This will be my 6th library card in the history of my life, which I feel is quite an accomplishment.
I've been going to the library since before I can remember, so it is weird to walk in a not be recognized by the librarian. However, there is a certain type of excitement that stems from gaining a new pass to a new building filled with access to any kind of knowledge you would want to learn. I'm sure I'll get to know the librarians the longer I live here and make more use of the awesome resources.
After a long stint where I rarely had time to read anything for pleasure, I have finally gotten back to reading for fun. No text books, no research articles. Just fiction and non-fiction that I choose. I rarely read just one book at a time, so I wanted to share what books I have on my plate and recommend them to you.
The Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday
by Garth Nix
I just bought it for my Nook and started reading it again. Some of it I remembered but it's still totally enjoyable. Considering I had to Google "book with mister monday" to actually find the book, it's pretty much a new read.
This book takes a really fun, new twist on time, steampunk, adventure and clever words. The main character, Arthur Penhaligon is not your typical hero, he's asthmatic, weak and has almost died several times before we meet him in the story. He's an orphan and adopted by the friends of his parents (who died in a terrible flu academic when he was a baby.) He's not particularly clever or exciting, but his desire to fit it and his fear of ordinary things and his perseverance is what helps make him so endearing and relatable about. Like a good main character, you care about Arthur's well-being and you want him to be happy and to have friends. Then when he almost dies from an asthma attack in gym class and comes into possession of this magical key in the shape of a minute hand of a clock you know the story is well on its way. Especially when the first thing you find out about the minute hand key is that when Arthur holds it, his asthma problems disappear. When he starts getting chased by dog-faced beings that can barely speak his name and those around him start falling asleep and not waking up Arthur displays the courage you would hope to find in yourself when faced with danger.
Should you read it? Yes - it's clever, well constructed and provides an entirely new way to think about time, the power of words and the days of the week. I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
Warm Bodies
By Isaac Marion
I went and saw the movie before I read the book.
I'm not really into gory movies, (especially gory zombie movies) but it looked like it would more warm and funny. The marketing for the movie was really well done.
After seeing the movie and really enjoying myself (the first few minutes of the movie set up the premise beautifully - they weren't going to take themselves too seriously) I downloaded the book onto my device and read most of it during rehearsals for Bloody Murder. (After I had learned all my lines of course.)
Warm Bodies (similar to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) takes a really fun spin on your preconceived notion about what a zombie story must be. Told from the perspective of a zombie who only remembers the sound "R" as his name, the reader gets to experience the post-apocalyptic world as R does zombie things. Groans. Shuffles around. Collects trinkets. Eats brains. Things change when he decides to take a girl named Julie back to the zombie infested airport without eating her brains or changing her into a zombie. Slowly R becomes more human and less zombie, he and Julie work on facing a world bent on destroying zombies.
The fact that this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet definitely just dawned on me, but it's true.
Should you read it? I think so - it's a pretty easy read and not really scary or graphic. The book has some adult themes that didn't make it into the movie, but I don't think that detracts from the story. Since I haven't finished the book I haven't decided what version I like better - the book or the movie.
I do know that the movie is going on my birthday list.
The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
By Ridley Pearson
If you love Disney and the idea of magic happening while you're not watching, this book takes you on a thrilling adventure exploiting all of those elements of wonder, suspense and surprise as the main characters discover that perhaps the villains Disney created are in fact real and trying to take over the Park.
Admittedly, I'm not very far into this book, this second (pretty much first) time around, but I am really enjoying it.
I want to go to Disney World so bad. Like. You don't even know. I've never been and it feels like everyone I know has been except for me. I want to go and ride all the rides and eat all the eats and meet all the meets!
And then go to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios.
Satan's Circus, Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial of the Century
By, Mike Dash
It honestly caught my eye as I was looking for a completely different book at the library.
I haven't gotten too far into it because it's kind of a thick read and it's still setting up the exposition. All I know right now is that I'm glad I don't live in New York City in 1900 and the problems they had with political corruption 100 years ago oddly mirror the political scandals happening in NYC today.
Essentially the book is about a New York City Policeman named Charley Becker, who became "the crookedest cop to ever stand behind a shield." This book is explaining the influence of Tammany Hall, what it meant to be a Republican or a Democrat during this time and in NYC, the Vice District and the newly founded NYC police force - which is markedly different than the NYPD we know today.
It's 354 pages (not counting notes and the index) so I might have to check it out from the library again some other time.) Like I said, it's a really thick read, so it gets a little dry.
Mocking Jay
By Suzanne Collins
A month ago I was barely through Catching Fire, but then the trailer for the next movie was released and I didn't want to see any spoilers so I read the second book in a weekend and now I'm on the third.
The first book was super awesome and the second book was pretty exciting in terms of building up the tension between the building revolution and the Capital/President. I'm not completely sold on the third book yet. I definitely think Katniss has been written with realistic reactions and emotions. I don't trust the leader of District 13 any more than I trust President Snow. I'm not too far into the book yet, so nothing really exciting has happened yet. Haymitch is suffering from alcohol withdrawal, Peeta is in the hands of the capital and I don't know who I want to be together... Katniss/Peeta or Katniss/Gale.
Should you read them? (If you haven't yet - clearly I am way behind the ball in terms of trends) yes, but know the books are really violent and gory. Distopian novels seem to be really popular at the moment. I would also recommend Suzanne Collins's other books as well - I really liked the Gregor the Overlander series. Those were fun and exciting with giant talking bats pairing with humans to fight big giant rats.
- Salt, Sugar and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, By Michael Moss
- Graceling, By Kristin Cashore
- Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever, By Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- A Casual Affair, By J.K. Rowling
What are you reading currently? Do you have any other reading suggestions for me?