Where does time go? I realized that I've bought and read many good books since the beginning of 2011 but never quite got around to reviewing them... So here we go, my bookish thoughts (yes, good things come in three's):
edit// to clarify, I read all of these in January or February ♥
edit// to clarify, I read all of these in January or February ♥
Keywords: childhood friends, summer, family
Why love: summer, sweet, popsicle
My Thoughts: Fixing Delilah is the epitome of a summer romance, with the slowly blooming romance with the childhood friend to the perfect backdrops. But as cliche as that may sound, the story's beautiful, pure, touching, and genuine, with a sweet message of moving on and facing your fears. Sarach Ockler is an amazing contemporary writer, and just reading Fixing Delilah makes me think of those cherry Popsicles that girl characters always seem to buy and slowly enjoy as they walk along the beach, letting the juice dribble innocently down their chin.
Author Expectations: I liked Twenty Boy Summer more (mainly because I enjoyed the main character more and the plot was a bit more unique), but Fixing Delilah definitely lived up to expectations.
Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst Keywords: magic, Princeton, secrets
Why love: mystical creatures, tiger boy, action
My Thoughts: Not much to elaborate on this one because I think the three aspects I listed just above pretty much summarize Enchanted Ivy. It's a fun, fast-moving book with a delightful sprinkling of fantasy and some very attractive boys. Not particularly stand out, but still a great book I'd recommend.
Author Expectations: The writing style was very different from Ice, so it's a bit hard for me to say. I prefer Ice over Enchanted Ivy because I love, love, love fairy tales, but Enchanted Ivy is a quicker, lighter read
I also interviewed Sarah Beth Durst last summer, but never got to post it up due to life complications. *smack self* But anyways, here is one of the looser parts of the interview, which I asked because Sarah Beth Durst has written three books (Ice, Into the Wild, Out of the Wild) based on fairy tales:
8. Which fairy tale would you choose to be in if you were:
· The princess: Sleeping Beauty (because at least she gets to catch up on her rest)· The prince: Snow White's prince (because nothing bad happens to him, except for having to marry a girl he's never spoken to)· The villain: the witch in Rapunzel (she loses her adopted daughter's love, but she doesn't lose her life or limbs, which means there's still a chance she can redeem herself)· The unsignificant, background character: minor noblewoman in Cinderella (because at least there's a fun party)
Keywords: French Revolution, time travel, finding oneself
Why love: original, fascinating, beautiful writing
My Thoughts: Revolution is truly beautiful, in both writing and the details that Jennifer Donnelly weaves together. I found the characters unique, the settings rich, and the history engaging. However, it is a long book and the plot dragged a bit at times. I'm not going to lie, if you're not one for long descriptions and contemplative moments, Revolution might be too boring for your tastes. That being said, if you do enjoy these things, this is definitely one book that will keep you engrossed for a few hours.
Author Expectations: I read Winter Rose a couple of years ago and distinctly remember enjoying it... *shrug* The main aspect that stands out to me after reading both Winter Rose and Revolution, which is marketed towards YA, is the character age difference, how Revolution's characters remain teenagers and, thus, miss out on some of the "themes" of adult books -- not that its a bad thing, just putting it out there.
Overall, January 2011 was a month of variety and awesome books. I'll probably do another one of these next week and talk about The Vespertine and such, but we'll see. Did you read/enjoy any of these books? :)
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And since I'm on an Asian roll with music, today's song is a Chinese pop song that literally all the Chinese students at my high school know. It's essentially a guy singing that he'll always be there to protect the girl (he'll be her angel, her prince, etc.etc.) who's undergoing some major surgery. Sorry, I obviously need a refresher on the song's premise, and though I make it sound really bland, it's actually very, very sweet. :3
