I used to feel differently. If I started a book, I would finish it no matter what.
Reading is good for my soul. It helps keep me juiced up and ready to write my own stories and it keeps me entertained in ways that nothing else can. I can 'cast' whoever I want
as the main characters instead of having that done for me, like in the movies. (and yes, many times the same face shows up over and over again. *koff* Matt Damon *koff) And I'll admit, if I pick up a book that doesn't do it for me, it makes me more determined to write better. My goal is to entertain and hopefully, create an emotional reaction of some kind (hopefully the good kind).Right now, I'm reading Gena Showalter's The Darkest Night and boy has she pulled me in with Lord of the Underworld #1: Maddox. HOT. Matt Damon is not playing the part of Maddox. Vin Diesel is....sorry, I digress. Anyway, this book is available for preorder or if you want your chance to win a free advance copy, check out fellow Ficitonista Kristen Painter's blog today.
Another fab contest is going on over at my friend Marley Gibson's group blog, Books, Boys, Buzz. Pop over, comment, and qualify to win two fab books!
I just finished Stephenie Meyer's New Moon and I was so disappointed--especially after LOVING Twilight the way I did. But I'm not giving up on the series. Mainly because Meyer made me fall in love with Edward. Yesterday, I downloaded Eclipse to my iPod and I'm listening every morning while I walk. I figure it's almost 16 hours, so that's some good exercise time. :)
So, what have you been reading lately? Anything super fab or disappointing?
Bad fiction also inspires me out of writer's block sometimes. It makes me say, "I can do better than that."
ReplyDeleteI am reading...Prom Nights from Hell in the kitchen. The Luxe on my ebookwise, and am about to start the JR Ward series that everyone loves that somehow got past me. Also, I am hoping to get that Showalter arc.
I'm about to read Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (I think that's her name) and then I'm going to dive into my TBR pile while on vacay.
ReplyDeleteI'm ready "Nothing to Fear" by Karen Rose right now. Should hopefully finish before I leave for SCBWI this weekend. I hope to start Rosemary Clement-Moore's "Prom Dates from Hell" on the flight to SCBWI.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great post. I'm inspired by bad, writing, too--just as much as I am by good!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the ARC of Stephenie Meyer's The Host, actually.
Oooh, Rhonda, is the aRC from the woman at Hachette?
ReplyDeleteHow can I contact her? (Email me please!)
I was so very disappointed in Meyer's trilogy, especially because I loved (LOVED) Twilight. Will that stop me from buying the next book? Probably not.
ReplyDeleteI devoured Twilight and gave up early on New Moon. Whiney.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Wide Sargasso Sea because it's about Bertha and Rochester before Jane Eyre which I finally read recently and adored, adored, adored. Not sure what I'm reading after that. My TBR pile is TOWERING.
I think New Moon probably could've been skipped altogether. It just didn't have enough conflict to sustain the book. (especially such an epic!) What it had way too much of (imnsho) was whiny, martyrdom. Good God. Enough. But, like I said, I loved (LOVED) Twilight so much that I want to find out how Edward gets his HEA. *SPOILER* (notice I didn't say Bella? You know it's a bad thing when you're hoping the heroine doesn't survive her cliff dive...)
ReplyDeleteI pretty much hated Jacob.
ReplyDeleteI've just finished The Darkest Night. It's fabulous!! I gave Twilight to my daughter, but I think I'm going to take it back to read:)
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Be Still My Vampire Heart by Kerrelyn Sparks. It's the third in the series and I'm liking it but I had a way different image of the hero in this story than how he's being portrayed here. A bit distracting for me but still a good story. :)
ReplyDeleteI must be the only person in the world who absolutely loved New Moon. Granted, it wasn't Twilight, but I honestly don't think it was meant to be. I'm all for Edward and Bella's HEA, however I think it's essential for Bella to have seen all sides of the coin and to really know her options.
ReplyDeleteForever, as romantic as it might seem, is a long time. Especially when you're only seventeen/eighteen years old. And we're not talking til death to us part here. It's far beyond that. Immortality is not something to take lightly and I think that's what Meyer was trying to do with the introduction of Jacob Black.
I really like him (maybe not for Bella), but as a person, I could see why he'd be good for her. He's normal. A teenager who he lets Bella be young and reckless and lets her experience life. He's a good alternative. In the end, I want her to choose Edward because I know she really loves him, but I think her dependency on him can be somewhat unhealthy.
Either way, I think the story shines as a character study of a young girl. It truly captures how soul shattering teenage love can be. It's not all romance. There's terrible heartache too. That's what I liked about it. :)
Isabelle,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Jacob plotline. What I didn't like was Bella. She was so whiny and stuck on being this overdramatic martyr that she came across as completely 2 dimensional. She got a little better in Eclipse--almost. But even during that book, the only thing that kept me reading was the secondary characters and the external conflict.
I really hope Jake 'imprints' in New Dawn because I like him and I want him to find his true love. And I just want Bella to jump off a cliff and not survive. I just haven't bought into Bella's angst all the way and I just don't find her believable.