Summer Reading List

Sorry for my relative absence, folks. This is bound to continue over the next few weeks as I will be doing my finals, studying for my finals, packing to move, moving (unless I become homeless, in which case…) well, things just seem to be looking rather stressful for me right now. However, as I am one of those eternally driven to find solutions people, I will continue to stare adversity in the face with an arrow cocked and waiting, okay fine, no, but I shall survive this! Rahr. I find that making lists calms me down so here are twenty books I am determined to read over the summer.

1. Castle in the Air – Diana Wynne Jones
2. House of Many Ways – Diana Wynne Jones

I read and loved Howl’s Moving Castle and since these are sequels and the characters from Howl make an appearance here, I am excited to read about them and be taken on the same adventure as I was with Howl.

3. Pale Demon – Kim Harrison
4. A Perfect Blood – Kim Harrison

I am a huge fan of The Hollows series but for some reason, I haven’t read the last two books. I have them, in all their expensive hardcover-iness. But I just haven’t read them. Hm. I intend to rectify that as soon as possible.

5. Anna Dressed in Blood – Kendare Blake

I know, I know, the next book is coming out soon and I haven’t read this latest one. Rossi’s read this one and I haven’t. I will this summer!

6. The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

Yeah, I haven’t read this one either. I’m atrocious!

7. The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien

The movie’s coming out so I have to read this and get prepared for it! The world had better not end before I watch the movie, yo.

8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson

I’m in the mood for something smart and puzzle-ey. And if the reports are right, this is smart and puzzle-ey.

9. Lolita – Vladimir Nobokov

I’ve had this on my reading pile forever. And I read a bit of the beginning and was entertained so I shall def attempt to read this.

10. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles – Haruki Murakami

It’s been a while since I read a Murakami despite challenging myself to reading all his book. So I shall read this one and prepare myself to be baffled yet again.

11. The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

I actually won an ARC of this during last year’s armchair BEA but have been unable to get to it. My friend, Teng, had nothing but good stuff to say about this so I shall pick it up this summer.

12. Liesl & Po – Lauren Oliver

I like Oliver’s writing but I just don’t like the books she has written so far. Wendy from Midnight Garden gave this a fabulous review so I picked it up.

13. Brida – Paulo Coelho

For a challenge I’m doing.

14. Five Flavors of Dumb – Antony John

Comes recommended by Eden and Rida. They loved it so here’s hoping I will too.

15. The Rebel Prince – Celine Kiernan

The final in the Moorehawke trilogy that I absolutely love. Will have a huge post about it once I’m done.

16. The Book of Wonders – Jasmine Richards

A retelling of 1001 Nights. You can bet that I can’t wait to read this one. It’s middle grade, btw.

17. My Name is Red – Orhan Pamuk

This book is fantastic. I actually got it out from the library but had to return it before I finished it. So I bought a copy. And am still lingering over it.

18. Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lindgren

I shouldn’t even have to explain this one.

19. A Lion Among Men – Gregory Maguire

The third one in the wicked years series. Not as good as the rest but since I want to read the last one, I feel compelled to read this one first.

20. Finnikin of the Rock – Melina Marchetta

I’ve been saving this one. But I think the time has come for it to be read.

Aleeza’s Guest Post: Top Ten Underappreciated Books of 2011

Entertaining you today will be the brilliant Aleeza from Aleeza Reads and Writes. Enjoy her perceptiveness and amazing observations about books that really should have gotten more attention.

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All right, so first of all, I’m so excited to be blogging for Bibliophilic Monologues! Nafiza was the first bookish friend I made on Goodreads, and I’ve been following her lovely, deliciously bookish blog for ages now. But before this turns into a quasi-love letter, I’ll get on with the topic at hand.

You see, I’ve read lots of books this year. Lots as in, ‘more than the combined number of books I’ve read in the last five years.’ Some of them were hyped releases, some of them I just happened to stumble upon—and some of the latter I ended up REALLY liking. So I’m going to highlight the ones I read this year, which also released this year, that I feel should’ve gotten more buzz.

1—Split by Swati Avasthi: Reading about physical abuse is hard. Excruciating, actually, because I live in a place where it happens every day, all around me, even if I don’t see it happen—like my housemaid, for example, gets beaten by her husband even though she’s almost fifty, only because sometimes she gets home a few minutes late, whereas her husband sits home all days and lazes around doing nothing. This book, however, is about two brothers who’ve been broken apart because of their abusive father, and how they have to learn to live through the consequences. It made me cry my eyes out and made me want to hug every single person in this world who’s gone through similar experiences. And I am not a hugger by any stretch of the word, so you know I liked this book a LOT.

2—Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess: So like Split, this book also centers around how a girl’s life has been affected by a Horrible Parent ™. In this case, her mum’s a major druggie—by major I mean SHE’S NEVER, EVER, EVER SOBER—and reading about how she finally fights her way out of all that crap was tough but oh so worth it.

3—The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller: In the vein of tough but beautiful books, this one DEFINITELY deserves a mention. I mean, yeah, so maybe the first half is boring enough to make you almost cry, but once you get through that, you realize just how much of a gem this book, especially if you know of the horrible fate of the last Tsar and his family. (I didn’t. Hey, I never claimed to know much—or anything—about world history.)

4—Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez: Violins, cut-throat musical competitions, hot English competitors you’re not supposed to be attracted to but end up being so anyway, realistic and absorbing mother-daughter relationships…this book’s got it all. It’s short but GRIPPING and just…really grips you. Okay, okay, sorry about the lameness, but this book does just that—grabs you until you get totally sucked into it. Can’t believe it’s the author’s debut!

5—Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis: How can you a resist a book that has an amazeballs combination of the following: Spunky heroine, hilarious dialogue, lovable characters, a wonderfully well-executed plot AND set in Victorian England? Exactly—you can’t! I had no idea I would like this one so much and, can’t wait to reread it before the sequel comes out.

6) How to Save a Life: I don’t know a SINGLE person who’s read this book and not loved it. So I really wish more people would read it and fall in love with it. It’s about so many different things I can’t even begin to try to encapsulate it in a couple of lines—all I can say is that it’s heartbreaking and real and just so very lovely.

7—Ashfall by Mike Mullins: So yeah, a lot of people do in fact know about this book, but I’m including it anyway because LOADS more people should. As far as survival stories, this one’s top-notch.

8—Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson: Let me just tell you right away: THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY. You probably have heard of it, but here’s me recommending anyway to go out and get a copy ASAP. It’s that brilliant.

9—Variant by Robinson Wells: So this may not be the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s just so intriguing and suspenseful and well-executed I’d never hesitate to recommend it. Believe me when I say that the twist in this book will leave you BREATHLESS.

10—Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt: So I’m including this book last because it was actually a NYT Bestseller. Despite that it seems to me that most people in the YA blogosphere haven’t really heard much of it. I can’t really even explain how much I love this book—it’s heartbreaking and just so goddarned beautiful. It’s a historical MG contemporary—I know I just majorly contradicted myself, but I hope you get what I mean—and it’s a must read for EVERYONE. I don’t even read much MG but this one made me realize how awesome it can be if it’s well done.

And because I can’t help it, here’s some other books I also liked that I felt should’ve received more attention:

Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia: Three girls who meet in a Swiss boarding school, all from different cultures, and how their lives intertwine with each others.

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal: A simple yet gorgeous story about a girl falling in love for the first time, and the devastation she goes through when it goes awry.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales: Cute, unique and full of heart.

Clean by Amy Reed: Teens in rehab and their painful pasts and how they learn to live with them.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts: Post-apocalyptic fiction at it’s best. Will most likely result in you hiding under a rock for the rest of your life in fear of earthquakes. Or not.

Always a Witch by Carolyn McCullough: Sequel to Once a Witch, which it improves upon by approximately 17 gajillion notches.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: An atmospheric and absorbing high fantasy with rich imagery and heartfelt characters—including one really hot one. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh.)

Books New On My To-Read List

So hello peoples. I am back. Still not fully because I have one more final left but I have *looks at date* yeah, seven more days before I have to go through that hell so…I shall blog! I thought it would be interesting to share some of the recent additions to my ever-growing to read list (745 and counting, eep!).

Silence – Michelle Sagara

Two things you need to know about M. Sagara: 1) She’s Canadian and 2) She’s an awesome writer. I love her Chronicles of Elantra series which has managed, so far, to achieve the perfect balance between romance and fantasy (some, maybe many, will disagree with me about the romance, it’s okay, I can live with it). Her world building is amazing and if this book is anything at all like The Chronicles of Elantra, I’m going to be a happy reader.

Burnt Snow – Van Badham

This one sounds amazing and because it’s Australian, I’m inclined to believe the raving reviews. However, because it’s Australian, it’s going to take me a while to get my hands on it but I will have it sooner or later. Hurhur. (Do I sound vaguely creepy to you cuz I do to me. :\)

The Sweetest Spell – Suzanne Selfors

I feel vaguely embarrassed by the fact that I have this book on my list simply because it’s so out there. So, it is being marketed as the retelling of The Ugly Duckling but I don’t know… the synopsis does not seem at all similar. Anyway, apparently the protagonist can turn milk into chocolate milk and that makes her really desirable… yeahhh….out there. We’ll see. It might be worth it for the potential lulz.

New Girl – Paige Harbison

So I hear tell that this is the retelling of Du Maurier’s Rebecca of which I am a big fan. So, I was in and lucky enough to grab a copy from Net Galley. I’ll let you know how it is.

And finally

A College of Magics – Caroline Stevermer

High fantasy for the win! Why didn’t I see this before? I can’t wait to get my hands on this.

Lists: High Fantasy in the YA Genre

High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s. (Thanks Wikipedia)

What with all the vampires and other beings of varying sparkliness running around, YA high fantasy tends to get a bit lost. So those of you wanting to sink your teeth into the genre, I have (out of the goodness of my heart, hur) compiled a list of the books I have read and liked.

• The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Rae Carson
  This is has all the ingredients necessary for a good high fantasy novel. Strong female heroine, actions, magic and romance. Sink your teeth into this.
• Burn Bright – Marianne de Pierres
  This one is almost a supernatural fantasy masquerading as a high fantasy novel but I feel that further into the series, we may see how exactly the world differs from ours…what I mean to say is, it’ll get more complex hopefully.
• Witchlanders – Lena Coakley
  A 2011 debut like the Rae Carson book, this one successfully combined fascinating characters with an equally compelling plot. I loved it.
• Blood Song – Rhiannon Hart
  This could also almost be a supernatural but it’s high fantasy. There are lighter elements and vampires but also some staples of high fantasy. I liked it.

 

• The False Princess – Eilis O’Neal
  Readers will recognize some elements of this as the retelling of Cinderella. I, for one, found it a fascinating, well told story about romance, greed, ambition and self-discovery. It was a remarkable debut.
• Brightly Woven – Alexandra Bracken
  This one has one of the most fascinating love interests ever. The hero, so to speak, is one of my favourites in literature.
• Plain Kate – Erin Bow
  If you haven’t heard about this one by now, you must have been living under a rock. A big rock. You need to get out and go get this book. Taggles is the Master.
• Star Crossed – Elizabeth C. Bunce
  This one is also a very engaging high fantasy with magic, kings, romance and mystery. Did I mention action? I loved it.

• Eon – Alison Goodman
  You didn’t think I could plug high fantasy novels without naming Eon, right? But I’ve already gabbed about it enough, you should read it already.
• The Naming – Alison Croggon
  This is for all those readers who like their high fantasies complex. This is an intricate and exquisite narration, similar to the epics such as Lord of the Rings. Obviously, it’s breadth is not that expansive but it is similar in feel and sobriety. I loved it. It is so gorgeously told, so involved and the world building, character development and the plot so…epic.
• Sabriel – Garth Nix
  I need to reread this series. It’s one of those that leaves you a bit wonderstruck at the end of each book.

Top Ten @ Bibliophilic Monologues

Okay, so usually I reserve Sundays for an IMM/Checked Out post but since I’ve cut back on spending on books and going to the library all that much, I suddenly have a day free. I could post a review but I seriously don’t have the energy to write one. So, it’ll be a top ten (whatever of my choice). It may or may not be book related but it will always be a top ten.

Nafiza’s Top Ten Contemporary Novels

These are my recent top ten contemporary YA novels. What are yours?

“Here Be Dragons” – A List of Some Awesome YA Books Dealing with Dragons

So considering I read Eona and then Flying Blind almost together and both of them were awesome in very different ways, I figure I’d compile a list of Dragon-ey books for your pleasure. If, indeed, dragons are your things. These are actually not the only ones I have read but they are the only ones I remember.  Please feel free to suggest any that you think I may have missed.

I shouldn’t have to say more about this, right? I mean, I have said more than enough. More than anyone should or could.

I’ll be posting the review to this later on but let me tell you, this is going to be an amazing series. I had a lot of fun reading this. It’s already out so get your hands on it and read it!

Doesn’t this look amazing? I think it looks amazing. And I’m usually right. Haha. I’m joking. But yeah, this is full of dragoney delight.

This is a bit more sober in tone and plot but it’s about dragons so…

The Chronicles of Elantra. Not strictly YA but close enough that it isn’t too much of a difference. This is a fantastic series and the Dragons are hot and big bad bosses in this one. I love it.

A Manga series called Two Flowers for the Dragon. The Dragon Girl has two fiances and her feelings for each one manifests itself on her body in the form of a tattoo – two tattoos for two guys. So whichever flower (I think a rose and something else) has more buds… is bigger wins the girl. It’s pretty hilarious but also has some serious undertones. The art is lovely too. And hey, dragons!

Reading Recs #1

I don’t know about you guys but I really love coming upon new titles to add to my To Read List (which is at 603 and growing). So I figure that today I will recommend some titles to you that you may have already read or might seeing for the first time. The books I choose to spotlight this time round are not necessarily the most popular but they all have one thing in common: each of them offers something substantial to the read. Something that will have you thinking long after the last page has been turned.

Synopsis:

In the far future, time is considered so precious that it’s a criminal offense to waste it. The dreaded Ticktockman (he hates it when people call him that) enforces the law. But then the man known only as The Harlequin came into the picture.

Wiki Entry (yes, it warrants its own entry.)

This is a short read. I think it’s more or less around 50 pages. But its length does not in any way lessen its effect on the reader. There is a reason it was awarded the prizes it was.

Synopsis:

Mia Winchell seems to be a typical teenager, but shes keeping a huge secret from everyone who knows her: sounds, numbers, and words appear in color for her. Mia has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. When trouble in school forces Mia to reveal her condition, her friends and family can’t relate to her, and she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation for her gift. Spiced with wit and humor, A Mango-Shaped Space is a poignant coming-of-age novel that will intrigue readers long after theyve turned the last page.

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How often do you come across a book that deals with synesthesia? The subject is fascinating and the author handles her characters with grace. The vulnerability apparent in her characters will evoke a response from you too. It’s impossible not to empathize even if you find it really difficult to understand.

Synopsis:

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope.  But she soon learns the unthinkable truth:  she has been sold into prostitution.

An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning.  She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt-then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.

Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape.  Still, she lives by her mother’s words-Simply to endure is to triumph-and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world.  Then the day comes when she must make a decision-will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?

Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.

I dare you to read this and not feel empathize. This is such a strong book, you guys. It was not easy to read knowing what lay ahead for this girl but it was almost impossible to stop reading. This is the reality that some women have to face and I, for one, could not ignore it just because it offended my sensibilities. I felt rage and then disgust and then some more rage. I think I’m still raging. I think everyone should read this book simply because we owe it to all the real life Lakshmis out there whose stories never make it to print.

Synopsis:

It is 1959, Damascus. The most famous storyteller in Damascus, Salim, the coachman, has mysteriously lost his voice. For seven nights, his seven old friends gather to break the spell with their seven different, unique stories — some personal, some modern, some borrowed from the past. Against the backdrop of shifting Middle Eastern politics, Schami’s eight characters, lost to the Arabian nights, weave in and out of tales of wizards and princesses, of New York skyscrapers and America. With spellbinding power, Schami imparts a luscious vision of storytelling as food for thought and salve for the soul, as the glue which holds our lives together.

Think Arabian Nights and then sort of play with the settings until you get Damascus Nights. Rich in flavour and deeply folkloric, this story – well the collection of the stories are reminiscent of those nights before TV and the internet, back when families used to actually talk to each other and tell stories. It’s a beautiful addition to your library. Schami is an adept storyteller and he will have you reading the book more than once.

Synopsis:

The journals of a troubled fifteen-year-old boy who lives with his father and emotionally and physically abusive stepmother and her children after the death of his own mother years ago.

This story by James Deem is at parts poignant and at parts hopeful. It doesn’t always make sense but then again, it doesn’t always have. It’s an expression of a self that is at that point only semi-coalesced.