Tuesday, 10 July 2018
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
Quite the contrast to last week, but who said that this blog had to be following an agenda? I first read this book as an assigned reading in university; the lecturer was quite a fan of the author and while I wasn’t quite convinced at the time I can now at least see where this appreciation came from. A possible case of predetermined mindset to not truly like assigned readings. I’m not sure if this would have extended to books like The Fault in Our Stars, but let’s be thankful that I don’t have to find out.
In any case, this book was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2005 and has won a slew of other awards and now that I don’t have to analyse the prose but can just read and enjoy it I can say I understand how Zadie Smith earnt so many accolades as an outstanding novelist. Her writing is clean, to the point, and at the same time so heart-breakingly beautiful, insightful, and spot-on comical when it needs to be.
Two things truly stand out to me: The characters in this book don’t feel like protagonists in a book to me. They could just as well be living across the street that’s how real and defined they are, which is definitely one of the author’s biggest strengths that she manages to write people so well. And the other thing is how organic this story feels, which almost dissolves the fictional distance. It could also be a real reality-documentation (see, I can relate two apparently unrelatable books). That way you slowly move from one event to the next and it doesn’t feel at all constructed but like a logical consequence of all that came before. And if a writer can make you understand this process and seamlessly move along with it I think that’s what distinguishes a really accomplished author.
Not your usual gripping page-turner but more of a steady river of actions that will nonetheless have you reading on and wondering how this will turn out. Truly beautiful.
Have you revisited an assigned reading book and maybe developed a new appreciation for it? Share your reads and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
 |
| On Beauty – Penguin Books |
He did not consider if or how or why he loved them. They were just love: they were the first evidence he ever had of love, and they would be the last confirmation of love when everything else fell away.
— Part 2, Chapter 9
She had no idea what it was all about, but she was not in any way nervous. She was still flying on fury, capable of anything.
— Part 3, Chapter 12
Quite the contrast to last week, but who said that this blog had to be following an agenda? I first read this book as an assigned reading in university; the lecturer was quite a fan of the author and while I wasn’t quite convinced at the time I can now at least see where this appreciation came from. A possible case of predetermined mindset to not truly like assigned readings. I’m not sure if this would have extended to books like The Fault in Our Stars, but let’s be thankful that I don’t have to find out.
In any case, this book was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2005 and has won a slew of other awards and now that I don’t have to analyse the prose but can just read and enjoy it I can say I understand how Zadie Smith earnt so many accolades as an outstanding novelist. Her writing is clean, to the point, and at the same time so heart-breakingly beautiful, insightful, and spot-on comical when it needs to be.
Two things truly stand out to me: The characters in this book don’t feel like protagonists in a book to me. They could just as well be living across the street that’s how real and defined they are, which is definitely one of the author’s biggest strengths that she manages to write people so well. And the other thing is how organic this story feels, which almost dissolves the fictional distance. It could also be a real reality-documentation (see, I can relate two apparently unrelatable books). That way you slowly move from one event to the next and it doesn’t feel at all constructed but like a logical consequence of all that came before. And if a writer can make you understand this process and seamlessly move along with it I think that’s what distinguishes a really accomplished author.
Not your usual gripping page-turner but more of a steady river of actions that will nonetheless have you reading on and wondering how this will turn out. Truly beautiful.
Have you revisited an assigned reading book and maybe developed a new appreciation for it? Share your reads and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 3 July 2018
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl.
Here goes nothing: Show of hands for everyone who doesn’t (officially) watch so-called reality shows and yet can still name every Kardashian, Jenner, and what’s their face by name and possibly their dogs as well. You can’t evade them on a basic level and like a bizarre crash performance you can’t really look away.
This book carries the idea to an extreme by making the middle “problem” child the centre of its plot, only that Bentley on TV is most decidedly not Bent when the cameras aren’t rolling. At heart, she really wants to be like any other girl and has the shocking dream to go to university … unthinkable considering that Bentley, as the whole country knows, couldn’t give a flying fox about anything school related. But which is the real girl Bentley or Bent? And which version of her family will actually survive if the worst/best happens and the show is cancelled? How far is Bent willing to go to save the show in order to save her family?
Sarcasm is second nature to me so I don’t quite know, why parodies aren’t too far up on my favourite list. Nevertheless, this book had me giggle-snorting on several occasions and also kept me on my toes plot-wise. Because this is not just some poking fun at reality TV and all the absurd stuff flickering across screens on a daily basis. This is at its core a coming of age story interwoven with a cleverly crafted crime plot. I wouldn’t go so far to call it suspense, but there are definitely elements of it present.
Bentley is a very relatable character who has dreams and aspirations beyond what everyone else thinks she should want. She only has the (mis)fortune to have quite the celebrity status and in that to be cast as the uncontrollable b*tch of the family. Actually not too different from the girl born into a family of footballers who wants to take ballet lessons … just as an example.
I get how this book can put you off just by looking at it, its topic, or the horrible trailer (which I won’t link to, that’s how horrible it is). But if you can either see beyond that or pick it up anyway, you’ll find quite the interesting story between these covers.
Which book has surprised you by being much better or deeper than you initially thought based on its appearance? Share your stories and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl.
 |
| Royce Rolls – Freeform |
“I’m an LG…B…TZ…B”
“You already hit B,” Bach said, amused. “But I appreciate you throwing the bonus Z in there. For all the Zesbians.”
— Chapter 8
They’re your family. You have to do whatever you can to help them, or you have to live with knowing that you walked away.
— Chapter 22
Here goes nothing: Show of hands for everyone who doesn’t (officially) watch so-called reality shows and yet can still name every Kardashian, Jenner, and what’s their face by name and possibly their dogs as well. You can’t evade them on a basic level and like a bizarre crash performance you can’t really look away.
This book carries the idea to an extreme by making the middle “problem” child the centre of its plot, only that Bentley on TV is most decidedly not Bent when the cameras aren’t rolling. At heart, she really wants to be like any other girl and has the shocking dream to go to university … unthinkable considering that Bentley, as the whole country knows, couldn’t give a flying fox about anything school related. But which is the real girl Bentley or Bent? And which version of her family will actually survive if the worst/best happens and the show is cancelled? How far is Bent willing to go to save the show in order to save her family?
Sarcasm is second nature to me so I don’t quite know, why parodies aren’t too far up on my favourite list. Nevertheless, this book had me giggle-snorting on several occasions and also kept me on my toes plot-wise. Because this is not just some poking fun at reality TV and all the absurd stuff flickering across screens on a daily basis. This is at its core a coming of age story interwoven with a cleverly crafted crime plot. I wouldn’t go so far to call it suspense, but there are definitely elements of it present.
Bentley is a very relatable character who has dreams and aspirations beyond what everyone else thinks she should want. She only has the (mis)fortune to have quite the celebrity status and in that to be cast as the uncontrollable b*tch of the family. Actually not too different from the girl born into a family of footballers who wants to take ballet lessons … just as an example.
I get how this book can put you off just by looking at it, its topic, or the horrible trailer (which I won’t link to, that’s how horrible it is). But if you can either see beyond that or pick it up anyway, you’ll find quite the interesting story between these covers.
Which book has surprised you by being much better or deeper than you initially thought based on its appearance? Share your stories and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken.
I wrote about my excitement for the upcoming movie of this last summer. By now the release date (3rd August in the US) and the trailer have dropped. And wonder of wonders, Germany is only about two weeks behind the US release … as opposed to other movies, looking at you Love, Simon.
Without spoiling too much, I think I can only say that this book broke my heart and then mended it with duct tape (still in place a couple of years later). But that’s okay because that is exactly how reading this series should feel – at least in my opinion. In a post-apocalyptic scenario, things cannot be returned to their original state and thus an altered but functionally mended result is very appropriate.
There is a new book set in this universe coming out at the end of next month featuring an all-grown-up Zu and also an interesting aspect you rarely get with scenarios like that: What the world looks like a couple of years after it was saved from the brink.
So what can I say; excitement levels for this series are high this summer. I might go for a quick re-read in preparation for the fourth book and the movie.
Lots of trailers dropping at the moment. Which book to screen adaption are you excited about right now? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken.
 |
| In the Afterlight – Hyperion |
Objectively, I knew that what he was saying was true—but the words sparked such a fierce denial and fury in me, I almost pushed him away. I didn’t need reality right now.
— Chapter 2
“That’s not very Team Reality of you.”
His smile matched mine. “Screw Team Reality—I’m leaving to join Team Sanity.”
— Chapter 8
I wrote about my excitement for the upcoming movie of this last summer. By now the release date (3rd August in the US) and the trailer have dropped. And wonder of wonders, Germany is only about two weeks behind the US release … as opposed to other movies, looking at you Love, Simon.
Without spoiling too much, I think I can only say that this book broke my heart and then mended it with duct tape (still in place a couple of years later). But that’s okay because that is exactly how reading this series should feel – at least in my opinion. In a post-apocalyptic scenario, things cannot be returned to their original state and thus an altered but functionally mended result is very appropriate.
There is a new book set in this universe coming out at the end of next month featuring an all-grown-up Zu and also an interesting aspect you rarely get with scenarios like that: What the world looks like a couple of years after it was saved from the brink.
So what can I say; excitement levels for this series are high this summer. I might go for a quick re-read in preparation for the fourth book and the movie.
Lots of trailers dropping at the moment. Which book to screen adaption are you excited about right now? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Smoke in the Sun by Renée Ahdieh.
Since I’m a reader, I’m more than allowed to change my mind about things. Like, for example, first complaining about too many books being part of a trilogy, then not enough stand-alones … and now about duologies, because I can’t bear to part with these characters. Special added bonus because this is the authors second duology and she manages to do this to me again.
The first book was one of my absolute favourites last year and I fell head over heels in love with the world and its characters. So far so good. But as with the second book of her first set, Renée Ahdieh totally managed to surprise me with leading the narration in a completely different and yet totally fitting direction. I don’t actually know what I expected and now that I know how this plays out I can’t imagine any other way for this to go, but I remember that I was caught a little off guard at first.
Seriously, what wonderful, magical, and empowering story. It’s definitely one I’m going to keep recommending for its drive and overall greatness.
Is there a follow-up book to a story you loved that initially didn’t go in the direction you thought it would but you ended up loving it anyway? Share your experiences and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Smoke in the Sun by Renée Ahdieh.
 |
| Smoke in the Sun – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers |
The Emperor of Wa enjoyed toying with people to see how they would react. And Mariko refused to be any man’s toy.
— Chapter 10
It was time for him to forgive his past. Not forget it. Only a fool would do such things.
— Chapter 31
Since I’m a reader, I’m more than allowed to change my mind about things. Like, for example, first complaining about too many books being part of a trilogy, then not enough stand-alones … and now about duologies, because I can’t bear to part with these characters. Special added bonus because this is the authors second duology and she manages to do this to me again.
The first book was one of my absolute favourites last year and I fell head over heels in love with the world and its characters. So far so good. But as with the second book of her first set, Renée Ahdieh totally managed to surprise me with leading the narration in a completely different and yet totally fitting direction. I don’t actually know what I expected and now that I know how this plays out I can’t imagine any other way for this to go, but I remember that I was caught a little off guard at first.
Seriously, what wonderful, magical, and empowering story. It’s definitely one I’m going to keep recommending for its drive and overall greatness.
Is there a follow-up book to a story you loved that initially didn’t go in the direction you thought it would but you ended up loving it anyway? Share your experiences and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.
You know those books that are 90% doom, peril, danger, and fearing for your favourite characters and the general fate of the world? And then the big fight is over and you get perhaps a chapter of cleaning up and maybe a sort of strange feeling epilogue … and they lived happily ever after (or not so happily, but book’s over). I’m no exception in wondering about and wishing for moments of normalcy and happiness depicted for those characters. Not all over the book all the time, because there are books for that as well and I’m more the “no conflict, no story” reader apparently.
Sarah J. Maas gives her readers more or less exactly those moments of normalcy, fluff, and happiness after almost destroying everything. I say more or less because there obviously is another series looming with new conflicts and new struggles and with new main characters who are gently showed onto the main stage here as well.
This is a bridging-novella in its true sense in being short, not too plot-driven or revealing, and definitely not essential to either series. As opposed to what was supposed to be a novella in Maas’ other series, which instead became a fully-fledged book. So knowing this I didn’t have very high demands, but I fully expected to be entertained and to enjoy some spending time with these characters without fearing for their lives. Which is what held true for most of the book with the occasional grin and chuckle and maybe eye-roll about one too many mate-mentions. I also enjoyed the beginning set up of the new series – even if I still don’t think that those particular characters belong together.
You’re waiting for the but? Here it is: But that conclusion?! That was really in the face in terms of my house, my car, my boat only in fantasy terms. It just didn’t seem to fit with the main character I got to know and love for the main trilogy. Yes, the war will definitely have had an impact and changed her but … that “gift”. Wow, that messed with me quite a bit. I understand that it might be the most desirable goal for some, I just never understood Feyre to feel that way. Or at least not right away. Authors and their lives should be viewed separately from their works, yet here I feel the particular circumstances heavily influenced this plot.
So maybe I don’t want normalcy and happiness after all. Or maybe just not this brand of it. Or more likely normalcy and happiness that feel more organic and true to characters and their motivations. I will pick up the follow-up books at some point – maybe not with the highest priority and maybe I’ll have to block out certain aspects. I’m all for the author’s joy and happiness and wish her all the health and love in the world, but this felt a little too projected onto her characters.
Have you had a book that totally threw you in terms of either plot or character developments? Share those along with your teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.
 |
| A Court of Frost and Starlight – Bloomsbury |
Her mouth—painted a berry pink—tightened. “Not so happy an ending, I’m afraid.”
— Chapter 4
“But nothing,” Amren said, returning to the puzzle. “Because I like her, I am not inclined to gossip about her current state.”
— Chapter 15
You know those books that are 90% doom, peril, danger, and fearing for your favourite characters and the general fate of the world? And then the big fight is over and you get perhaps a chapter of cleaning up and maybe a sort of strange feeling epilogue … and they lived happily ever after (or not so happily, but book’s over). I’m no exception in wondering about and wishing for moments of normalcy and happiness depicted for those characters. Not all over the book all the time, because there are books for that as well and I’m more the “no conflict, no story” reader apparently.
Sarah J. Maas gives her readers more or less exactly those moments of normalcy, fluff, and happiness after almost destroying everything. I say more or less because there obviously is another series looming with new conflicts and new struggles and with new main characters who are gently showed onto the main stage here as well.
This is a bridging-novella in its true sense in being short, not too plot-driven or revealing, and definitely not essential to either series. As opposed to what was supposed to be a novella in Maas’ other series, which instead became a fully-fledged book. So knowing this I didn’t have very high demands, but I fully expected to be entertained and to enjoy some spending time with these characters without fearing for their lives. Which is what held true for most of the book with the occasional grin and chuckle and maybe eye-roll about one too many mate-mentions. I also enjoyed the beginning set up of the new series – even if I still don’t think that those particular characters belong together.
You’re waiting for the but? Here it is: But that conclusion?! That was really in the face in terms of my house, my car, my boat only in fantasy terms. It just didn’t seem to fit with the main character I got to know and love for the main trilogy. Yes, the war will definitely have had an impact and changed her but … that “gift”. Wow, that messed with me quite a bit. I understand that it might be the most desirable goal for some, I just never understood Feyre to feel that way. Or at least not right away. Authors and their lives should be viewed separately from their works, yet here I feel the particular circumstances heavily influenced this plot.
So maybe I don’t want normalcy and happiness after all. Or maybe just not this brand of it. Or more likely normalcy and happiness that feel more organic and true to characters and their motivations. I will pick up the follow-up books at some point – maybe not with the highest priority and maybe I’ll have to block out certain aspects. I’m all for the author’s joy and happiness and wish her all the health and love in the world, but this felt a little too projected onto her characters.
Have you had a book that totally threw you in terms of either plot or character developments? Share those along with your teasers in the comments!
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