I saw this book at work and it sparked my curiousity so I had to buy it and read it. It was a really fast read, I finished it in less than a week only reading it during my breaks at work.
I'm not sure that I agree with everything Farley said in his book, but he did make some really interesting points. I think in some ways he takes part of the old testament too literally, but as I said, he does make some really good points where the Old Testament laws are concerned. It's made me curious enough to try to read through Hebrews sometime soon and decide what exactly I think it's saying.
If you're a believer struggling with some of the more institutionalized beliefs of Christianity you might find this book interesting. Even though you may not agree with everything Farley says (and like I said, I'm not sure I do) it will make you think.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Vampire Diares, The Return: Nightfall by LJ Smith
This book was the first of a new series in the Vampire Diaries saga, which picks up shortly after Dark Reunion left off. However, this novel was not nearly as good as the first few books of the series.
I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was the lack of consistency. The original series was written in the early 90s, and takes place in the early 90s. This book was just published over the summer and instead of taking place in the same year as the previous book, it's written as if it takes place this year. There's reference to video cell phones, a new century and of things that wouldn't have been referenced in the early 90s. Even though there's nearly 17 years between the publishing of these books, the most recent one should still take place in the same time period in order to be consistent.
The other thing that bothered me was that this book was much more fantastical than the previous books. I know they're all dealing with vampires and such, but this one was really out there and didn't seem as realistic as the first novels did. The writing also didn't seem quite as good this time around. I'm hoping maybe things will improve with the next book in the series, but I'm not getting my hopes up. If you really like the series, I recommend not reading this book, it might ruin things for you.
I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was the lack of consistency. The original series was written in the early 90s, and takes place in the early 90s. This book was just published over the summer and instead of taking place in the same year as the previous book, it's written as if it takes place this year. There's reference to video cell phones, a new century and of things that wouldn't have been referenced in the early 90s. Even though there's nearly 17 years between the publishing of these books, the most recent one should still take place in the same time period in order to be consistent.
The other thing that bothered me was that this book was much more fantastical than the previous books. I know they're all dealing with vampires and such, but this one was really out there and didn't seem as realistic as the first novels did. The writing also didn't seem quite as good this time around. I'm hoping maybe things will improve with the next book in the series, but I'm not getting my hopes up. If you really like the series, I recommend not reading this book, it might ruin things for you.
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by LJ Smith
I don't want to say too much about these two stories in the Vampire Diaries saga, as it might give away too much if you haven't read the first two books yet. The Fury picks up right where The Struggle left off, with everyone dealing with the fallout from the events of that book. Then Dark Reunion picks up several months after The Fury and is told mostly from Bonnie's point of view (one of Elena's best friends).
While The Fury fit in easily with the first two books of the series, Dark Reunion felt like an almost completely separate story, and is the only one with a time lapse in between. I felt like The Fury was the end of the interesting story; Dark Reunion just wasn't as good. However, if you've read the first book (or two books if you have separate volumes and not the combined version) I recommend reading this one as well, as The Fury ties up the loose ends from the first two.
While The Fury fit in easily with the first two books of the series, Dark Reunion felt like an almost completely separate story, and is the only one with a time lapse in between. I felt like The Fury was the end of the interesting story; Dark Reunion just wasn't as good. However, if you've read the first book (or two books if you have separate volumes and not the combined version) I recommend reading this one as well, as The Fury ties up the loose ends from the first two.
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Strugge by LJ Smith
Once again I've fallen into the trap of pop culture. I watched the first episode of the new CW series and was curious enough that I picked up the books and read the entire series before the next episode.
This book actually contained the first two books of the series, The Awakening and The Struggle. And after reading the books it's apparent that the series is only loosely based on the books, as there are a lot of differences between the two. I think it might actually be more interesting if they followed the books a little closer. There's a lot of good stuff that happens in the book that hasn't in the series. I realized we're only 3 episodes in, but there are some things, such as how Elena and Stefan finally get together that are much more interesting in the book.
When I first started reading these books I thought I was going to hate them, mostly because I hated Elena's character at first. When the series first starts she's selfish, snobby, stuck-up and self-centered and only wants Stefan for the challenge. As the series progresses though she becomes much more generous and caring.
Another thing I found interesting as I read these books was just how much Stephenie Meyer borrowed from this series when writing Twilight. The early relationship between Elena and Stefan is so similar to Bella and Edward because Stefan tries to avoid Elena and even acts harshly, despite his attraction to her. This doesn't change until Stefan has to rescue Elena from an incident involving another character, coincidentally named Tyler. There are many other things I found similar between the two series, but won't go into here.
Overall this wasn't a bad book. It's not the best book I've read, but it was interesting and a quick read. It was compelling enough that it was hard to put down once I started reading, and I continued reading through the whole series fairly quickly. If you enjoyed the Twilight books you'll probably enjoy this, which was a forerunner to the Meyer series, although I think Meyer's writing is a little more polished than Smith's.
This book actually contained the first two books of the series, The Awakening and The Struggle. And after reading the books it's apparent that the series is only loosely based on the books, as there are a lot of differences between the two. I think it might actually be more interesting if they followed the books a little closer. There's a lot of good stuff that happens in the book that hasn't in the series. I realized we're only 3 episodes in, but there are some things, such as how Elena and Stefan finally get together that are much more interesting in the book.
When I first started reading these books I thought I was going to hate them, mostly because I hated Elena's character at first. When the series first starts she's selfish, snobby, stuck-up and self-centered and only wants Stefan for the challenge. As the series progresses though she becomes much more generous and caring.
Another thing I found interesting as I read these books was just how much Stephenie Meyer borrowed from this series when writing Twilight. The early relationship between Elena and Stefan is so similar to Bella and Edward because Stefan tries to avoid Elena and even acts harshly, despite his attraction to her. This doesn't change until Stefan has to rescue Elena from an incident involving another character, coincidentally named Tyler. There are many other things I found similar between the two series, but won't go into here.
Overall this wasn't a bad book. It's not the best book I've read, but it was interesting and a quick read. It was compelling enough that it was hard to put down once I started reading, and I continued reading through the whole series fairly quickly. If you enjoyed the Twilight books you'll probably enjoy this, which was a forerunner to the Meyer series, although I think Meyer's writing is a little more polished than Smith's.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
One of my all-time favorite books is The Time Traveler's Wife, so naturally when I heard the author, Audrey Niffenegger, would be coming out with a new novel at the end of September I got really excited. I was even more excited when I got my hands on an advanced copy of said novel. (Sometimes I really love my job!)
I loved this book almost immediately; I loved the almost gothic feel and the characters were interesting and quirky. As a big fan of almost anything supernatural, I also enjoyed the ghost-story aspect of this book. Overall it was interesting and well told ... until the end.
As much as I love Audrey Niffenegger's writing style, I must say that I didn't really love the ending of this novel. It felt a little rushed and awkward to me. It was great right up until the very last chapter, then I just felt kinda meh, this is how it ends? It was a little disappointing, although I'm not sure it completely ruined the book. I would recommend at least giving it a try, perhaps you'll view the ending differently from me.
I loved this book almost immediately; I loved the almost gothic feel and the characters were interesting and quirky. As a big fan of almost anything supernatural, I also enjoyed the ghost-story aspect of this book. Overall it was interesting and well told ... until the end.
As much as I love Audrey Niffenegger's writing style, I must say that I didn't really love the ending of this novel. It felt a little rushed and awkward to me. It was great right up until the very last chapter, then I just felt kinda meh, this is how it ends? It was a little disappointing, although I'm not sure it completely ruined the book. I would recommend at least giving it a try, perhaps you'll view the ending differently from me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
