The Quiet Concert: March 2013

March 2013 Recap

Nicole Read

Ashley Read

Nicole's Favorite

Read

Ashley's Favorite
Read

Nicole's Challenge

Recap

Debut Author Challenge

7/12

2013 Sequel Challenge

5/13

Contemporary Challenge

2/10

100 Book Challenge

51/100

Ashley's Challenge

Recap

Debut Author Challenge
2/12

Paranormal Reading Challenge
10/28

Dystopia Reading Challenge
9/20
New Level: Rebel!

Stacking the Shelved (13) - March 30th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

This is what's on my shelf for upcoming reads:

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott
City of a Thousand Dolls (Bhinian Empire #1) by Miriam Forster
Also Known As by Robin Benway
Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison
Don't Turn Around (Persefone #1) by Michelle Gagnon
Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia

What books are stacking your shelves??

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Pages: 313, Hardcover

Summary from Goodreads:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This book consumes you from the moment you pick it up. John Green is a genius and has truly created something special.. I have never struggled so much to write a review before. I cannot seem to find the words to do this book justice and show just how much I loved this book.

I don't think I have ever been this fond of so many characters in a single book before. Hands down, Hazel and Augustus are among my favorite duo EVER. Hazel's strong voice and unique outlook on life is evident from page one and will instantly draw you in. Augustus is just as strong of a character and complements Hazel's personality and eccentricities perfectly. The dynamic between the two is magical and will warm every part of you. It is profoundly sweet, sad, beautiful, delicate, giving. But what I loved most was the sense of humor they shared. The humor is so close to my own that I found it all the more enjoyable. And the word usage in this book was beyond amusing.

The secondary characters were just as strong! Isaac was the best sidekick ever and provided his fair share of snarky comments. And I felt that the presence of Hazel's parents really added an extra layer of emotion. I felt for them. With them. Their desperation, hope, love, protectiveness gave a different vantage point and balanced the other perspectives and feelings in the story. As for Peter Van Houten... well he was just infuriating but played his part.

Gah the writing... it is beyond words! I literally got swept away listening to Hazel tell her story. I couldn't put it down. This story is heartbreaking, beautiful, enlightening. I can't gush enough. I don't know how John Green is able to make you feel such a range of emotions. No emotion is left unfelt. One page I may be laughing, the next holding back tears, and the next I might be compelled to throw my book across the room at the unfairness of it all. It was incredible.

Just a quick side note - although this book is about cancer kids, it was not a particularly heavy read. John Green balances the serious stuff with a lot of lighter themes and elements. He gets his point across nevertheless.

The audiobook is really the way to go if you haven't yet read this book. The narrator is amazing and really brings this story to life.

So here is my proposition. If you haven't read this book yet, and have not yet been convinced by everyone whose raved about it that you should, pick it up next time you are in a bookstore (or wherever you may have access to it) and give it just ten minutes of your time. That's all it takes for this book to pull you in.

It was amazing.

MINI-REVIEW #63: Eve and Adam by Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate

Title: Eve and Adam
Author: Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Pages: Hardcover, 291 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

Summary: Girl gets into car accident. Girl meets boy. Girl heals super quickly. Guy and girl form a bond. Guy and girl run away from evil genetic corporation. Guy and Girl Fall in love and uncover the truth. The end :)

Thoughts: I was really intrigued by the idea of genetics and creating the "perfect" guy but this story with so much potential let me down. The story started off rather quickly and fast pace but eventually fizzled out. The ending did explain and summarize certain aspects about Eve and Solo's past but left other parts of the story completely untouched. The ending was alright until Eve started to get whiny and Solo started to doubt his feelings for Eve; the story just dragged on at that point. I felt like the characters lack personality; Eve just seemed naive. The secondary characters were even worse, Eve's best friend is the queen of bad decisions and Adam is like a perfect male robot. I would have enjoyed more development and focus on Adam once he was created; ultimately the plot was one dimensional and just fell flat. I did enjoy the alternating POVs, so I have to give it credit for that.

Audio-book Review: The narration alternates between Eve, Adam, and Solo. The narration was like a roller coaster, I disliked the beginning and found Eve’s voice whiny but by the middle of the story I was used to it, then the last hour of the narration felt fake. It does not help that I didn't like Eve as a character. The narration for Solo was significantly better but not enough for me to recommend the audio version of this book.

Overall Eve and Adam was a 2.5 star story, while it was a fast read with a fresh and unique premise the characters lack substance and the plot had too many holes in it.