Recent Reads - If I Stay, Ender's Game, and Angus
I've been in a stretch of excellent reads lately. Three of the four books on this list come courtesy of Janssen's list of her favorite audiobooks.
If I Stay: Heart-wrenching, but so good. Mia and her family are in a terrible accident one snowy morning, and Mia finds herself transported out of her body, watching the aftermath. She figures out that she has to decide if she wants to stay or go before she'll return to her body. This is not a plot-driven story by any means. It's all about the characters - who they are, who they were, what part they played in Mia's life. This is one of those books that leaves you feeling bereft afterwards because you're leaving characters that feel like real people behind.
Ender's Game: I saw a movie trailer for this (it's been on my to-read list for a while) and requested it from my library immediately because I much prefer to read the book before seeing the movie (or inadvertently hearing about the movie). It's classified as "military science fiction," and no matter the label, it's very different from what I normally read. Basically, the world in trouble and needs a brilliant general to lead the charge against the Buggers, an alien life form. Ender is their hope - although he's only 6. It's partially told my Ender's commanders so it was fun to try to figure things out along the way. But the message at the end - even better.
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson): (Do you understand now why I abbreviated this title for the blog title?) Georgia is the best! She has so many of the same worries that I had as a teenager (except she's much funnier) and her want for a boyfriend is so familiar. I laughed my way through this book, and was so happy to find out it's the first in a series! Can't wait for the second one to arrive at my library.
And I'm currently listening to:
Skulduggery Pleasant: Another hilarious book! The humor is so dry at times, and that makes me laugh even harder. It's about Stephanie, whose Uncle Gordon has recently died, and Skulduggery, one of his best friends, and their quest to find who is behind Gordon's death. The main character is 12, so it's technically a YA mystery, but Stephanie acts much older than the 12 year olds I know ;)
Also, a slight side note: this was a complimentary audiobook download from audible.com (you can get one too, if you sign up for a free trial), and well worth it to listen to Rupert Degas narrate. He's English, and his voice makes the story seem more credible for some reason. (Not sure why English accents affect me that way?)
Read anything good lately?
If I Stay: Heart-wrenching, but so good. Mia and her family are in a terrible accident one snowy morning, and Mia finds herself transported out of her body, watching the aftermath. She figures out that she has to decide if she wants to stay or go before she'll return to her body. This is not a plot-driven story by any means. It's all about the characters - who they are, who they were, what part they played in Mia's life. This is one of those books that leaves you feeling bereft afterwards because you're leaving characters that feel like real people behind.
Ender's Game: I saw a movie trailer for this (it's been on my to-read list for a while) and requested it from my library immediately because I much prefer to read the book before seeing the movie (or inadvertently hearing about the movie). It's classified as "military science fiction," and no matter the label, it's very different from what I normally read. Basically, the world in trouble and needs a brilliant general to lead the charge against the Buggers, an alien life form. Ender is their hope - although he's only 6. It's partially told my Ender's commanders so it was fun to try to figure things out along the way. But the message at the end - even better.
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson): (Do you understand now why I abbreviated this title for the blog title?) Georgia is the best! She has so many of the same worries that I had as a teenager (except she's much funnier) and her want for a boyfriend is so familiar. I laughed my way through this book, and was so happy to find out it's the first in a series! Can't wait for the second one to arrive at my library.
And I'm currently listening to:
Skulduggery Pleasant: Another hilarious book! The humor is so dry at times, and that makes me laugh even harder. It's about Stephanie, whose Uncle Gordon has recently died, and Skulduggery, one of his best friends, and their quest to find who is behind Gordon's death. The main character is 12, so it's technically a YA mystery, but Stephanie acts much older than the 12 year olds I know ;)
Also, a slight side note: this was a complimentary audiobook download from audible.com (you can get one too, if you sign up for a free trial), and well worth it to listen to Rupert Degas narrate. He's English, and his voice makes the story seem more credible for some reason. (Not sure why English accents affect me that way?)
Read anything good lately?
If I Stay has been on my reading list for a while! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it and can't wait to find some time to read it!
ReplyDeleteMaybe listen to the audiobook to save time? I listened to it while driving to/from work and the narrator is really good.
DeleteSome really good ones! I have read several of the Angus books. Did you know that the first one was made into a movie called Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging? Aaron Taylor-Johnson was in it as Robbie the Sex God :)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! I didn't know that . . what great news to start my morning :)
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