Least Favorite Books Ever

I have a feeling I've mentioned some of the worst books I've ever read, but I can't be sure, and I don't know that I've ever told you why they land on that list. I'm going to give you insight into a couple so you don't have to read them if you don't want to. Or perhaps you will read them out of curiosity. I can't stop you, but I can warn you. This is just my opinion anyhow.

Blood and Chocolate

This is a young adult novel about werewolves. That's putting it very simply. There is a movie based off of it as well. I think it was released in 2007. I don't have anything against using werewolves or vampires or other fantastical creatures as part of a plot to a story (you'll notice that there's another book on this list that involves both werewolves and vampires...). Here's what bothered me about this book. I didn't find it believable at all. The main character was supposed to be in love with this guy and that's the major issue of the book as she's a werewolf and he's human. But I just didn't believe it. I couldn't believe that she was in love with this guy. I couldn't bring myself to like the characters. The ending was oddly sweet, but at the same time it gave me a sort of, "What the heck?" and also "Gross?" It's a little hard to explain. But you should probably know the movie differs significantly from the book in how it ends. The movie wasn't that great either, but I may have liked it better than the book.

The Golden Ass

The only part I liked about this book was the story of Cupid and Psyche. Pretty much didn't like everything else. I probably wouldn't have even picked up the book if I didn't have to read it for a class. I didn't care for the sexual content and I just felt the main character was an idiot. That's probably why he gets turned into a donkey. In the end, he's a changed man, but even though moments of redemption and starting anew struck me as boring. Just not my cup of tea I guess. It's been so long that I can't remember very many other details, so I'm afraid that'll have to do. Take a moment to Google the Cupid and Psyche story.

Madame Bovary

I think the common thread in these first three examples is that I just hate the characters or can't relate to them. Madame Bovary is no exception. I hated her. I may view the book a little differently if I were to read it again, but for now, it remains on my list of worst books I've ever read. My complaint may contain a bit of a spoiler so be warned. What I remember about this book is that Madame Bovary is unhappy with her marriage. I think she finds her husband boring or something. It really has been awhile since I've read it. Anyhow, she goes on to have a number of affairs (that number be three if I remember correctly) to try and find what she feels is missing. Well, things don't turn out so hot, and she ends up committing suicide via rat poison. She doesn't die right away either. You get to read about how lovely it is to die in that fashion. Lovely being meant to be taken as sarcasm. It ends with her poor depressed husband, having no idea of what has been going on or what would drive her to kill herself. Quite depressing really. And I just couldn't stand her. Once again, I felt she was an idiot. Maybe I have no heart. I don't think so. My eyes tear up when I watch Newsies, so I know I'm capable of some emotion.

Breaking Dawn

No offense to all those people getting pumped up for part one of the final installment of the Twilight Saga, but Breaking Dawn fits onto this list as well. I read the entire series and was actually enjoying them until I read the last. I found it anticlimactic. There needed to be some element of sacrifice involved I think. I supposed you could say that Bella sacrificed her family and her non-vampire life, but that just didn't feel like a sacrifice  or perhaps just not a big enough one. I didn't like some plot choices, and the ending just fell flat. There was this build up all for nothing, and things just magically work out okay. It was too easy. I could get into more specifics of things, but if you do choose to read it, I don't want to be the one to spoil it for you. I would be curious to know of your reaction to it.

So there you have it. Those are some of my least favorite books ever. And if you like them, more power to you. If you want to share with me why you liked them, feel free to share. Just don't yell at me. I fear the yelling. Besides, I'm pretty sure most if not all of these books have sold really well. Stephenie Meyer is set for life! That's more than I can say for myself.

I asked a few other people what some of the worst books they've ever read are. Here's some that were mentioned:

Villette
Sarah's Key
The Scarlet Letter
Anything Stephen King

Your turn. What are some of the worst books you've ever read and what makes them the worst?

The Hunger Games Trilogy

I finished Mockingjay the other day, and now I'm ready to evaluate the series as a whole. I really enjoyed it. Here's a couple reasons why:

1. Strong female protagonist who kicks butt!
2. Engaging writing style. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the first person present tense going on, but Collins pulled it off really well. I don't think all authors are capable of that.
3. Katniss ended up with the guy I thought she should endup with.
4. It didn't have an unbelievable happily ever after ending. It was happy in the sense that it wasn't one of those stories where the bad guy wins or you're left feeling like you will never be happy again, but the good that comes in the end came with a price.

I can't really think of much I'd have to say against the series. After some thought, the only things that really come to mind are insignificant details. Such as, perhaps Katniss asks too many rhetorical questions to herself. See? Not a big deal. Of course, now you're going to read the series with my example in mind and become annoyed because you notice every single question she asks. Forget I mentioned it.

One issue I've seen raised is the love triangle. Do all teenage girls have problems deciding how they feel about two boys who clearly are attracted to the girl? I never had that problem... Jealous...

But in all seriousness, the love triangle didn't really bother me in this book because there was so much action going on, so many lives at stake, that the love triangle almost sits in the background and then jumps up and down every once in a while to remind you that it's still there. And it gets resolved in the end, in case you couldn't figure that out from my list.

The funny thing is, I didn't choose which guy she should end up with because I totally loved one guy over the other. When reading Twilight, I was totally team Jacob because Edward really annoyed me starting in book two. Sorry, Edward. You're just not my type. In The Hunger Games it was more like reasoning which one I'd most likely fall for were I in that situation and what reason I wouldn't choose the other guy. I'd spell that out for you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.

One last thing I forgot to mention that I liked about the series, I could never guess what was coming next. Not long term anyway. When I was reading the first one, I had a very small idea of how it would end, but then I always found myself asking, "But how can this go into another book?" Turns out I only had a vague idea of how it would end, and the next two books kept up the pace.

I almost wanted a little more out of the ending. Just two more sentences or so. However, we the readers are also given enough.

The series is a quick read and well worth the time.

This is Going to be Good

My Children Shall be Named Albus Severus, Renesme, and...Vincent?

I was just thinking to myself the other day (a dangerous pastime, I know), reflecting on a conversation I had with a friend of mine where he said that Albus Severus has to be one of the worst names to give a child ever. He hasn't read past the first book in the Twilight Saga, so I sat him down, gave him some hot cocoa and toast, gently put my hand on his shoulder and broke the news to him:

Edward and Bella name their child Renesme.

In all actually, this conversation took place over facebook... But who doesn't love the idea of hot cocoa and toast? If you're raising your hand, please put it down before someone hurts you. Thank you.

Last night, my parents were telling my brother and me how they came up with our names, which is probably why I was thinking about the Albus/Renesme conversation in the first place. I know names like Isabella and Jacob are quite popular at the moment, but I found myself wondering if I would name my child after a character in a book and if so, which names would I consider and which would I absolutely avoid.

No offense, but Albus Severus and Renesme are both names that would probably end up on the top of the "do not use these" list. Although I did hear about someone who named their dog Severus. Totally okay with that. But if I look at some of my favorite books (or even some I just think are good), I come up with names like these:

Fitzwilliam
Milo
Bilbo
Harry
Taran

Aurora
Katniss
Winifred
Maggie
Elizabeth

And now I'm drawing a blank. I'm not saying any of those are bad names. They're very fitting for each of the characters they belong to. I just don't know that I want to use any of them for my future children. There's actually a couple there I would or have considered for possible future baby names, but not because of their place in books.

I'm not ruling out the possibility of naming a child after a character, but I haven't thought of one that I really like yet. Of course, I'm sure names I choose are in some book somewhere, but that's not the same as telling my future son, Tom Edward Lastname, that I specifically chose his name after the Dark Lord and a sparkly vampire.

Hmm, perhaps I should name future son Vincent after the Final Fantasy VII character. True he's not the main character, but Vincent sounds cooler than Cloud. He kind of looks creepy though...

I've just opened the door to so many name possibilities.

What do you think? Would you name your child after one of your favorite characters? Which names are in the running and which or totally out of the question?

Move Aside, Coriander!

So according to my lovely sidebar, the book I'm currently reading is I, Coriander. All that changed when about two seconds ago, give or take, a familiar vehicle pulled up to my house. It was the UPS man with gifts!

Thank you, UPS man! Never fear, Coriander. Your time will come. But for now, you must step aside! I gots to finish what I began! (Note: I'm entirely aware that that is not proper English.)

Emily Ritter, Welcome to the Book Blogging World

Interestingly enough, considering I just finished The Hunger Games, a friend of mine from the Denver Publishing Institute just finished the series and started a blog to celebrate. Like me, she's very much into YA fiction, and she's looking for suggestions on what to read next. She's only got one post so far and it's about the wonderful Hunger Games. I admit, I think her post is better than mine. Ha ha. check it out and hear about the book from her perspective. She's really fun, and I have no doubts that her blog is going to be well worth reading. Just click the link and be on your way!

http://yay-books.blogspot.com/

Edgar Sawtelle and The Hunger Games

You know what can be a problem? When you read the first book in a series, really like it, and then you don't have the next book of the series in your possession. Drat. But before we get to that, let me introduce you to Edgar Sawtelle.

Before attending a book signing with a bunch of my peers, I'd heard the name Edgar Sawtelle, even seen the book on the shelf a few times, but I knew absolutely nothing about the book. Still, I stood in line and shared a wonderful conversation with the author (that's code for once again I had no idea what to say to a famous person, so I simpled grinned, uttered a thank you, and walked away with that silly grin still plastered to my face). From what I picked up while standing in line and listening to what David Wroblewski had to say, I gathered this was going to be a tragic tale. I cannot deny that it was tragic, but I'm nearly 100% satisfied with the way things turned out. The tragedy was beautiful in a way. I suppose you'll only understand what I mean once you've read it yourself as I don't want to give anything away.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is the story of...well...a boy named Edgar. Edgar lives on a farm in Wisconsin with his parents. They run a successful business of breeding dogs, training them, and placing them with families. When tragedy strikes their family, Edgar is forced to make a run for it. While traveling through the woods, Edgar must fight for his own survival as well as the survival of the three dogs that are with him.

As I began reading, knowing that I needed to brace myself for tragedy, I made a sad sort of moan and said, "This is going to be Where the Red Fern Grows all over again, isn't it?" (In case you're wondering, that's not a bad thing. I happen to be a big fan of Where the Red Fern Grows. It just meant I knew there was a possibility of rivers of tears staining my face as boy and dog become best of friends, of course something will happen to the dog, and perhaps there'll be a little ray of sunshine at the end to make the sadness seem a little less heartbreaking.) Well, I wasn't entirely right in my assumption. This book is a lot different.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars, but it was still good. I loved the feel of it--being out in the country, simpler way of life, that sort of thing. Plus having a boy with a strong connection with an animal always seems to be a strong connecting point. Something else I really loved about the story is the fact that Edgar is mute. Not only did it work really nicely with the story and add some interest, it pulled me in especially because of the opportunity I had to learn some ASL and spend some time in the deaf community. So I really enjoyed the setting and the characters.

If you're a fan of only happily ever after endings, this may not be the book for you. But if you don't mind a little tragedy mixed in with adventure and a few dogs for good measure, you should give the book a chance.

As for wishing I had the next book in a series, I finally decided I wanted to read The Hunger Games. I'm the kind of person who buys books faster than I can read them, so it's been sitting on my shelf for a while now. I knew the concept of this one, and for the most part, I'd heard positive feedback. I finished it today, and now I won't know how the series ends until I get my hands on the other two books of the series. Sigh. In case you couldn't tell, I was pleased with this book. I can't really call this a happy book either. It's full of violence and death, but it was a really good story. For those of you who don't know what it's about, it's a dystopian novel where every year two contestants are chosen from twelve districts to compete in the Hunger Games. The Games are one giant fight to the death, which is televised to all of Panem. 24 contestants. 1 winner. 1 survivor. Intense, no?

What book is next on the list? I don't know yet as I sat down to write this the moment I finished reading. Happy reading! More updates to follow!

Also, for those of you who don'e know, The Hunger Games is being turned into a movie. It comes out next year. Will you all join me in watching it on the silver screen :)