ReadingOnBecauseIWantTo

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

What started out as a promising novel slowly but surely fell from what could a have been a 5 star rating.

Hex Hall  starts out as a fun, breezy read.  The characters (for the most part) were well developed and believable.

But Ms. Hawkins fell prey to these common YA tropes:

• Group of gorgeous but mean spirited girls, one of whom

• Is dating the main characters crush and

• They try to get the MC to join their elite group

• And there was Slut-Shaming.

• Which was of course directed at previously mentioned mean girls.

So I just kinda got sick of the slut-shaming and for a book about witches and other magical creatures, there was more high school drama then there was magic.

Very different from On the Count of Three and the Shades of London but I like it!

reading this book will make you look at gobblers and any variation of the word look at your thanksgiving terminology a whole new way.

Warning: this is a mouth-watering post and a rapid need of a snack while reading may appear. 

Have a look at 10 cakes inspired by books. Read BookLikers' reviews, grab a book and plan your next literary cake. We'd love to try out some new recipes :) 

Wonder Woman

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 The Fangirl: I've been meaning to read this reboot for a while. Despite all the mixed reactions people have had to the New 52, I've been hearing a lot of great things from people I trust about this new take on Wonder Woman. But I was still on the fence so I waited until my library got a copy of the trade. Now after reading I feel like an ass for waiting for so long, because it is awesome... read more

 BOOKWRAITHS REVIEWS: Wonder Woman Volume 4: War is my first foray into the world of the New 52, and I have to say this graphic novel left me with mixed feelings: some good and some bad. The story itself revolves around Wonder Woman protecting a baby from a group of characters who are desperately seeking it... read more

The Help

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Bloggeretterized: I know, I was late for the party, and one more review might even be irrelevant at this point of the book’s life, but there was so much buzz around this book that I had to check it out and see for myself. The Help for me was a fast read. Once you get hooked and used to all the slang in the book, you’re on your way to finish it... read more 

Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs: The audiobook was great, and had several different narrators, and it was really quite engaging, even for me.  I've seen the movie as well, and the book is a little bit different, but they pretty much follow the same story line... read more

Gone With the Wind

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A Great Book Study: While I was reading the last chapter of Gone with the Wind, I could feel this lump welling up inside my throat, and my eyes became blurry with tears.  I did not want to believe this story was going to end this way.  I wanted to fix Scarlett and Rhett, but that was not possible... read more

The Armchair Librarian: Oh, Gone with the Wind - how you do go on. Seriously, though, this was one of the most difficult books I've read in about five years. Not just because of the length (1,000 pages!), but also because of the subject matter; the main character is so repulsive that you just want to slap some sense of her... read more

Frankenstein 

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kneubeck: Frankenstein is beautifully written. Mary Shelly really has a way with words. I liked this version of the book because it suprised me. I always thought that Frankenstein was old (he is in his early 20s) and that the monster was not able to speak but in fact he can speak quite well. Also, he is not green but yellow-ish... read more

The Realist: Who is the monster? And who is the man? A question that could be answered either way depending on your perspective of things. When I first went into this book, I wasn't expecting much. Considering that I haven't had much experience reading the horror genre, I decided that I couldn't go wrong with a Gothic horror. And I didn't... read more

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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Kate Says: "Reading Is Fun!": This was a favorite book of mine when I was much younger. I used to beg my grandma to read it to me whenever she came over. There's just something about the wonderful artwork, the hands on quality of the book, and of course the story itself of the cute little caterpillar that eats and eats and eats some more until he feels sick and goes into his cacoon to hide and comes out a beautiful butterfly... read more

Harry Potter

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mattries37315: This is the third time I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but the first since finishing Deathly Hallows and first time reading it critically. I've tailored this review in the following in mind: the intended audience for the book (much younger than myself) and it's place in the series... read more

The Book-Addled Brain: Whoa, this series has certainly taken a turn down a very dark and twisted path!  I absolutely loved it, but I've been considering reading this series aloud with my 6 1/2 year old daughter, and if I thought the incident with the unicorn in the first book would upset her, then there's no way I'm unleashing the soul-sucking dementors on her just yet... read more

Narnia

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Lisa (Harmony): Narnia is filled with imagery, imagination, symbolism but above all ideas conveyed through the events of the story. I find that rare in adult literature let alone childrens' literature. I couldn't help but admire how Lewis uses the intricacies of a spell in The Silver Chair to convey the ideas in Plato's of Allegory of the Cave or the echoes of Dante in The Last Battle. There's so much that's rich and wondrous here... read more

Water for Elephants 

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 E.: This is the first book I've ever read where I didn't find a single error. Not one. My hat goes off to Sara Gruen's editing team. The plot is tight, almost too tight; so well plotted that the author kinda shows her hand by building the reveals. Strangely enough, this book reminded me of FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, and I'm sure you'll understand when you read it... read more

Mallory Kellogg, Cat Lady and Author (in that order): Boy, was I surprised! It was wonderful! Usually, the popular books everyone loves I tend to hate. But this was so beautiful. The romance, the imagery, the time period. I knew nothing of circus life, but this was as informative as it was whimsical... read more

Divergent

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MIKELA: Giving in to an impulse to purchase a book without knowing anything about it has the advantage of surprise; the book can be wonderful, a dog with a neat cover or anywhere in between. The story line was inventive and for the first 3/4 of the book I was glued to the pages as I followed our narrator... read more   

Kindle Gal: Knowing I eventually wanted to read this series, I tried to stay away from spoilers and kept myself in a bubble about the movie so I could truly experience it "fresh." But, in the end, it was the movie trailer that got my butt in gear to finally pick up the book. (Hello, Theo James!) I also know about "the big bad thing that happens in Book 3," because the internet doesn't ever shut up... read more 

It

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kerry: What can I say about this chilling masterpiece? Well, I can add that I'm pretty sure most of my generation is afraid of clowns, because of this book/movie. Although, I do remember going to the circus at a very young age and experiencing an old, drunk clown that scared me a bit, but I also saw the movie rather young (that and Killer Klowns from Outer Space)... read more

Dantastic Book Reviews: In 1958, seven kids took it upon themselves to rid the town of Derry of a child killer that took the form of a killer clown.  In 1985, the clown is back and the kids return to Derry to finish what they started... Yeah, I'm a couple decades late to the party on this one.  So what?  Some friends were doing a group read and I decided it was time to tackle this kitten squisher... read more

Enjoy! 

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jezz, why the heck am I picking up another Bradbury? I hate Bradbury (my doctor recommended it to me in case you care). Expect frequent updates about how much I hate it.

Its getting really good

The Angelfire series and I have had a rocky history together. I loved the first book but Wings of the Wicked dragged on and on and on. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. Probably a mix of the first two.

Well whatever I was or wasn’t expecting, Shadows in the Silence blew me away. From page one the plot sucks you in and doesn’t let go. But it was by no means fast paced. But it wasn’t slow either. Shadows used its plot to the best of its ability. It took time to further develop the characters and introduce us to new ones.

And unlike so many sequels, there was down time for the character spread throughout the book so it wasn’t all build up and then ten pages for the climax. This was greatly pleasing because Wings had so much build up reading it was like pulling teeth.

The action sequences were brought to new heights in their detail and pulse-pounding reactions. Whenever Ellie fought a reaper, I got a thrill, knowing I was in for a treat.

Another common complaint I have about novels involving searches for some mysterious relic is the length/build up. They usually take forever and are excruciatingly boring. I honestly don’t know how Courtney managed it, but the search for the Ring of Solomon wasn’t boring in the slightest. Maybe it was all the dead ends and questionable leads that kept me guessing.  (The reaper guarding the statue was hilarious).

Another problem with 3^rd books is weak endings. They go by too quickly or make no sense. Thankfully, the ending of Shadows made sense (for the most part. I’ll get to that in a second) and was quite epic. I was hit with a tidal wave of feels when Ellie ascended.

The only confusing bit was whether Ellie was Gabriel permanently or what. It said that she was an Archangel with a human soul but does that mean that she was Ellie with angel powers of Gabriel with emotions?  

Ahhh so good. I love Cat.

Yessss. Merodach is deeeaadd

Didn't start out to well but its growing on me!

Soooo much better than the second one. that one was so boring and Ellie was a complete mess! She finallyremembered how to be awesome.

Say "Hello" to the upcoming Spring and spring books! Let's start with the nine classic March authors, their quotes, books and BookLikes bloggers reviews.

Ralph Ellison: (March 1, 1914- April 16, 1994) 

Ralph Waldo Ellison  was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953.

Rowena's Reviews:  I really enjoy coming of age books and this one is no exception. It’s hard to really summarize this book because so much goes on. Of course the main issue is about race and how it was for a person of colour living in a racist society at the time... read more

meganbaxter: The writing is hypnotic in Invisible Man and the dread all-pervasive. Every time I sat down to read a bit more, I was sucked into the prose, even though it made me deeply uneasy and worried about what was going to happen next... read more

Chris Blocker - Literary Snob: The story begins with one of the most vivid introductions and jumps into a first chapter that is enthralling. Critics heap praises on the work and compare it to the works of Doestoevsky. Within a year the novel has won the National Book Award. It is perhaps the most eye-opening account of the black experience in America ever written in novel form... read more

Theodore Geisel (March 2, 1904- September 24, 1991)

Theodore Geisel better known as Dr. Seuss was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist. He was most widely known for his children's books written and illustrated as Dr. Seuss.

Ronyell (a.k.a Rabbitearsblog): Dr. Seuss has once again created a truly brilliant and engaging book where each story details the consequences of letting too much pride cloud your good judgment.  I enjoyed all of the stories in this book as each story shows a different take on characters becoming too self-absorbed into themselves in certain situations, such as “Yertle the Turtle” showing the consequences of letting the power go to your head... read more

Isa Lavinia: One of the annoying things about English not being my first language is that I missed out on a lot of popular children's books. And the thing is, when you do get to read them as an adult, you are fully aware you're not experiencing them as you were meant to - there are a great many books beloved by English speaking people which I read and go, "Oh, okay, was that it?" Not the Grinch, though!... read more

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (March 6, 1806- June 29, 1861)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both Britain and the United States during her lifetime.

The English Student: 

Aurora Leigh is a relatively esoteric Victorian verse novel about a woman trying to gain independence and become a writer. It's basically Jane Eyre in verse. Gets a bit tedious at about book 9, but for the most part it is a very interesting poem with some wonderful poetic moments: "Behold! The world of books is still the world". A mixture of social criticism, lyricism and satire... read more

Kenneth Grahame (March 8, 1859- July 6, 1932)

Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films.

Kaethe : 

Yet another classic of children's literature that I didn't discover until adulthood. But this one, I really liked. It inhabits that fictional Edwardian period I love so much, with many of the modern conveniences, and none of the annoyances. Also, in British literature, as in American film and TV, you get adults who don't really work... read more 

Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922- October 21, 1969)

Jean-Louis "Jack" Kérouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. He became an underground celebrity and, with other beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements.

BrokenTune - Reviews & Rants: 

I first read and adored On the Road in my teens , when the ideas of road trips seems pretty cool and the defying defined roles seemed something to aspire to. I would not say that picking up Steinbeck’s novels in the years since that first reading On the Road changed that perception completely... read more

Literary Exploration on Booklikes: While some might think this is a rather boring novel, I tend to think there is so much in the book worth exploring. I like the style and feel of this book, it reminds me of dirty realism and the quest for knowledge and satisfaction in life really hit home for me... read more

Lois Lowry (born March 20, 1937)

Lois Lowry is an American writer credited with more than thirty children's books and an autobiography. As an author, Lowry is known for writing about difficult subject matters within her works for children. She has explored such complex issues as racism, terminal illness, murder, and the Holocaust among other challenging topics.

 Ani's Book Abyss: There's no doubt that I enjoyed reading The Giver; there was an immensely hungry curiosity I felt while reading the book.  Throughout, I had a need to know what was going to happen on every aspect, be it the story, the characters, or even Jonas, himself.  I found myself more and more curious about the story's development and I started asking questions about the society, the community, the world, the people... read more

Hadeer's Ranting: I feel like i took a bite out of a delicious dessert, then someone snatch it, and i am left with the memory of the taste with no way to experience it again.  what I mean it I felt unsatisfied. This is one of those novels that leaves people with conflict feelings and conclusions... read more

Tennessee Williams (March 26, 1911- February 25, 1983)

Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American playwright, author of many stage classics. Williams adapted much of his best work for the cinema, and also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoir.

hippieed perceptions: I loved this book, but then I love Tennessee Williams. It's a very candid look into his personal life that helped shape his work, rather than the work itself. It can be sporadic at times, it jumps from the present to past several times in a chapter, but it comes across as if you are sitting in the room with him as he is reminiscing about his life... read more

Teresa Tumminello Brader: Williams' style didn't stay static. As he said at the time of this production (I'm paraphrasing), he didn't realize at first how far he had departed from realism, long since exhausting 'poetic realism' and now finding that 'German expressionism' (for the sets in particular) was right for his material. He added, "This, after all, isn't twenty years ago."... read more 

Robert Frost (March 26, 1874- January 29, 1963)

Robert Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.

 Munira @ In Vogue with Books:

One word- Awesome. I am not much of a poetry person and very rarely I like them. But I must say Robert Frost| is completely different. Each of the poem seem to represent more than it meets the eye. Poems like "The Road Not Taken", "Out, Out-", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" are simply epic. These poems show grave philosophies of life with subtle hints and deceptively simple lines... read more

Anna Sewell (March 30, 1820- April 25, 1878)

Anna Sewell was an English novelist, best known as the author of the classic novel Black Beauty. Sewell sold the novel to local publisher Jarrolds on 24 November 1877, when she was 57 years of age. Although it is now considered a children's classic, she originally wrote it for those who worked with horses.

 kneubeck: I don't think I have to say much about Black Beauty. I'm sure most of you have seen one of the film adaptions (the 90s version is one of the few films, where Sean Bean doesn't die, btw). It's a beautiful story about a horse and its many owners and fellow horses. If you haven't seen one of the movies, watch one, if you haven't read the book, read it... read more

Sharon E. Cathcart: It has been many years since I read "Black Beauty," the book that set me on the road to my lifelong work in animal rescue and welfare. As an adult, the additional themes of caring and compassion ring throughout Sewell's text... read more