Top 5 Wednesday: Characters You WOULDN'T Want to Trade Places With

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey @ GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and hosted by Sam @ ThoughtsOnTomes. Every Wednesday there is a new topic, and you list your top 5 related to the particular topic. This week topic is Characters you wouldn't want to trade places with. For more information on top 5 Wednesday and the Goodreads group click HERE.

Easy answer: every dystopian character probably :P

But if you want a list:

1. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzan Collins
I don’t think I need to explain this one. Everyone knows what a difficult life she has. I wouldn’t survive one day in the arena. I would run before I get to the arena and get probably killed for running away :P

2. Anyone from The A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

This is a fantastic series but also a gruesome one. I wouldn’t want to trade places with any one of them. This series got murder, rape, torture and a lot of back-stabbing. I’m sure I won’t survive long in this world and if I did it would be a terrible life. So, no thank you.

3. Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I think it is obvious that I don’t want to have cancer at sixteen, but how does.  You don’t get a chose in this life and Hazel certainly didn’t get to choose her life. Her story is very sad and you know, no matter what happens she will die before her time. I wouldn’t want her story to be mine.

4. Beatrice Prior from Divergent by Veronica Roth
Again with the easy answer, a dystopian. I don’t want to live in a world like that. She doesn’t have it easy and is in constant danger. Also because of the ending of this series!!

5. Jeth Seagrave from Avalon by Mindee Arnett
Jeth gets beaten a lot in this book. He also doesn’t have a great past. Last his parents at a young age, had to take care of himself and his sister from a young age because his uncle was drunk most of the time, ect. He doesn’t have it easy and I wouldn’t want to take his place.    

Which character wouldn't you want to trade places with? 

The Opposite of Loneliness

The Opposite of Loneliness
Author: Marina Keegan
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 208
Genre: non-fiction, short stories and essays
Published: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5 stars
Goodreads link

Description

An affecting and hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate whose title essay captured the world’s attention in 2012 and turned her into an icon for her generation.

Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.
As her family, friends, and classmates, deep in grief, joined to create a memorial service for Marina, her unforgettable last essay for the Yale Daily News, “The Opposite of Loneliness,” went viral, receiving more than 1.4 million hits. She had struck a chord.

Even though she was just twenty-two when she died, Marina left behind a rich, expansive trove of prose that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. The Opposite of Loneliness is an assem­blage of Marina’s essays and stories that, like The Last Lecture, articulates the universal struggle that all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to make an impact on the world.

My thoughts

I wanted to like it more but short story collections en Essays are clearly not my thing.

I liked the writing and the speech in the beginning was amazing, but the short stories and Essays left me unsatisfied. I was just getting to know the characters when the story ended. Sometimes it felt like the story stopped somewhere in the middle and I was like, that can’t be the end. I think I would have liked a novel from Marina because her writing is great but this format is not for me.

Also the topics were not always what I wanted. Some stories were weird and I guess I was expecting something else. I really didn’t know what to expect when picking up this book. Sometimes, especially the essays got a bit boring. It took me a long time to read this book.

I have mixed emotions on this book.

This was definitely not a bad book! It was just not for me. 

Avalon

Avalon (Avalon #1)
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 432
Genre: Science fiction, Dystopian
Published: January 21, 2014
Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads link

Description

A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon's cult hit show Firefly.

My thoughts

I heard this was about a group of teenage mercenaries stealing spaceships, so I needed to pick this book up.

It took me a while to get into this book. But after about 100-150 pages it started to pick up. This book is slow, so don’t give up to early. In the end this book is worth it. 

The beginning is more getting to know the characters and the world. The second half is action, intrigue, plot twist and a lot of betrayal.

SciFi isn’t a genre that I read much, but dystopian is. This book is a combination of the two. That made it easier for me to get into the story. I think this book is a great introduction to YA SciFi, at least it was so for me. The technology in this book was complicated but I think they made it easy to follow because they explained it in an easier way.

The characters were fully developed. You get to know some of their backstory but not of every character. The story is from Jeth’s perspective. So he tells you a bit about the backstory of his crew. It is just a bit of what they did before they joint the crew and how they met.

The villains in this book were super evil but to themselves they weren’t. Mindee tried to show you that these villains weren’t just evil because they wanted to be evil. No when the villains were explaining themselves they really thought they were making the world better. But they didn’t realize that by trying to defeat the ITA (most powerful company in the universe) they became something worse than the ITA.

This book is definitely worth your time!

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to See as TV Shows

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey @ GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and hosted by Sam @ ThoughtsOnTomes. Every Wednesday there is a new topic, and you list your top 5 related to the particular topic. This week topic is books you want to see as TV shows. For more information on top 5 Wednesday and the Goodreads group click HERE.

The first thought on my mind were big fantasy books. Those will be great for TV shows but most of the big fantasy books series that I read are already made in TV series. Like A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin and the Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind (TV show is called Legend of the Seeker). So I had to think for a while to come up with these.

1 The Ascendants Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen

I would like to see the Ascendants trilogy as a TV Show. But on no circumstances may they vary from the book. Book 1 season 1, book 2 season 2 etc. I love this story so I am also a bit afraid that they won’t do it justice. I think a TV show would be better than a movie because than they don’t have to take parts out of the story and have the time to do this right.

2. The Defiance series­ or The Courier’s Daughter series by C.J. Redwine

I think that this could be a great adventure series. I loved this book so much. This was my favorite dystopian after getting into the hunger games. Don’t get me wrong it is nothing like the hunger games it is more a post-apocalyptic dystopian world. But you only find that out in the second book were they find stuff from our world so the first book feels more like a normal dystopian. This world is interesting and dangerous. Perfect setting for a TV show. On the other hand this book got a kick ass female lead like the Hunger Games. She changes a lot during the books, because like katniss, she is effected by al the traumatic events that happened to her. This all would be cool to see in a TV show.

3. Legend series by Marie Lu

I wasn’t the biggest fan of these books but I think this could be a great TV show or movie. I think that this is defiantly possible in the future because I know the rights are sold and IMDB’s says this movie is in development. I still think this might be a better TV series than movie but I am interested in both.

4. The Cocktail series by Alice Clayton

This would have to be an adult TV show at night because of all the sexy time scenes in it. But it would be incredibly funny. Maybe even the best comedy TV show ever seen.

5. Avalon by Mindee Arnett

I just finished this book 2 days ago but I think this can be made in a great TV show. It is doable with a good special effects team I think. This takes place in space so that is an environment you can´t film in so a good special effects team is definitely necessary.

We Should All Be Feminists

We Should All Be Feminists
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 49
Genre: non-fiction
Published: july 29, 2014
Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads link

Description

What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike. Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.

My thoughts

Because of all the discussions on booktube about diversity, I wanted to read a diverse read this month.  I immediately thought of this book. I’ve wanted to read this book for a while now, and it did not disappoint I agree with everything that she says in this book.

It was a short read. But what she talked about made me think about a vacation I was on with a few friends not long ago. When we went to eat in a restaurant and asked for the check they always gave it to the guy not to the girls. I didn’t notice it till this friend pointed it out. It’s these small things that we should change to make a bigger change. It’s the mindset we have on men and women, and how it is built in to our society. That we should actively think about gender, because sometimes you don’t notice the inequality, like that check I didn’t notice. That is the point I get from this book.

It’s an interesting read.  I recommend this book to everyone, even if you don’t think about feminism much, even if you’re not a feminist. This book might change your mind or it won’t, either way you’ve came out of it knowing more of yourself and the people around you. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ( Pride and Prejudice and Zombies #1)
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 399
Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling
Published: may 1, 2009
Rating: 3/5 stars

Description

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a bold reimagining of Jane Austen’s classic novel. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life. Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the bloodsoaked battlefield. Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an audacious retelling of English literature’s most enduring novel.

My thoughts

I really like the movie so I thought lets read the book.

The writing was something I enjoyed, it feels like a book that could be written in that time (only the actions in the book probably not, especially the fighting and of course there were words that were throw in to make it funny that weren’t used in that time, but it gave the feel for that time ;)) I haven’t read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen but now I really need to. I did read persuasion by her so I know how Jane’s writhing is (and it is great :)).

The zombie element was fun but I think it could have been great if it was a bigger part of the plot. It was just a story with zombies getting in the way sometimes. I still really liked it, especially the fighting parts. And the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth was fun. How they can’t stand each other but feel this connection.

This book gets lots of mixed reviews and I get it. The zombies get overrated it is not something new apart for those zombies and it could probably be done better (I thought the movie was done better). But the fact that I enjoyed this book is all that is important to me. I read to enjoy myself and this book did its job. This book is kind of ridiculous but that is the point, it’s supposed to be ridiculous. Don’t expect to be enlightened by this book, or inspired to change. This book is fun and more not. This book is exactly Pride and Prejudice (so I heard and seen in the movie) but with a zombie element thrown in the mix. Don’t expect a different story. If that sounds like something you’d like than read it.

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters You'd Want as Family

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey @ GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and hosted by Sam @ ThoughtsOnTomes. Every Wednesday there is a new topic, and you list your top 5 related to the particular topic. This week topic is characters you'd want as family. For more information on top 5 Wednesday and the Goodreads group click HERE.

It was difficult to make this list. I don’t know but I sometimes find it hard to imagine the characters outside of their worlds so it was difficult to figure out who I would want as Family. I couldn’t come up with more than 3 characters so I made a top 3.

Disclaimer, I wouldn’t trade my family for the world, even do we fight sometimes (which family doesn’t :P). But if I had to I would choose these characters. 

1 first I want Katniss from the hunger games as older sister. She is a great sister to prim and who doesn’t want a sister like that.

2. I think Ned Stark from A Game of Thrones is a great father so give me him as a father. He is a good and kind father sadly the world where he is in is not so kind.

3. I want Hayden’s mom, from The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West, to be my mom. She is cool, kind and I feel like she understands teenagers and that is a treat that is great for a mom with a teenage kid. Even though she was a very small character I still like her a lot.

August Wrap-Up

I didn’t have much reading time this month. I went on vacation 2 times this month. Ones to Czech Republic for 10 days with friends, and ones with a nonprofit where I volunteer for a week. Because of this I didn’t have much time to read. I only read 1 book and in the end of this month I picked up 3 graphic novels. I flew thought them in a few hours. So these are the things I read in the month of August and what I rated them.

Stats

Read books: 4

Genre: 1 Contemporary and 3 Graphic novels

Pages: 1.023

4 stars – I really liked it

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search by Gene Luen Yang

3 stars – I liked it

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise by Gene Luen Yang

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift by Gene Luen Yang

2 stars – it was okay

That boy by Jillian Dodd