July Wrap-Up

July went by in a flash!  I had a fantastically busy month filled with great friends and many adventures.  I had a ton of fun, but that also meant I had very little time to read.  I set high goals for my reading this month, and fell short (but that's okay!)  Here's a recap of what happened this month:

Books I Read

I absolutely ADORED Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff; the plot was action-packed and the writing style was unique and fun to read.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a quick and enjoyable read.

Book Haul

I have only heard great things about Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, both from the online community as well as from friends and family.  I am super excited to pick this one up, and hopefully it will live up to all the hype!  I enjoyed reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and I am currently reading The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.

Blog

Since I was so busy, I unfortunately did not have a lot of substantial posts this month.

• I wrote reviews for Illuminae and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• I wrote a post about why I don't usually like to read romance novels
• I started some participating in more memes, such as Fictitious Fridays and Teaser Tuesdays.
• I did the Summer Reader Book Tag and the Chocolate Book Tag, which were both a lot of fun
• It's been a whirlwind of different backgrounds, fonts, and colors, but I think I've finally found the right Literary Legionnaire blog design

That's all for now!
~Alexandra

Why I Usually Avoid Reading Romance

Today I would like to discuss romance novels, especially of the young adult genre.  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy romance, however I prefer not to read books revolving solely around the romance, and here are a few reasons why.

(Please note that these are not always present in all romance books, and that they are just observations based on a few books I've read from the genre.  Please also note that I have read some romance books I thoroughly enjoyed.)

1. The dreaded insta-love.  This is not the case in all romance books, but it is rather prevalent within the genre.  The girl falls in love with the guy at first sight, or something like that, and it's all:

Or…

I'm sorry, but… What?!?! I may not have ever been in love, but come on, it can't be that simple! Just stop.  Please.  Maybe a character is instantly attracted to the love interest, but attraction and love are not synonymous.  Maybe there's a spark.  I'll allow a spark, I'll allow instant chemistry.  But no way am I ever going to believe that you fell in love with someone within a day or a week of knowing each other.

2. The cliches.  Opposites attract: bad boy falls for good girl, nerd and jock/cheerleader become the power couple of the school, etc etc.  It gets extremely old extremely fast.  I'm not saying it is impossible for these things to happen, but there are other kinds of relationships too.

I mean, I absolutely adore The Breakfast Club and I totally ship Bender and Claire, but lately it's just been crazy how often a good girl falls for a bad boy.  I mean, seriously?!? Is that all you've got?

3. The plot.  I know it isn't true for all romance books, but it usually seems to be one of the following (similar to my point about cliches, but specifically in regard to the plot):

• Main character hates the eventual love interest's guts, but is somehow forced into a situation where he/she is stuck with said love interest.  The two start to get to know each other and realize the other isn't as bad as they thought, and start to have feelings for one another that eventually grows into a true romantic relationship.
• Main character pines for the love interest, but is too shy to speak up and said love interest is already in a relationship.  Said love interest eventually breaks up/is broken up with and is single, and begins to get to know guy/girl and realizes he/she the one they want to be with.
• Main character gets the love interest of their dreams, only to lose them to someone or something.  The main character either finds a way to prove his/her love or find some new love interest who loves them back.
• Main character is in love (or falls in love) with love interest, but something from main character or love interest's past is revealed and nothing is the same.
• (Or something along the lines of one of mentioned plots)

4. Love triangles.  Need I say more?

What are your thoughts on romance novels?

~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Page Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Via Goodreads: Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this fast-paced novel from the author of The Walled City.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?


~

I am extremely excited for this book.  A shapeshifter that motorcycle races across Asia and Europe?  Sounds like an interesting story to me!  The synopsis is enticing and the book just sounds like high-stakes, action-packed read.  Also, I have only heard amazing things about this book from those who have managed to read and review it.  I can't wait until October when this book hits the shelves!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Review)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 213 pages
Format: Paperback (purchased)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was a bit difficult to read at times due to some of the themes discussed, however it was overall pretty easy to get through, and I found myself connecting to many of the characters.

THE CHARACTERS

Charlie was especially a very relatable character.  He went through the difficulties many people face when starting high school, such as making friends and discovering who you are. In addition, however, he faced many other difficulties I could only imagine going through.

I also really liked Sam and Patrick.  Despite having problems of their own, they were always kind to Charlie and didn't judge him even when he screwed up or because he was more inexperienced and younger.

WRITING STYLE

I really liked how the story was told through Charlie's letters to the unknown "friend".  It was enthralling because anyone could be the friend, even myself, so it felt more personal.  Also, it was an interesting way to tell the story because I wouldn't always know what was happening; major parts of Charlie's life could be omitted if he chose to not mention it, so sometimes I was greatly surprised by bits of information he threw at the reader.

The story could be confusing sometimes, and since it was in letter format, could also sometimes "tell" and not "show" enough.  Chbosky did share Charlie's story through his letters very well, with vivid details, however at times things Charlie's letters would be vague and a bit jumbled.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have seen the movie in the past, but I don't think it really influenced my opinion on the book, except for maybe clarifying some details that I was confused about.  Although it did help to see the movie prior, I saw it a few years ago, so it also sometimes confused me while I was reading, such as the timeline of events that took place in the book.

To sum everything up, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was an enjoyable and quick read.  The characters were very relatable and seemed very real, despite only meeting them through letters.  I would highly recommend it to someone who needs a quick read and wants to try something a little different.

My rating: ✪✪✪✪

About The Perks of Being a Wallflower (via Goodreads):

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Current Reads

I have unfortunately completely overestimated my ability to read this month, and have only finished one of the eight books I planned on reading this month.  In fact, I have been traveling quite a bit this month and could not bring most of my July TBR with me, either because they were too heavy, took up too much space, or both.  So I have changed plans and hope to finish these three books and a three-in-one manga within the next week, and will hopefully be able to write up some reviews for a few as well.

Ficticious Fridays (1)

'Fictitious Fridays' is a weekly meme hosted by Aiysha at Mortal Moments.  Each week a specific subject will be chosen for the spotlight for example: favourite fiction book, character, place, food and many more you will have to wait and see!

Fiction Spotlight of the Week : Favourite Fictional Celebrity

Kyoko Mogami from the Skip Beat! manga series by Yoshiki Nakamura is one of my favorite fictional celebrities.  Although she has not reached stardom yet (and is still trying to become a celebrity), she has a lot of potential and is a caring person.  Although she initially starts out wanting to become famous for revenge, she grows as a person and begins to care about the business itself.  I also like other characters in the series (such as Ren Tsuruga), but I will not go into detail about the others right now.

Graham Larkin from This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith is another one of my favorite fictional celebrities.  This may be because he's one of the few I know of, but either way he is a super sweet character who is (as far as I can recall) not arrogant and very genuine.  He's a celebrity I would want to meet.

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Yes, My Accent is Real and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You by Kunal Nayyar
Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography/Memoir
Page Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Via Goodreads: "Of all the charming misfits on television, there’s no doubt Raj from The Big Bang Theory — the sincere yet incurably geeky Indian-American astrophysicist — ranks among the misfittingest. Now, we meet the actor who is every bit as loveable as the character he plays on TV. In this revealing collection of essays written in his irreverent, hilarious, and self-deprecating voice, Kunal Nayyar traces his journey from a little boy in New Delhi who mistakes an awkward first kiss for a sacred commitment, gets nosebleeds chugging Coca-Cola to impress other students, and excels in the sport of badminton, to the confident, successful actor on the set of TV’s most-watched sitcom since Friends.

Going behind the scenes of The Big Bang Theory and into his personal experiences, Kunal introduces readers to the people who helped him grow, such as his James Bond-loving, mustachioed father who taught him the most important lessons in life: Treat a beggar as you would a king. There are two sides to every story. A smile goes a long way. And, when in doubt, use a spreadsheet. Kunal also walks us through his college years in Portland, where he takes his first sips of alcohol and learns to let loose with his French, 6’8” gentle-giant roommate, works his first-ever job for the university’s housekeeping department cleaning toilets for minimum wage, and begins a series of romantic exploits that go just about as well as they would for Raj. (That is, until he meets and marries a former Miss India in an elaborate seven-day event that we get to experience in a chapter titled “My Big Fat Indian Wedding.”)

Full of heart, but never taking itself too seriously, this witty and often inspiring collection of underdog tales follows a young man as he traverses two continents in search of a dream, along the way transcending culture and language (and many, many embarrassing incidents) to somehow miraculously land the role of a lifetime."

~

I normally am not particularly fond of memoirs and autobiographies, but I absolutely adore The Big Bang Theory and love Kunal Nayyar's work on the show.  I have been trying to be more open about reading nonfiction and memoirs and such, so I am really excited to read this one and find out what he's like as a person off-camera.