Tag Archives: literature

B2S Book Friday

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Hi again,

it’s friday, and I wouldn’t miss a book friday here on the blog. Since it’s back to school week here on Teacup of Love, I thought it would be interesting to write about back to school books! Just something interesting to help relax between all the school drama.

I remember when I was in school, going back after the summer vacation was hard; I could no longer spend all my time reading whatever I wanted, but had to cope with boring textbooks. I always longed for saturdays when I could sit and just read for hours. Also…on school nights – having the time to read a chapter or two of an interesting book really helped me relax and unwind from schoolwork.

Today I’m giving you a list of 5 books I would personally love to read if I was going back to school this fall. Some I haven’t read, while others I’m very familiar with. I hope you can find some time to enjoy one of them (or all) in between classes or after a long day at school.

 

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Make sure you’re heading to the right kind of school this fall. When at St. Vladimir’s Academy, you get to train with vampires and experience some full-on vampire drama and action. This book series will definitely get you hooked and make you spend all your spare time reading!

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

This is a heartwarming book about Corrinne, who has to learn how to live on less…a lot less! Used to spend money in New York, she is sent to live with her grandparents in Texas when her father loses his job. This book is about how to deal with recession, how to make new friends, life-changing experiences and family. I highly recommend it!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

If you’re ever going to read a classic – this is it! It has castles, romance, ghosts from the past, secrets, action and a lovely twist. You can brag about reading an old classic + become your english teacher’s favorite student this fall. And after finishing it, you can go see the movie!

The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

If your schooldays are long and boring, why not escape into a whole different world? If you love the Shire, food, wizards, dwarfs and hobbits in general, you will ADORE this book. You follow Bilbo as he sets out on his big adventure…and yes, there’s a dragon in there somewhere.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

If you want something more serious, something historical and something “real”, then this book is definitely for you. It has a real twist to it narrator wise, as it is death himself who tells the story. The book is not so much about death as it is a story of day to day living during the world war 2. The book is said to change your ideas on how living during the world war 2 was like.

Love ♥

Book Friday : My Kindle Wish List

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Dears,

I thought it would be fun to write a Kindle wish list this Book Friday. Since I got my Kindle two months ago, I have spent some time getting to know it and just snooping around on Amazon a bit. I love paper books, so every time I visit Amazon it’s been hard for me to decide whether or not to buy the Kindle edition or the paper edition of the book. I have come to the conclusion that some books are meant to be Kindle-books, while some are meant to be delivered to my mailbox in paper. Anyone else feel the same way?

So, enough about my endless worrying and indecisiveness; let’s get on with my current Kindle wish list!

1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. This is a book series I have heard mixed reviews of (hence the “don’t care to have it in paper”-decision). Some says these books are great for people who love to read young adult books, while others say it’s very predictable and not so interesting. I want to give it a go, so I’m thinking of adding it to my Kindle.

2. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I feel ashamed to admit I haven’t seen the TV-series yet. I know, I know! It’s absolutely amazing….I know! I’ll get around to it, but I also want to read the books. I actually think these super-thick books are great for my Kindle. Simply because my arms won’t get tired while reading these pieces of bricks.

3. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. I love, love, love myself a heartwarming, grown-up book about romance, summer, friends and secrets. I picture myself reading this on a lazy, sunshiny saturday this autumn – on my Kindle of course, because I’m too lazy to turn the pages.

4. True Blood / Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris. I’m all into reading book series, but when the series reach 8 books or more, I get tired of collecting them and keeping them in my bookshelves. Once again, keeping them on my Kindle is the perfect solution. It keeps everything tidy and organized.

5. Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter. I can’t imagine how a cookbook would look like on my Kindle. I can’t even imagine how I would use a cookbook on my Kindle. Cooking with my Kindle somehow seems more difficult than cooking with a regular book. Anyhow… I would love to try, so why not choose a cookbook that seems really interesting as well? This geeky book is so in my league. It’s different and original, so why not try something different, geeky and high-tech; putting it on my Kindle.

Love ♥

Book Friday : The Emerald Atlas

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Dears,

Welcome to another book friday here on my blog. I cannot tell you how excited I was about reading this weeks book! All the reviewers, the publishers PR-company and other readers have all praised this piece of work. Just to keep you informed; this is the first book in a series of what will be three books. The series is titled “The Books of Beginning” and is written by John Stephens.

When I heard it was just as good as Harry Potter and how it was going to be the next big thing in the fantasy genre, I knew I had to have it. So…I went and bought it, and boy! – am I regretting not just borrowing it at the library.

What’s the story?

Three children are taken from their home in the middle of the night. The oldest sister Kate is now in charge of taking care of her little brother and sister. Where they are going and why, she does not know, but she makes a promise to her mother of never letting go of her siblings.

Years go by, and Kate, Michael and Emma learn how to survive in orphanages. They are constantly tossed around, and one day they arrive at a big castle in the town of Cambridge Falls. Here they are to be taken care of by a certain Dr. Stanislaus Pym, his assistant Abraham and the housekeeper Miss Sallow. On arrival they feel there’s something strange about this place. There’s a thick fog on the water, all the trees are dead, and there’s no sign of children in the town.

As the siblings discover a thick, leather-bound book in Dr. Pyms office, they are sent back in time and place – to a time when Cambridge Falls was ruled by an evil witch, all children were in danger, and ugly monsters named Screechers are torturing the townspeople. Kate, Michael and Emma are soon to learn that the witch wants something  - something only they can give her, and so the adventure begins!

My thoughts

Just for quick starters: I cannot come to imagine how much money must have been spent marketing this book. This book is EVERYWHERE! It’s even at the counter of our local grocery store, and we live in the middle of nowhere! I mean…there’s posters, commercials, sneak-peak leaflets, bookmarks and balloons with this book title on it in every corner of this country. I can’t help thinking how this book must be a giant marketing project!

And then to the contents of this book… The story is sooooo fantasy genre cliché: orphan kids find a magic book, they travel into a magic world, learn that “Wow – there really is such a thing as magic!”, they must solve a problem while occasionally fighting off a wicked witch and then go home. I know I also should not judge the author by his previous work as a TV-writer, but the language sounds just like a film script. Short, direct sentences that is very orally written. It makes the book easy to read, but I also found it a bit annoying after some time. There’s nothing wrong with a few, long sentences from time to time – just to spice it up a bit :)

The main characters….well, we’ve certainly seen them a few times before in other children’s and fantasy books (orphan kids I mean).

I know I’m not exactly in the recommended age group for this book, but to my defense; I have read hundreds of children’s and fantasy books, many good ones and some bad ones, and this one is so mediocre, because it’s just like any other children’s fantasy book already out there.

I’m really sorry if this is starting to sound like a big, whining blogpost. There are certain elements of this book that i did like. For example, John Stephens has created a few interesting characters; Dr. Pym and his assistant Abraham. These two characters have been brought to live by generous and detailed descriptions by the author, and for some time, I felt I was in a magical, fantasy world where quirky, weird wizards and creatures truly do excist. There are also a few interesting and captive location descriptions, like Dr. Pyms house.

My opinion

If you have read fantasy before, you probably won’t experience anything new with this book. If however –  you are young, haven’t read many books before, find yourself captivated by magic and wizards; please read this book. You might find it very good! The book is an easy read and certainly has a story to it.

Just because I was so let down by this book, it doesn’t mean I won’t be recommending it to young readers. But I honestly don’t think I’ll continue reading the following books in this series when they are being published. Sorry John Stephens!

Love ♥

Book Friday : Lock and Key

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Dears,

Do you agree with me when I say; summer is the time for light reading? I’ve tried bringing big blocks of Russian literature on previous vacations with little success. They are heavy both in weight and content. What I need in the warm summer months are easy-reads, preferably pocketbooks. And so I usually reach for chick-lit, fantasy or young adult novels.

I had heard amazingly good things about the author Sarah Dessen, and especially the book ”Lock and Key”. The book title is flourishing online; loads of girls and women praising Sarah’s work. So I got it from my local library and dived into it one sunny summer afternoon.

What’s the story?

Ruby Cooper finds herself abandoned by her mother. Living in a small yellow house with little money, not being able to take care of herself, Ruby is soon picked up by social services, sending her to live with her wealthy big sister Cora and her husband Jamie.

Trying to escape the huge mansion that same night, Ruby runs into her neighbor Nate. Nate looks like the perfect guy with astonishing good surfer looks and nice, caring attitude. Still Ruby is scared of bonding with him. There’s something off about Nate, isn’t it?

Like things couldn’t get any worse, she has to switch schools. Ruby will now be attending a snobby high school for rich kids. It doesn’t seem like a place Ruby wants to make new friends. Instead she is put to the test: forget all about your shabby past and try to fit in with the successful, rich people.

Through all of this, Ruby is clinging on to what comforts her the most: the key to the little, yellow house she once lived in with her mother…her past.

My thoughts

First of all; this book is excellently written. The language is flowing through the pages and it never for a moment slowed down or became dull. Sarah Dessen clearly knows how to keep a readers patient. I’m amazed of how she manages to write chapters that contain both Ruby’s present time and happenings from her past. She switches through time all throughout the book, and she does it wonderfully without creating any confusion.

I was really excited about reading this book, having heard so many wonderful things about both Sara Dessen’s writing and this particular piece of work. I finished it amazingly fast (considering it is over 400 pages). Although the book doesn’t contain many thrills and jaw dropping moments, I found it to be interesting and addictive. I simply couldn’t put this book down!  I was drawn to Ruby, and it didn’t take long before I truly cared for her. I wanted to help her and make her feel OK through all her difficult and rocky situations, but still she managed so well on her own.

My opinion

This is a book that lingers for days after you’ve read it. I felt so connected to the characters, I actually find myself wondering what have happened to them after the story has ended.  It’s not a 100% happy story with all good endings. It’s emotional, self-reflecting and gets you thinking about certain aspects of life.

Having read this book, and describing it the way I have, I wouldn’t exactly call it your typical easy, summer read, simply because this book has a very meaningful, moving story. But I truly, truly recommend it if you want to read a lovely, good, inspiring book about troubled pasts, decision-making and family situations.

Check out “Lock and Key” at Amazon 

Love ♥