Book Review: Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

Title: Ultraviolet

Author: R J Anderson

Pages: 410

Publication Date:  2^nd June 2011

Publisher:  Orchard

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her. Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right? (Goodreads)

As I've been trying to write this review I've found it hard to put into words what my opinion of Ultraviolet was. I just feel incredibly mixed. I’d wanted to read it for quite a long time and felt it sounded incredibly interesting and unique, I mean ‘Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story.  Unless you count the part where I killed her.’ How more enticing can you get?

I loved the concept and thought the writing was brilliant, Alison has a very rare condition, called synesthesia, where she can taste sounds and hear emotions and so much more. It was an incredibly unique description tool that enabled you to not only picture what was happening even more clearly than usual description but it gave you a better insight into Alison’s mind.  I loved that and I also loved the internal struggle Alison was having, wondering whether she deserved to be in the mental institute and whether she was truly insane.

I always have a hard time reading stories where a character is sectioned or accused of being insane, or if they are forced to undergo treatment and take medication – I feel incredibly defensive for that character (I’m always in the frame of mind that they’re sane. But once I’d got over this I was enjoying where the story was going.

Then the twist happened, it wasn’t that it was a bad twist it was just not what I was expecting, it was a very abrupt and violent swerve in a completely different direction from the rest of the book. So I think anyone who is potentially thinking about reading what sounds like a thrilling physiological tale, I’d say yes it is but then it turns more sci – fi than physiological.

However I loved, loved, loved! (that’s how much) that Ultraviolet didn’t have a huge romantic story arc.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance, but it seems every single book that is released in YA has a romance (or heaven forbid a love triangle! I don’t mind them but think they are terribly overdone) no matter what the subject of the story is there is some big chunk dedicated to this romance. While Alison does have what could be called a ‘love interest’ it is the smallest part of the storyline and this always gives me a little glimmer of hope.

Despite the twist I loved the ending, it was very open and I always favour those kind of endings to the ones where everything is finite.

Overall I’d say I found it distinctive and unlike anything I’ve ever read, I’d even just say read it for the insight it gives you into synesthesia which is fascinating, and the highlighting of mental illness. I’d say be warned of the extreme twist but definitely give it a try.

My Weekly Book Haul #1

I think we all know about the latest controversy that has rocked the YA book blogger world. Despite being agnostic I'm a big believer in 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone'. No one is perfect so I'm staying out of this argument by doing my first 'My Weekly Book Haul' showing you what books I've bought or borrowed this week. 

Borrowed:

Graceling by Kristen Cashore - With Bitterblue being released I've heard many a great thing about this series (Especially Books to The Sky's review) I thought I'd try it out.

Bought:

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore - I liked I Am Number Four and it was the book that started my latest reading kick so I'm looking forward to seeing how the story progresses. 

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin - I bought this one on a whim because it sounded exciting without releasing that I had seen it and thought it looked good. Damn you UK Covers! You always confuse me.

What books did you get this week? I hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Reading :)

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) 
Author: Rachel Hawkins 
Pages: 323 
Publication Date: 2nd May 2010 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster 
Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her. (Goodreads)

Well for starters I’m a sucker for anything involving witches (especially in a boarding school!) I started watching Charmed when I was six so it’s pretty much stuck around as one of my top obsessions.

I know there is quite an abundance of witch YA books but I loved the new spin that was put on Hex Hall. A school for witches may not sound all that new but a school for rebellious witches sounds pretty awesome. And it wasn’t only witches that were hanging around Hecate Hall (the real name of the school) that was slap dab on an island – creepy house and forest included, there was also Faeries and Shapeshifters and Vampires oh my! So I thought the mythology was well thought out and presented.

I grew fond of Sophia as a character and narrator; she had some pretty good one liners but also a fairly realistic perspective. Story progression is always a fine balancing act and I think Rachel Hawkins did that well - the big plot was intricately woven with smaller ones so that there were twists and reveals throughout the entirety of the book not just at the end. However this did make the biggest reveal at the end not as shocking but I liked how it all comes together quite quickly at the end, all the strings tie into place and the reader finds out the true answer before the characters do.

I read Hex Hall after reading Fracture because I thought it would be something much lighter (I needed cheering up)– it was but it had enough substance and plot to make it thoroughly enjoyable, so I’ll overlook some of the clichés such as the dark witch coven. Though I was impressed with the diverse multi ethnic characters and that the meanest witch, Elodie, was not a blonde! Props to Rachel Hawkins.  Also as an author I loved Rachel Hawkins self deprecating humour when it came to Archer’s name – it was kind of unrealistic and I’m glad she thought that herself and joked about it.

I loved the interaction between Sophia and Archer and I think there was a nice balance between the main story and the romance, where their relationship wasn't the most dominant part of the plot; so the scenes where they are together are better and worth the wait.

The only thing that I disliked (and you can call me a pernickety Brit) was that Sophia says Lucy’s accent is British and she’s never corrected on it – For anyone who doesn’t know there is no such thing as a British accent! But come on that’s a tiny negative to have!

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this story progresses. I think it has a lot of great potential and will definitely be reading Demonglass – the second in the Hex Hall triology.

A funny, light, but worthwhile read for any fantasy lover.

UK vs US Covers #7 - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

UK vs US Book Covers is a feature on Books Worth Remembering. I've seen it done on other blogs and thought it was a really great idea because I am strongly opinionated when it comes to having different book covers!

There is seriously no competition on this whatsoever - The US Cover is a vast improvement to the UK one.  It's incredibly cheesy and as my sister so lovingly put it (And I'm paraphrasing here) that the UK Hex Hall Cover, "looks like a twelve year old’s first attempt at using Gimp" which is pretty accurate. I like the different shadows on the UK cover but apart from that it has no redeeming qualities; I can honestly assure you that it looks so much worse in real life. 

I like the girl on the US cover, I think that it is a pretty good representation of Sophia and also of Hecate hall's uniform (unlike the UK version - I mean I think the girl in the middle is supposed to represent Jenna because apart from the pink stripe she does not look like that at all)

SIDE NOTE - One of my sisters is called Rachael so as I've been writing about Rachel Hawkins I keep spelling her name wrong because it just looks weird to me!

Anways! A definite win for US this time.

What do you think? Which one do you prefer? Which one would you buy? If you've read Hex Hall - which one do you think best represents the story and the characters?

My review will be up tomorrow! I hope everyone had a good Friday and has an awesome weekend :)

Classic Corner (Poetry Edition) #6 - Funeral Blues by W H Auden

Classic Corner is a feature on Books Worth Remembering where I review classic titles to raise awareness for old books which are just as awesome as new ones. 

However this is going to be another Poetry Edition of Classic Corner. Thanks to the awesome bloggers over at YA Rebels (you should go check out their videos) I know that April is National Poetry Month. Last week I told you about As I Walked Out One Evening by W H Auden and so I thought today I'd talk about my other favourite W H Auden poem (What can I say, I am a fan girl for his poetry) 

As you can tell of the title of this post that the poem is called Funeral Blues (It has also been referred to as 'Stop all the clocks') and I love it, despite it's sombre tone.  It's rather simplistic, in imagery and in style and, to me, it just captures the sadness of loss perfectly. 

Funeral Blues by W H Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, 

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead' 

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, 

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love you last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

My favourite part is the last stanza, with similar imagery used in As I Walked out One Evening, and my favourite line is the last. Auden's last line's are always so impactful and emotive and I think this is the perfect example of that. 

Funeral Blues may sound familiar to you, that is because it was used in Four Weddings and A Funeral. I think it's delivery in the film is a very good and definitely reflects all that the poem means. 

What do you think of Funeral Blues? What to do you like or dislike about it? What are some of your favourite poems and poets? I'd love to hear other people's favourite poems and the meanings they derive from them. I hope you liked this second and final Poetry Edition of Classic Corner and I hope you all enjoy National Poetry Month!

Let's Talk Books - The Blurbing of Books

Blurbing books is a topic which is very prevalent in the book blogging world. For those who don't know what I'm talking about blurbing a book is when a book has a short quote, either on the front cover or the back, and these are usually quotes by other authors of that genre or from magazines or newspapers. I am usually not a fan of blurbing books and I personally don’t pay attention to them because more often than not I don't find them reliable. Don’t get me wrong, some of them are good and useful, but for the most part I feel that they just do a disservice to the book.  

The most obvious problem with blurbing books is that they will be biased in the favour of the book, sometimes not reflecting the reviewer’s true opinion (Alas ‘Tis the nature of the review)  but also I can look at my reviews and see how one line makes the book seem like a five star whereas overall it’s only a three/four  - but aside from that fact here are my top five pet peeves when it comes to blurbing books:

(Also before I start I don't mean to offend or specifically mock any particular author, reviewer, magazine etc. I'm not criticising their review, I'm just criticising how the little just short excerpts of a review do not do the book justice)

1. “It’s the next Twilight!” - 'Twilight fans will love this', 'Perfect for Twilight fans!' Or any other variation along those lines. I'm pretty sure everyone can understand this one – My impression of this is that the person blurbing is implying that Twilight is the be all and end all of all books and that all of other books should aspire to be like Twilight. Like Twilight is the bar that others try to match. Think what you will of Twilight but no book should be used as the book, the one which all others is compared to. Not even great works of literary fiction because every book is unique, individual, and different etc. and should be treated as such.

2. “If Jane Austen was alive she’d been writing books like this” – You would not believe the amount of times I’ve read that on the back of a book. That is obviously a great comment and if I was the author of the book in question I’d been over the moon but once again what is this compulsive need for comparison? One of my favourite books has this exact quote on the back and I personally don’t see anything that makes it distinctly Austenesque.

3. “Electric” by Marie Clare – I hate short, one worded quotes from people/ reviewers whose opinion I don't value. I know that sounds extremely harsh but I have no idea if the person at Marie Clare who said that has similar taste to me. One worded quotes sometimes just make me question whether the person actually read the book at all. Side note: This is not a particular attack at Marie Clare (it's an awesome magazine) but just by magazines or even tabloids who I would not associate with literature.

4. ‘Bestselling Author of….” – These are probably the ones that are most frequent on books in YA. The ones that ones that read: 'So and so, the best selling author of a book I loved says, “insert a praising quote often with superfluous adjectives,” just because I loved an author’s work doesn’t mean I will have the same book tastes as they do. I do however look at recommendations from authors I like if they have a blog, obviously this isn't always possible. Also I, of course, would be hugely flattered if I was the author of said book but these short quotes still don’t give me a very good impression.

5. Stupid blurbs are stupid – The very rare case of a completely silly quote. This happens about once in a blue moon but sometimes I find myself reading a quote that makes me want to hit my head repeatedly against a wall. These blurbs, usually appear, to be written by people who know very little what they are talking about. I have the perfect example of this. I recently read a blurb that literally made me laugh out loud. I won’t name names but it was something along the lines of – “If Stephanie Meyer and Stephen King wrote a book ‘insert title’ would be the result!” All I had to say on that was “Seriously?” (If you have no idea what I’m talking about go Google Stephen King’s opinion of Twilight and you’ll find some… very interesting material, to put it nicely)

I obviously don’t hate blurbs all the time but with the stuff I mentioned it’s sometimes hard to take them seriously or to believe them. Overall my point is this - I think it is incredibly hard to capture your opinion of a book in a handful of words. I find it hard trying to give mine with around 400 words, I find it incredibly difficult to portray my opinion accurately and I have the luxury of an unlimited amount of space/words. I also know I can do nothing to change this and publishers see blurbing as a great marketing method - but that is my opinion of them. *throws two cents in* That is why I stick to reviews by people/ bloggers/ reviewers/ authors who I know have the same or similar tastes as I do and reviewers whose opinions I know and trust. 

I'd love to hear other people's opinions. What do you think about blurbing books? To do you pay attention to them? Have you found any funny blurbs? 

Cover Reveal - The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I just got the message on Goodreads about this and it's safe to say I'm extremely excited! I love it! This cover is gorgeous and I'm pleased to see that it's similar/ along the same line as the first. What do you think? Are you excited to see what happens to Mara and Noah?

The Evolution of Mara Dyer will be coming out on 23rd October 2012.

Go add it on Goodreads and incase you haven't read the first in this amazing series here's my review for The Umbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Blogspiration #3

Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation or just a little SOMETHING.

I think all book lovers know how true this quote is. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to love reading - it's a simple pleasure that sadly not everybody enjoys. So much good can come of reading and I'm thankful for all the great books and authors who have influenced me in so many ways that I cannot even begin to list. I'm incredibly grateful for the knowledge I have gained through reading, I would not be who I am today without books in my life.

Quote of the Week #6

“It's all in the view. That's what I mean about forever, too. For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. You never know for sure, so you'd better make every second count.”  - The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

You may see a pattern immerging in all of my quotes! I had a scare recently that made me realise how short our time is on earth. And that we're not entitled to anything and that we need to seize the day -  making every day count because, as this quote says, we never know which day will be our last.

Book Review: Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance

Title: Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance

Author: Emily Franklin and Brendan Haplin

Pages: 299

Publication Date: 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Teen TV celebrities Jenna and Jonah make more money in a month than most people do in a lifetime. They can't stand to be in the same room as each other, but to boost the TV ratings their agents make them a 'real life' couple. Then the deception is uncovered by the paparazzi, and Charlie and Fielding have to disappear to weather the media storm. (Goodreads)

A review for Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance was the first review I saw on a blog that has now become one of my favourites. It was one of the first books that I’d decided to get because of the book blogging community so I was super excited when it came out and purchased immediately.

I took the book on holiday because I thought it would be a quick and easy read. It definitely is and I would say that it is very much a beach read. I read it very quickly and found the narrative style simple and enjoyable.

I loved the premise of this book; it sounded funny and would be the kind of thing I would like. But I was a little disappointed; it turned out to be very light and I found it hard to really empathise or connect with the main characters, Jenna and Jonah, because they weren’t explored very deeply. Personally I found them unrelatable and even a tad unrealistic because they just seemed to be clichés –  Don’t get me wrong I love many clichés, say like the bad boy with the good heart, but this book had a never ending abundance of them.

As for Jenna and Jonah’s relationship I loved that it had a very staccato feel to it – one moment you’d feel like they were getting somewhere then one or them would back down, so there was a slow build of all these missed opportunities or tentative starts. It was a little bit different then most romances I’ve read, so I found that very refreshing.

I did enjoy how the story progressed and I loved that they made Jenna and Jonah go do some ‘serious’ acting (any mention of Shakespeare and I’m all for it) and it kind of explored how unsure Jenna was, which I liked, but I was sad that that wasn’t taken too far.

I found that Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance had a lot of potential but that hadn’t been properly utilized. I still enjoyed it but it wasn't a book that would, for me, standout or be very memorable – a light, quick read for anyone who loves a good romance

IMM #7

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren

Bought:

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Pretty Bad Things by C. J. Skuse

Borrowed:

The Cure by Michael Coleman

A Kiss in Time by Alex Finn

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Hush Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I really wanted to make a vlog IMM, I like making vlogs but I haven't been able to make many, that's my aim for next week. But right now it's late saturday night and I'm tired so I'm sorry for the grainy picture.

Anyway!

I hope you had a great week in reading! :)

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author:  Stephen Chbosky

Pages: 213

Publication Date: 1^st February 1999

Publisher:  Pocket Books

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | TheBook Depository

Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up. (Goodreads)

The Perks of being a Wallflower is one of those well known teenage fiction books, ones that are beloved by many and considered ‘modern day classics’. I'd wanted to read Perks for a long while and I was very excited when it was let, by a friend, to me to take on holiday.

It was definitely unique, I loved the letter styled chapters and Charlie’s narration was an endearing mixture of innocence, naivety but also wisdom beyond his years. I loved Charlie so much, he was one of those characters that you wish were real so you could have a conversation – I’d love to talk books with him!

Perks is quite a short book and I found I was able to read it all in one go (admittedly I was on a ten hour flight) because it was so compulsive. It is very much emotionally driven and tackles numerous topics - One example of this is when Charlie talks about time and how it passes, I really liked that and found it rather applicable at that moment considering I was on a long haul flight and wanting it to be over but time was going very slowly. Also I loved the big reveal at the end! (It was definitely a surprise to me)

I sometimes felt like it was lacking an end goal – you know how the main character always needs to do something or get somewhere, where you can tell why they are doing the things that they are – I felt that Perks was kind of a mystery. But then again that sort of reflects Charlie, he was muddling through high school trying to find himself and see where he fitted into this new group which he was now involved in. The one downside was that I found it hard to relate to the whole drugs and drinking scene, it's something I don't find particularly interesting to read, but I found I enjoyed seeing how Charlie fit into it (for like me it really wasn’t what he was into)

One of those newer classic reads that I think any teenager can empathise and enjoy. I'd definitely recommend it to others and I have as since given it to my sister!

And I can’t put up a review of Perks without saying:

“And in that moment I swear we were infinite,”

Or my friend Alex’s personal favourite, “we accept the love we think we deserve,"

UK vs US Covers #6 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

UK vs US Book Covers is a feature on Books Worth Remembering. I've seen it done on other blogs and thought it was a really great idea because I am strongly opinionated when it comes to having different book covers!

I love how the UK cover looks like a piece of paper, reflecting the letter like style of the book, I also like all the font of the title and all the writing in the background. It stands out and I think it suits the story very well. I don't particularly like the pictures of the boy, he looks to young to be Charlie.

As for the US cover... What is up with that colour? It's like a sickly green/yellow, it definitely does not make me want to read that book. I like the picture of on the US one more, I also love how it's stuck in the corner, very much like Charlie lurking on the fringes of life. I normally love minimalistic covers but as for this one it doesn't quite fit the bill, for me.

So, for me, the UK cover wins.

Which one do you prefer? Which one would you buy? Which one do you think represents the story best?

My review for The Perks of Being a Wallflower will be up tomorrow!

Side note! Anyone else really excited for the film? I'm looking forward to seeing Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, play Charlie and Sam and also films are always a great way to raise awareness to great books to a wider audience than the one it is already reaching. 

Are you excited to see the film? What do you think of the cast? What scenes do you really hope they have?

Classic Corner (Poetry Edition) #5 - As I Walked Out One Evening by W H Auden

Classic Corner is a feature on Books Worth Remembering where I review classic titles to raise awareness for old books which are just as awesome as new ones. 

However this is no ordinary Classic Corner - This is my Poetry Edition. Thanks to the awesome bloggers over at YA Rebels (you should go check out their videos) I know that April is National Poetry Month. I know in general poetry has a bad rap – that it’s too confusing and complicated with all it’s techniques and devices and all that mumbo jumbo. I however really love poetry just the way it is, as well as the analysis. So I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite poems.

As I walked out one evening by W H Auden

As I walked out one evening, 

Walking down Bristol Street, 

The crowds upon the pavement 

Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river

I heard a lover sing

Under an arch of the railway:

'Love has no ending.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you

Till China and Africa meet,

And the rivers jumps over the mountain

And the salmon sing in the street,

'I'll love you till the ocean

Is folded and hung up to dry

And the seven stars go squawking

Like geese about the sky.

'The years shall run like rabbits 

For in my arms I hold

The Flower of the Ages, 

And the first love of the world.'

But all the clocks in the city

Began to whirr and chime:

'O let not Time deceive you, 

You cannot conquer Time.

'In the burrows of the Nightmare

Where Justice naked is, 

Time watches from the shadow

And coughs when you would kiss.

'In headaches and in worry 

Vaguely life leaks away,

And Time will have his fancy

To - morrow or to - day.

'Into many a green valley

Drifts the appalling snow;

Time breaks the threaded dances

And the diver's brilliant bow.

'O plunge your hands in water

Plunge them in up to the wrist;

Stare, stare in the basin

And wonder what you've missed.

'The glacier knocks in the cupboard,

The desert sighs in the bed, 

And the crack in the tea - cup opens

A lane to the land of the dead.

'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes 

And the Giant is enchanting to Jack,

And the Lily - white Boy is a Roarer,

And Jill goes down on her back.

'O look, look in the mirror, 

O look in your destress:

Life remains a blessing

Although you cannot bless

'O stand, stand at the window 

As the tears scald and start;

You shall love your crooked neighbour 

With your crooked heart.'

It was late, late in the evening,

The lovers they were gone;

The clocks has ceased their chiming,

And the deep river ran on.

'As I walked out one Evening' by W H Auden is one of my favourite poems for many different reasons. I love the tone and the impact of the poem, it just gives you chills. I am especially thankful because it was this poem that lead my to 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green (that and my obsessive love for the word 'hurricane') 

My favourite parts are the sixth and eighth stanzas, they just are brilliantly beautiful. I also love the last stanza - all of Auden's poems have a hard hitting last line, no more so than 'As I walked out one Evening' - "And the deep river ran on." I just find it so poignant. 

And as for at the poetic mumbo jumbo....

I love the rhyme scheme and the rhythm, I love the imagery and hyperbole but most of all I love the message I gain from it. 

I see it as saying that time continues, will always continue to pass. The only constant is time changing and with the personification of time you see how futile life is. Now that might make it sound completely depressing but I've always read it as time's way of telling us that humans are fallible, none are perfect but also we're lucky - no matter how much we have of it, time is incredibly precious and I think it wants to be recognised more and hates being thought of so flippantly - We have all thought 'oh well I'll do that tomorrow' or 'I don't have to think about that until I'm older' or so many other scenarios. Despite knowing our time is short we still believe we have power over it. We definitely do not. 

Time wants to tell these lovers thinking they have forever that they are wrong. That their love is just a shout into the void, a dot in the face of forever. Don't try and conquer and outlast time -- enjoy it and live it. 

What is the message you gain from this poem? What do you like or dislike about it? What do you think it means?

What is your opinion on poetry? What are some of your favourite poems and poets? I'd love to hear other people's favourite poems and the meanings they derive from them. I hope you liked this Poetry Edition of Classic Corner and I hope you all enjoy National Poetry Month!

Let's Talk Books #3 - Writing Negative Reviews

Let's talk books is a new feature on Books Worth Remembering where I discuss general book topics.

Last week on LTB I discussed writing reviews (here) I talked about how I write them and my opinion and also a little active encouragement to new book reviewers like myself. We gotta stick together! But what I wanted to talk about to today is the other side of reviewing – the negative side.

I have yet to write a negative review or post one, mainly (and thankfully) because I haven’t read any books recently that I’ve hated or strongly disliked. But I keep waiting for that day to come (because it will eventually) and thinking what I would do when the time came.

I think the generally agreed debate in the book blogging world is that you should be honest without being offensive or rude but… I think that it is an incredibly hard task. One of the downsides to blogs or any internet medium is that it is cold. You cannot tell the tone of the reviewer or see their expression and other tell tale signs that let you know what that person truly thinks. I've personally been confused with negative reviews, wondering if the reviewer means one of many things. I always try to read reviews from each of the star ratings (1 to 5) and gauge the general consensus on a book but I sometimes find myself doubting the one star reviews because they are conflicting and confusing to me. 

Also one issue I have with writing negative reviews is that just because I disliked a book or found something annoying that doesn’t mean everyone else will. So whilst you want to advise others to read great books they may love ones you don’t.  It’s a Catch – 22 that I’ve been going over and over trying to find out what I’d do.

I think that I’d stick to only posting books that I enjoyed, try being balanced and I always endeavour to have at least one negative. Also if there is a book that I dislike, I’d probably make a vlog review that way I could get my message across better. Because when I dislike a book you can tell. However you cannot always tell through my writing.

What do you think are the pros and cons of writing negative reviews? Do you think negative reviews are useful? What do you do when you have to write a negative review?

Blogspiration #2

Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation or just a little SOMETHING.

I've already posted this full quote on my blog before (here) it's become very significant of late - On the road tackles what it means to live. And how we're almost afraid of it - we need to be brave and we need to live our lives to the fullest. No holds barred. 

Quote of the Week #5

"When a child first catches adults out - when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not have divine intelligence that their judgements are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just - his world falls into panic and desolation. The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of the gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child’s world is never quite whole again." - East of Eden by John Steinbeck

East of Eden is one of my favourite books. Not only for the amazing writing and plot but for all the topics that it touches on and tackles. No more so than fight between good and bad but also the battle for the truth. Also the devastating effect the truth can have on you.  This quote has been very relevant in my life in this past year; I've had to face coming to terms when your illustrious dreams are shattered and the emptiness that that can cause. 

Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Pages:  370

Publication Date:  24^th January 2012

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's…(Goodreads)

There have been quite a few books released recently in YA that are based on ancient Greek myths, but for me Everneath was the first one I’d read. I, like many, really enjoy Greek myths, I remember reading the stories when I was younger and acting them out in school (I played Pandora once – something I’m still very proud of!) It is one of those topics in History that everyone can enjoy, so it’s nice to see this trend. 

I was also swayed to read Everneath by April from Good Books and Good Wine. The very same day I went and bought another book over Everneath I read her review for it and instantly regretting not picking it up. 

Everneath is based, very loosely, on Persephone, whose most famous tale is of her abduction by Hades, who forced her to stay and be his consort and become Queen of the Underworld. Although you can see the parallels to the Greek tale you don’t need to know anything about it to appreciate this book. 

I loved the concept behind Everneath and the idea of the Everlivings; I loved learning the secrets behind this hidden world alongside Nikki as she tried to save herself. Everneath is a very emotion driven plot, which I enjoyed but found it took me longer to get into it – there aren’t many action scenes (if that is your thing) and it mainly focuses on Nikki trying to save herself but also preparing to be taken to the tunnels forever but I found the story compelling and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to Nikki and whether she would figure out everything in time. 

I loved both Cole and Jack equally, for different reasons. The two opposites in the YA world, the bad boy, complete with black clothing, leather jacket and guitar up against the boy next door, whose kind and caring. I can't wait to see how this love triangles develops further! (I kind of think I'm on Jack's side...)

I loved how Nikki was still physically weak (spending a hundred years in the Everneath does that to you) but wasn't weak mentally or emotionally, she tackles a lot of hard topics and is facing a long and painful death but does it all bravely in the face of this fear. She was an admirable heroine, not in the conventionally strong way, but in a more emotionally based way. She relies on her beliefs to take her along the journey.

The story, once it gets going, is addictive. I'd recommend to anyone who loves fantasy, or to anyone wanting a quick, enjoyable and engaging read.