What's Your Status? April 23, 2011

This meme comes from Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I'm also going to include the status of my reading challenges. For the next few weeks, What's Your Status? will be hosted by Marcie at To Read or Not to Read, so submissions should be made there. So, without further ado, here is my week in summary:

Books Finished: Week of April 17 - April 23















Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Currently Reading















The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange

Next On My To-Read List















The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

What I Want to Buy/Borrow Next














Die for Me by Amy Plum
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Reviews

Linger
Eliza's Daughter
Clockwork Angel

Challenges

Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge (31/75, 41% finished) - According to Goodreads, I am 8 books ahead of schedule. I am still contemplating increasing my number for the year once again, this time to 100. I am hesitant, however, as I don't know what the fall semester has in store for me.

2011 E-Book Reading Challenge (7/20, 35% finished) - I've slowed down on this challenge in recent weeks, but will be able to pick up the pace again once the spring semester is over. I do, at least, have one going at the moment.

Being a Jane Austen Mystery Reading Challenge 2011 (1/8, 13% finished) - I'm a little ashamed of myself about this challenge. I have the books, I just have yet to start reading the others. I think I will be taking a break from checking out library books in order to get some of these done.

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011 (4/10, 40% finished) - I finally read another book for this challenge and am currently reading another. I hope to watch the 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility soon, as well.

2011 YA Reading Challenge (17/50, 34% finished) - If you're thinking that the goal number looks higher, you would be right. I got within 3 books of my original goal and decided to step it up a notch... or, rather, a couple of notches. I really had forgotten how much fun reading YA was.

Review: Clockwork Angel

by Cassandra Clare
publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
date published: August 31, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 478
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

What I Thought

If I had to pick one word to describe Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel, that word would be "amazing." From the very first page I was riveted. The characters came to life in such a manner that I could almost put voices to the dialog in my head as I read the book. The prose was very well done and included themes ranging from horror to comedy. In fact, I found myself gasping or laughing out loud on more than one occasion, much to my husband's bafflement.

The characters were so well formed that they each kept me guessing, which I love. It isn't often that I come across characters that are so far from being predictable. I didn't have to worry at all about prematurely figuring out what was going to happen. I love sharp plot twists and surprises in books, so I was very much satisfied by this one. As to the characters, themselves, I couldn't get enough. Will was my favorite simply by making me laugh the most, but I really grew to like Tessa once she got past her "girls can't do that!" phase. Jem was also endearing due to his patience and subtle humor. The villains were so well-written that I actually grew angry with them. It made me very nervous to read their schemes and the import of what they would do to the protagonists.

I found Clockwork Angel to be so fantastic that I can not wait to get my own copy to read over and over. I will be sad to return this book to the library. I am very much looking forward to the release of Clockwork Prince on December 6, which will make a fabulous belated birthday present for me. I can almost guarantee that The Infernal Devices will grow to be one of my favorite series and I can't wait to read every single one as they are released. As for Clockwork Angel, I gladly give it 5 hoots!

Follow Friday: April 22, 2011

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. To join in and make some friends, simply follow the directions listed by Parajunkee on her blog.

This week's question is:

WHAT IS ON YOUR CURRENT PLAYLIST RIGHT NOW?

I've been doing a lot more reading than anything else this week, but there are a few songs that I can't get enough of:

• "Rolling In the Deep" by Adele
• "ET" by Katy Perry
• "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall
• "Enjoy the Silence" by Lacuna Coil
• "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse
• "All Around Me" by Flyleaf
• "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri
• "The Only Exception" by Paramore
• "Rise Above This" by Seether
• "Breathe No More" by Evanescence

Theme Thursday: April 21, 2011

Theme Thursday comes to us from Kavyen at Reading Between Pages. The name of the game is to select a snippet from whatever book you are reading that corresponds with the week's theme. Be sure to name the author and title of your book. Then, leave a link to your post at the official Theme Thursday post. Easy peasy.

This week's theme is: WEATHER

Tessa shivered. The wind off the sea was chilly. All of Nate's letters had claimed that London was beautiful, the sun shining every day. Well, Tessa thought, hopefully the weather here was better than it was here, because she had no warm clothes with her, nothing more substantial than a woolen shawl that had belonged to Aunt Harriet, and a pair of thin gloves.

from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (p. 7)

Review: Eliza's Daughter

by Joan Aiken
publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
date published: November 1, 2008 (originally published in 1988)
format: NOOK ebook
pages: 255
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge; The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge

From Goodreads:

A Young Woman Longing for Adventure and an Artistic Life...

Because she's an illegitimate child, Eliza is raised in the rural backwater with very little supervision. An intelligent, creative, and free-spirited heroine, unfettered by the strictures of her time, she makes friends with poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, finds her way to London, and eventually travels the world, all the while seeking to solve the mystery of her parentage. With fierce determination and irrepressible spirits, Eliza carves out a life full of adventure and artistic endeavor.

What I Thought

I was so excited to read this book. Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite books of all time and I was eager to see what Ms. Aiken would have happen to some of the key characters. I was especially eager to see what became of Marianne and Willoughby. Sadly, I was disappointed in some aspects.

I actually really liked the main character, Eliza, who is the daughter of Colonel Brandon's ward, Eliza, and Willoughby. The book opens in a village where the expertise is the rearing of illegitimate children. Eliza is one of these children and she sets about detailing her formative years in this place. She isn't treated very well but still manages to carve out happy memories for herself. She becomes acquainted with two men whom she calls Mr. Sam and Mr. Bill. The duo awaken in her an interest in words and poetry and, in fact, are later revealed to be none other than Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. As Eliza grows older and learns more, she also grows in confidence and becomes a very practical young woman. She is also quite the accomplished musician and retains her appreciation for poetry. She was a very likeable character, overall.

Unfortunately, not all characters are as pleasant as Eliza. This is one of the areas that upset me very much. Edward and Elinor are re-introduced in this story, although greatly altered. Edward has, inexplicably, become a pompous, zealous tyrant and Elinor a cowed, reticent woman. Some of the reasons hinted at for this change in Edward are downright ridiculous and I found myself exclaiming in outrage upon reading them, not to mention his actions. As for Marianne, she is a bitter, spiteful woman who shows no compunctions of misplacing her anger, which was a real disappointment. She, at least, redeemed herself eventually. Willoughby was the only character who was exactly as I expected him to be.

I will say that the backgrounds employed in the book were engaging. Aiken's descriptions of the village Eliza grew up in, Bath, London, and Portugal were vivid enough to provide a picture for the mind's eye to utilize. I really enjoyed reading about Eliza's travels and the people she met. As far as scenes, I have no regrets.

While there were some appealing points to the book, my disappointment in the portrayal of some of my favorite characters from Sense and Sensibility left me with regrets. I feel that this book had the potential for great things but fizzled with the unsubstantiated personality changes. I can't bring myself to give Eliza's Daughter more than 2 hoots.