On Reading in Order (Whether It is a Series or Not)

This was originally going to be a review of Looking For Alaska, however I struggled to write the review.  Perhaps I will write that review one day, but let me just explain a bit… My eyes were opened to the wonderful books of John Green when The Fault in Our Stars was published.  I quickly fell in love with Green's eloquence and fluidness in his writing, but what caught my attention most was the way he wove philosophical ideas and big (often unanswerable) questions into the novels. His stories are always woven beautifully, and I look up to him as a true artist of the written word.  Discovering John Green's books those years ago truly opened my eyes to the beauty of writing (and reading).  I have always loved reading and writing, way before reading Green's books, but his books were different.  They seemed… magical.  Green is a true wizard with words.  (If by the end of my life, I somehow write a book that is as good as John Green's, I would feel accomplished.)  After discovering the beauty of TFIOS, I only recently began backtracking, reading both Paper Towns and Looking For Alaska within the past few months.

Although my love for John Green grew more after reading Paper Towns, I will admit I was just a tad disappointed by Looking For Alaska.  Don't get me wrong, Looking For Alaska is a true masterpiece and deserves the praise and awards it has received.  However, something about it was a bit… stale for me.  And it has nothing to do with the fact that the book is indeed 10 years old, it had to do with the fact that the characters, although unique and interesting in their own right, had similar flaws to those of Green's Paper Towns, that I already read.  Let me explain a bit:

Protagonists, Pudge (Looking For Alaska) and Quentin (Paper Towns), both are in love with/pining for a girl (Alaska and Margo, respectively) that they cannot have.  Pudge and Quentin proceed to believe they really know who said girl is, when in fact, they don't.  Yet they still think they love them and can somehow make the girls change their minds and stay with them.

Although Pudge and Questin, Alaska and Margo, and the overall plots of the two novels were EXTREMELY DIFFERENT, the end goal of the protagonists were generally similar in a very generic and broad way, and for some reason I also just kept comparing Alaska to Margo.  I cannot explain exactly why I felt this way throughout the book, but perhaps if I had read Paper Towns after Looking For Alaska, my thoughts would be very different.  Alas, that is not what happened.  So I must pose a question (or two):

Should we be reading authors' earlier works before the newer ones?  Is it right to judge an author's first book based on how far he/she has improved since?


I say this because 1) I enjoyed Paper Towns just a bit more than The Fault in Our Stars (for whatever reason), so in theory we are capable of liking an author's earlier works better, but on the other hand, 2) I truly enjoyed John Green's first novel, however something about it just did not quite work for me.  Everything was told beautifully and I loved the story, however I kept comparing it to his other works.  And the thing is, Looking For Alaska is significantly older than his other works.  It was his first novel, and although it was absolutely fantastic, he has been in the industry much longer now, and has been honing his writing craft further since Looking For Alaska.  I truly feel bad that I felt even the slightest bit disappointed; everything that I wanted in the book was there, yet at the same time something felt like it was missing.

This feeling of something missing happened to me earlier this year with another author as well.  About about a month ago, I started Sarah J. Maas' new series, A Court of Thorns and Roses.  It was brilliant.  Not John-Green-contemporary-brilliant, but brilliant in every way when it comes to fantasy and all that jazz.  You may know of Sarah J. Maas' popular series Throne of Glass.  Well, I am happy to say that I did read Throne of Glass (at least the first book), before reading her newest book.  However, since Maas' Throne of Glass is only the first in a huge series, with a new book coming out about every year or so (and since I am extremely behind on the rest of the series), I wanted to pick up the books again in order to catch up before the newest book comes out.  When I tried to pick it up, however, I felt myself comparing the new ACOTAR series with Throne of Glass.  Unlike Green's books, Maas' two series are written in completely different styles, and I found myself struggling to get back into the groove of Throne of Glass.  To be honest, ACOTAR set such high expectations for me that it makes me wonder whether I should just wait out on reading ACOTAR so I can truly enjoy Throne of Glass properly (since Throne of Glass is Maas' first creation), or try to balance the two series since they are coming out throughout the next few years.  It is not that there is a problem with any of the Throne of Glass books, but I just prefer the writing style of ACOTAR better, and I feel as if it may impact my opinions on the writing in the Throne of Glass series…

So, I will pose the same questions again: Should we be reading authors' earlier works before the newer ones?  Is it right to judge an author's first book based on how far he/she has improved since?  What do you think?
~Alexandra

Beat the Heat Readathon Sign-Up

I am super excited to announce that I am going to attempt another readathon this August!  I have been really behind on my reading for the readathon I am currently participating in, so I really wanted to give myself a second chance and see how well I can do!

The 3rd Annual Beat the Heat Readathon is hosted by Jessi @Novel Heartbeat and Reanna @Phantasmic Reads.

The Rules

• The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from August 24th at 12:00 AM to September 6th at 11:59 PM. What does this readathon entail, you ask? Well, read as much or as little as you want – the main point is to READ! You set your own goal, and for three weeks you read as many books as you can/want to reach your goal!

• There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end!

• Sign up here at Novel Heartbeat, or over at Phantasmic Reads. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 28th.

• To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing – and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! (You are welcome to use the template we provide in the kick-off post as well.)

• In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated.

• Follow along on Twitter and share your progress with the hashtag #BtHReadathon!

I am hoping to read a lot for this readathon in order to catch up with some summer reading goals.  My goals (for this readathon) are as follows:
- read 7-9 books total
- read at least one classic
- participate in a few mini-challenges


Good luck to everyone who is doing the Readathon!
~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

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

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: December 1, 2015

Via Goodreads:

The Rules: 

Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public.

Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me.

Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter. 

Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.

When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken. 

~

This book sounds like an amazing read.  I love books with rules that shouldn't be broken, and I also am intrigued by characters who have to overcome huge difficulties like Parker's.  The story sounds like a heartwarming and fun read while still dealing with themes like death and disability.  Can't wait to get my hands on this one!

On Adaptions and Reboots

I am here today to talk about adaptions, reboots and revamps.  Most of you don't know this about me, but I am a HUGE Archie Comics fan, and have been for as long as I can remember.  (Although that is not a very long time considering Archie has been around for many decades more than I have.)  Anyway, I was trying to come up with something to discuss, and realized that the news and recent release of a modern, redesigned Archie (and his friends) was an interesting topic to discuss in a broader light.

I'd first like to talk about my opinions toward the new Archie Comics' design, since that is what brought me to this topic.  To be honest, I was initially very worried and upset that they redesigned Archie and gang.  Although Archie has gone through many revamps throughout the years, this has definitely been the most drastic one.  Despite going into the new comic very pessimistically, I was pleasantly surprised.  The art was new and different than the Archie comics I know and love, but I found myself still enjoying the story and artwork nonetheless.  The Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle origins are a bit different than I remember, but it still was a great start to the new, redesigned series, and I am looking forward to seeing what's to come.  In addition, there was also the (not-so) recent news that there will be a Archie live-action TV show on the CW called Riverdale.  I have not heard much about it other than that, but it will definitely be interesting to see how that goes as well.

Moving on to the general discussion…

I think it is only natural for us to be weary of the unknown.  We do it all the time, whether faced with changes to a beloved book/series/etc. or just with life in general.  I think our biggest issues with these changes, at least in terms of beloved books and/or comics, is that we 1) want the characters to be portrayed correctly, and 2) want the plot to remain true to the story.  For example, although I truly do like Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, I will admit that when I first found out she was playing the role, I was stunned.  And not exactly in a good way.  I could never really place my finger on what I had expected Katniss to look like, but until I actually saw the movie, Jennifer Lawrence was definitely not what I had in mind.  Right away, just because of my first impressions of the casting, I wasn't as sure about seeing the movie adaption.  I offer my apologies to Jennifer Lawrence, who completely proved me wrong.  Now I cannot imagine anyone else being a better Katniss.  Although I was not pleased by some alterations in the movie's plot details, the character portrayal/performance in the movie was ultimately well done and satisfied my inner fangirl.

Books and comics are always being changed.  Sometimes it is simply cover designs being changed, but other times original content is being adapted into TV shows or movies (or sometimes even spinoff series).  I always go into these new books, movies or TV shows wearily.  I think we all think it: They better not ruin this or If they cut out [such and such plot point]…  The truth is, we do think these things.  And I fully understand why.  But at the same time, I believe that we shouldn't judge something right away just because it might ruin the original.  There have been times where I felt like the adaptions or changes completely didn't meet the standards of the original, but at the same time there is always the possibility that it may surprise you, like the new Archie and The Hunger Games movie surprised me.

I prefer to read books before seeing the movie solely for that purpose -- to be able to have the story played out in our head my way -- before allowing others to tamper with the way we see it and reshape it in our minds.  Although reading the book first can also cause problems (such as disappointment or feeling like the movie/TV show/whatever was miscast, misinterpreted, or sometimes just downright bad), at least we get to develop our own opinions and feelings toward the book and their characters first.  I believe this also is applicable to revamps/reboots/redesigns.  I think, however, that if a movie, any other new format, or even a reboot is bad, if we truly liked the book or original format, we can still always fall back onto that original and still love it…   And just try to pretend that we were not changed by the horrible adaption/revamp.  But if we're lucky, the revamp or new adaption will be great, and we can express our love for the content across various mediums and have twice the enjoyment.

What are your thoughts on adaptions and redesign?  Do you usually avoid it?  If you do end up trying out the adaption and hate it, does it change your original perception and feelings toward the original content?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.  I'd love to hear from you!

~Alexandra

BookTubeaThon TBR

Hi everyone!  My friend recently told me about BookTubeaThon, and I thought it would be super fun to give it a try.  "The BookTubeaThon is a week long readathon hosted by Ariel Bissett [on BookTube]! A time for the BookTube community to all come together and do what we read best: consume books in massive quantities!"  I am not a BookTuber, but I still thought it would be a fun experience and really help me read more books this summer, since I have been dragging behind the past two months.  BookTubeaThon is happening from August 3 (today!) to August 9.  Now for the challenges:

1// Read a book with blue on the cover

I have been wanting to read this one for a really long time (since before it even came out!), but never got around to it.  I'm borrowing it from my awesome book-loving friend, so I really need to get it back to her ASAP.  And the cover is GORGEOUS and blue.

2// Read a book by an author who shares the same first letter of your last name

You have absolutely no idea how hard it was to find a book with an author whose last name begins with Y.  It was pretty much either The 5th Wave or… The 5th Wave.  I seriously had a ton of trouble finding a book to satisfy the challenge.

3// Read someone else's favorite book

The 5th Wave and Falling Kingdoms both satisfy this challenge.

4// Read the last book you acquired

5// Finish a book without letting go of it

For this challenge, I decided to choose The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.  It is a super short read so it shouldn't be too hard to read without letting go of it, even if I do have to take a break from reading.  Also, I have been wanting to read more classics, so there's that aspect of it as well.

6// Read a book you really want to read

People always seem to talk about Shadow and Bone, and I want to know what they're all talking about!  The Darkling is always brought up in conversation, and even though the book sounds great in general, I want to know why everyone seems to love this character that is so bad.

7// Read seven books

The additional books to reach the seven book goal may change, but I have been wanting to read Looking For Alaska for a while (especially since I've seemed to enjoy every John Green book I read more than the last) and I also finally got my hands on a copy of Etiquette and Espionage, so I figured I'd give them a shot if I can squeeze them in this week.

Good luck to all those participating in Booktubeathon… And as Effie Trinket would say, "May the odds be ever in your favor!"
~Alexandra

2015 Discussion Challenge

I recently discovered the 2015 Book Blog Discussion Challenge, hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight, and thought it would be fun to sign up and see how well I can do.

"This challenge is to help get us discussing books and book blogging, so talk about whatever you want as long as it’s relevant to book blogging. Discussions can be book related or book blogging related (or generally blogging related – no discussions about things that are completely off-topic like travel or fashion, etc). Discussions can also be about you personally if it’s a get-to-know-you type post."

Even though more than half the year has gone by already, I have been meaning to write more discussion posts, so hopefully this will be an awesome way to motivate myself to do so, and also discover some more awesome bloggers!

The Levels:

1-12 – Discussion Dabbler
13-24 – Creative Conversationalist
25-36 – Chatty Kathy
37-48 – Terrifically Talkative
49+ – Gift of the Gab

Despite my lateness in joining this challenge, I am going to shoot for Creative Conversationalist.  I believe that if I put my mind to it, I will be able to reach that goal and (hopefully) write up some awesome discussion posts in the process.

~Alexandra

August TBR

I should have a ton of free time this month, so I am really hoping to catch up on my summer reading goals.  In addition to a general TBR for this month, I am going to participate in Booktubeathon, which means that I will be trying to read seven books within the span of this coming week (August 3-9).  Here are the books I hope to (or in some cases, have to) read this month, not including the books I've chosen for Booktubeathon:

MUST READ: required summer reading

1. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
2. West with the Night by Beryl Markham
3. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

WANT TO READ:

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My cousin and brother both read this within the past few months and absolutely love love loved it (and I've only heard great things about it in general), so I just had to pick up a copy for myself!  I am so pumped to read this and hope it lives up to all the hype!


2. Throne of Glass or Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I'm going to either reattempt my reread of Throne of Glass or just give up and continue on to the next book…

3. Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas 

I bought this a few months ago and have been meaning to read it.  And I haven't read many contemporaries lately, so it will be nice to throw one into the mix.

What are your reading goals for the month?
~Alexandra