Wrap Up - January to April 2016

Sorry that my 2016 has been sadly lacking thus far. Despite not having a chance to update my blog I have done quite a bit of reading in the past four months. I got through 45 novels which includes; rereading 3 old favorites, completing the Lunar Chronicles, reading The Strain Trilogy start to finish, reading an 8 book box set, reading 18 books out of the 50+ novels in the Dark-Hunterverse and starting the Odd Thomas Series.

My top 4 are:

The complete list of books I read is down below.
*I have done complete reviews for many of the books but will not be doing reviews for all of them

Series Review - Divergent

The bookworms archenemy ; the popular books you HAVE to read, that you know are SO over hyped and media inflated (especially when there are movies involved), that you want to read but don't at the same time. Then you read the darn thing and its only OK. It's the OK that I really have a problem with, I am very rarely in the "grey area" with novels, I am a love it or hate it kind of person. All of the YA trilogies lately have been falling in the grey area and its driving me crazy.

Divergent Trilogy

Veronica Roth

Dystopian/ YA
Easy Read

Divergent
5 stars

Introducing our setting, five factions based on the five evils that cause war. Abegnation that believe it is selfishness, Erudite that believe it is ignorance, Dauntless that believe it is cowardice, ect. Amity and Candor are the other two factions. Four factions live together in a  city, Amity the fifth lives just outside the fence. The factions do not interact with each other on base levels, they do not work together, go to school together, or get married outside of their own faction. When the teens of the city turn 16 they take an aptitude test and then there is a choosing ceremony, each person is born into a faction, the choosing ceremony is the only time when a person can decide to change factions. Hence the name during the choosing ceremony each person will choose what Faction they want to devote their lives to *the Factionless also live within the city, they are essentially the homeless. To be Factionless is considered a fate worse than death.
Tris is our main character, she was born Abegnation but her aptitude test is inconclusive which makes her Divergent (she could join Dauntless, Erudite or Abegnation equally). Divergence is dangerous, although the majority people don't know of its existence and those who do don't know why it is dangerous. Tris becomes Dauntless where she meets Four who has secrets of his own... and suddenly the world as they know it begins to unravel at the seams.

I don't have much to say about this book, its a good read, its not original, there are movies. Its a dystopian YA.

BEWARE SPOILERS!!!

Wrap Up - September, October, November 2015

This list is pitifully small, I have not picked up very many new novels, although I did do quite a bit of rereading lately.

September

Off Spring, Jack Ketchum

October

Daddy's Little Girl, Tee Morris

The Doll, JC Martin

November

The Woman, Jack Ketchum

Divergent, Veronica Roth

Insurgent, Veronica Roth

ReRead's

Under the Dome, Stephen King

The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning, Jimmy Palmiotti

 The Doorkeepers, Graham Masterton

I have also started quite a few novels, with this reading block I haven't really been forcing myself to continue anything so I have a long list of partials right now.

Darkest Minds, Alexandra Bracken

The Stand, Stephen King

The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

Watership Down, Richard Adams

Book Review - Twisted Imaginings

Twisted Imaginings Vol's 1-4

By Gary Charles

Horror/Short Story/ Thiller/ Killer/ Gore/ Graphic
8.5 Stars


I had never heard of Charles before although once I did a little googling he is somewhat of a big name in the UK. They should promote him in Canada and the US like crazy! These are such amazing stories, I grabbed all four volumes for free off of I-tunes and I am so happy that I did. If you are a fan of Stephen King or Clive Barker (I have the Books of Blood in mind) then you have to read these stories. They are so creepy and wonderfully thrilling.

1. The Circus
2. The Tunnel
3. Gypsy's Revenge
4. Mother
5. The Greenhouse
6. The Messiah
7. Voices in Shadows
8. Vomit Baby
9. The Pleasure in Pain

Sorry if I got these in the wrong order but I recommend each and every one of them, the Circus and The Greenhouse were my two favourites, can't wait to read more by Charles. Such an amazing author find!

Book Review - Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted
By Gail Carson Levine

7 Stars
Fairy Tale/ Retelling/ YA/ Grade School/
Easy Read

So I have seen this movie (which I thought was alright but not great) and I had no idea that there was also a book. I have to say that the story in the novel is quite a bit different and much more enjoyable than the movie. I wish the movie fallowed the books story closer because it would have made it way better. I was also unaware of the fact that this is a Cinderella retelling, which seems to be the theme of the month. This is the authors first children's book, I won't be seeking out anything else by her any time soon although goodreads informed me there are other retelling books for people who would be interested. I found this book very sweet and cute but the writing style was too young for me to want anything else in the same style. Very quick read for anyone with children, or I recommend this for a one sitting, light easy reading novella (good for a read-a-thon).