Recent Reads Recap

In an effort to fill the little hole in my heart since leaving Paris in June, I've been doing a lot of reading at home.  I did a good amount of that abroad, of course, but being home for the summer gives me time to catch up on my "fun" reading.  I got a bunch of books from a friend shortly after I got back, visited the library a few times (speaking of, I really need to go again soon... withdrawals?), had my birthday (more books from the aforementioned friend), visited Borders after their closing announcement, and going through my bookshelf as well as previous piles of books donated by my very generous friend (Sandy; have I told you lately how much I adore you?!).

...  I would try to get more, because that's just how I am, but with everything I've gotten recently, there really is no immediate need.

So, if I've been doing all this reading, then...  Where are the reviews? xD

Apparently, me reviewing is like me running.  Once I get into the habit, I'm good to go.  Last summer I ran five (sometimes six) days a week, and it was lovely.  I'm not even much of a runner (that's my brother).  Still, it was enjoyable and once I made it into a regular thing, I wanted to do it all the time!

...  Then I went on vacation.  What a derailer!

Anyway, now that I'm getting back into running (and planning on keeping it up throughout the semester), it's time to really get back into reviewing.  I picked it up for a reason, didn't I?

So, for the sake of commencement, here is what I've read over the past few weeks:
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
- Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
- Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- Wither by Lauren Destefano
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
... and surely some others.

I attempted to read Matched by Ally Condie, but I didn't get very far, as I'm feeling very "dystopianed-out" right now.  Then I tried switching over to The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, but wasn't feeling it at the time.  Those are both titles I've been meaning to read and will eventually get back to.

As for Harry Potter...  Well, I just like rereading the series.  I'm nearly done with the second book right now.  Now that I'm much older, I love reading the earlier books: it's like starting over.  There are so many little details that have just been lost in my mind for the past several years.  I've read the fifth, sixth, and seventh books much more recently (since I was still in high school when they were published), but I was so young when I started at the beginning.  It's been nice revisiting Harry's world, especially since the final movie was released.

I plan on referring back to this list in the future so that I can finally review the books I did finish.  I really do like recording my thoughts; I just wish I could devote more time to doing so.

Thanks for reading!

Return to Blogging

Hello to the few of you that read my review blog!  I apologize for not updating in months.  I'm sure you weren't on the edge of your seats waiting for my next post, so I expect you'll forgive me... but I moved to Paris in late January to study abroad for the semester, so I was understandably busy.  European university work was a lot more challenging than I expected.

During my time abroad, I acquired many books... and I even managed to go to a book convention (free tickets for students FTW).  My reason for being here, though, was first and foremost for school, so I decided to take a break from my (already very lax) updating schedule.  Now that I am home for the summer, I'm going to do my best to use this blog...  I mean, I did start it for a reason.

Thanks for your patience, if you plan on reading more of my posts!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
ISBN#: 9780545123266 (hardcover), 9780545123273 (paperback)

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future. [summary from goodreads]

If there's anything I've learned about reading, it's that I should trust my friends' judgments more often than I do.  Since the whole vampire/werewolf takeover in the YA universe, I've tried to avoid books that fall into that category.  I honestly got tired of it and thought that what I had already read was sufficient enough for the time being.  The thing is, that's not really fair of me--so I decided to give this one a try, and picked it up on a whim when I was at the library.  Good.  Decision.

 I'd seen Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater on the shelves many times before, but never really thought to pick it up (despite the cool cover) because it had to do with werewolves.  As much as I like fantasy, sci-fi, and the like, I lean more towards the types of stories that deal with alternate universes and strange inventions with matching societies, rather than supernatural romance.  The thing about Shiver, though, is that it's conveyed in a way that is very different--I love when an author takes an idea that everyone has a certain expectation of and changes it so that it's something uniquely their own, and that is precisely what Maggie Stiefvater does in her novel.

I was surprised with how much I liked Shiver, with my bias and all.  Maggie's writing style was very engaging, but what I was really impressed with was the way that she could write something abstractly, but you can still understand it for exactly what it is.   I can always appreciate that kind of writing.

In Shiver, you read from the point of view of two narrators--Grace and Sam.  It was nice to be able to see into the minds of two characters, rather than one, which always seems to leave me wondering what's going on with everyone else.  I thought that Grace and Sam were nice to experience the novel with, as well (although, I have to admit, I loved reading from Sam's POV and always looked forward to his parts in the story).  Grace, as the female voice of the novel, was sort of a nice change for me--I like smart narrators.  I do.  What I liked more about Grace in that sense, though, was that she admittedly didn't know everything.  Sam would share poetry with her, and she may not have understood it, but it's not something that she kept from him in embarrassment.  That, I liked.  Far too often do I feel like I'm reading from the perspective of a super genius, and, honestly, it just gets boring after a while.

So, alright.  There are werewolves and there is romance.  The whole thing worked for me, even though I wasn't sure that it would.  Shiver kept me on the edge of my seat (just ask Sandy...  I was texting her like a mad woman as I got closer and closer to the ending--I needed to get my feelings out as I raced to the end of the book) and made me sigh, both at appropriate times.  Shiver was sweet (hello, candy store scene!), but I didn't feel like I was eating a bowl of sugar with my eyes.  Very sweet, but not overdone.  The fantasy element was pretty subtle, for the most part--I wasn't overwhelmed and found the world that I had immersed myself in was very believable.  The only thing that bothered me, really, was the lack of parental anything.  Grace's parents are just terrible!  Sam is in her house literally on a 24-hour basis and they never figure it out.  I'm just glad they're not mine...  You can't blame Grace's distaste for them.

This is probably one of the best books that I've read in a while.  Sometimes I just need a nice, romantic story, and this delivered.  I'm glad that this is a series--I can't wait to pick up the sequel!  :D

And, because I feel like this must be shared, here is a Shiver trailer made by the author herself, Maggie Stiefvater:

(Seriously... how talented is she?!  I'm in awe.)