Reading in the Dark

Monday, February 17, 2014

Book Bingo:Your Heart Was a Legend

Your Heart Was a Legend by Emily Nakanishi is only available as an ebook, unfortunately. I really prefer print, but it's only thirty-four pages, so I pulled through. [I was asked to read this by a friend. I probably would not have picked it up on my own, but my review is completely honest and not influenced by an outside source.] The novella centers around Frankie, a high-school senior who is coming to terms with his homosexuality. Before I read it, the piece was described to me as "gay romance," but that's not really what I found in reading it. While Frankie does wish he could admit his true feelings for Tobias, his best friend and semi-guardian, the primary focus of Your Heart Was a Legend is Frankie facing himself and deciding what he wants in life.

(picture taken from Torquere Books)

I could tell that this was Nakanishi's debut to publishing by the open phrasing and simple sentence structure. However, she often surprised me with unique word choices and spot-on dialogue that kept me intrigued. Considering how few pages there were to read, she did a fantastic job of drawing me into Frankie's world. I did have a little trouble understanding the ending, though. As someone who found love fairly early in life, I think, the idea of more than one person appealing to me at the same time doesn't quite calculate. Maybe it has less to do with when I found love and more to do with my personality. Whatever the reason, Nakanishi approaches the ending in a way I did not expect. My only real complaint with this novella is that it's so short! It's easy to see various opportunities with side characters that could have extended the piece and perhaps added even more dimension to the town the author has created. All-in-all, a very interesting, quick read.

This novella was my "New Release" read for the Book Bingo Challenge. So far I'm really happy with my progress! Thanks for checking back with me! Don't forget to subscribe and keep checking back for more great reads!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Poetry Challenge / Book Bingo: Jimmy Stewart and His Poems

(picture taken from Goodreads)

I heard about Jimmy Stewart's book of poems (simply titled Jimmy Stewart and His Poems) on Goodreads a few weeks ago, and I thought, "Jimmy Stewart wrote poetry?! What couldn't this guy do?" I'm a sucker for old movies, and Stewart was definitely one of my favorite actors, so obviously, I had to find a copy to read immediately--which I did at my local library. The cover of my library's copy had a fun cartoon drawing of Stewart and his dog, Beau (about whom one of the poems is written):

(found here by Hamlette--thanks!)

Stewart's collection is my first read for the Dive into Poetry Challenge and my second free square read for the Book Bingo Challenge.

I really enjoyed this book! It's very short--thirty-something pages--and there are only four poems, but it was definitely worth finding. Each poem is prefaced by a short background story of the poem. I found it a lot of fun to learn a little more about Stewart and the simple, touching moments in his home life. His style as a poet is rhyming and light. It's easy to read, and I found myself laughing out loud about some of the situations in which Stewart and his family found themselves. I would definitely recommend picking this up when you have a few moments free--it's a breezy, fast read (especially for poetry)!

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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Blind Date with a Book

This year, my library is doing a really fun program for February (because of Valentine's Day) called "Blind Date with a Book." I've heard of other places doing this, and it seems like such a great idea to me! Here are the basics: They have a table with several books wrapped in wrapping or butcher paper so you can't tell what they are. You pick one, take it home and read it, and then review it. The idea is to get people reading genres or specific books that they might not otherwise pick-up. So, here's the package I picked-up the other day:

It was a big hit with Gabe, who got to unwrap it!

I won't reveal what book I got yet, but I want to encourage you to try this fun idea out for yourself! If your local library isn't doing it, maybe wrap some of your TBR books and pick one randomly, or go to the library and pick a book with your eyes closed? I think it will turn out really interesting to read something that I hadn't necessarily expected, so here goes!

Don't forget to check back for my review of the blind date pick, and subscribe so you won't miss any other exciting reads!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Book Bingo: The Enchantress Returns

The Enchantress Returns is the second book in Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories series. This is my first read for the "Series" box in the 2014 Book Bingo Challenge. Here's my current scorecard:

Here's a short review I wrote about the first book in the series, The Wishing Spell: This was a fun fairy tale book. I couldn't particularly enjoy Colfer's writing style, because it felt too simple and repetitive to me, but I did enjoy his story and the world he created with traditional fairy tales and his own original ideas. I'll probably continue reading the series to see what happens next with Alex and Conner.

(picture taken from Goodreads;

illustrated by Brandon Dorman)

The Enchantress Returns: Colfer has a very imaginative mind, and he really uses it to expand the fairy tale world in this series. I enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series. Colfer's writing has improved somewhat (although the style of over-simplistic repetition sometimes re-surfaces), and I really enjoy how he expands the villainous characters from traditional fairy tales. My favorite part was the chapter with the Snow Queen--what a fascinating character! There are three main reasons that I can't give this two thumbs-up instead of one: 1) Colfer's writing style is still a little lacking for me. Hopefully he'll improve with time, because I love his ideas! 2) Alex's and Conner's home life is too easy. For instance, they might say they're angry at their mother for dating, but there they are, jumping on board the "bless this marriage" train right after she springs the news on them (only two years past their father's death, too!). Too fast, too easy...it's unrealistic. 3) Last but not least, I don't really like the ending. I guess I could see it happening eventually, but in the second book in the series? And it's all stuck in the last few pages of a fairly thick book--why not take a little more time instead of rushing through it? Anyway, I did enjoy reading this book, and it's a fairly quick read for the length. I would recommend it to people who like middle grade series or fairy tales.

(picture taken from Goodreads;

illustrated by Brandon Dorman)

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Where Are You Reading 2014 Challenge

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/challenges/where-are-you-reading-challenge-2014/

This challenge is definitely in the spirit of fun, since the primary goal for me is to see where I'm reading rather than aiming to read a certain number of places. Mapping my reads is such a great idea, which I never would have thought of without the Where Are You Reading Challenge 2014 hosted by Book Journey! For this challenge, I'll be showing all of the books I read (with the exception of picture and board books), including those that I don't review for this blog. We'll just see where all I end up at the end of the year! Check-out my map, which I'm having a lot of fun making! Try it! Even if you don't share the link, it's a neat little tool to have in your belt.

Side note: Since a lot of the books that I read exist on a fictional or fantastical plane, I'll be posting those on my map with a marker where the author is from. If the book is set in multiple places, the marker will be where the most amount of time is spent.

Join me in mapping where you read in 2014, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any fun, new book discoveries!

Dive into Poetry Reading Challenge 2014

http://savvyverseandwit.com/2014/01/dive-into-poetry-challenge-2014.html

I haven't read lot of poetry since getting my degree, so I figure it's high time to get back into it with the Dive into Poetry Reading Challenge 2014 hosted by Savvy Verse & Wit! I won't be deciding the books or authors I read for this challenge before I read them. I'll use it as an excuse to raid my local library's poetry section, probably! I'm signing-up for the Dip Your Toes level, which is two books of poetry. I don't want to over-commit myself, but I loved the first book I read for this challenge, so I might be at the Wade In level before you know it!

Jimmy Stewart and His Poems by Jimmy Stewart

Join me in exploring fascinating poetry in 2014, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any fun, new book discoveries!

2014 Book Bingo Reading Challenge

This is probably my favorite reading challenge in which I haven't participated yet, so this year, I'm doing it! It's the 2014 Book Bingo Reading Challenge hosted by Reading in Winter! In the spirit of fun and going-with-the-flow, I won't be deciding the books I read for this challenge before I read them. We'll just see what I end up with! This is my current bingo scorecard for the challenge: