Head stuck in a book or four like me? Then read on.
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Thanks to Becky’s review of Veronica Roth’s Allegiant, I’m giving this book another go. While I enjoyed the first book, Divergent, last year, I struggled with the second and didn’t make much of an effort to get past the first few pages of Allegiant. I’m now determined to see this series through and find out how Tris and Four get on in post-apocalyptic Chicago.
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I started re-reading my Sookie Stackhouse books recently. I went straight from Dead Until to Dark to Living Dead in Dallas and had a ball reading about Sookie’s supernatural adventures. I hoped to keep going with book 3, Club Dead, but a quick scan of my bookshelves in my bedroom revealed a gap in the series, so I checked the shelves in my hallway, then the living room, then under my bed, then in various cardboard boxes and other shelves dotted throughout the house. Nothing. Club Dead appeared to have simply vanished, but my helpful and kind dad found me a used copy at one of the car boot sales he regularly attends.
I’m now on the fourth book where Eric and Sookie hook up, but I’m probably going to put it aside for a bit. When I first started reading these books some years back, I read one after the other and my enthusiasm burnt out, and I never made it to the end of the series. So, I’m going to set this one aside, pick it up maybe next month when I’m on my holidays, and read one Sookie book a month. This time I intend to keep going till the end.
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After receiving a beautiful new copy of Stephen King’s The Stand for Christmas, I recently opened the first chapter and closed it again. Turns out I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a 1400 page book – maybe this summer.
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I’ve also got Game of Thrones to start and a pretty intimidating stack of books from author friends, and indie writers to catch up with on my Kindle.
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I’m speeding through Caitlin Moran‘s part memoir-part feminist manifesto, How To Be A Woman, and often find myself snorting with laughter as well as nodding vigorously to a lot of what she says. I’ve got the paperback version and usually read in bed at night before I sleep. I spend a lot of my life staring at a computer screen, Monday to Friday so “How To Be A Woman” is giving my eyes a rest, and sending me to sleep feeling good about myself and hopeful about women’s future.
I know I’m going to end up writing a blog post on this book and Caitlin herself.
“We must recall the most important of humanity guidelines: Be polite. Being polite is possibly the greatest daily contribution everyone can make to life on Earth-” Caitlin Moran.
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Lastly in the world of books, I’m enjoying Mae Clair’s mystery-romance book, Myth and Magic on my lunch breaks on my Kindle. Mae writes scenery so stunning, I’m right there in the “moon-drenched night” alongside Veronica and Caith.
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What books are you involved with these days? Anything inspiring you, wanting to make you shout your new found wisdom all over Twitter?
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Emma's Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction 
Strangely, I stopped after Club Dead even though I know the next one has a lot of Eric and I love me some Eric. I think I’m saving that one. I pretty much did a lot of snorting and nodding my head, too, through How To Be A Woman.
I love me some Eric too. What is it with Viking men??
I’ve watched YouTube videos with Caitlin interviews and she’s great. I’ll be reading How To Build A Girl next.
Oh, and I definitely want to hear what you think of Allegiant. Haven’t read it, but have heard plenty.
I’ll put up a mini review when I’m done.
I didn’t finished the Sookie series. I moved on to indie authors for most of my paranormal stuff.
I recently re-read The Stand by listening to it on audio. The uncut version. Forty-six hours. Worth every minute!
I picked up two of Mae’s books, so I don’t know which one I’ll start with. As soon as I’m done with my current read on the Kindle, one of hers is next.
I hope to finish the Sookie books this time around. I don’t have any audio books, but if I did, The Stand and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander would be the first ones I’d listen to.
I’m halfway through Myth and Magic and enjoying every page. Saving Eclipse Lake for my summer break.
Thanks for stopping by, Lauralynn.
Emma, I’m delighted to hear you are enjoying lunch breaks with Caith and Veronica. I hope you enjoy their story. And Lauralynn has me super excited too, that I’m next on her TBR. Woohoo!! TY both! 🙂
Of the books you mentioned, I’ve read The Stand, but it has been years (decades). I think I prefer big thick reads like that in the winter months when the nights are long and I spend more hours immersed in reading.
I know what you mean about burn out on a series, too. I’ve been reading the Harry Dresden books and love them, but after four, I need to space the others out with other reads mixed in so I don’t burn out on the characters.
Happy reading!
I hope those two can smooth things out, but Caith needs to make a big apology to Veronica. I can see where he was coming from, but if he had done that to me, I would have been utterly devastated too, like Ronnie.
Yeah, I think you’re right about The Stand. Might save that for December. You know, I’ve never read Harry Potter! I tried to read the first one and just couldn’t get into it. I don’t know why. I love magic stories, and with the setting and everything, I can’t understand why it didn’t appeal to me.
Can’t wait to see what you think of Allegiant, Emma. I hope my review won’t have led you to power through the last book if you won’t enjoy it.
I still have at least 8 of the Sookie books and have yet to read a single one of them. Really need to get on that. 🙂 How to be a Woman sounds fun!
I will enjoy it. I like the characters so it has that going for it!
I can imagine how overflowing your bookshelves are, Becky. Save Sookie for a sunny day in your back garden.
How To Be A Woman is hilarious, but it’s quite honest and straight-talking too.
Most of the time I have several books going too. You have some great selections! Thanks for sharing them.
It’s good to dip in and out of different books/genres.
Thanks Sherry.
I should so reread the Sookie books. I adored them in the beginning but can’t get back into the flow since the TV show (series) let me down so much. I shouldn’t allow the TV version influence how I feel about the books, but it does. Um, might need to do this. Also, I’ve not read anything WOW lately, just lots of OKAY’s. And I’m like you, long books seem too much of a challenge – I have The Stand on kindle and keep dipping in and out of it. I also have a few of Anne Rice’s latest to read but they see too long too. I”m all over short stories and novellas these days.
Great post – loving the sound of the Caitlin’s book too. 🙂
shahwharton.com
Try to put the TV show out of your head, though I did like the first few seasons of it.
Caitlin Moran’s book was a WOW for me. It woke me up, got me thinking… I’m looking forward to reading her other stuff. You know I tried recently to reread Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and got stuck. I hope I can get back in to her books, because I loved all her vampire tales back in teen days.
Have a great weekend, Shah.
Like you, I read Divergent but couldn’t get into the second one at all. I just finished Clive Barker’s “Imajica”. I am reading “Gödel, Escher, and Bach” although, it does make my brain hurt with all the mathematics and metaphysics in it, and “Bathing the Lion” which is fantastic in it’s rich imagery. Ahhhhhh summer the perfect time for a book and a beach.
As always, cheers, Emma, enjoy your weekend.
Good to hear from you again. A quick Google search tells me Imajica is over 800 pages long. Did you enjoy it? Your books sound like they require a good deal of concentration, I think. I’m going for the easy ones at moment, all I can at this point in time.
Hope your summer is good and you’re having a few beers or whiskies..
Imajica was long, but it was good read. A bit needlessly graphic at times, but that’s Clive Barker for you. It was also an amazing allegory on how male dominated most religions are. Yeah, I tend to read books that challenge and make me look at things in new ways, but I make time for easy ones as well (some times it’s great to just get lost and not have a map).
Hope you are enjoying your Irish summer as well, and I will most certainly have a whiskey or two (which always reminds me of your short story ‘Dark Whiskey’, a nice easy read)
I was rather meh about Allegiant, but I did think the ending was the right one for the series. One day I hope to get back to the Sookie Stackhouse books. I read up to book nine, I believe. The wait to book ten happened, and then I ended up not going back to the series. For long books, I do find you have to be in the right state of mind. The other two books look really good. 🙂