Alright so I am not really going to tell you guys what the book is about. Because that would be cheating and revealing way too much information that would no doubt ruin the book. So I am going to be magnanimous and say nothing about the story or what happens to Paige after she escaped from Sheol 1. I'm not going to say anything about what happens when she sees Jaxon again or what 'The Mime Order' is. I'm not gonna say anything about anything. Well except what I felt about it.
In short it was amazing. 100% edge of your seat, can't stop reading, heart racing, page turning amazing. Samantha Shannon is a force of nature as we saw in her debut novel 'The Bone Season,' (reviewed here) but she has surpassed herself with her second novel. She has grown as a writer by leaps and bounds, and I just know that she is going to continue to do so. With this second novel she was able to more seamlessly blend action and dialogue. Her down moments weren't too slow or overly drawn out, every bit of the book was crafted just so and I couldn't stop reading or thinking about it.
The story was of course incredible as we knew it would be. So much was brought into the light in this tale and Paige alone was fleshed out so much more. She became so very real and so three dimensional that she leapt off the page and I fell in love with her even more. Paige turned into a character that you not only rooted for but someone that I wanted to meet, to help and I wanted nothing more to be in there with her fighting the good fight. I felt like everything became much more intricate and well put together in this second adventure. And I have to tell you I was so very swept away this time, I mean don't get me wrong I loved the first book so much, but because Ms. Shannon has grown so much as a writer 'The Mime Order' is even better. I really can't wait to see where Samantha Shannon takes us next.
This time around the characters were even fuller and richer than in 'The Bone Season.' This was really a great chance for Ms. Shannon to take already great characters and really flesh them out turn them into unforgettable and truly incredible people. Each character became so much more real and likeable or unlikable as the case may be. If characters can leap off the page and make me feel something viscerally I know that the author has done a superb job in creating them. And every character in 'The Mime Order' leapt off those pages and made me feel something. Samantha Shannon really did a great job bringing her characters to life and I think that with each book she is only going to get better and better.
I know, I know I was super vague and annoying. But I really did it for you guys, I didn't want to give anything away. This is the kind of book that even the slightest detail would be too much so I kept it vague and short. Trust me when you read it, it comes out January 2015, you will thank me for not giving anything away. Because guys this book is so good and reading it the first time will be mind blowing and absolutely wonderful. Be ready dear readers because co me January 2015 all your lives will get better because Samantha Shannon's 'The Mime Order' will be out. Make sure to set aside a couple days where you do nothing but read because once you start there will be no stopping. With this book sleep is for the weak.
Ok so it has been well established that I love Jodi Picoult and am pretty much determined to read everything by her. This fact is so well known that anytime there is anything related to Jodi Picoult people at work come to ask me if I know about it. With this in mind one of the managers at work, and a thank you to Peter for his kindness, saw an ARC for Ms. Picoult's newest novel entitled 'Leaving Time' and hid it away for me. It made my day when I saw it and I started reading it right away.
It is the story of young Jenna Metcalf and her decade long search for the truth about what happened to her mother. Her mom, Alice Metcalf studied grief among elephants. After a tragic accident at the elephant sanctuary that she ran with her husband, Alice disappeared leaving behind a three-year-old daughter and what appears to be a body trampled by an elephant. Ten years later Jenna pores over her mother's old journals trying to find a hidden clue meant just for her to tell her she hadn't been abandoned. When she turns 13 Jenna decides that it's time to take matters into her own hands and starts her own search for her mother. Enlisting the help of two rather unusual allies, a disgraced psychic who was once the biggest name in helping to find missing persons and a drunken private detective that was once a detective assigned to her mother's case, the three begin a journey that takes them to unexpected places.
Going between journal entries from Alice's past and the search that Jenna and her oddball companions are putting on Jodi Picoult has come away with another winner. Blended into the story are some fascinating facts about elephant tribes and the way they grieve and raise their young. The beauty of the moments that Alice witnesses is stunning and heartbreaking in equal measure. As Jenna and her unlikely team try to retrace her mother's steps and find the truth of what happened at the sanctuary that last night we watch as Alice struggles through love, grief, and secrets that no one should ever have to keep.
As always Jodi Picoult weaves together a story both simple and beautiful and heart racingly dark. A story that kept me sucked in until the very end. I really enjoyed the way it tied itself up in knots and then at the end it found a clever way of untangling itself. It is a story that is worth reading because it takes a usual story and tells it in an unusual way. I was surprised by it which is always something that I look for in a good book and I think that it is one that will surprise you as well.
Ms. Picoult knows how to write and so that was never in question when I first opened the book. What really struck me this time around was the depth of what she wrote. All of her novels are impeccably written but with this I felt that there was a special level of care that went into each word. Maybe it was because her subject matter was so deep in and of itself but there seemed to be more weight behind each word, each sentence. And I loved it, I really found myself feeling the story which was just great.
All in all 'Leaving Time' was a good read and one that I recommend for an October read. It comes out October 14th and I think that it's going to be not only worth the wait but worth buying the hardcover. It's a beautiful story and as always it's well written and full of characters that I think you will find utterly fascinating. I really enjoyed reading the book and I hope that you read it and enjoy it as well. It is one of those perfect beginning of fall books that you can easily curl up with and enjoy with a good cup of your favorite tea. Be warned though you may end up unable to put the book down so make sure you get real comfortable!
So one post was clearly not enough to talk about all the books that have left an impact on me. I'm sure that 100 posts would not be enough but I think I'll cap it at 2 for now and just stick with some of the most important books. I've already talked about some of the classics that have changed the way I read or stayed with me so I figured that in part 2 I'll go a little more modern.
A couple years ago I came across a non-fiction book call 'The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence.' Being fascinated by history I picked it up and simply devoured it. It was heart breaking and terrifying and in many ways beautiful. I think the reason it stuck with me so much was because of the love that these agents felt for the Kennedy family and the feeling of guilt that they felt after Kennedy was shot. The thing that was truly amazing was the fact that when Kennedy first took office none of the agents were happy about their new assignment. As time went on and the agents got to know their protectees their duty became a joy. Reading this account of the months and days leading up to the assassination was moving and it really affected me. If you can stand non-fiction I highly recommend this unique view on the Kennedy assassination.
Now I know that the next book I'm going to talk about is probably on everyone's list but I just can't forgive myself if I don't mention it. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling. Now to be clear this isn't my favorite Harry Potter book but it is the one that started the obsession. To be honest I don't remember how I came upon Harry and his world of magic. I'm sure I started reading it because everyone was reading it and it was fresh and just becoming super popular. I do remember falling instantly in love with it and that was that. I read through all the ones available, which at the time were the first three I believe, and eagerly awaiting the next installment. I rarely, rarely buy hardcover books but when the fourth Harry Potter came out I made my dad buy it for me. It was the only book I was allowed that month but I was perfectly content with that. Because of reading that very first book I discovered a world that I love and a series that I can't get enough of. And so 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' makes the list of books that have had a huge impact on me. Because it was my entry into the incredible world that has since become an obsession.
I never used to like fantasy books, I guess I felt that they just weren't my cup of tea. I absolutely refused to read anything fantasy until one day I accidentally picked up a book that changed my mind totally. The book was 'The Summer Tree' by Guy Gavriel Kay and it changed my mind about fantasy for good. I remember the day I finished it, I had just come home from school and was sitting in my favorite reading chair and as soon as I finished I called my mom who was out running errands and asked her to go to a used bookstore and pick up the next two in the trilogy. As I have mentioned before this is now my favorite trilogy, one that I have read over and over again and in fact just finished a reread a few weeks ago. I know I don't know much about fantasy and I have been told that this is 'average' fantasy but I found 'The Summer Tree' to be well written, thought out and all around really, really good! In truth the whole trilogy has stuck with me in a very important way and whenever I have a hard time or need to remember why I love reading I go back to the wonderful work of Guy Gavriel Kay. He opened my eyes to a whole new genre that I now really enjoy. And it's all thanks to that first accidental encounter with a book called 'The Summer Tree.'
Well friends I hope you enjoyed this special two part post about some of my important books. Short posts for sure but important and fun ones I hope. They were certainly fun for me to write. More posts to come soon. Next? A review of a new Jodi Picoult! Keep your eyes peeled for it! =D
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It's been a long while I know. It's been a rough few months and a lot has been happening so it's been tough to sit down and write. But here I am now, ready and willing to entertain the masses with my often brilliant and occasionally witty reviews. I had planned on writing of the new Jodi Picoult book due out in October. But I changed my mind. I'm going to leave that for next time and instead tonight I am going to write about books that not only touched me as a person but helped to shape me as a reader. As some of you know there is a post going around Facebook where you tag ten people and ask them to make a list of 10 books that stuck with them. Although I knew almost right away what I wanted my 10 books to be, I realized (as I scrolled through my read list on Goodreads) that there were just so many more than 10 that have stuck with me in one way or another. Realizing this I was inspired to write a post about some of these incredible books.
First and foremost I have to mention a couple of the ones I posted on Facebook, 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott and 'Gone With the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell. I honestly don't remember when or where 'Little Women' came into my life but I do have a very clear memory of reading the book. I have this vivid memory of coming home from school one day hopping on my bed, shoes and all, and reading straight through until dinner. I think this was the very first book that I got truly lost in. A simple book I know but one that showed me for the first time what it was to get so swept up that I lose track of time. For this reason 'Little Women' has become one of my favorite books. One that I have gone back to time and again and each time I get lost and with that the memory of getting lost for the first time returns.
When it comes to 'Gone with the Wind' I have a very clear memory of the first time I read it. I was at a friend's house and we had been playing inside all day and were getting restless. I guess we started getting a little rowdy and loud and her mom told us that we had to do a quiet activity for a half hour. Our options were reading or cleaning. Being more partial to books than household chores I went over to the bookshelf, and thinking a little highly of my reading skills, I picks up their mass market version of 'Gone with the Wind.' In that scant half hour of reading time my whole reading self was turned upside down. I fell in love with Ms. Mitchell's words, her characters the story. It was a big project to get trough it but once I did I realized how wonderful reading a classic could be. Before diving into her world I had been nervous about reading classic literature. What if I didn't like one of the 'great' novels? I feared that people would look at me and think 'oh she isn't a real reader.' But once I made my way through 'Gone with the Wind' I discovered just how great a classic could be and I was hooked. Today some of my all time favorite novels and authors are the classics. All thanks to Margaret Mitchell and her brilliant novel 'Gone with the Wind.'
A book that was not on my Facebook list but had a huge impact on me was 'The Green Mile' by Stephen King. Now growing up I knew who Stephen King was, I had seen 'The Stand' and 'Carrie.' I heard people say that Stephen King was the 'master of horror' but I never had any inclination to go out and read his work. Until that is I saw the film 'The Green Mile' and I discovered that it was based on a book by Stephen King. When I realized that a story of such depth and emotion came from the 'master of horror' flabbergasted me to such an extent that I went right out and bought a copy of the book. And I fell instantly in love. His writing threw me for a loop, and his story telling was out of this world. I became obsessed and decided that I had to devour a much of Stephen King's novels as I possibly could. I now follow him on Twitter, Facebook, I keep track of all the release dates of his novels and I currently have two waiting for me on my nook. He's become one of my top read authors and it was all thanks to that very first read of 'The Green Mile.'
Another Facebook mention was 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. I love Austen, I have since the very first time I read 'Sense & Sensibility.' All her novels are beautiful and I have read them at least two times each. But there is something about 'Persuasion' that ha just stayed with in ways that the others haven't. It's a story about a true underdog. Anne Elliot is her family's punching bag in many ways. She was once in love but because her family convinced her that he just wasn't good enough for her she turned down his proposal. Many years later when she has been swindled into coming and taking care of her neurotic sister and her family she runs into the man of her dreams once more. The story from there is all about finding worth within oneself, and learning to maybe do things for yourself rather than everyone else. Imagine a woman in Austen's time writing about that? I just find 'Persuasion' to be inspiring, well written and totally engaging. To this day it is my favorite Austen without a doubt.
Well friends that is the end of part one for tonight. Part two coming soon with a few more books that have stuck with me in one way or another. In the meantime what are some books that have stuck with you? Feel free to leave them in the comment section! And be on the lookout for part 2!
