The Magicians - Lev Grossman

The reason I even started reading this book is strictly because I love the television show. (For those who don't know, it's a show on Syfy and you should definitely check it out). With that in mind, I will say that the show does a brilliant job of sticking to the story line. It keeps the important stuff and kind of throws out the details you don't really need. I also love some of the changes the show makes in terms of characters - specifically Eliot, Janet (Margo) and Penny. I'll move on though because this is making it sound like I didn't like the book and that's honestly not the case.

I think the quote on the back cover from George R.R. Martin pretty much sums up this book, "The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish Whiskey is to a glass of weak tea...Hogwarts was never like this." First of all, what a cool way to describe a story?! Anyway, to start I'll talk about the things I didn't like. 1.) It was SO incredibly slow at certain parts. Like it took forever for anything to happen and I just found myself getting really impatient (which might be a side effect of watching the show before reading the books. Who knows) 2.) I've never been a fan of lewdness/crudeness that seems unnecessary. And this book has plenty of that. I won't get into it, but be prepared if you ever decide to pick this one up.

Now moving on the the part that is much more exciting to talk about - the things that kept me reading! Obviously the biggest reason is that I am a huge sucker for anything fantasy/adventure related and this book had those two things in in great abundance. From fantasy realms to magic schools. I was hooked. I also loved that I didn't 100% love the main character. Usually the main character is supposed to be the person we are rooting for and 100% behind - but, while that was true sometimes, other times I kinda wanted him to shut up. I also really understood the main characters struggle. Without giving too much away, Quentin is kind of bored of his life. He's constantly searching for the next thing that will bring him happiness and it's honestly a never ending journey. The one place he feels complete and at home is when he's reading his favorite book series about a fantasy land called Fillory (What?! He escapes the real world by reading his favorite books?! NO WAY. I'm sure none of us can relate to that...) It puts a twist into the story which I really enjoy and makes it easier to put yourself in his shoes. I also love the character Julia. You don't get to be around her too much in this book, but I'm hoping for a lot more of this hedge witch in the rest of the trilogy.

I'll stop there because I don't want to give too much away since some of you might be in the middle of this story or thinking about picking it up - which I would suggest! As for me, I will be getting the next two books in the trilogy and seeing where they take me! I can't wait to keep going back to Fillory with Q and the other Physical kids.

Thanks for reading! I'm hoping to be doing this a lot more as I jump back on the reading train that I sadly jumped off for a while.

As usual feel free to leave your comments and/or questions! I'd love to hear what you think!

The Maze Runner - James Dashner

I’m not sure where to start with this book. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it was definitely interesting. Throughout the entire thing I was frustrated, which I think was exactly what the author wanted the readers to be, just like (as you’ll see if you read or already have) the main character, Thomas, was for most of the story. How is it frustrating? You don't really have any idea what's going on, and even after finishing, I know the author cleverly crafted the story so you can't wait to start the next one, because you are still left with so many questions and so much intrigue.

The Maze Runner focuses on Thomas. Thomas is a boy in his teens who, along with many other boys around the same age, finds himself in a strange place known as the Glade. A place surrounded on all sides by a never-ending, always changing, maze. Which, of course, is also the only way out - but the problem is, no one has ever made it out. What's more is that none of the boys have any memory of their time before the Glade or the maze, except for their names. However, when the first girl arrives in the Glade, things begin to change.

One thing that bothered me about the book was that it constantly had this sense of building to nothing. As if there was a constant string of events leading to some big moment and then all of the sudden it just stopped. Like the build-up was nothing. Although maybe that was part of the authors plan all along to add to the frustratingly wonderful intrigue of the story - all building up to the end and beyond. I'll only know by continuing to read!

As I said before, I am excited to start the next step on the Maze Runner journey, and luckily, I bought the box set. Be sure to check out my blog for posts about the series in the future!

Also a quick note to the people who finished the book and were excited to see the movie - don't think you're going to see an adaptation of exactly what you read, because you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, to enjoy yourself while watching the movie, go into it looking at the book and the movie as separate entities and I think you'll find the movie to be much better.

Happy reading!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan

This book was amazing and interesting in so many different ways. First of all, it's written by two different authors and set up in a back and forth sort of way. This made the book so much more exciting! You get to see two different styles of writing and how they intertwine. Through looking at an interview at the end of my copy, I found out that John Green wrote the first chapter and introduced characters that David Levithan knew nothing about and still used to fashion his 'side' of the story. The play off of the two authors was really intriguing throughout the entire thing. Second, it addresses such a fascinating plot-line that we definitely wouldn't normally see and I could not put it down!

 Will Grayson, Will Grayson follows two teens who share the same name - Will Grayson - each of whom have their own separate lives and both are wonderful characters to get to know and grow to love. The story takes a turn when one night in Chicago the two meet up unexpectedly in a rather unlikely place. From there, the role they play in each others lives is full of interesting ups and downs and dramatic turns. With best friend drama, a life-changing musical in the works, confusing love lives, and of course the jolly gay giant, Tiny Cooper, John Green and David Levithan give us a book that makes us think a little bit more about the way our lives unfold.

As I'm pretty sure I've already made clear, to say I liked the book might be an understatement. Some moments had goosebumps appearing on my arms, others had me awkwardly laughing in public spaces, and some made me think about life in a incredibly profound way. As I always do, I read this book with some post-its nearby (I freaking love post-it notes) and I was able to make my favorite passages and quotes, so obviously I am going to share some of those with you.

The first one I'd like to share is near the beginning of the book and it really forced me to think and I both love and hate when books make me do that;

"...still, i can't help thinking that 'getting a life' is something only a complete idiot could believe. like you can just drive to the store and get a life. see it in its shiny box and look inside the plastic window and catch a glimpse of yourself in a new life and say, 'wow, i look much happier - i think this is the life i need to get!' take it to the counter, ring it up, put it on your credit card. if getting a life was that easy, we'd be one blissed-out race. but we're not. so it's like, mom, your life isn't out there waiting, so don't think all you have to do is find it and get it. no, your life is right here. and, yeah, it sucks. lives usually do. so if you want things to change, you don't need to get a life. you need to get off your ass." 

I think this ones pretty self explanatory and brings up another thing I loved about this book. It's honest. Sometimes brutally honest and I really liked that. Like I already said, it makes you think!

There's a ton more quotes that I loved, both funny and thoughtful, but what fun would reading be if I gave you all the quotes? Another note, if you're not really into the whole swearing thing, I will warn you that the characters in this one do not share your aversion to it.

I hope everyone takes the chance to read this book. It's insightful, funny, interesting, honest, and an all around amazing novel. Fall in love with it just like I did.

"...you've gotta learn to love the falling, because it's all about the falling."

As always feel free to share your thoughts and ideas about the book, and maybe let me know about some of your favorite quotes!

Happy Reading!

Hero - Perry Moore

Like many great finds of my generations, I discovered this book through social media as I was simply browsing the Internet one day. What drew me in was the fact that the novel features a gay protagonist/main character, which is not something that pops up everyday. On top of that and superheroes, the book definitely grabbed my attention. With my interest peaked, I decided to purchase the book on Amazon and begin reading.

Hero follows the life of Thom Creed, a teen boy who is full of secrets, which he tries to keep from his single ex-superhero father, ranging from superhuman abilities to his sexual orientation. We take this adventure with Thom as he maneuvers 2 jobs, League tryouts, a crush, and a family full of secrets. Along the way he meets Scarlett, Typhoid Larry, and Ruth; all of whom have their own storylines that enhance the plot and keep the reader engaged.

I liked the book a lot. In addition to being entertaining, it addresses a lot of issues that gay teens experience and a lot of real life experiences that they struggle with such as coming out, bullying, first trips to the ‘gay clubs’, and crushes (which I’m sure is something that all teenagers can relate to). When reading, if you’re a superhero fan like I am, it’s impossible not to see the parallels between popular heroes and heroines like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash. Personally, I would have loved to see a little more creativity in backgrounds of supporting characters, but it in no way hindered the story. I also found myself confused in the flow of the story. It was sometimes hard to follow where the story was headed and how it sometimes jumped around. As I said, however, despite my criticism, I loved the book and it is one that I’m happy to have on my shelf.

One of my favorite things about this book was that I was not expecting the end. It was a twist, or rather a few twists, that caught me by surprise and I love when books take me by surprise and make the ride a little more exciting.

I definitely think this is one you’ll want to check out! It isn’t too hard of a read and it’s a fun one. Feel free to leave comments, thoughts, questions to discuss, etc. in the comments section below.

Happy Reading!

Looking for Alaska - John Green

I first heard of this book after reading The Fault In Our Stars because I was so fascinated and drawn in by the writing, the characters, and pretty much everything else and I wanted to read something else by the author. I was not disappointed in the slightest with this one either.

Looking for Alaska follows the not-so-exciting life of ‘famous last words’ obsessed Miles Halter as he leaves his high school and heads off to Culver Creek Boarding School. You can bet, however, that once he gets there, his life finds some excitement in his new friends Chip “The Colonel” Martin and the oh-so-intriguing Alaska Young. These two show Miles a completely different way of traveling through the labyrinth and seeking the “Great Perhaps.”

One thing I like to do when I’m reading is keep post-it notes nearby to mark my favorite quotes, and with John Green, there is never a shortage of quotes that grab my attention and make me think, and I think that’s what I love the most about his books. They really make you think. The story is great, but what’s really exciting is that you get to discover things alongside the characters. This particular book has a lot of talk about religion, and more specifically an afterlife, but the best part about it is that it explores this idea through the eyes of more than one faith. I can’t share too many of my marked quotes without giving anything away, but this one really got me thinking:

“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved ones not existing, and couldn’t even imagine themselves not existing. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn’t bear not to.”

-       Miles (Pudge) Halter (page 100)

I’ll leave you to ponder that one on your own.

You know how sometimes you reach the back cover and the book comes to a close, and you just sort of sit there with the book in your hands and let it all sink in? This was definitely one of those books. With ups and downs, intrigue, romance, pain, and everything in between, this book grabbed me from page one and I think that a lot of people can relate to the things that the characters in the story go through. John Green does it again with this one, and I cannot wait to read more of his work.

I hope you all have the chance to check this one out! Feel free to leave comments, thoughts, questions to discuss, etc. in the comments section below.

Happy Reading!

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Like many others, with Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc. all having come to an end, I needed a new series that provided me with the same awe, wonder, and excitement that those stories gave us. A friend of mine had recently read the first in an interesting new series: Divergent. I decided to head to the bookstore and get myself a copy. After reading I can say that my purchase was not in vain. Divergent grabbed me from chapter one, capturing not only my need for excitement, but also grabbing my intrigue and curiosity. For those who haven’t read, I will not spoil anything, but I will give a short summary:

Taking place at a point in the future, we find ourselves in a society that has been split into 5 factions. Each different faction is meant to uphold a specific virtue. Abnegation, meant to uphold selflessness; Amity, meant for the peaceful; Candor, meant for the honest; Dauntless, meant for the brave; and Erudite, for the knowledgeable. Once a year, all 16 year olds take a test that will tell them which faction they are best suited for. After they get their results, they must make a choice: Stay with their family in their faction, or move to a different one and undergo initiation to become a part of the new faction. The story follows the life of Beatrice Prior, born into Abnegation, and her journey as she makes her choice and experiences the struggle of being Divergent.

As the book progressed I loved being able to see the characters grow and to be able to learn and grow with them. I will say that the book gets really heavy. Like Hunger Games for example, it focuses on some really mature emotions and content, and if you’re like me, someone who really connects with the books they read, it hits hard.

As most of you probably already know, the movie adaptation of this book hits theaters this year, and I think I speak for us all when I say that I hope they do this book justice and stay true to the storyline.

I sincerely hope you all get the chance to grab yourself some tea and sit down with this one!

Feel free to let me know what you think after you read, or even while you read!

Blurb

As an avid reader, and as someone who seems to have a never-ending list of books to read, I've decided to start this blog to give summaries, reviews, discussions, etc. on the books I have read and/or am currently reading! I hope you find my ramblings enjoyable and interesting and that it leads you to discovering more books to add to your list!