Browsing Tag

stephanie perkins

Top Ten Tuesday

5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get | Top Ten Tuesday

top ten tuesday meme

I haven’t participated in the Top Ten Tuesday feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, for a very long time, but I thought I’d start doing it again weekly because I love reading everyone’s posts.

This week the theme is: “Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get”. I haven’t chosen ten because usually I like most of the characters I read about, so here are just a few:

Severus Snape – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling 

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why anyone could like Snape. I must admit, I did see the appeal once I’d finished Deathly Hallows, but I don’t think a sudden spark of romance in the plot line can excuse his awful, abusive behaviour. He’s mean to Harry throughout his years at Hogwarts and constantly puts Hermione down, calling her an “insufferable know-it-all.” Is knowledge really something to be ashamed of?

Snape is never going to be a good person in my eyes.

via GIPHY

Heathcliff – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Don’t even get me started on Heathcliff. He’s another character that is abusive – physically and mentally – and is romanticised way too often, thanks to adaptations portraying him as dark and brooding. His treatment of Cathy Linton, Hareton and Isabella was disgusting and how anyone could love him after that is crazy.

He deserves Catherine Earnshaw, in my opinion. They can run madly around the Moors together, as long as they’re nowhere near me.

Tiny Cooper – Hold Me Closer by David Levithan

I did like Tiny Cooper in David Levithan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson but I just felt annoyed when I read the spin-off, Hold Me Closer. It seemed too over-the-top and unnecessary. I was not impressed!

Tiny Cooper is okay in short bursts, but a whole book? Never again.

Cinder – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I enjoyed Cinder when I read it, but I’ve never been able to get past the first two books. I think this is because the characters didn’t steal my heart from me in a way that made me want to read on, so I’ve never persevered. It doesn’t matter how much action is going on, if I don’t like the characters then I’m not going to want to continue.

Lola and Cricket – Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I feel so bad about this choice because I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins’s books, but Lola and the Boy Next Door fell a bit flat for me. I loved her first book, Anna and the French Kiss, so much but when it came to Lola, I felt as if something was missing. I’d still recommend it because Stephanie writes fantastically, but beware that the characters aren’t everything you could hope for.

What characters have you thinking everyone else is crazy for loving them? Are there any characters on my list that you love? Leave some love in the comments to let me know!

Book Review Uncategorized

REVIEW: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

[book-info]

I was incredibly excited when a copy of My True Love Gave to Me popped through my door. Firstly because the cover that greets you is beautiful and secondly due to the amazing authors whose short stories are included.

Edited by Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss), My True Love Gave to Me is a festive-themed anthology, featuring short stories written by authors such as Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and David Levithan. Each story is uniquely tailored to the author’s individual style so whilst they may not be writing in their usual style, their original stamp is still evident.

The stories all fit well together and stood out on their own. I think there’s a distinct lack of Christmas novels, and what sets My True Love Gave to Me apart is that it is a combination of lots of different traditions and customs. I loved reading about each one because each story offered something different.IMG_0353

My favourite story by far was Stephanie Perkins’, which I will be reading over and over again. It touched my heart! Other notable favourites include Jenny Han’s, Kelly Link’s and Ally Carter’s.

I think, though, that the story that wowed me the most was the one written by Laini Taylor because it was so different to everything else in the anthology. Taylor created a whole new world in just under 50 pages, which is an incredible talented thing to be able to do. I want more and more of her story!

I have no doubt that many people will buy My True Love Gave to Me solely based on the design. It has a cover I could marry, a beautiful built-in bookmark, and the most gorgeous endpapers I’ve ever seen. Each chapter header also has a different graphic – a brilliant inclusion!

My True Love Gave to Me really got me in the holiday spirit, and I especially loved the sharing of different customs – pagan, Jewish and Christian, to name a few. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

IMG_0346

Uncategorized

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, a new topic is chosen and people are allowed to make their own lists

This week the topic is…

 Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting (ie: futuristic world, set mostly in schools, during World War II, books set in California  etc. etc. So many possibilities!) 

I’ve chosen to talk about my favourite books with contemporary settings, seeing as though my blog is called Queen of Contemporary!

9754815

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is such a cute novel and, set in Paris, I absolutely adored it. I really want to visit Paris after reading this.

2. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

I love Hundred Oaks and all the characters have just stuck with me. I’m so attached to this book!

3. From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

This is such a fun book and has a crazy road trip in it. I must re-read it soon!

4. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I really want to go to Amsterdam after reading this (and The Fault in Our Stars, and because I’ve just finished a big project on Anne Frank.). It flows so well and it’s such a sweet novel.

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Probably my favourite novel of all time and has made me want to travel to America, particularly Omaha. I love everything about this novel. I can’t fault it at all!

ttt13-8-2013

6. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

I can’t fault Sarah Dessen’s ability to make me crave for the places she creates. A perfect summer read!

7. The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oramperf5.250x8.000.indd

I read this in July and didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. It was only supposed to be a quick read but I haven’t forgotten about it since.

8. The Duff by Kody Keplinger

I read this the other week and really loved it.  The plot, the characterisation, everything else, was done just right and I’d highly recommend it.

9. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

This is an emotional and captivating book that I really enjoyed, and it has a very beautiful cover design.

10. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A very obvious choice for very obvious reasons. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me tear my hair out in despair. An all time favourite!

ttt13-8-2013no2

What would your choices be?