Reading Recap: Spring 2015

In my literary endeavor to read 52 books this year, I have been chugging along quite well. I just finished my 28th book a few days ago and here are some of my favorites (as well as ones I should have just left on the shelf)!

You can read my first quarter literary round up here.

Favorites

  • Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. My friends, Sarah Dessen can do no wrong. I know everyone says her stories follow her own “formula,” but Ms. Dessen, don’t fix what ain’t broken. Her characters are fresh and intriguing, and her prose, it just has that Sarah Dessen feel. I don’t know how to say it any other way. A great summer quick read.
  • The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. I have always loved the story of Robin Hood and the many retellings, so it was a wonder to me how I hadn’t read the classic story behind it. So when I started reading, I was surprised by how light and funny it was. Robin Hood is so witty and, even though it’s in an older English, still made me laugh out loud. I loved reading about how Robin gathered his original band of men and the stories of his many clashing with the sheriff. I read this over the course of a few months, a story here and there on my lunch break. It wasn’t a page-turner, but when I finished, I wished there were more stories for me to read.
  • Where She Went by Gayle Forman. You may remember that If I Stay was one of my disappointments in my last blog post. Well this sequel totally surprised me. It was told from the perspective of Adam, not Mia, and man, what a great character he is! He was so much more interesting than Mia and his personality was, excuse this cliche, a breath of fresh air. Forman’s beautiful prose is highlighted better in this book, with each chapter starting with lyrics that Adam wrote. Even thought it is largely character-driven conflict, I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to know what happened next (which is pretty unusual for me with character-driven plots).

Disappointments

  • Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. This is the sequel to Seraphina, which I absolutely adored when I read it last year. Seraphina was everything I want in a book: romance, a strong female lead, fantasy, kings and princes, and a solid conflict. Shadow Scale was nothing like its predecessor. Several of the main characters were hardly mentioned and the romance that had defined much of the first book was nonexistent in this one. Rachel Hartman is a beautiful writer – and she has great verbage! Maybe a weird observation, but she has a gift for using big words that actually make sense in context which I loved. But the story itself was lacking. A lot. So read Seraphina, but please, just leave Shadow Scale on the shelf.
  • The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. Okay, I need to confess, I may have read this series partly because the author’s name is Michael Scott, one of the best characters ever from The Office. BUT ANYWAYS. It was just so mediocre. The writing was subpar, at best, and some of the wordings were just so odd. The characters I felt didn’t have any development, and over the course of six books, that’s pretty bad. One of the main characters was just so stupid he should have been killed off in the first book. I think I would have been happier if he had. For a fantasy series, it just fell so flat. Nothing really redeeming about any of it.

Not a bad second quarter! You can also see all of the books I’ve read this year here. Have you guys read any good books lately?

6 thoughts on “Reading Recap: Spring 2015”

  1. First off, I really like the new layout! The colors are awesome!

    Now, onto more important things. The only book I have read entirely is “The Fault In Our Stars.” I’m in the process of reading “If I Stay” (which I heard that the movie is not what it’s cracked up to be. I know I’m late on these books, but I didn’t really get a chance as I was constantly studying and plus I was in a major reading slump. I don’t know how you’re able to study and read fiction all at the same time? And also getting those good grades. I didn’t do too good this last time, but only because two classes I started to lose interest in. But, I’m glad you’re able to find at least 5 minutes a day or more to read. I’m slowly getting back into it.

    Those books sound interesting. Are they any good? I may have to read some of them (when I get a chance).

  2. I haven’t read any Sarah Dessen novels but when I will, I’d start with Saint Anything :)
    I love the If I stay series of Gayle Forman, although I admit that the sequel was much more interesting than the first one.
    I’d like to defend the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, if you don’t mind haha. I think there was only one book in the series I didn’t like; the rest were amazing, especially the last one. Overall, I like the series because it was rich in mythology.
    As for character development, you’ve got to admit that Machiavelli developed; he’s like the most well-developed character in the series, turning from one of the bad guys into a good one. And the plot twist that Josh was Marethyu was a welcome surprise for me. However, I do agree that her sister, Sophie didn’t quite develop.

    1. I wouldn’t say Saint Anything is one of her best books – I’d say it’s right about in the middle. My two favorites are Just Listen and The Truth About Forever. I would definitely recommend those two!

      Of course I don’t mind. :) Maybe I was a bit harsh when I said there was no character development. His characters just felt really flat to me. Maybe the series didn’t interest me as much because I am not real into mythology. It also took me a long time to read them, which probably didn’t help.

  3. Wow, 28 books already?! My compliments to that ;) I still need to find time for reading, haha. I also really like it that you share your favorites and disappointments of books, always good to know ;)

    xxx

  4. You’re making great progress! 28 books is a lot! I love Robin Hood too, and this made me realize I haven’t read the classic story either. I should look into that :) Good luck on your goal!

  5. I am waaaay behind my reading challenge for this year. I blame work and the fact that I’ve been going out a lot without much room for laid back enjoyment. XD

    I’ve had a copy of the first book in the Nicholas Flamel series for two or three years and I haven’t gotten around to picking it up. But I have heard similar reviews as yours.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.