Monday 6 January 2014

Bout of Books 9.0 Challenge: BOOK BUYING SPREE

So far today has been a very slow reading day for me, so I decided to find some sense of achievement by completing one of the Challenges. The Challenge is the Book Buying Spree and is hosted by Bookish Comforts http://www.bookishcomforts.com/2014/01/bout-of-books-9-0-challenge-giveaway-book-buying-spree.html

This Challenge also appealed to me because it involves one of my favourite things, online shopping with no intention of actually spending money.

The Challenge

Imagine if you will: you’ve just received some FANTASTIC news! You have won a $100 book buying spree! Now comes the hard part though: what books will you buy?! For this challenge, you’ll be creating your book buying spree wishlist, and sharing it in the comments.
So here is my shopping cart, under budget at $97.14, that's a first!

I'm really getting into biographies and memoirs at the moment, and I'm fascinated with the Holocaust, which explains why two of my chosen books were written by people during that time.


I also aim to read a lot more classics, and I've read some Tolstoy (I am working on Anna Karenina) and some Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four).

The Song of Fire and Ice series is so huge and time consuming that I just need to have it. I've recently started to catch up on the TV series, but as an avid Potter fan I think that the books are probably going to be a lot better.

Well it's almost 9pm where I am now, so I'm going to try and get some serious reading done before bed, so far City of Bones is not really working for me, but I think the story is just about to really get going. After all the amazing things I've heard about it I really hope I enjoy it. 

Hopefully more Challenges and updates will be up tomorrow. Happy reading :)

Sunday 5 January 2014

My Problems with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


Just a warning: this is going to be long, it will contain many spoilers for those who have not read the books or seen the movies...if you haven’t go and do that right now. This post also may contain some very unpopular opinions.

Okay, so to start, I do not hate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is not even one of my least favourite books. I love Harry Potter, I have grown up with Harry Potter, and I have reread all the books multiple times...which is I think the problem. 

My first issue with Deathly Hallows is the the lack of foreshadowing, or even mention of the idea of the Deathly Hallows before this book. To me one of the greatest things about Harry Potter is that you can go back and reread them again and again and feel like every time you piece together something new . My favourite thing in the entire series may be that Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew, it was awesome and shocking and if you saw that twist coming I applaud you. Also things are introduced a long time before they are really seen, or used again. Like how it is on Sirius Black’s bike that Hargrid delivers Harry to Privet Drive on. Awesome. Crouch Jnr uses Polyjuice Potion in Goblet after Hermione makes it in Chamber of Secrets. . It would have been so easy to have Ron or any of the other Weasleys talk about the stories they were read as a kid...just...ugh, it just annoys me that things were introduced in the final book.

My next issue is the camping section. The huge section where to me, not a lot happens. I may be alone here but one of the main reasons I love the Harry Potter books is because of the world, and most importantly Hogwarts...and guess what most of this book does not take place at Hogwarts, it takes place when they are camping. And for most of that time it is just Harry and Hermione, who are wonderful friends, but don’t often make for very entertaining scenes together, in fact Harry points out that hanging out with just Hermione leads to a lot of time being spent in  the library. Although I did love the pay off when Ron came back.

Teddy Lupin...just ugh. I hate that both Lupin and Tonks died just to make the book end with another orphan. I can just see it now Teddy Lupin and the Plot Contrivance. Just no. Also, the character assassination of Lupin’s character just made me so angry, it was so out of left field and wrong.

I think the biggest problem for my was the redemption of Snape. I love Snape as a character, I love the way that Alan Rickman portrayed Snape in the movie...Snape is awesome! Until the end of book seven where we find out his motivation that to me just doesn't make sense. He hated Harry because he looked like James, which we knew, but he also felt the need to protect Harry as he had his mothers eyes, and Snape had always been in love with Lily.  He hated James, and he had reason to hate James, but that does not excuse his bullying of Harry, or that it was his fault that Harry’s parents died AND when it came down to it he only cared about saving Lily. Something tells me Lily would not want to be with him after he was responsible for the death of her husband and son. Just saying.

The entire epilogue. Why did that have to happen?  I did like that Draco married someone Harry didn't know, because the books end when they were 17, and the odds of all of them staying together past 17 are very very slim. Now the names...James Sirius is good, I like that one. Then there is Lily Luna...which the alliteration just really annoys, and I know I am probably alone here but I don’t really like Luna Lovegood as a character, she just irritates me and I don’t know why. I just feel like the impact of Lily, James and Sirius are lost when Luna who is alive and well is just tossed in there. Maybe that was Ginny's input, I don’t know.

And then there is Albus Severus, that poor poor child. God, I love Harry, and the decisions that he makes but no just; no. Throw in Lupin, or Mad-Eye or Hagrid or freaking Cedric but not Albus Severus. Not only does that kid now that to try and live up to the name Albus, one of the greatest wizards of all time, but Severus is tacked on there as well...you know, the guy who wanted to be with Harry’s mum. I wonder what James would think about this? And the whole “Snape was the bravest man Harry ever knew” crap, no just no. You know what’s brave? Defying the Dark Lord three times like his dad did, or escaping Azkaban like Sirius, or standing up to his friends like Neville did. Snape made a great error in judgement that cost him the one thing that he loved, and he took it out on Harry.


But I promise I still love the books!

Saturday 4 January 2014

Bout of Books 9.0 Readathon Goals/Updates

So, here are my goals for the Bout of Bouts Readathon 9.0:

As I have already started City of Bones by Cassandra Clare the first book in the Mortal Instruments Series I want to finish it (did I mention I haven't read much for a while so I am really behind!!! I have seen the movie though, but at about 80 pages in so far I can already see the differences).

When/if I finish City of Bones I then want to read City of Ashes the second book in the series.

I just read Divergent by Veronica Roth (see, sooo out of the loop) so if the library still has the second book in the trilogy Insurgent I will be reading that, if not I will be moving onto Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

I also have more books reserved from my library that are due back this week, so if any of them are returned I will try to read them as well.

But for now these are my reading goals.

I also want to complete the challenges set as they sound like fun, and hopefully will write reviews of the books that I finish.

Happy reading everyone :)

UPDATES:
Monday
Pages read: 126
Book finished: 0
Challenges completed: The Book Buying Spree

It's taken me a while but I've finally gotten into, and started to enjoy City of Glass, so hopefully Tuesday will be a more successful reading day.

Tuesday
Pages read: I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare with 208 pages read, and then started Grow Up by Ben Brooks and got through 94 pages so 302 all up.
Books finished: 1
Challenged completed: Reading Tactics Task
Total pages: 428
Total books read: 1

Wednesday:
Pages read: 163 pages of Grow up by Ben Brooks(finished) 51 pages of Insurgent so 214 total.
Books finished: 1
Also looked at and commented on a lot of blogs today.
Total pages: 642
Total books: 2

Thursday:
Pages read: 200 pages of Insurgent.
Books finished: 0
Total pages: 842
Total books: 2

Friday:
Pages read: 274
Books finished: Insurgent by Veronica Roth, and now I need need need Allegiant!!!!
Total pages: 1,116
Total books: 3

Back to Books/Bout of Books Readathon

So after taking a few years off from reading due to discovering boys and alcohol, and the positive and negative aspects of both I recently discovered BookTube and it has reawakened me love for reading...because who needs boys and booze when you have a bestseller in your hands right?

I also just discovered the Bout of Books Readathon and that is something I definitely want to be a part of, so this post is not only my reintroduction to reading but also my signing up to take part.

And if you don't know what it is...
Bout of Books
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.


So while I'll be taking part in the Bout of Books Readathon I will also be posting some of my opinions about books, of which I have a lot.

I am so happy to be reading again and can't wait to dive back into the many worlds that can be found in books!