Book a Week in 2012 - Week 1: Ready, Set, Read!

[melissel]

We talked about starting Ahab's Wife the 2nd or 3rd week of January and I'm fine with sticking to that schedule. Everyone else ok with it?

 

I would loooove to start AW in the third week, if we could, but I understand if everyone wants to go sooner. I just requested it at the library!

[cjgrubbs]

Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read "Ahab's Wife" by Sena Jeter Naslund

What are you reading this week?

 

 

I have requested Ahab's Wife at the library. Checked out review on Amazon and it sounds fascinating. However, 668 pages? Will some of you really be able to finish this in a week? I'm sure I won't!

 

I'm currently reading Radical by David Platt. I'm challenged and convicted already! I'm hoping to write reviews on each book I read!

 

I'm a little confused about the wish list. Do we put things on there that we are hoping ot read and you might select it as one of the challenges? Or can we choose to buy each other books from their wishlist as a surprise and that is why you want the lists?

[Jennifer3141]

I'm finally going to read all the Jane Austen novels. Starting with pride & Prejudice. I also have the 2nd of the 39 Clues books to read.

 

Next year, we've been chatting about an Austen group after some of us are done with Shakespeare. Want to wait a year and join us?? :D

[Jennifer3141]

I would loooove to start AW in the third week, if we could, but I understand if everyone wants to go sooner. I just requested it at the library!

 

Third week it is, as far as I'm concerned!!! :)

[Halcyon]

My first book is a young adult book called Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Why? Because I am determined to make good use of my library's e-books for Kindle, and this was the first one that became available that I reserved :)

[melissel]

Third week it is, as far as I'm concerned!!! :)

 

Thank you for that. Between the holidays and the visiting family (our house is party central), I'm still only on page 48 of Don Quixote! I'm enjoying it, and I get it, and I'm engaged...but it's a slog :blink:

[Jennifer3141]

Sounds good. How do we want to do this? Certain number of chapters a day or just go for it.

 

 

How have you handled mini challenges in the past? AW is a reread for me so I feel like I'm cheating a little. I'd prefer to plow on through it but if you all have a format that works better for this group, then by all means... :)

We've gotten a request to start the AW the third week so let's do that, if that's ok by you too.

[Jennifer3141]

Ignore this. I'm trying to subscribe to a thread for the first time ever. :D

[Remudamom]

I read The Wedding Gift today, by Marlen Suyapa Bodden. Good idea, not very well done.

 

Are we supposed to blog about what we read?

Edited January 1, 2012 by Remudamom

[KatA]

Ahab's wife could be interesting but I just can.not read Moby Dick.

 

First book of the year is to read Love and Respect. The first couple of chapters are good, looking forward to the rest. I don't even have a list going for the year yet.

 

I'm on chapter 3 of Love and Respect, I was going to start an american history challenge but the library didn't have the first book ready before they closed for the holiday weekend. It's alright so far, I'm just waiting for him to define "love" and "respect" a little better in the upcoming chapters.

[Lynnae]

I'm starting out with Medical Error by Richard Mabry. Why? It was free for the kindle a few days ago. :) I'll probably finish today, which means I'm off to a good start!

[Shawneinfl]

I've tried three others by Ms. Naslund: Sherlock in Love, Four Spirits, and Abundance. I couldn't finish any of them.

 

I was predisposed to like Ahab's Wife because (for some reason that completely escapes me) I am fascinated by the history of whaling in this country. I got hooked in to the subject by Nathaniel Philbrick's National Book Award winning In the Heart of the Sea, which recounts the true story on which Melville based Moby Dick. What really happened to those men on the whaleship Essex is incredible. I don't want to spoil anything for folks who might not know the story, but check out the documentary I mentioned earlier for sure and Philbrick's book if you want to know more.

 

Shari, I bought "In the Heart of the Sea" last year but forgot about it. That may end up being one of my first reads this month. Thanks for the reminder.

[melissel]

Shari, I bought "In the Heart of the Sea" last year but forgot about it. That may end up being one of my first reads this month. Thanks for the reminder.

 

I just realized I have it on my shelf too (loaned to me long ago by someone I haven't seen in many years :blush:)! I think I'll slot that in after Moby Dick...

[Zebra]

I finished book #1 today!!!! It was The Pioneer Woman-A Love Story by Ree Drummond.

 

I loved it! I really did not expect to. I'm a vegetarian who lives in the city/burbs and I have no interest in country living.....ranches....meat eating....etc! I actually had no idea who "The Pioneer Woman" was until I read a thread on TWTM recently. I happened to see it at the library, the cover looked nice, and I thought "why not?"

 

It was a romantic true story about Ree and her cowboy husband. It reminded me of my romance with my own DH years ago(minus the cowboy part :lol:!). It was a fun read, particularly if you are a fan of Ree Drummond.

 

1. The Pioneer Woman-A Love Story by Ree Drummond

[Jennifer3141]

I just realized I have it on my shelf too (loaned to me long ago by someone I haven't seen in many years :blush:)!

 

Aha! There's a story behind this person... :)

[edithcrawley]

This week I'll be reading Waste, Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristam Stuart. I'll also be reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

[Jane Elliot]

I'm reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller and Lit! by Tony Reinke. These seem like good starts for the year :)

 

Yes, they are! I finished Lit! a few days ago and am in the middle of A Praying Life. Both are wonderful books.

 

In November, I read The Pleasures of Reading based on your review (I think). I'd like to hear how you think Pleasures of Reading and Lit! compare. Reading them almost back to back was interesting. I thought they balanced each other. Reinke has clearly read Jacobs' book (he quoted him), but they seem to take two very different approaches, especially when it comes to choosing which books to read.

[Monkey Island Academy]

I will be starting with Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo.

 

In 1919, a 50 ft. tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses collapsed on Boston's waterfront, releasing a 15-foot-high wave of sticky goo, travelling at 35 miles an hour. Twenty-one people died in this real-life molastrophe (or was it a molasacre?)! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

[Jane Elliot]

Oh, and do educational books count? Deconstructing Penguins for instance?

 

Yes, they do!

 

And welcome! I'm looking forward to reading your posts.

[Stacia]

My year is starting out with Laurie King's Pirate King, and I've got Jack Maggs by Peter Carey book downloaded and ready to go on my iPad. I was talking books with a friend at a Christmas party, and he said Peter Carey is his all time favorite author, so I'm looking forward to starting that.

 

I highly recommend listening to the Moby Dick as read by Anthony Heald. You can listen to a sample here. It is a 24hour audio book, but he is a fabulous reader who brings out the Shakespearean poetry of Ahab's speeches, while not dragging out the descriptive passages. My ds and I listened to it in the fall of 2010. There is a new book Why Read Moby Dick which I haven't read, but which, according to reviews I've read, offers a very compelling analysis of the book. It is a thin book, too!

Good to see you, Jenn. I always enjoy seeing what books you're enjoying & recommending! :D

 

I read Peter Carey for the first time a couple of years ago & loved his writing style. I actually requested another of his books from the library just the other day -- hopefully, I'll get around to reading it later this month. Looking forward to your review of the Carey book you'll be reading....

 

Thanks for the info about Why Read Moby Dick (as I'm still on the fence about jumping into the MD reading challenge on here).

 

I decided to ensure my inability to read a whole book in one week this year, and started War and Peace. See you in March....

:lol:

 

I read Ahab's Wife for our book club years ago and don't remember much about it except that I wasn't crazy about it.

:iagree: (I don't have any interest in re-reading it; still on the fence about reading Moby Dick....)

 

Currently reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.

Looking forward to your final review of this book. I've often thought about reading it, but just haven't... yet.

 

I'm starting with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Fabulous book. I bawled through the last 30 minutes of reading it.

 

I started Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I've seen that being recommended a lot over on Goodreads lately. Hmmm. Another one to check out....

 

I love the enthusiasm I am sensing in the previous posts!

 

I just have to say that last night I finished my 80th book for 2011.:D I am delighted!

:iagree: that it's fun to see all the old (not age, ;)) AND new faces on this thread already!

 

Congrats, eaglei! 80 books is awesome.

 

As far as kicking off my 2012 reading year, I've started Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers. I figured some supremely inventive zaniness would be a good way to start a new year. :D

 

 

Book description from amazon.com:

 

"Set in the land of Zamonia, this exuberant, highly original fantasy from Walter Moers features an unlikely hero. Rumo is a little Wolperting - a domesticated creature somewhere between a deer and a dog - who will one day become the greatest hero in the history of Zamonia. Armed with Dandelion, his talking sword, he fights his way through the Overworld and the Netherworld. He meets Rala, a beautiful Wolperting female; Urs of the Snows, who thinks more of cooking than of fighting; Gornab the Ninety-Ninth, the demented king of Netherworld; Professor Ostafan Kolibri, who goes in search of the Non-Existent Teenies; Professor Abdullah Nightingale, inventor of the Chest-of-Drawers Oracle; and, worst luck, the deadly Metal Maiden.

 

Astonishingly inventive, amusing, and engrossing, Rumo is a captivating story from the unique imagination of Walter Moers. Illustrated with the author's own line drawings and filled with humor, this rambunctious novel will delight fans tired of the usual epic fantasy. The comparisons are many - Douglas Adams, Lewis Carrol, J.K. Rowling, Dr. Seuss, R. Crumb - but Moers is clearly an original. Long live Zamonia!"

 

[Jane Elliot]

Happy New Year!

 

I never got to join in the 2011 wrap up....... Oh, and what is the wish list?

 

Happy New Year to you, too!

 

There was a wrap up? There's a wish list? I guess I've been really busy lately, too.:tongue_smilie:

[Jennifer3141]

I will be starting with Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo.

 

In 1919, a 50 ft. tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses collapsed on Boston's waterfront, releasing a 15-foot-high wave of sticky goo, travelling at 35 miles an hour. Twenty-one people died in this real-life molastrophe (or was it a molasacre?)! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

 

Please, please, please post a review on this because I might add that to my list.

[Robin M]

I have requested Ahab's Wife at the library. Checked out review on Amazon and it sounds fascinating. However, 668 pages? Will some of you really be able to finish this in a week? I'm sure I won't!

 

I'm a little confused about the wish list. Do we put things on there that we are hoping ot read and you might select it as one of the challenges? Or can we choose to buy each other books from their wishlist as a surprise and that is why you want the lists?

 

Ahab's Wife - We'll figure it out. There are 667 pages and 157 chapters which are 4 pages long. We can set a number of pages or chapters per day. Whatever everyone is comfortable with.

 

Wishlist: the surprise thing!

 

Third week it is, as far as I'm concerned!!! :)

 

I would loooove to start AW in the third week, if we could, but I understand if everyone wants to go sooner. I just requested it at the library!

 

3rd week sounds good to me as well.

 

I read The Wedding Gift today, by Marlen Suyapa Bodden. Good idea, not very well done.

 

Are we supposed to blog about what we read?

 

If you want too or just talk about it here.

[Violet Crown]

I finished 2011 by rereading le Carre espionage books so this old thriller based on an assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle seems in the same nostalgic vein.

 

I've never read any Le Carre, but the upcoming movie made me think I ought. What would you recommend for one's first Le Carre?

[PinkInTheBlue]

I believe I'll start with something simple tonight. It was actually a Christmas gift last year that I've poked at several times but just never sat down and read it. It looks good and I like the idea of the story. It's called Looking For the King. It would definitely be youth fiction.

 

I'm on board for reading Ahab's Wife starting the third week. I'd never heard of it until reading you guys' comments. Sure, why not? :)

 

For those that blog about the books you read: do you put all your blog comments only on your blog or do you also copy them to a post here? I'm going to attempt a blog but I'd rather be able to read everyone's thoughts here in the weekly thread rather than open a bunch of blogs and hunt them down. Well, on second thought I've never been much of a blog reader so it might be a good time to check them out. :). Also, do you always post the links for your blogs each time you finish a book and post in the weekly thread?

 

Looking forward to a new year of reading. :)

[Monkey Island Academy]

I will be starting with Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo.

 

 

Please, please, please post a review on this because I might add that to my list.

 

I'll add a review at my book blog (Fond of Books) at week's end!

[sewingmama]

So it looks like I'm the only one reading utter rubbish :o

 

I finally gave in and started reading the Twilight series to see what all the hype was about. I'm on the 4th book and I still don't see it :confused:

 

It's a badly written teenage romance and I can't stand the two main characters - especially the girl. She's so lame. How adult women were so crazy over this story I don't know.

 

(And yet I still had enough interest to continue to the end of the series :blush: but it's honestly one of the worst things I've ever read - over half the books are declarations of soppy love:glare: - it makes me want to throw the book across the room).

[Night Elf]

So here I was wondering where I was going to come up with lots of book titles and I'll likely find them all here through recommendations. Duh! :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm reading Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz. It's an Oprah's Book Club book that I read quite some time ago. I've been meaning to reread it so I chose it as my first book this year. It alternates between past and present and memories of different people from one paragaph to the next. I normally don't like this type of writing because I find it confusing, but it seems to really fit this story because there are so many interweaving thoughts. It's gripping.

 

I wanted to give a brief summary but it's too deep for me. I got this from Amazon.

 

“[A] gripping psychological thriller . . . In the winter of 1919, a young mother named Mathilda Neumann drowns beneath the ice of a rural Wisconsin lake. The shock of her death dramatically changes the lives of her daughter, troubled sister, and husband. . . . Told in the voices of several of the main characters and skipping back and forth in time, the narrative gradually and tantalizingly reveals the dark family secrets and the unsettling discoveries that lead to the truth of what actually happened the night of the drowning. . . . Schwarz certainly succeeds at keeping the reader engrossed.â€

–FRANCINE PROSE

Us Weekly

[PinkInTheBlue]

Absolutely not SewingMama! I have some great, thought provoking, misery building possibilities on my list and also plenty of bubble gum. They are all necessary to me. :) My first book is definitely a youth book. :)

[MHowell]

Okay, this week I am reading No He Can't, I realize it's political so I won't talk about anymore than stating the title; I've had this on my nightstand for months and haven't gotten to it because I was reading the Harry Potters over again, but I do want to read it now.

[Jane in NC]

I've never read any Le Carre, but the upcoming movie made me think I ought. What would you recommend for one's first Le Carre?

 

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Le Carre's books have less action and more psychological drama than most espionage stories. They are really satisfying reads with a good plot and larger points to ponder.

[-M-]

■ The English Teacher (Lily King)

Fiction. Apparently, this novel was chosen by both Publisher's Weekly and the Chicago Tribune as one of the best novels of 2005. I missed it then and cannot begin to remember how it ended up on my TBR stack, but I will tell you that I appreciated King's skill from the opening line: That she had not killed him in her sleep was still the great relief of every morning. She narrates a compelling character study in the taut, measured tones of psychological thriller -- and delivers.

 

■ Artist's Journal Workshop (Cathy Johnson)

Art. Subtitled "Creating Your Life in Words in Pictures," this beautifully illustrated introduction to art journaling includes examples in a a range of media from the notebooks of twenty-seven artists . Johnson's text is both practical (Collage over an entire offending page, if you must) and encouraging (Celebrating the everyday is one of the loveliest uses of an artist's journal).

 

■ The Autobiography of an Execution (David R. Dow)

Non-fiction. One word: Un-put-down-able. All right. That's not really a word, but it ably describes how I felt about Houston lawyer David R. Dow's memoir / meditation on the death penalty. The casually familiar narrative style might seem at odds with the subject matter, but it coaxes readers through otherwise difficult material. You'll find a NYT review here.

 

■ The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (Nicholas Carr)

Non-fiction. You may remember the stir Carr created three and half years ago with the publication of the essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" (The Atlantic, July/August 2008; related M-mv entry here). The book is every bit as compelling as the article led me to believe. Chapbook entry to follow. Until then, two links -- NPR's "All Things Considered" on "'The Shallows': This Is Your Brain Online" and Carr's blog, Rough Type. (Bookmark that last one; a great site for readers, thinkers, and autodidacts.)

 

■ Coriolanus (William Shakespeare)

Play, classic. The family book club decided to tackle this one, and, honestly? It's so compelling that I don't know how we missed before. So,

. Thank you very much.

[Violet Crown]

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Le Carre's books have less action and more psychological drama than most espionage stories. They are really satisfying reads with a good plot and larger points to ponder.

 

Sounds like I'd like them. Thanks! Off to Half Price when Tolstoy is put to bed.

[Stacia]

I finally gave in and started reading the Twilight series to see what all the hype was about. I'm on the 4th book and I still don't see it :confused:

 

Ahhh. It's the book I love to hate! :lol: I tried reading it a couple of years ago when it was first so popular & found it to be total junk. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some junk reading, like reading vampire stories, etc....) This book is just so wrong in many ways (poor writing quality, horrible characters, ...). When the dude started glittering in the clearing, I was DONE. :tongue_smilie:

 

(I won't get on my soapbox right now, but I do have serious issues w/ a book where the main character should be arrested for stalking behavior & I find it sad that this book is promoted to teen girls as romantic. No. It's not. Women in real-life situations like this often end-up getting restraining orders & still end up maimed or killed by their 'so-called' romantic partner [husband, boyfriend,....]. By promoting the belief that relationships like that are 'normal', 'romantic', etc..., books like this are doing the teen population a huge disservice, imo. Grrrrr..... Ok, I'll zip up before I really get ranting on it. ;))

 

Yeah, I know, I'm not opinionated or anything....

[beaners]

So here I was wondering where I was going to come up with lots of book titles and I'll likely find them all here through recommendations. Duh! :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm reading Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz. It's an Oprah's Book Club book that I read quite some time ago. I've been meaning to reread it so I chose it as my first book this year. It alternates between past and present and memories of different people from one paragaph to the next. I normally don't like this type of writing because I find it confusing, but it seems to really fit this story because there are so many interweaving thoughts. It's gripping.

 

I wanted to give a brief summary but it's too deep for me. I got this from Amazon.

 

“[A] gripping psychological thriller . . . In the winter of 1919, a young mother named Mathilda Neumann drowns beneath the ice of a rural Wisconsin lake. The shock of her death dramatically changes the lives of her daughter, troubled sister, and husband. . . . Told in the voices of several of the main characters and skipping back and forth in time, the narrative gradually and tantalizingly reveals the dark family secrets and the unsettling discoveries that lead to the truth of what actually happened the night of the drowning. . . . Schwarz certainly succeeds at keeping the reader engrossed.â€

–FRANCINE PROSE

Us Weekly

 

I think I was in high school when this came out. I remember really liking it.

[rieshy]

I will be starting with Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo.

 

I can't believe it- I was just telling my kids about this happening, and they started asking so many questions that I started to wonder if my Grandpa had been pulling my leg when he told me the story when I was a kid. I'll have to find the book.

[Monkey Island Academy]

I will be starting with Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo.

 

I can't believe it- I was just telling my kids about this happening, and they started asking so many questions that I started to wonder if my Grandpa had been pulling my leg when he told me the story when I was a kid. I'll have to find the book.

 

Oh, That's so neat that you heard this story from your grandfather! Did he live in Boston at the time?

 

And I love your German lit spin on the 52 books challenge. I will definitely be following your reviews. I haven't read anything significant in German in years, but maybe I'll have to try one or two for a challenge.

[T'smom]

My first book of the year is A Clash of Kings which is book #2 in the Fire and Ice series after Game of Thrones. I really liked Game of Thrones and so far, I'm really liking this one too. I've got a list started from rec's on this thread! Keep 'em coming!

[Socalmom]

My first book for the New Year will be Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.

 

Margie

[jenL]

I absolutely love these threads! I only made it about halfway last year, but I am determined to try again! My mother bought me a Kindle for Christmas, so I'm hoping that will help in my quest. I have already completed book #1 too!

 

Today, I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I really enjoyed it. I love how it was a series of letters, and the main character, Juliet, engages you instantly. It was the perfect after-Christmas-need-to-decompress read.

 

My next book is going to be Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. Food has always been an issue for me, and I desperately want to become healthy this year. I've heard great things about it. Fingers crosssed that it will guide me to a better life!

 

After that, I'm delving into some classics: North and South, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights. I'm one of those people who have read a ton of classics, but for some reason, I have not read these.

 

I'm going to see if I can put Ahab's Wife on hold at the library. Even if I don't get to it while the rest of you are reading, it sounds fascinating and my interest is piqued.

[LG Gone Wild]

History of the Church: The Roman Catholic Church through the Ages. It is actually a book I need to finish.

[Heather in Neverland]

This week it is Relic by Tom Egeland and throughout the month it will be The Holiness of God by RC Sproul.

[simka2]

This week it is Radical Homemakers!

[Wendi]

I've got three books going:

 

As You Do by Richard Hammond from "Top Gear"

Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick

The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

 

I started the second two within the last week or so. The first one I just started today.

 

Wendi

[Abeth78]

This is my first time joining, and I do have some good books in mind. Since I just finished Pride and Prejudice I am going to go with something non-fiction. I have a whole stack on my book shelf just waiting for me. So I Think I will start with Somewhere Inside. I saw the Oprah show a long time ago and wanted to get her book. We will see how it goes :) I am hoping to read a wide variety this year :)

 

 

 

[RainySunday]

This is my first time joining in, but I did read some of the threads last year, and got some great reading picks from your lists! To start off this year, I will be reading 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz. I love his books, and really like the good/evil spiritual tone in them the last few years. After that, I have When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson. Maybe I will even try and get into the blog end of things...we'll see.

[Alice]

I decided to ensure my inability to read a whole book in one week this year, and started War and Peace. See you in March....

 

:lol: This was me last year. But it was well worth it.

 

 

This week I'm reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I'm on the hunt for more challenging books that are engaging for DS9, so I plan to do quite a bit of pre-reading for him over the next few months. Hopefully that will yield me a list that keeps him busy for awhile so I can read some books I've been wanting to get to.

 

My son is reading the last in the series now and has LOVED them all. I didn't pre-read them but my dh did read Eragon a few years ago. He liked it, but thought it was too much of a Tolkien derivative. Ds has only read The Hobbit though so he doesn't have Tolkien to compare too and has absolutely loved Eragon.

 

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Le Carre's books have less action and more psychological drama than most espionage stories. They are really satisfying reads with a good plot and larger points to ponder.

 

I haven't read a lot of LeCarre but I was also going to suggest The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

 

I just finished a book of Truman Capote short stories and have started The Piano Teacher . I read a lot of non-fiction in 2012 and Sat at the the library went a little nuts in the new fiction section. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Or maybe a kid in a book store. :)

[lillysmom216]

I am reading Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. I am thrilled to participate!

[lexi]

Ok, I'm somewhat new to the General board...I usually hang out in the curriculum one. I have a serious curricula problem. :001_smile:

But I'm going to try to join up with you this year! I did not read much for myself last year and I have so missed reading books other than picture books! So, we'll see if I make it!

 

First up, I'm reading Sherlock Holmes. I can't believe I've never read it before. :blink: Like it! So far, it's been interesting and I might have to read a few more Holmes things this year.

 

I just finished reading Persuasion so I was trying to find something a little different. :001_smile:

 

Can't wait to see what everyone else is reading because I do need more ideas!

[Robin M]

So it looks like I'm the only one reading utter rubbish :o

 

I finally gave in and started reading the Twilight series to see what all the hype was about. I'm on the 4th book and I still don't see it :confused:

 

It's a badly written teenage romance and I can't stand the two main characters - especially the girl. She's so lame. How adult women were so crazy over this story I don't know.

 

(And yet I still had enough interest to continue to the end of the series :blush: but it's honestly one of the worst things I've ever read - over half the books are declarations of soppy love:glare: - it makes me want to throw the book across the room).

 

We all read a lot of fluff, light, easy, those that are not classic type of books so don't worry. 75% of my reads last year were paranormal and paranormal romance. :)