Saturday, April 2, 2011

Books, books, books! March Recap, NYR Update 3/12

Spring has sprung. Holy hot dog, it's April! Second quarter is upon us with its rain-and-shine and tax deadlines and TULIPS! Well, unless the snow from last Thursday killed them. :) Nah!

The New Year's Resolutions are going strong, although my healthy eating took a dive during the Seattle vacation. I'm back on track starting Monday with a new round of TurboFire and an attempt at going vegetarian. We'll see what happens!

So, here are my March books:

3/5/11 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Was I motivated to read this book by Robert Pattinson's sun-kissed face in the movie previews? Not entirely (motivated to see the movie in April? ummm, YES!). This is a lovely story with an unnerving villain and a twist that caught me by surprise. Written in flashbacks from the ninety-three year old Jacob's perspective as he ponders the meaning of his life in a nursing home, I'd recommend it to anyone who's ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes of the circus. The picture is very obviously not mine.

3/6/11 - The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
I would read a bit, put the book down, then wander back to it. Does the lovely Lennie end up with Joe? I sure hoped so, but needed to find out, so I read it in a day. Yes, a day! And I'm not a fast reader. This one's a heartbreaker, so be warned, but it's also a story of self-discovery and family ties with poetry flitting about the pages. Lots (and lots and lots) of descriptions and similes, but it's not distracting. A quick, good read with another good boy that I may have a crush on (but nothing, nothing like Peeta; remember this post?).

3/24/11 - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Well, I was certainly 'into' the book. Meaning, the creepy creeps lived in me every time I picked up the bent paperback. Seriously. The killer is an everyday kind of guy who I probably walk past at my job, on the street, in the gracery store *cold chill.* But the ending just wasn't what I expected. A good book, yes, but not one I would seek out again. I suppose that made the story feel more real (and, did I mention, creepy? Yeah).

Does rereading and revising my WIP count? hehe

Plans for April:

Well, I still have The Room by Emma Donoghue and The Hating Game by Talli Roland on my Kindle. A friend at work recommended (and loaned) Real Vampires Have Curves by Gerry Bartlett, but I'm struggling to stay interested at only page fifty. So, those are the three I'll focus on. Any others can be bonus.

On the writing side, I will (WILL) finalize-for-now my WIP. It's time for some feedback, so Katharine and her Crits for Water campaign will see me soon. Such a fantastic idea and a great cause! As always, if you haven't popped over there, go. Now. I'll wait...........okay. Oh, you need more time? ..............good.

I also have a new idea banging around my head that needs written down, so I'll try Ali Cross's NiNoWriMo another month (Feb. and Mar. weren't exactly successful, but you know, constant vigilence! Or something like that).
What will you be reading in April? How about your garden? Is your green thumb poised and ready? :)

Thanks for checkin' out the Cheetah!

-Marie

10 comments:

Retired Knitter said...

I have heard so many good things about "Water for Elephants". Need to put that one on my reading list. Thanks for the review.

Zan Marie said...

Thanks, Marie, I now have a copy of "Water for Elephants" in my TBR pile. BTW, the chocolate was wonderful. ; )

Joyce said...

Visiting from the A-Z today. I just read Room from start to finish in one sitting. I wasn't expecting to like the book given the topic, but I did.

Dafeenah said...

I just finished a book and have been looking for something new. That first book sounds intriguing.

My thumb must be brown instead of green because that is the color anything I touch becomes.

M.J. Fifield said...

I just checked "Water For Elephants" out of the library and not because of Robert Pattinson, just because I've been wanted to read it for quite some time.

I also liked The Lovely Bones. I haven't seen the movie version but a friend of mine saw it and really enjoyed it and she's hard to please.


M.J. Fifield
My Pet Blog

baygirl32 said...

2 of my favorite books! Water for Elephants and The Lovely Bones

stopping in from the A to Z, good luck with the rest of the alphabet
http://baygirl32.blogspot.com

Carrie said...

Thanks for the reading ideas! I need to get busy before my TBR pile topples in the night and hurts me!

Nicki Elson said...

Hey, thanks for your very honest book reviews. I've also just officially crossed Lovely Bones off my TBR list. People say how good it is, but I don't enjoy being creeped out by real life possibilities and your comments affirmed that it is not the book for me.

For my April goals (I'm a slow reader) I'm going to finish Peter and the Sword of Mercy (latest in the Peter and the Starcatchers series) and start With Good Behavior, by fellow Omnific author Jennifer Lane.

Unknown said...

"Water for Elephants" and "The Sky is Everywhere" are two of my favs. And "Room" yeah your April is looking good too.

Unknown said...

I loved Water for Elephants. I read it a couple years ago.
Good luck with all your April goals