I Can Drive 65

“‘If there’s anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I’ll hit him in the face.’” Truth.

65.12 Graceling

I made it!  For the year I set a goal of reading 80 books, and while I ended up reading 67, I amended the original goal to really wanting to get 65 reviews on the blog.  And by the skin of my teeth…

This is a YA that I needed to read in order to read the sequel for a book meeting this month.  So I went into it knowing nothing and it seems to me that this is a great advantage when reading YA for me. 

Katsa is an awesome character and while she and her actions are a bit predictable, I loved that she felt unsure of things.  She was confident in what should could do but not always sure of why she was doing them.  I love the idea of the Graces, but won’t spoil it here.  The ending was a bit of a let down, but I certainly look forward to reading the next in the series. It was a nice fun way to bring the year to a close, let’s do it again in 2013!

2012 Reading Stats

67 Books Read – Goal was 80

28,996 Pages Read – Goal was 20,000

Average Pages Per Day 79 - Very happy with that!

% Female Writers – 44%

% New to Me Authors – 80% (Wow!)

20% YA books

I paid for 38% of the books I read.  Thank you friends and the Eugene Public Library!

And my favorite read of the year was: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-HourBookstore

Not a perfect book, but a perfect escape (which were in great need this year).

A False Start?

“If you can’t give anyone pain, then you can’t give them joy either.” Truth.

64. The False Prince

This was a pretty good YA, more for middle school readers but I would hesitate because it is kind of violent – and that feels odd right at the moment.  Why are we so squeamish about showing sex or swearing, but young men being killed…  Meh.  I guess that is a fight for another day.

I had heard really great things about this book and was expecting to be swept away by it and in some ways I was. I loved the character of Sage.  He truly seemed like a boy who had to survive on his wits and he seemed very in control.  Mott reminded me of every really great right hand man and I wish he had been used more in the story.  The female characters were used sparingly but they were also a breath of fresh air, fighting in every way they could the societal demands on who they should be and what they should do.

So the characters were great, but my issue was that the beginning of the book and the flow of the plot are so predictable that it overshadowed the real brilliance of the conclusion. The first half dragged, and the second half flew. There are a ton of reveals that are really well done, and many ends tied up, clearly leaving room for a sequel (just checked – and shock of all shocks – it will be a trilogy!). Half of me is dying to get my hands on it while the other half could care less, because it’s plot is predictable without even being written. 

So here is the rub, these are mostly new and interesting characters set in a plot that is far too familiar to be intriguing.  So what can be done about it?  No idea.

Ok, off to read like a mad woman, I must make it to 65 books for the year!

The Mowing. My God, The Mowing.

“‘My chief sin is doubt. I have doubts about everything and for the most part I am in doubt.’” Personal Truth.

63.12 Anna Karenina

Undoubtedly, the worst job in the world would be to run the notes of all these jerks back and forth waiting for any of them to actually do something.

This was my main thought as I sludged through the first 700-some pages of this book.  Honestly, I didn’t like anyone.  It is supposed to be a love story but we never see anything about Vronsky and Anna together.  Plus she says stuff like this: “Her complete ownership of him was a continual joy to her.” What the what???  The only things Anna seems to love are the things she believes someone is trying to take away from her.  Poor Karenin just seems lost in the world somewhere and then there is the cad Oblonsky – I think I liked him best, because at least he was having some fun.  And Levin.  My goodness, Levin.  A lot of sowing, mowing, and reaping for that man on his farm and off.

I dreaded picking the book up but forced myself to just so I could finish.  My mother and I decided to read it together for the sheer need of forcing one another along, and it worked.  Not sure I would have made it on my own…

But curses, just when I think I am out they pull me back in. The final scenes with Anna are the most compelling of the book. Finally there is some insight into how her entire life has been and how her air of confidence is just a screen. It was sad to read and yet exhilarating.  There are all the details about the position of women in society, making Russia in the 1800s feel like a very modern place indeed.  And there are some great comedic looks at what happens when people have specific expectations of how events in life are supposed to go.

The book is far too long and bloated, but looking back I am very glad to have read it and recognize the reasons it is so well respected.  Heavy emphasis on the "have read" part.