TOP TEN TUESDAY | Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character » The Novel Hermit

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott

March 27, 2013 Comments : 3

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“Waiting On” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott
April 2, 2013
Entangled Teen
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

He makes good girls…bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Did Victoria Scott write this character specifically for me? All kidding aside, Dante Walker is totally the type of character I know I’ll enjoy – a charmer always gets to me. I just hope this book doesn’t disappoint. (When I read the tagline on the front cover, my brain sang Cobra Starships’ “Good Girls Gone Bad”? I make them good girls go bad? Is it just me?)

What books are you waiting for on this Wednesday?

Lists

TOP TEN TUESDAY | Books I Recommend The Most

March 26, 2013 Comments : 3

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we list our top tens! This week’s topic is “top ten books I recommend the most.”

1. The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler
Everybody in the world needs to read Daniel Handler. Although the book may be predictable, it all seems like some inside joke that you will desperately want to know.

2. On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
This book will make you cry. All due to the friendships in this book. It will hit you in the gut. You will not regret reading this book, even when you are a crying mess.

3. Married by Morning (The Hathaways #4) by Lisa Kleypas
One of my favorite book out of the Hathaway series. The tension between Cat and Leo, *sigh*, and it was a pretty fun read.

4. Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Paranormal romance usually disappoint me. I usually bored by overarching plot and will often skip to the romance part, but this book, the plot kept me on my toes. And the romance, devoted Clay and a reluctant Elena, *swoon*

5. Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan
This book read like a gothic young adult novel. Well, not really? It just felt like because of the gorgeous cover. With this YA novel, you can’t help but root for everybody in the story. I just wanted everybody to be happy.

6. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #1) by Jennifer Ashley
You’ll be charmed by how devoted Ian Mackenzie is to Beth. He has a one-track mind, but is surprisingly charming about it. (I guess I’m a sucker for the male characters who are absolutely devoted to their lady loves.)

7. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Such a cute, light young adult novel! Next door neighbors, fabulous Lola and her dresses, and a wonderfully dressed Cricket. It’s perfect.

8. White Cat (Curseworkers series) by Holly Black
Con men, supernatural powers, what else do I need to convince you?

9. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Signs, horns, acronyms. It’s all an elaborate conspiracy.

10. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen’s books are always a must. (I didn’t want to put The Truth About Forever because everybody has it on their recommend list. Along for the Ride is the second favorite.)

Letters

A letter to the departed – Chinua Achebe

March 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

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“Art is man’s constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.”

– Chinua Achebe (“The Truth of Fiction”)

Dear Chinua Achebe,

The world has lost one of the greatest authors in African literature.

The first novel that I read from you was Things Fall Apart, a story that depicts the life of Okonkwo, leader of an Igbo village and a former wrestling champion, and the conflicts that he has to face due to the Igbo traditional culture and British colonialism. All I can remember is that I enjoyed the book when I first read it for American Literature when I was in high school, but I was a bit depressed by the ending. That was the extent of my feelings for the novel. Things Fall Apart was a required reading and like most required readings I had in high school, I didn’t feel its impact or understand the novel’s themes and message. Not to make any excuses, but I was ignorant as a teenager. I hadn’t developed an appreciation for novels that did not deal with modern-day teenagers and their fickle lives. I don’t remember my teacher ever talked in depth about the issue of colonialism in written text.

Fast forward to years later, I had to reread Things Fall Apart when I took British Literature II, a major requirement in the English degree, in college. I have to be honest, when I picked up the novel, I could only remember that I had read it since the title was familiar to be, but I couldn’t remember what it was about. However, when I reread the novel, I was in awe of the story and the way the stories – the clash between culture and colonialism – intertwine around Okonkwo. I usually read novels about colonialism written by Europeans, so I was (still am) extremely thankful that there was a novel that told the other side. You wrote from the African point of view, portraying a different perspective to the issue and thus showing that people misunderstand different cultures. You do not know how tired I was reading works that portrayed Africans as “savages.” Like really? Why do those writers, who wrote about colonialism, dehumanize people and cultures they have no knowledge of? Maybe that’s the answer to my question. They do not know; they only know their imagination.

I have not read your other books, so I am limited to just Things Fall Apart, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate your writing. You were an excellent writer, who wrote what you knew and shaped the African Literature into its own.

Rest in peace.

Sincerely,
Cee

Waiting on Wednesday

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

March 20, 2013 Comments : 2

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“Waiting On” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

School Spirits (School Spirits #1) by Rachel Hawkins
May 14, 2013
Disney-Hyperion
Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy’s mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who’s always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Rachel Hawkins’ delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

You do not know how excited I am about this new series from Rachel Hawkins. I’ve said this plenty of times, but Rachel Hawkins’ Hex Hall series is what brought me back into the young adult genre. The new spin-off series is focused on Izzy Brannick, Sophie Mercer’s cousin! She was such a spitfire in Spellbound. I am a big fan of awesome witty banters between the characters (ie. Sophie Mercer + Archer Cross), and I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of it in this new book. I cannot wait to get my hands on this series.

What books are you waiting for on this Wednesday?

Lists

TOP TEN TUESDAY | Books I HAD To Buy…But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

March 19, 2013 Comments : 2

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we list our top tens! This week’s topic is “top ten books I HAD to buy…but are still sitting on my shelf unread.” I am guilty of buying books and leaving them unread. I feel bad. I don’t mean to neglect them! I am just easily distracted. (btw, as I compiled this list, I realize there are no young adult novels, DDD:)

1. Serious Pleasures: the Life of Stephen Tennant by Philip Hoare

I am obsessed with lifestyle of the Bright Young People, especially Stephen Tennant, who I already know is such a fabulous individual. I bought this book last summer, but then classes began, so this book was put on the back burner.

2. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

Again, this book dealt with the Bright Young People. One of my favorite types of people in history. And it was a satirical view of the BYP? Umm, yessss. I was looking everywhere for a reasonable price, and I finally found one at an used bookstore in San Francisco in January.

3. The Late Hector Kipling: A Novel by David Thewlis

I got this book two (or more) years ago because I was going through a David Thewlis love fest, and was thoroughly pleased that he had written a book. He’s such a fantastic actor, and no doubt a fantastic novelist. I actually did start the book but I stopped? I don’t know the reasons.

4. Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

My friend actually bought this for me for Christmas. I have been meaning to read it because it’s Lemony frickin’ Snicket’s new series! But I haven’t gotten in the mind frame of reading the book.

5. Watch Your Mouth by Daniel Handler

Daniel Handler, my heart! I love his books, and this has been on my must read. I decided to purchase it because it was relatively cheaper to buy it at this used bookstore in my city than to buy it online. Yay!

6. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This was the first Edith Wharton book I bought. I felt strongly about the author and the plot/themes of the novel, and I still do. I wish I had taken an English course that focused on Edith Wharton’s work because it’ll force me to read her books and I’ll have legitimate reasons of why I adore them.

7. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

This has been sitting on my shelf for over three years. Any Margaret Atwood book is a must read, and this particular book of hers was recommended to me. The premise of it intrigued. Sisters, betrayal, intrigue? Yes, please. But uh, yeah, I never felt in the mood to pick it up.

8. Kafka on Shore by Haruki Murakami

Murakami has always been on my reading list, so I decided to buy this (along with The Blind Assassin), thinking I would read it, but that never happened? Pure laziness on my part. I will read his book! One day.

9. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I really should just compile all of Edith Wharton books into one number because I own the majority of the books she’s written, but never read it? I’m sorry, Edith Wharton!

10. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lowell
The Mitford sisters are absolutely fascinating to me. They have very rich backgrounds; each advocated for different ideologies like Nazism, Communism, and Socialism. They are such a mess (but I thrive in that). It’s overwhelming looking around my room and seeing books I’ve bought going unread.

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