October Reading Plans

     At the end of last month, I set out with big plans for my October reading list. I was really excited to spend the entire month lost in creepy, eerie, and spooky books. I love being scared around Halloween and I think that books can really get you into the holiday mood. I took to the interwebs and begged for suggestions from my subscribers/followers and managed to get together a list of 10 books that were perfect for the month and, for the most part, that I already learned. For the last few days of September, I could barely contain myself and not start my list early. Yet, as soon as October arrived, I suddenly had no time or energy to read. My October Spooktacular List has not one title checked off, which is really disappointing because I put a lot of thought in picking out the books. I still haven't announced my winners from the Kick-Off October giveaway, either. Plus, I have two scheduled posts (that are already written) waiting to go up on the blog. One is a series review of Percy Jacjson and the Olympians and the other is my review of Divergent. Hopefully these will be up tomorrow.
     So, what happened in this month that prevented me from accomplishing my goals? To start, the beginning week of October was the last week of school before Fall Break so I was swamped with last minute work. Certainly not a situation conducive to reading. The second week of October, which was Fall Break, wasn't a very good reading week either because I spent the entire week picking up overtime at work so I could officially start the Theresadan Wedding Fund. Then this last week, when there was finally nothing standing in the way of me and my TBR list, I got sick. I don't get sick very often and on the rare occasion that I do get sick it's usually nothing bad, just a small head cold or something like this. This time, however, I got really sick. I was simultaneously fighting a double-ear infection, five-day migraine, and the flu. I can't remember a time that I felt so bad. I ended up missing half of my classes and suffering through work. My throat was swollen so much that I couldn't eat and I ended losing ten pounds, at last count. Thankfully, I seem to be getting better. My throat isn't as sore and my headache is completely gone.
     For the rest of the month, therefore, I will be playing catch up. I still have my plans set to finish my list from the beginning of the month in the next eight days. Eight days to read my books, and review them! I think that I probably won't accomplish this but I like to set my goals high. With that said, I'd like to list out my reading goals for the rest of the month:

1. Dracula (for the readalong at A Literary Odyssey)
2. The  Dead Tossed Waves
3. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
4. 30 Days of Night
5. Grimm Brothers, select stories
6. Edgar Allen Poe, select stories
7. Frankenstein ( I'm about half-way through this one)

I'd also list to get up my reviews for Percy Jackson and Divergent.

     Oh, boy! I do have quite the week ahead of me. Wish me luck!

Happy Halloreading!

The Book Nook



The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Summary: Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?



This book was the perfect hybrid of dystopia and mystery. There was just the right amount of suspense to keep me going. I literally had to keep reading because I needed to know what was going to happen. If you're looking for a page-turner, this is a novel I highly recommend. I've been on a dystopia kick this past year and of the many dystopia novels I've read, this one is definitely up there in terms of favorites. The plot is amazing and is always moving, the characters are versatile and fairly well devloped, and the setting is frickin' awesome. The characters and the Glade were definitely the best part of this book. Also, the mystery surrounding the whole plot keeps the book moving along nicely. I can't wait to read the sequel, The Scorch Trials, and the conclusion to the trilogy, The Death Cure, which is out next month. This is definitely one to pick up!

Thanks for reading!
Theresa
The Book Nook

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

The Book Nook's Top Ten Books That:

I Need to Read Already!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday features the Top Ten books that everyone has read but me. There are many so be prepared.

1. Divergent- Veronica Roth (Don't worry its on my immediate TBR).

2. Bumped- Megan McCafferty

3-6. The Mortal Instruments Series- Cassandra Clare

7. Beauty Queens- Libba Bray (Some stupid spoiler spoiled the ending so now I'm waiting until I forget what happened to read it).

8-10. The Iron Fey Series- Julie Kagawa

What books are you out of loop on?

Thanks for reading!
Theresa
The Book Nook

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

Title: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Summary:
Individuality vs. Conformity
Identity vs. Access
Freedom vs. Control
The bar code tattoo. Everybody's getting it. It will make your life easier, they say. It will hook you in. It will become your identity.
But what if you say no? What if you don't want to become a code? For Kayla, this one choice changes everything. She becomes an outcast in her high school. Dangerous things happen to her family. There's no option but to run...for her life.

I actually really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. It had a vague similarity to XVI by Julia Carr and my feelings for the two novels are alike. The premise was interesting but in some parts the execution feel thorugh. For me, the biggest issues I had were the idea of showing versus telling and last minute plot developments. Throughout the beginning hlad of the novel, Weyn relied more on telling us about the world she invented rather than slowly revealing it to us throughout. At times, this was distracting because I was more worried about what the slang words meant than the development of the plot. Weyn also throws in rather large plot points that should take the whole novel in a few paragraphs. Even with the fact that there's a sequel some of the points are too much for one novel. A little suspense could have taken the book farther.

This is a great dystopia novel for the younger half of the young adult reading group. There's not much violence, no bad language, and no thematic elements. It still has the dystopia themes but its packaged in a lighter form.

Thanks for reading!

Theresa
The Book Nool

Book Nook Reviews Giveaway

Want to win either Across the Universe by Beth Revis or Plague by Michael Grant? Click the link for more information.

Theresa
The Book Nook

Book Nook Reviews on YouTube

This is me, Theresa.

This link will take you to my YouTube.

If you click it, you can see me talk about books.

I think you should click it.

Click it.

Just do it.

Click....

You'll be happy that you did.

Click it.

Click.

Okay, I'm done.

I still think you should click it.

Did you click, yet?

Theresa

The Book Nook

Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: October 2010
Summary: Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?  An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

       When I read modernizations or retellings of fairy tales or classic stories, I try to go into them thinkthat they are different, unique tales. That is, I don't compare them to the stories on which they are based. First, its unfair to both the original and the retelling. More importatly, however, it is unfair to me. In doing that, I close myself off to experiencing a novel. For these two reasons, I try not to compare retellings with the originals. With that in mind, I went into Jane viewing it as its own novel not as a retelling of Jane Eyre. In this case, however, it was very difficult to separate the novels because they were so similar. Lindner really stayed true to Jane for the most part. Jane stays true to the tone of Jane Eyre. The gothic nature, the beautiful prose, and the sweeping romances of Jane and Nico were all exactly the same. Sometimes, however, the similarity was to a fault. At times I felt like Jane was just the paraphrased Jane Eyre. There were whole conversations that were almost verbatim.
       In all, I enjoyed the book as a stand alone when not comparing it to the original. Plus, if you've wanted to read the classic version but are afraid or intimidated, this version is much more accessible.

Thanks for reading!
The Book Nook