supercheesegirl | Entries tagged with books2014

I enjoyed this a lot more the second time around; I felt like Faith's internal conflicts and character development were more compelling when I could just keep turning pages in a single volume.

I previously read this in the original comic book format. Now, thanks to the excellent Mr. Simeon Berry, I now have the graphic novel, which lends itself to rereading much more easily than the comics do. Really enjoyed reading this again and discovering more this time around.

Finally got around to reading this. ( Read more... ) Anyway, series complete, box checked.

Still really enjoying these. Read this maybe a week ago but nothing stood out to record here.

Still loving these books. A little annoyed at the reveal about Locke's personal history (he's a complex and interesting character, it just wasn't necessary) and also at the events of the epilogue (come on, can we have a book with no Bondsmagi to thwart?), which are the only things keeping me from a five-star review. Really looking forward to the fourth book whenever it comes out.

My mom didn't love this third book in the trilogy, but I don't know, I really did. I liked how it came full circle in a lot of ways. I liked the parallels to The Last Battle (last of the Narnia books that Grossman plays off of so well) and the ways it very purposefully diverged from Narnia. I liked where Quentin was at the end. I liked the whales.

There were a few random details that bugged me: how did Eliot know where to find them in New York when they were in a house so strongly shielded? What happened to that kid Stoppard who was supposed to meet up with them in New York? I thought they only had one button, but suddenly they had two? Why didn't Quentin go hole up in Josh's palace in Italy? I found these little details annoying in a book so otherwise likeable - the way that, as an editor, I'll mark up a really good essay with a lot more red ink than I'd waste on a bad one, because it's just so close! But overall, thank you, Mr. Grossman, I loved these books.

On another note, as I was reading, I couldn't help constantly quoting Wash from Firefly in my head. "This is a fertile land, and we will thrive. We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... This Land." Yep.

It took me forever to read this, going through a poem or two at bedtime maybe once a week or so, but read it I did. It had poems in it, and some of them were good.

Full title: The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh. This book was excellent, just the sort of archaeological history that I like. Damrosch does a nice job of painting all the major players, from Smith and Rassam in the 1800s to Ashurbanipal, whose passion for literature and ancient library made the rediscovery of Gilgamesh possible. Highly recommended for those who like this sort of thing.

It had been too long since I'd read something like this. Really enjoyed it.

Really starting to get bored with the "what's the deal with Marika?" plotline, but I guess it was interesting to see some of Mr. Lion's backstory.

Still really enjoying Theo. I liked the addition of the weejadeen in this book and Theo's evolving backstory about where her powers originate. Looking forward to the next book.

This was okay - reminiscent of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, except that I think I liked both of those better. For my tastes, this heroine was just a touch too plucky, the grandma just a touch too harsh, and the way the heroine falls in with Eula was just a little too unrealistic. But if you liked The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, you'd probably enjoy this one, too.

Yes! I've been so excited to read this, so when I got a copy for my birthday I spent the next two days wolfing it down. This is so good. Just really really good. Strayed writes these scenes where she's trying to lift a backpack that's more than half as much as she herself weighs, she's practically wrestling with it trying to get it on her back, and it's hilarious but at the same time desperate, because Strayed manages to convey that really, getting this pack on her back, making this journey, is really a matter of life and death. This is how she saves herself, and it's a great freakin' story.

In this volume we start getting some insight into Marika's past. Also, F and I discussed it and (1) we are pretty much stuck reading these until these kids get into space, which isn't a bad thing at all, it just is, and (2) Mr. Lion makes the whole thing. It would just be a cute story without him and all that he represents.

Still enjoying this series, although the resolution of the cliffhanger ending from vol. 2 was a bit anticlimactic.

I'm enjoying the new plot twists that came up in this book; I like the way LaFevers is revealing more about Theo's powers without Theo herself actually noticing. It'll be fun to see where this goes.

I really like Theo because even though she's the heroine and protagonist, she's still an 11-year-old kid. She's afraid of the dark, wants her parents to notice the amazing things she does, and really wants a hug sometimes. It makes her feel more true. I also like her because come on, she's fighting ancient Egyptian curses in a creepy old museum!

Three short stories collected in one hardback graphic novel. Every page drawn by Shaun Tan is pretty much amazing. I think I liked best the one about the boy who brought home the strange creature, but the one about the rabbits was really emotional.

I was entertained at first, but I think I just didn't get it? It was a weird little book. And I like Gorey.

I really loved this, and there was a lot less in the way of gruesome deaths which I appreciated, but feeling a bit peeved at the ending. I know it'll get resolved in the next book, but I don't have time to read another one of these right now! (Using my Captain Jack icon in recognition of the excellent pirating that occurs in this book.)

I think I like Miss Marple better in a longer format, as the short stories get a bit formulaic when you're reading them all back to back, and a novel gives Miss Marple more room to improvise. But's she's always a fun, solid read.