Book 17: Every Boy's Got One by
Meg Cabot - 328 pages
I always try to read at least one Meg Cabot book a year (she seems to churn out about ten annually!). This was a fun little read, about a cartoonist named Jane who agrees to go to Italy to act as witness when her best friend and her fiance elope. Along for the ride is the best mate of the fiance, a guy named Cal, who immediately rubs Jane up the wrong way. Of course, as with all Meg Cabot books, this is not necessarily the be and all of their relationship. As much as I love Meg's book, her main characters are all very alike (which is probably why she can churn them out so fast!). Jane is similar to Mia from Princess DIaries, Jean from Jinx, Heather from Size 12 is not Fat etc (I think those names are correct). The more I read of them, the more obvious this is, which I why I don't tend to read too many of them any more. Having said that, I did get a real kick out of the style of this one, as the story was told through journal entries, PDA entries, emails, menus etc. It was very funny and made it very easy to read, as the inner dialogue of some of the characters got boring after awhile. All in all I enjoyed it mroe than most of the books I've read this year, even if just for the fun fluff!
17 / 50 books. 34% done!6846 / 15000 pages. 46% done!
Book 18: My Steve by Terri Irwin - 270 pages
Being not just an Australian, but a Queenslander (the home of Australia Zoo - its about an hour drive from where I live), losing Steve Irwin was one of those moments I will never forget - a moment that struck a cord, even though we Australians often ridiculed Steve for his 'crickey, mate, she's a beauty!' as stereotyping us (just for the record, I think I've said 'crickey' about three times in my entire life - I do use 'mate' a lot though). I'd been to Australia Zoo once before his death, and have been twice since (my family spends my birthday up around that part of Queensland, so I went two birthdays in a row!). And after reading this book, I know next time I go will appreciate it far more than I ever have before. Reading about the love between Steve and Terri and the hardships they faced, as well as their never-ending determination to solider on for the sake of the animals they were trying to protect, just brough home to me how unfairly they were treated and Terri, Bindi and Robert are still treated. Terri isn't a stellar writer, but it that in itself that makes this book all the more endearing. I don't think you have to be a fan, or even really like, Steve Irwin to enjoy this book. I do think you, like me, will come out of this with a whole new respect for Steve Irwin.
18 / 50 books. 36% done! 7116 / 15000 pages. 47% done!Book 19: The Looking Glass Wars by
Frank Beddor - 376 pages
*Some spoilers but I can't help myself. Most of its on the blurb anyway!*
This is a re-read, and one of my most favourite books! I absolutely adore the Looking Glass Wars and am so excited (and yet a little sad!) for the finale, Arch Enemy, to be released in October! Seeing as I haven't read the book in full since I first picked it up in early 2007, I thought I'd better re-read it and Seeing Redd (the second book) before Arch Enemy comes out. I also recently purchased the graphic novel that outlines the story of Hatter Madigan's adventures in our world looking for Alyss, so I thought I'd better get my head into gear for that too. Basically, the Looking Glass Wars puts forward the premise that Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is all lies, a re-telling put together by Carroll after his conversations with the adopted Alice Liddell about her time in her previous home, Wonderland. In Wonderland, Alyss, as her name is spelt (I've always said that my first daughter will have Alyss as her middle name, spelt as it is in LGW, simply cause I love the character so much!), is Princess, set to inherit the throne from her mother Genevieve, and believed to one day become the most powerful Queen Wonderland has ever had. Wonderland is a Queendom, a wonderful place, as implied by its name, where Imagination is the cornerstone of life. However, on her seventh birthday, Alyss's mother and father are murdered by her evil Aunt Redd, and Alyss is sent to our world under the protection of her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan. Unfortunately, Hatter and Alyss are seperated, and for thirteen years, Hatter struggles to find Wonderland's long lost princess. Alyss on the other hand, is adopted by the Liddells and belitted by all for her stories of her long lost home.
LGW is by no means a 'nice' story - it is violent and sad, its main characters, encompassing the awesome group of Alyss, Dodge Anders, Hatter, General Doppelganger (or Generals Doppel and Ganger depending on circumstance), Bibwit Harte, the rook, the knight and Homburg Molly, go through hell to battle Redd and the Cat (an evil incarnation of the Chesire Cat - now I know why it is that I hate cats!). And yet at the same time the story is a wonderful adventure, hopeful and bright and downright hilarious! I ended up reading this book to my Mum and sister one afternoon and evening in full simply cause with every chapter, my Mum would be like 'go on, go on, what happens next?' It's the kind of book you can't put down, and upon a second reading, and knowing what happens to certain characters in book 2, I was able to pick up a lot of little hints that Beddor drops along the way - to me the mark of a good storyteller! It is, purely and simply, one of my most beloved books and as I know Frank Beddor is working on a film adaption, I know that while the story may end in October with Arch Enemy, at least for a few more years, the universe willing, I will get to enjoy my favourite story in all its film glory.
All in all, a book I think everyone should read, simply because its so clever!
19 / 50 books. 38% done!
7492 / 15000 pages. 50% done!Currently reading:
- From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology edited by
Lawrence Cahoone - 600 pages
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 2: The One Tree by
Stephen Donaldson - 472 pages
- Fatal Voyage by
Kathy Reichs - 432 pages
- Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars - Volume 1: Issues 1-4 by Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier; illustrated by Ben Templesmith - 171 pages
And coming up:
- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - 620 pages
- The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory - 486 pages
- Next by Michael Crichton - 540 pagesI am currently trying to read Fatal Voyage but keep getting bored with it and putting it down and picking up something else - it has to be the most boring Kathy Reichs book yet. But I will solider on! As for that Postmodernism Anthology I am still reading it - its a very time-consuming book to read - so far I'm about 410 pages in, so maybe sometime next year I'll actually finish it!
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