybe irrational) fear of reading the last book in a series because there just won't be any books after that EVER? Have series hangover like me? Any series you're particularly dreading the end of?

On a Rereading of Divergent and Insurgent

I know we have a lot of YA fans who read this blog, so I imagine the vast majority of you have read the first two novels of Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, Divergent and Insurgent. I’m not an overly huge fan of YA in general, but I love me some dystopia, so these novels were right up my alley, especially since I heard about them right after I read The Hunger Games.

There were a couple of things that I thought upon first reading Divergent and, later, Insurgent: first, that I liked Divergent better than The Hunger Games; second, that although the insistence upon romance in YA novels tends to annoy me, Four is hot enough that I’m okay with it; third, that I enjoyed Veronica Roth’s writing style; and finally, that the plot was incredibly well-thought out and well-told. A year later, here are my thoughts on those four things.

First, I liked Divergent better than The Hunger Games. This remains true. The world of Divergent is much more self-contained but no less colorful, and I liked that we get details about all of the factions whereas in The Hunger Games, we only get specific details about a few of the districts. I think I also like Tris more than Katniss. Even though Tris has annoying martyr-ish tendencies, those are better than Katniss’ outright abrasiveness/obvious blindness to the fact that two boys she’s known practically since birth have been in love with her...practically since birth.

Second, Four is hot enough that I’m okay with sappy YA romance. Yup, definitely still true. While I’m not into tattoos at all, and can’t honestly see myself being attracted to someone throwing daggers at my face regardless of how brooding and strong and silent they are, something about Four just makes me SWOON. Although he annoys me when he gets all secretive and annoying in Insurgent, I think I could find it in me to take him back.

Third, I enjoyed Veronica Roth’s writing style. This one is where I don’t agree with myself as much. I still think Roth writes better than Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, but I found the style much more “meh” than when I first read it. The present tense annoyed me slightly more than it did initially, but I guess I can live with that. That’s not to say she can’t tell a kickass story, because she can, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her writing develops as she grows into an established author. But I do definitely think she has a lot of room to grow in that department. (Not that I can talk, really, but...)

Finally, the plot was incredibly well-thought out and well-told. Still agree with myself here. The idea of factions fascinates me and you can tell it fascinates Roth as well. She explores all of the different viewpoints of her characters, and they are all believable. Especially when they talk about the Divergent, and some express concern about their “loyalties,” because they could belong in any number of factions, whereas most people in the society are cut out--and therefore loyal to--exactly ONE faction. And while you, the reader, is like, “Duh, of course Tris can be trusted,” you can also see from that other character’s point of view. And that’s where things get twisty and complicated and AWESOME.

The bottom line here is that if you haven’t read Divergent and Insurgent yet, make sure you do it before this fall when the third and final book comes out. There’s no title yet, but there is a release date: October 22, 2013! I was going to wait until a bit later in the year to reread Divergent and Insurgent, but I decided I didn’t want to, especially since I hadn’t read them back to back yet. That’s definitely making a huge difference in me remembering important plot points and who people are. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, you should read Divergent and Insurgent and then the third when it comes out in October, because they are awesome.

Jen's Top Ten Books She Recommends The Most

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Book recommendations. They can be a scary, scary thing. I always feel stressed when someone asks to to recommend a book they might like. So. Much. Pressure. What if they HATE a book that I LOVE?! These are the books I find myself recommending over and over again.

Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

(and the brief commentary I usually add with it): 

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: AMAZING. Warning, don't read this book in public. There is a good chance you'll cry.
2. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson: A story about a cross-country road trip and the pages of the book are filled like a scrapbook.
3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I usually recommend this book when I find out someone has never read it. I'm always shocked by people who have never read this book.
4. The Fault in our Stars by John Green: Another AMAZING book you shouldn't read in public because you're going to cry.
5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: I actually read this book because Jamie used to rave about it all the time. It's been a few years since I read it but I still find myself recommending it to other people.
6. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler: Because you should always read banned books/challenged books.
7. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher: A great book that makes you think how you treat others and the potential consequences of those actions.
8. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen: *Sa-woon* This was the first Sarah Dessen book I read and it began my love for her books!
9. If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman: Just read these two books. You'll love them, I promise!
10. Trafficked by Kim Purcell: It's scary and sad that things like this still happen.

What are the top ten books that you recommend the most? I'm looking forward to finding new books to add to my to-read list!

Kelly reviews The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Format: Kindle ebook


Hadley is on her way to London to attend her father's wedding and everything is going wrong. She's late, ends up missing her flight, and is stuck wandering around JFK until the next flight. The only good thing is Oliver, the wonderful British boy she meets in the waiting area and who ends up being her seatmate for the seven hour flight. They talk and bond all night yet end up losing each other at the airport in London with no ways of contact. Hadley then makes her way to her father's wedding, fighting conflicting feelings of facing her new stepmother and hurt towards her father for his new life. All the while, Hadley wonders where Oliver is and if she can ever find him again.

In the past six months, I've been in a lot of different airports. They've been humongous ones (Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles) as well as foreign ones (extra scary not knowing the language). All I remember about them is A LOT of people, A LOT of madness, and feeling like I was going to lose myself in the huge crowds. Jennifer Smith accurately portrayed the crazyness of airports as well as rush and nervousness of being late and/or missing a flight. Unfortunately, I can't much relate to her her "fated flight romance" scenes, as that has yet to happen to me. I always end up next to old ladies or babies!

It's hard to get a grip on the fact that this book takes place in less than 24 hours yet so much happens and so many miles are covered. It's a pretty basic and predictable story overall, but it was extremely cute and made me smile and tear up plenty of times. Highly recommended for all YA lovers or those who want a quick read while traveling! 4 stars.