Moved To Tumblr!!!

This will be my last post on Blogger because --drum roll please --

I'M MOVING TO TUMBLR!!!

Recently got a tumblr and I like it a lot more than Blogger. So all my posts are there and I will be posting on there from now on.

The URL is myreadinglife.tumblr.com

mlpanichelle

Wow..It's Been A While

I didn't realize it's been three months since I last posted.  Well I finished Behemoth (Westerfeild) and needless to say, it ended in a cliff-hanger.  But really good.  It's really entertaining because the young girl Daren who is pretending to be a guy names Dylan is head over heels in love with the prince, but the prince doesn't know it.  I am really looking forward to reading Goliath to finish the trilogy.

Over vacation I finished Two Towers and read The Return of the King.  That series is so amazing. Even though Tolkien's writing is sometimes hard to follow, it is still a great story, and very well written.  And when you read it, make sure you read the appendixes in the back of Return of the King.  They give a lot of background to the series and characters, it clears up a lot of questions.

For school, the first book I had to read was The Great Brain.  It was an easy read, but I really enjoyed it.  It's by John D. Fitzgerald, and written in first person.  it's about a little boy and his older brother, T.D, who says he has a great brain.  His older brother never does anything unless he can get money out of it somehow.  Like one of the stories is that the younger brother wanted to mate his dog with a neighbors dog and T. D. gets it arranged. But when the neighbors and their dog get missing in a cave, T.T. sets his "great brain" to get them out. But what everyone didn't know was that they only reason he did it was so that the dogs could be mated so he could pick two pups from the litter and sell them for two bucks a pup. It was a really cute story and I really enjoyed it.  I would say the age group it was written for was late elementary age.

I am now reading The Road From Home about being an Armenian living in Turkey during World War I. So far I like it, but not really far enough into it to get the plot yet.

Also kinda re-reading The City of Bones.  But not much other than that.

mlpanichelle

What Happens When I Spend Four Hours At A Library....

So in just over a month I have finished 8 books and finishing another. I read Insurgent (book two from the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth) and it was just as good as the first. She opened up really well for the third and I can't wait for it to come out.
Well about four weeks ago I had nothing to do so I spent four hours at the library. I read That Summer by Sarah Dessen. I've been wanting to read one of her books for a while since I see a lot of them on the shelf at the library and that one was the shortest and I knew I could finish in a couple hours. It was really good, it was about a girl who is basically going through everything at once. Her dad marrying the woman he had an affair with and left their mom for, her older sister getting married, her mom planning on a trip to Europe and leaving her home. And through that she runs into one of her sisters ex-boyfriends, her favorite one. She becomes friends with him and it kinda helps with her dealing with everything, but she finds out later that he wasn't the same guy she thought he was. It was a cute story and I really enjoyed it.
After I finished that I picked up Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. It's about Vampires, but another twist on them. It is too confusing to put all information into a post, but it's interesting. The story follows Schuyler, Bliss and Mimi all of whom are vampires but all very different. Schuyler is very pretty, but hides behind dark baggy layered clothing. Bliss is originally from Texas, big hair and everything, but now in New York City she is having the strangest "transformation." And Mimi basically runs the private school they all attend, seeing her "dad" is the Regis the New York Coven of Vampires and she is extremely vain and basically a complete jerk. The story gets really interesting when another vampire gets murdered and they only suspects have to be vampires because she was drained of blood. When Schuyler finds out she tries her hardest to find out with the help of her best friend Oliver and Jack, Mimi's betrothed. But it turns out Schuyler is not a full vampire and that changes things between her and Jack. Needless to say, I got into it really fast and have basically read nothing else for the last month. So far there are 7 books in the series and I just finished the latest one yesterday. The 8th and final one comes out in January...so I got a while to finish the series. Looking forward to it so much!!!!
Right now I'm reading Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld and I will be finishing it soon.

mlpanichelle

Ending Series and Starting New Ones...

So, within the last month and a half I've read 8 books. Mostly from this new series I found called The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. The first one, City of Bones, introduces Clary a normal girl who starts seeing things not so normal; Jace, a Shadowhunter and extremely attractive and obnoxiously self-centered , all around a real jerk, and several other people who are less important. It follows them as Clary and her friend Simon learn about angels who created the Shadowhunters, demons, who the Shadowhunters protect the earth from, and the downworlders (vampires, fairies, werewolves, ect.). Awesome story, I loved all of them. As of the beginning of May there are five book. Originally there was only going to be three, because she advertised it as a trilogy. The third did end it, but then she decided to do another plot line with the same characters so then came The City of Fallen Angels and The City of Lost Souls. The fifth ended with a real cliff hanger and Clare already plans for the sixth to come out in the fall. Really excited about that, I am totally addicted to this series. I was awake till 3 am on a regular bases reading this series, loved them.
Also, finished Screwtape Letters. Awesome in a really creepy and disturbing way. Makes you think really hard about why people do things and how easily we are influenced. Good read, C.S. Lewis is an amazing author.
Another series I found is The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. It is really similar to Hunger Games but totally different at the same time. It is based in the future, and the city is split into five "factions": Dauntless (the fearless and brave), Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the truthful) and Erudite (the intelligent). They each have roles in society and each person is born into their faction. At 16 they take a test to see where they should be and they can choose to remain in their faction or change to another one. The main character Tris is form Abnegation, but is tired of everything that they are supposed to do. It's a good story. I like it alot. The second book, Insurgent just recently come out, but I haven't gotten a hold of a copy yet to read it. Hope to soon though.
So, just tonight I finished Inheritance. I have mixed emotions about. I'm not the biggest fan of the series or author, or most of the characters, but Paolini did manage to make it an interesting book half way through. The first half was slow, then it went really fast up till the last fifth of the book when it should of ended, but he kept it going tying up all the loose ends really slowly. Like any other book or series, I'm kinda depressed it's over, but I'm not sure how much more I could take of Eragon and his crazy plans or Nasuada being all self-centered and what not. It's over and I know how it ended. I'm good.

mlpanichelle

Hunger Games!!

So really all I have been reading lately is the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I loved them, an amazing story. Though her writing technique is not the best (I mean several typos and added words to make the sentence make no sense at all!), Collins can write a really good story. The three books, Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, are written from main character Katniss's point of view. It's all present tense, which makes some sentences a little awkward, but it works. It is based in the future North America Continent, and the Capital has total control over the surrounding 12 districts. The Capital is evil. Period. about 75 years before the first book there was a rebellion against the Capital, which the capital won, destroying District 13 in the process. Now the Capital holds annual Hunger Games to remind the people that they are in control. The Hunger Games are a fight to the death between 24 children between the age 12-18. Last one standing wins. It's horrible and the story follows Katniss and her new friend Peeta through the games. Between all three books, there is not any good ending, to the books to the chapters, until Mockingjay. The story never stops it just goes and goes and goes. Awesome story, highly recommended, a great read!

Well, that's pretty much it.

mlpanichelle

Jane Eyre and More...

So I've gotten a lot of nooks read. Finished Trumpeter of Krakow. Weird book. I didn't quite understand it which made it harder to follow.
Also read Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. That was entertaining. I think my favorite character was the clown. He was always there and new exactly what to say it was great.
Finished Jane Eyre as well. I loved that book. I felt so bad for Jane as everything was going to bad for her and then when it looked it was getting better it got even worse. But all good books have happy endings so all turns out right in the end, but still was depressing in parts.
Earlier this week I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I didn't like it. Scrooge was a weird character who was kind of inconsistent and the whole story was so unbelievable to be placed in England in that time period. I wasn't to fond of it but I'm glad I read it just to say I did.
Just started Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. I love it.  It's an amazing book. It really makes you think about why we do some things and how we get taken advantage of.
Next book is Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Excited to read that.

Well that's the update.

Mlpanichelle

The Son Of Neptune

Well, finished The Son Of Neptune yesterday. It was really good. Percy lost his memory just like Jason in the first and he ends up at Camp Jupiter, the Roman Half-Blood camp. He learns all kinds of stuff about Rome and the Roman gods. He becomes friends with Hazel, daughter of Pluto (Hades) and Frank, son of unknown god. Frank hopes it's Apollo because of his love of archery, but he ends up with a big surprise. The quest they set out on his to release Death from the clutches of a giant in Alaska, beyond the reach of the gods.  As they go on their quest, Frank and Hazel come clean of their deepest secrets and Percy drinks some magical blood that heals anything and starts getting his memory back. By the end of the book, Percy remembers everything, they save camp Jupiter and they begin to realize that in order to win this war is for both camps to unite and fight along side the gods. The book ends with a huge cliff hanger, so I can't wait for the next one to come out this fall!
Started Inheritance. Kinda confused because I can't remember exactly where Brisingr ended, but I think I figured it out.

That's all folks!!

mlpanichelle

Austen and Book Shopping

Just got back form my vacation out west!! Did some reading. Read a lot of Pride and Prejudice and some of Two Towers. Loved Pride and Prejudice, so glad I finally got through the whole thing. Next book for school is The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly. It was written in 1928 and set around 1200 AD Poland. Story didn't sound very interesting from the synopsis, but we shall see.

As a late Christmas present a friend of mine gave the second book in the Frog Princess series Dragon Breath by E.D.Baker. I have already read but so excited to own it. 

Went to Barnes and Noble today and had a gift card to use up so I bought The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I started The Son of Neptune at the library but never finished it, so I plan to do that this week. The Hunger Games looked really interesting and I've heard really good things about it. And the movie will be coming out in a couple months so I wanted to read the book before I see the movie.

That's really all I've been doing so far. Have several books to finish. And starting a couple others.

mlpanichelle

Merry Christmas!!!!

Well of course for Christmas I asked for books :). And I got..... (drum roll please): The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Inheritance by Christopher Paolini and The Lost Stories by John Flanagan!!!!!!!!! Well I can say I've had an exciting Christmas!!
Already started The Lost Stories and so far: AMAZING!!! John Flanagan is absolutely amazing!
Probably won't start Inheritance until I get back from my trip and I have Little Women in e-book format so I am deciding if I will read it that way or wait till I get back for that one too.
I have already read The Lost Hero so I'm not in any hurry to read that one.
Finishing up The Fellowship of the Ring. Good book I really like it. Probably going to bring The Two Towers on my trip.
That's pretty much it.
Merry Christmas!!!!

mlpanichelle

The Shinning Company

Ok so I finished The Shining Company last night.  It was kinda slow and boring and the plot wasn't that interesting so I didn't like it that much. But not a bad book, not a book I would of picked to read myself but it was for school. But its over so I get to move on. Don't know what's next will find out on Monday.

mlpanichelle

New Releases!!!

Sooo since the month began 3 new books have come out. Inheritance, number of the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, The Lost Stories by John Flanagan, and the first book of The Brotherband Chronicles also by John Flanagan! Very exciting month. The sad part: I haven't read any of them yet! =( but I hope to soon...
Finished The Throne of Fire last week, awesome book I love Rick Riordan.
Also finished the book I was reading for school called the Flames of Rome. It was historical fiction during the reign if Nero when he was persecuting Christians. Great book I loved it. The author has written other christian historical fiction and I really want to read more by him. It definitely is a young adult book, for the content. A lot of stuff not for younger kids. But great book none the less.
I finally got The Power of Six book 2 of the Lorien Legacies. It followed Four and Six as they run away from the Morgadorians and find a way of meeting up with the other numbers. It also follows Seven as she tries to train herself in Spain. It was a goos read and I can't wait fir the next one to come out in the spring.
Now for school I'm reading The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff. So far it's kinda boring but I'm not that far into it. I don't really know what the plot is yet either but it's for school so I don't have much of a choice in the matter.
That's all folks!
mlpanichelle

School Reading

So....not much reading has been done lately....school officially started and I just finished the first book for English. A cute book call Pictures of Hollis Wood by Patricia Reilly Giff. I liked it a lot. Hollis Wood is a twelve year old orphan girl and an amazing artist, who is by almost every one a trouble maker. Until she spends a summer with the Regans. And there she gets the chance to become part of the family, but last minute she changes her mind and she runs away again. She gets put into a home with an elderly lady named Josie. But Josie forgets things and that threatens Hollis' chance of staying with her. It alternated from "Time with Josie" and "pictures." Each picture was a memory from the summer with the Regans. So it follows Hollis through her stay with Josie as she remembers the life she could of had with the Regans. Very good book, I really liked  it. 
I also recently started reading The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles book 2 by Rick Riordan). So far, amazing. Same Riordan style that everyone loves. Haven't finished it quite yet but I am deep into the plot. This one follows Carter and Sadie as they find away to wake up the sun god Ra. And they got a five day deadline, with more than one group of people trying to kill them. Usual Riordan story, but still amazing. It has some new characters which everyone will love and they go to new places that you would never guess to find Egyptian mythology stuff. Great read!
I also recently was given The Lord of the Rings trilogy box set in hardback!!! I was so excited I started reading Fellowship of the Ring immediately. I had read the first two before, but I don't remember much and I thought it would be better to start over then start in Return of the King. Tolkien does write slow and details EVERYTHING, it still has a great moving story. The Fellowship of the Ring I believe has the most differences between the book and the movie in the whole trilogy. And you really don't know the whole story unless you read the book! Highly recommended!!
Still haven't finished Wuthering Heights. But that's OK, I will get there again......someday....maybe. Haha just kidding. I will finish it before the year is over, hopefully. Also getting from the library is one of the original Beauty and the Beast versions EVER. It was written in the early 1700's in French, and I need it for my essay I'm writing for school this year. So I'm going to be reading that too.
OK I think I'm all caught up now!


mlpanichelle

New series!!!!!

OK, since Thursday, I have started Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I'm getting through it kind of slow, but it's a harder read then I have been reading and it's a little weird. Recently, I watched Gone With the Wind and Wuthering Heights reminds me of it. Everybody treats each other so horribly, it's ridiculous. I guess I like it, it's just a little weird. It was not written in the style I was expecting. The actual story of Cathy and Heathcliff is being told by a maid from her memories but a nosy visitor 20 years after it all happens. That confused me a little bit but I think I got it now.
So, the title of the post is 'new series,' well that's because John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice series) is coming out with a new series called Brotherband Chronicles. It's release date is November 1st and I have been wondering what took me so long to find out about it. From what I can find out off of Barnes and Nobel's website it seems to mostly be in Scandia focusing of a band of outcasts there. Maybe eventually, Flanagan will bring back the rangers made famous in his first series, but we shall see. I really can't wait to read it and "The Lost Stories" coming out October 4th.

mlpanichelle   

5 Books In 4 Days

Finally finished Christy, after taking all Summer to read it. I didn't like the ending. I much liked David more than the doctor, but oh well. Cute book though.
On Monday, I read To Kill A Mockingbird. I loved that book. It was amazing. What I didn't get was the title, it really had nothing to do with the book or story what so ever but I don't care. Awesome book and it deserves an awesome title.
On Tuesday I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. Really cute book about two kids who decide to run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. They eventually wind up trying to figure out a mystery. The whole book is written from Mrs. Frankweiler's point of view as a letter to her lawyer. It's a great book and really easy read.
On Wednsday, I read, A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. Another real easy read as well as entertaining. This book follows 15 year old Mary Alice who goes to spend a year with her grandmother in the middle of know where Illinois while her father looks for a job during the depression. What makes it interesting is her grandmother. She's someone you never know what to expect from her, about anything. You make think you know her, but then she goes and proves you wrong again. I liked it, but it was a little slow for me.
Today I read Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I really like this book. It is about Jeffrey Magee who loses his parents in a train crash when he was three, then goes and lives with his Aunt and Uncle. After 8 years of that he runs and way and shows up in a small segregated town. Jeffery is white but makes friends and lives with the black people of the East side of town. When an elderly man gets after him for being different, Jeffrey leaves and joins the west side. The book follows him as he does impossible feat after impossible feat. And the town names him Maniac Magee. Great book and an pretty easy read.
Don't know yet what I'm reading tomorrow, but I think my reading is going to slow down a little bit because I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow. So will give an update when I return.

mlpanichelle

Waste Of A Half-Hour

Barely done any reading since the last post! This summer has gone by so fast it's ridiculous! Gotten farther in The Battle For Scandia. Almsot done with another book called Christy. That one is pretty good. Not a book that I would pick out for myself but it's entertaining. I like it alot.

The other night I picked up this really thin book called the Green Back Book I think. I can't remember the author's name mostly because it was the stupidest book I ever read. And it said on the back that it won some book of the year award! It SOOOOO did not deserve it! It had NO plot, things just kind of happened and it was only 7 short chapters long. So there wasn't any time to have anything happen. And it ended with the same sentence it began with so you could just read it over and over and over and over again and it would flow really smoothly! It was just plain dumb! I was a waste of a half hour.

Well, that's as far as I've gotten so far......

mlpanichelle

Summer Reading Begins

Finished Icebound Land about a week and a half ago and immediately started The Battle for Scandia. Now I'm about half way through that. I can not get over how much I LOVE those books. It's fun to re-read them and see how much Will and Horace grow as people and learn to make a good come back when Halt playfully jabs at them.
OK, for school, I have not gotten into To Kill A Mockingbird yet, but I will soon. I did read, however, a book called After the Dancing Days by Margaret Rostkowski. It was good, I like it. It was about a young girl, Annie, right after World War I and how she adjusts to the changes the war made and makes a friend at the hospital for injured soldiers who aren't able to go home yet. Cute story and had a good lesson. 
I also read a book by Beverly Cleary, a well-known children's author, called Dear Mr. Henshaw. This book was a bout a boy in six grade who is having some problems adjust to a new school and having his parents divorced and his dad gone. It is written in a form of letters half to the boy's favorite author and half to his diary (yes, he calls it a diary). It was OK, definitely an real easy read and not a book I would read for fun.
Next book I'm going to read is Christy, an older book and I can't remember the author right now. But that's all folks!!! =D


mlpanichelle 

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

Ok, finished Emperor of Nihon-Ja awhile ago, but I got so busy I kept for getting to blog about it. Well, it was a great book. Evenlyn and Alyss are both in it and Flanagan brings back a former character from a past book. It was very interesting since Flanagan used actual Japanese words and culture in the book. I liked it a lot, not my favorite but definitely a good read. The ending was satisfying, and I like it, but with that ending it almost opens it for another book. I hope there is another one, but we shall see...
Still reading The Icebound Land, almost done with it then I will read The Battle for Scandia. Then I think I will take a break from Ranger's Apprentice and work on some extra reading for school, begining with To Kill A Mockingbird. I've heard it's really good, and can't wait to start it.
Well that is it for now....

mlpanichelle

Ranger's Apprentice Over?!?!?!?!?!

Ok, got Emperor of Nihon-Ja in the mail today and I immedietly read the synopsis is the side flap cover. The two things I took from it is 1) Halt will not be in this book and 2) this is the last book in the series!!!!!! I really really really hope it is not the last, I still think that Will should get his own apprentice, which would be amazing! Even if this is the end of the Ranger's Apprentice Epic, John Flanagan is coming out with a book in October called The Lost Stories. It will still be considered part of the series but it is a bunch of stories from in between all the books including more about Halt and Will's relationship, Alyss and hopefully some of Horace. I am excited for that one, but still wishing the series would not end. I did start it and I can confirm that Halt is in it (YAYYYYY!!!!) but to exactly how everything goes and turns out, I (and you) can only read and see.......

mlpanichelle

Ranger's Apprentice book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is out!!!!!

So yesterday I had a little celebration. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is out in stores. I bought it last night off of amazon and expecting the package on Saturday!! I can't wait! 

In the past week, I finished Halt's Peril and Emma. I love both of those books despite the drastic differences between them. 

Started The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice #3). Since I read the second I figured I should finish that section of the series. Maybe I will get through this one and The Battle for Scandia before I get the 10th. ;)

Well, nothing exciting really besides the release of that and the 2nd Kane Chronicles book is coming out very soon! Hoping to read that one too!

mlpanichelle

Beauty and the Beast Galore!!!!!

Ok, finished Blank Confession, two days after starting it. It was a short book and I really liked it. Definitely for teens and adults, because of the topics in it, but it is not a bad book.
Started Beast imedietly after finished Blank Confession. It took me a little bit longer to get through, but it was pretty good. It was fascinating how the beast was so much like the lion he looked like. Napoli did an amazing job with it. Again not for kids under 13.
Saturday night, I went to Barnes and Nobel and bought Beastly by Alex Finn. The movie has just recently been released in theaters and I'm hoping to see it soon. The book was fantastic (I finished it last night after starting it yesterday morning), I really liked it. It's written from main character, Kyle's point of view. In the beginning he is the biggest jerk ever! but he gets so much better. Even though I haven't seen the movie I can already tell one difference: the book describes him as hairy with claws and fangs, in the movie he just has scars and tattoos all over his body. Not a big deal, but still. I loved the book and can't wait to see the movie.
For school, I'm reading Emma. I spent most of Friday reading it and got 35 chapters into it, got 20 more to go....I like the story a lot. I've seen the movies so it's not too confusing. Emma has a lot more dialog in it then some of Jane Austen's other novels, which I like a lot. Need to finish it soon then I can get working on Beowulf.
At night when I'm not reading for school, I'm reading Halt's Peril. Just kinda waisting my time till Ranger's Apprentice #10: Emperor of Nihon-Ja comes out (April 19th). Just can't wait!!

mlpanichelle