Seasons Readings!

When I think about a book I've read in the past, a lot of the times I find that I've attached memories with the book. Kristin Lavransdatter reminds me of pretzels dipped in Nutella. Emma reminds me of my bed in my Freshman year dorm room. Marley & Me reminds me of the beach. So I guess that it only makes sense that I also associate certain books with certain seasons.

Today is noticeably cooler than last week. It's been raining a lot lately and the sun is already rising later and setting sooner. So when I took Molly outside this morning in the cool, damp darkness something in me just said "Ahh...Fall." And then something else said "Let's read Lord of the Rings."

To me Fall means I need something Fantasy or Historical. Or both. Below are two of my favorite 'Fall-type' books. Of course, if you haven't read the Lord of the Rings series, I strongly recommend that as well (start with The Hobbit!)




Does anyone else associate the seasons with certain books? If so, which?

Book Review: The Strain

Title: The Strain

Author: Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Synopsis: A plane lands at JFK airport and stops dead on the runway. All the shades pull down and the power goes out. Crews outside are confused as to what has happened, even more so when they open the airplane to find that everyone on board is dead...or are they?

Stars: 2/5

Lauren's Review: Holy crap, I think John Grisham quit doing legal thrillers for a day and squeezed out this turd. Which is to say, I hated it. Who knew you could make a horror thriller so...boring?

First of all, I didn't give a crap about a single character. They managed to make them all sound like over-used Hollywood stereotypes.

Second of all...ok this is a mini spoiler but everyone who read the book jacket knows it...they're vampires. You think, 'that's kinda overdone, but cool,' right? WRONG. They manage to make vampires the least cool thing ever. There is nothing cool about these vampires, they're boring and don't have any super powers. They're even lamer than Edward Cullen (who at least sparkles and can run really fast).

So when the vampires aren't cool and the characters are as interesting as rocks, I think it's time to give up. I finished this book but I will not be reading the rest of the trilogy. I just don't care.

Book Review: Sloppy Firsts

Title: Sloppy Firsts

Author: Megan McCafferty

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis: This is the story of one year in the life of16 year old Jessica Darling, told through diary entries and letters to her best friend Hope. Jess struggles with parents who don't understand her, friends that are clueless and shallow, a perfect older sister, and a strange attraction to a boy best described as a "bad seed." Jess tries to find herself in the mystifying and complex world of high school when the one friend she identified with is suddenly taken away from her.

Stars: 4/5

Lauren's Review: Don't be turned off by all the cliches in the synopsis. This is a character that at least I found easy to relate to. She's brainy, not pretty ("why do girls always have to be one or the other?") She's not taken in by all the popularity peer pressure. And she *gasps* tries to get good grades! Honestly, never since Cat from 10 Things I hate About You have I found a teenager more agreeable. She isn't a goth/geek/nerd but she isn't a prep/cheerleader/popular girl. Instead she falls into the under-represented in between where most of us real people spent our high school years.

And despite being a YA book, the writing is not too shabby. This isn't one of those 'like omg and then he kissed me!' type of diaries, Jess delves into the deep stuff of who she is and the difficulties in her relationships with other people. I think what I liked about this book is the realness of it. Its what high school was actually like, but without the classes so not boring.

I liked Jess because she was a real character and had brains. Unlike some retards who go falling in love with every vampire/werewolf they find. But that's another rant for another time.

About Starfish Books

image from here

Hello and welcome! I'm Lauren and Starfish Books is an extension of my regular blog (Starfish Road), except here I will only talk about books. I'm not an author, publisher, or editor. I'm just a reader who likes to discuss books with other people. I like almost all genres of fiction, but some more than others. If you want to leave a comment or suggest a book you think I should read, go for it!

Enjoy!