Top Ten Tuesday #2

 Today's Top Ten Tuesday is about books I'm not so sure I want to read. Basically I will pick ten books I own or have heard of and tell you why I'm suspicious about them.

 

1. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
It seems that everyone hates this book. I’ve basically never heard a good opinion about it. Once I decided that I would give it a shot. The ten in a row one star reviews changed my mind again.


2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
I think that maybe everyone has had mixed feelings about this book. From what I’ve heard it has a stupid storyline and a lot of pornography.
Don’t think I’ll ever get around this one.

3. Inferno by Dan Brown (or basically every other of his books) 
After reading a bunch of his books which had seemingly the same plot you can probably understand my reluctance. I understand that most of them are about the same character and so on. But am I the only one who thinks that he is doing the same thing in every single book. I don't know, I just really got bored by Dan Brown's novels.

4. Small Gods by Terry Pratchet
Only read one of his books and I dare to say that I didn’t like it at all. I’ve had this one  for ages and I just never pick it up. I know that a lot of people love his books so basically I don’t know what my problem is.


5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

That is just a book that I own for which I have absolutely no opinion. I don’t know anything about the writer, nor the book.


6. A Good Day To Die by Simon Kernick
It is basically the same situation with this one too.

7. Misery by Stephen King 
It is not that I'm not sure about this one, I just never came around to reading it, I've read so many of his books and they rarely disappoint so I don't know what my problem is except that  I don't own it.

8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Is it only me? Because since I wasted my time reading ‘Twilight’, I’m never trusting this woman again!


9. The Evil Seed by Joanne Harris
As you probably know I absolutely love Joanne Harris. Her books are amazing and they rarely disappoint. However, this one has always seemed strange too me. And I’ve never came across a copy of this book. That is the main reason I’ve not read it.


10.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 
Shocking you with this one, right? I've read two of his books so far and I like his style. I can't say with certainty why I'm not so sure about this book. Maybe because literally everybody is talking about it and the story sounds a little bit cheesy for me. However, I bought it (because I'm a crazy collector) and I'll definitely give it a chance soon.
 

And that is it. I would be glad to hear some opinions about this books, because I'm sure I could change my mind.

Currently Reading Shelf

So today I'm going to show you what's on my bedside table. I usually read more than one book mainly because I can never decide what I want to read next and I end up with like five books. Anyhow, currently I'm reading only three which are very different from one another. I choose them depending on my mood or just basically whatever I feel like reading.

So you are probably like: 'Whaaat? You're reading George Martin and Candace Bushnell?'
Well, yes, my friend, there should be a book for every mood.

1. Summer and the City - I started reading the trilogy because I absolutely love the the show ('Sex and the City'). It's one of those easy reads you want to take to the beach with you and just relax. And since I'm going on a holiday soon I figured it would be perfect to take it with me. The writing isn't genius though and the story would seem really  stupid to most people, I guess. Anyway, I find it really refreshing but don't go for it if you're looking for something serious and very well-written.

2. Paper Towns - 'Crash Course' is one of my favorite YouTube channels so you can imagine my excitement when I found John Green's books. So far I've read only 'Looking for Alaska' and I really liked it. To be honest, as I started reading 'Paper Towns' at first I though that the two books are very much alike. I found similarities between the two characters (Margo and Alaska) and I was a bit disappointed so I stopped reading it for awhile. Turns out, I was wrong and the two books have almost nothing in common except for John's cunning writing style. The book is funny, sweet and most of all unpredictable which is always a win for me.

3. A Clash of Kings - And last, but certainly not least - a re-read for me. So I read all of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' books a few years back and I was devastated becasue George is not famous for his fast release of sequels. Recently, I watched the show and I realized I missed the books so much. So I bought them in English and started reading them again. I reach for it every once in awhile and it is amazing how many thigs a person can forget from a book. My point is even when you read it for a second time it still can't bore you and if you haven't read them already, do it immediately! 

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Top Ten Tuesday #1

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish! I found it very interesting and thought that it would be good to spice things up a little. 

Today's list should be about top ten books I would give to readers who have never read the certain author, genre or whatever it is that you chose to write about. I decided to present you the amazingly gifted author Joanne Harris. She has very distinctive writing style and I have read many of her novels. Each of them is unique and have its own world.

1. Chocolat - Hands down, one of her best works. I guess many of you have heard of it and I assure you it is worth the hype. I have an advice, though, if you decide to read it make you sure you are surrounded by chocolate because I promise you, you will be drooling.

2. The Girl with No Shadow - This is the sequel to 'Chocolat'. It as interesing as the first book, even more I dare to say as it has mystery and thriller in it. 

3. Peaches for Fater Francis - As you have probably already guessed this is the third book of the series. This one is rather slow paced and to be honest, not what I expected. However, the ending was not disappointing and I think the trilogy is definately a must read!

4. Gentlemen and Players - For me, this one was mind-blowing. I did not see this plot twist coming! It is the sort of book that makes you turn over to the begining to see what clues you might have missed. 

5. Blackberry Wine - Another astonishing novel. The setting in this one is amazing - a little village in France which Joanne's sweet words make sound magical. She often does that - sends you off to a little village in France and makes you dream of her hot chocolate, truffles and sweet wine. That's why I love her.

6. Jigs & Reels: Stories - This is a collection of short stories. I found them immensly readable. If you are searching for an easy read - this one is for you.

7. Blueeyedboy -  This is one of her dark and twisted novels. It has a little thriller with a lot of crazy stuff happening. And the ending is... wow.

8. Five Quarters of the Orange - I read this book so quickly but it was long ago (probably one of the first books by Joanne Harris I've read) and actually I can't remember much of it. I did love it, though, with all its recipes and drooling description of dishes. That is one of the things I absolutely love about this author - she loves food and it is always a huge part of her books.

9. Runemarks - A complete opposite from what I've been rambling about in this post. It involves magic, goblins, gods and all sort of things. To be honest, I'm not very sure about it. Probably because I thought this was not her genre and she could've done better in my opinion. However, it is a quick read and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. 

10. Holy Fools - I admit that I'm cheating a little bit with this last one, because I've not read it yet. I've heard some people rave about it and I've read some good reviews on it so I'll give it a shot. After all, why not, Joanne Harris is definitely not the disappointing type.

The Ultimate Book Tag!

 Today's post is going to be different. I decided not to get all boring with similar post and do a tag.

The Ultimate Book Tag

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car? 
Unfortunately, yes. Actually I always get sick in cars so no reading for me. It’s really frustrating. 

2. Which author's writing style is completely unique to you and why? 
George R. R. Martin. All the way. His books are brilliant and the whole world he invented in "A song of ice and fire" is absolutely amazing.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
Harry Potter without doubt. Hmm, I will not give you 3 points, I will give you a quote by Stephen King: “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.” 

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books...)? 
Nope, I carry my books in my “regular” bag.

5. Do you smell your books? 
Oh my God, yes, all the time (well, that’s weird).

6. Books with or without little illustrations?
Well it depends on the book. Also, I really like little illustrations on the begining of every chapter.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing?
Never happened to me.
 
8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
Once my mom made me read a book about babies and where they come from. That was weird.
 
9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde – 224 pages.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
A Storm of Swords by George Martin – 1200 pages, wow.
 
11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being a writer?
I obviously write on this blog and I write other things occasionally. But no, for the time being I don't see myself as a writer.
 
12. When did you get into reading?
Ever since I was a little girl.

13. What is your favorite classic book?
It's hard to pick one, but maybe Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
 
14. In scool was your best subject Language Arts/ English?
Yes, I did best in English.
 
15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?
Nothing in particular, it's still a book, I would keep it.
 
16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or Hunger Games?
That's a tricky one, I really can't think of one right now.
 
17. What is a bag habit that you always do while blogging?
I tend to go off topic and my thoughts seem scattered.
 
18. What is your favorite word?
Does someone really have a favorite word?
 
19. Are you a nerd, dork or dweeb? Or all of the above?
No, I'm awesome.
 
20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
None.
 
21. Shapeshifters or Angels?
Shapeshifters, angels are boring.
 
22. Spirits or Werewolves? 
Werewolves, spirits scare me, they're closer to real.
 
23. Zombies or Vampires? 
Zombies or the older image of Vampires.
 
24. Love triangle or Forbidden love? 
The second is more romatic, although I'm not much into romance.

25. And finally: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Action- packed. As I said I don't enjoy romatic novels, although I read them from time to time.

This was it, guys. I hope I have not bored you to death with my rambling.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

 

One of the things I enjoy reading the least is crime fiction. Of those criminal novels which I have read most I found boring and very much alike. However this one ceased my attention. If I have to be honest I decided to read it because of the title. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I like books which have captivating titles and I even think that choosing a good one is a very important part of writing a novel. So I bought it on an impulse and I did not regret it for a second.

The first thing I would like to say is that Swedish people are nuts. There, I said it. I mean, you cannot believe how sick this book was at some point. But this is what made it a very good thriller. The characters have very bizarre and unhealthy relationship between them. The main character, the girl with the dragon tattoo obviously, is a messed up girl with not a happy and bubbly past. It makes her a very fascinating character. Her partner is a journalist who digs up in corrupted businessmen and reveals their dirty games. They are both hired by a rich man, leading a big company, to reveal a mystery in his past. Yep, sounds cool and it is in fact really interesting. His granddaughter has vanished years ago and he has spent his lifetime trying to find out what happened to her. In the end all they find out is that this family has a lot of skeletons in its closet and someone is trying very hard to keep the partners away from the truth. Anyway, I won’t get very much into the plot because I am trying to make you read the book, not retell it. My point was that the novel has a very interesting story line which made me stumble over the words. It was very brutal indeed – a lot of killing and raping happened in this book but it is a thriller for a reason.

So if you are a fan of a little mystery this is the book for but I warn you – it is very sick. And by the way I promise that I will try to write about a little less brutal novel. :)