Lucas1138 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Being in law school (and business school now) I don't really have a lot of time for recreational reading from August to May. When I do get some time to sit and read I, for the most part, prefer to pick non-fiction that I can tear through in a day or so. Mindless stuff. It's me giving back to my brain for the 9 months of the year I spend reading about Torts, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Real Estate Law, and so on and so forth. I like reading stuff that will soon be turned into movies because that's another pastime of mine (that I actually can partake in during the school year). Here's what I've taken down in the last month+ A Dance With Dragons - most recent Game of Thrones bookDivergentInsurgentAllegiantThe Fault in Our StarsWool (Books 1-5 of the Silo series)The Maze Runner Certainly none of that is too heavy, but it's the most reading I've done since law school started probably. Young Adult lit doesn't bother me (clearly!), like I said if the overall story is decent and the writing itself isn't terrible I can usually tolerate it for a few hundred pages- and given my reading speed and busy-ness level, translates to a 24 hour period of time or so generally lol. ADWD doesn't fall into that category obviously. I got a little "over" the Divergent series about halfway through Insurgent and am still not sure I actually liked the series as a whole. Divergent was good though. The Fault in Our Stars was a single afternoon pool read. The dialogue was pretty terrible but the story was 'cute' enough and it gave me a conversation starter with the 200 girls I know that read the book. Wool was actually pretty good, and more "adult" in nature - and there some legitimately tense, and well-written action scenes to boot. Aside from the Ice and Fire books, I'd recommend that one first. Maze Runner was also "okay." Once it became apparent that I was being dragged along to the end of the book and we were clearly headed for a sequel with no real resolution it was a little frustrating. The characters aren't particularly great, the story isn't particularly great. I'm undecided if I'll continue on with the series or just wikipedia it to find out what happens. I don't have anything on the docket at the moment (if I don't tough out the rest of the Maze Runner series), but I did pick up a few books for 99 cents on my Nook the other day including: 12 Years a Slave, Frankenstein, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, and some large Shakespeare collection. I've got a collection of Vonnegut short stories as well as some Hemingway book as well. A little different than what I've been reading but the brain could use a break from the dystopian/young-adult monotony. Oh, this was my once annual Book Club post. I'll check in on this thread in a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I'm laughing a little at "easy-to-read" and Dracula appearing in the same thread. Good luck with that! I've been considering picking up The Fault in Our Stars so I can see the movie someday, but it may not be soon. Unless I find a cool bookstore on vacation that deserves money but has nothing else for sale. Which may not be impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Jade Skywalker Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 If you like YA, you should try Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Wool is on my list. I read the first part for free and then bought the bundle when it was on sale, but haven't read much lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I don't think either book I'm reading right now qualifies: The Iron King by Maurice Druon and a GRE study book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.CAllen Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Careful with that Nook while you're near that pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Man, I love reading by the pool. Sadly I have no access to one unless I'm at my in-laws, which is quite a trip. That won't stop me from reading though. I am taking my Kindle with the latest Outlander book and some random audio books on vacation this week. Yay for reading instead of working! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 I decided to (at least) temporarily skip out on the rest of the Maze Runner series and started reading 12 Years a Slave. That's a little different from the past month. It's not hard reading but it certainly isn't light reading. I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm only 60 pages in and I stop every 5 pages or so and just shake my head. He delivers some very powerful imagery and conveys his emotions... painfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 12 Years a Slave was awesome, though not necessarily gripping in an "oh my gosh I have to finish this!" kind of way. It's just a powerful story. I finished Gone Girl this afternoon and damn. That was terrific! Seeing the movie trailer inspired me to check the book out and once I got about 100 pages in, I cruised through the rest in a couple of reading sessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good God a Bear Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Check out The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. Great book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I really enjoyed Gone Girl as well! Sadly, my vacation was an active sightseeing one this year so I didn't finish my traditional 5-7 books. I will check out the Yancey one, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Just finished up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Loved it. At least as much as Gone Girl actually. It's got a great hook and the story never once stalls. It's kind of similar to The Prestige/The Illusionist in that it deals with competing magicians (but the story is a lot more far reaching than that), so if you liked either of those movies I'm sure you'd at least like the subject matter of this. The Night Circus is a phantasmagorical fairy tale set near an ahistorical Victorian London in a wandering magical circus that is open only from sunset to sunrise. Le Cirque des Rêves, the Circus of Dreams, features such wonders and "ethereal enigmas" as a blooming garden made all of ice, acrobats soaring without a net, and a vertical cloud maze where patrons who get lost simply step off and float gently to the floor. The circus has no set schedule, appearing without warning and leaving without notice. The circus serves a darker purpose beyond entertainment and profit. The magicians Prospero the Enchanter and the enigmatic Mr. A.H— groom their young proteges, Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, to proxy their rivalry with the exhibits as a stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I listened to that one solely because Jim Dale did the reading and also loved it! It's a great audio book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 I really really loved it. My favorite parts were back to back in the book: 1) When Bailey and Poppet reunite and spend the evening together at the Circus and 2) When Celia stays after one of the dinners and talks to Marco, both finally totally aware of the other person's involvement in the Challenge. I don't know what it was in particular about those two parts, but they were just so sweetly written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 12 Years a Slave was awesome, though not necessarily gripping in an "oh my gosh I have to finish this!" kind of way. It's just a powerful story. I finished Gone Girl this afternoon and damn. That was terrific! Seeing the movie trailer inspired me to check the book out and once I got about 100 pages in, I cruised through the rest in a couple of reading sessions.Gone Girl is awesome. The Divergent series was pretty meh. First book was great, second was schizo, third was just poo down the drain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Ahh! It's Copper! Good to see you 'round these parts! And I agree with all of your assessments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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