I'm baaaack--sort of? And Terrible Thursday

Hey, you guys! I am officially on Winter Break! Woohoo, no more finals! I can now throw my hands up in jubilation, cavorting through the snow with flushed cheeks among the white Christmas trees.

And now we're back to our weekly meme day. I'd like to note, for all of you wondering, that I won't be putting up any fresh book review for a couple days at least.

My terrible book this Thursday is John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Don't get me started on this "American classic." I had to read this book for my English class, and I was so frustrated. The story was overly prosaic. The alternating chapters of plot and monologue narration killed the book. And I just hate, hate, hate books like that. I felt like I was in the dust bowl, living a droll farmer's life just like the Joad family.

Sorry, Steinbeck. You could put me to sleep even if I was reading you in the front row of a rock concert.

I'll be out of town for the next week starting on Saturday. But when I get back, I'll be around for a long time, so no more flaking out on you guys! Sorry about this inconsistent posting routine I've gotten into the last couple of weeks.

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! I am completely stuffed of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing (hehehe...yum.), and all the other Thanksgiving staple foods. Ugh, I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow when it all solidifies in my bowels.

Anyway, that's gross imagery. And I've decided not to post a Terrible Thursday book today because what kind of holiday would this be if I decided to celebrate it with a crappy book?

But I do have a note about the book The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I had previously posted that I was reading the newly pubbed book, and I had in fact checked it out from the library. I got about 50 pages in before the boredom kicked in. And when it kicked, it hit hard. The Night Circus will please many of you. It's a wonderfully written book. The prose will amaze you. The mystery and 3rd person formality will tantalize you. But the plot will bore you to tears. I got about to 100 pages before giving up. Sorry, but it just wasn't the kind of book I typically enjoy. I prefer plot to description. Preferably, the best books will have an even measure of both; however, if I was to choose one over the other, I would pick plot.

Terrible Thursdays: Wither

What a shame...so pretty

Wither by Lauren DeStefano is a prime example of the most gorgeous cover in the world paired with the most ridiculously heinous example of dystopian literature I've read in a long time.

I want to start off with my little mini rant by saying this book is eerily (and possibly not coincidentally) similar to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In Wither, the genetically enhanced generations of the future can only live up to about your mid twenties. Comparatively, in The Handmaid's Tale, it is insinuated that nuclear war (which also apparently happens in DeStefano's book) has made almost the entire population of women infertile.

Both books have polygamy. But Atwood is a supremely divine storyteller, while DeStefano is the inferior Luigi to big brother Mario...I am a gaming nerd, in case you didn't notice.

Furthermore, I just don't like how the world is set up. There are many discrepancies that I don't believe could happen, even if for some reason, there was a disease that suddenly off-ed people's bodies at a specific age. Do you know any disease that kills you within months of your twentieth birthday?

I rant a lot more in my full review, so Click Here for a longer, more rantish review.

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Terrible Thursdays

Terrible books aren't unusual. For ever Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Hunger Games, there is a book that deserves to be burned and use as fuel for the coming Apocalypse. And while I understand that authors put their good hard time into their stories, I'm going to express my right to the First Amendment. I understand that writers work hard for their books. I consider myself a writer, and it's harsh getting criticism. But sometimes, it's best to take the medicine and swallow.

The terrible book I'm going to feature today is Evermore by Alyson Noël.

If any book encapsulates the "I'm going to try to get all the preteen Twihards to follow me on Twitter" literary phenomenon (and I use this word in the most negative connotation possible), it's Evermore.

First off, Ever (what a ridiculous name. no joke.) is so blah. She's an outcast because every teenage girl feels awkward and alone when she has that time of the month. She has a tragic past because Noël needed an excuse to be dark and twisty. And she likes this guy. And for the love of me, I can't remember his name. I read the book a couple years ago, and he was so generic, I forgot what he's called. So Generic Boyfriend is hot, immortal, and so so sweet to our charmingly beautiful-but-thinks-her-soul-is-black protagonist. Gag me with a spoon. 

Some poor sap got roped into playing the bad guy for this story and tries to tear apart their precious little relationship. But again, the power of love prevails and all is happy in Ever's world...until the next book which is even worse IMO.