Road Trip!

Well, not really. More like hop on a plane for a  few hours, but that's ok, and it's easier to read on planes anyway. Yes! I am leaving to go to Kansas for a few weeks tomorrow evening. It's winter break here and I'm excited to go see my family there.

You can bet I'll be reading. No surprise there. I just picked up a copy of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, and I'm going to finish up rereading Clockwork Angel. I might stop by Barnes and Noble before I leave, so if you have any suggestions for books to read please leave a comment here.

Woot! Security checkpoint #1, here I come!

Until next time,
The Binge Reader

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, GUESS WHAT? It's Valentine's Day! Yay! Spread the love, spread the excitement, spread the free candy(my favorite part), anything else you do "in the name of love," you know how it goes. Well, I'm going to spread the countdowns. Yes, these are the things I am looking forward to:

1. April 5th -- Number one on my list goes to City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Yah. If you haven't seen her new teasers and "chapter hunt" links check it out: http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

2. Feb. 18 -- This is not a book, but "I Am Number Four" comes out this Friday in IMAX. Just saying, I have free passes. :D

3. Is it bad to post two Alex Pettyfer movies? Heh. Beastly's scheduled for early March. It's based off of a twist on Beauty and the Beast. I'm going to read the book this week. The original book is by Alex Flinn: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Beastly-Alex-Flinn/?isbn=9780060874162

4. The Vespertine. You can see the countdown widget on the right. -------->

5. And last but not least, I'm all for Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa. Not sure on release dates, but I really like these books. They're still great even though my guy "lost."

Love, Love, Love,
The Binge Reader

Coming Soon...

So I did end up winning a giveaway! :D
I won The Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon and her little swag pack, as well as $25 for some new books, which means more reviews and other tidbits. Lucky you! The swag pack is on it's way and I am deliberating on what books to buy. If you have a suggestion (or two), shoot me a comment below.

Prom and Paranormal Romance = Perfect

Hey, guys! Just wanted to let you know about another giveaway! This one here is for The Vespertine, by Saundra Mitchell. And it includes $300 for the perfect prom gown! Second and third place winners get some sweet swag. Check it out: http://dreamgown.thevespertine.com/

Review: Wicked Lovely

So after about 2 years of procrastination, I read Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. I gotta say, I did not like it at all, really. It kind of made me depressed...the writing was too dark in my opinion and the story was boring. I did not like the main character. I'm blanking on her name. I really only liked Seth and Donia, sometimes. The character development was seriously lacking if I can't remember all the names (I read it last week, too). I mean, come on...

If anyone can tell me that the next books are better and back it up so I believe it, please do. I haven't hit a book I didn't enjoy this much in a long time. Honestly, I liked Twilight better.

Sorry to be so negative, but for me it was 1.5/5 stars.
The Binge Reader

The Mortal Instruments: Read on, and on, and on...You won't stop, trust me.

I love Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. It's wonderful. 


What bothers me is that she quoted Stephanie Meyer's review on the front cover...for every book! Cassandra Clare is a much better writer in so many ways. She should not lower herself to that for publicity. And the quote says, "The Mortal Instruments series is a story world that I love to live in. Beautiful!" - Stephanie Meyer, Author of Twilight. What does that even mean? It's one thing to say "I'd love to live in" but who says "I love to live in?" Though she does not write about "human" (yes, I believe Bella is more of a monster than Edward...) characters, I don't see her living in Downworld. Just doesn't seem right...
Anyway.

I'm a sucker for forbidden romance. On the other hand, I like a unique book. I like books with real character development, and with all of the main characters. 

The character development in this series is superb. When I talk to other people who have read the series, I get lots of "I like Simon" and "I like Jace." That, to me, says original. A lot of forbidden romance series out there are pretty one-sided. Those really get annoying, I'm just sayin'. It doesn't hurt that Jace is literally my dream man. Honestly, he's everything I'd ever want. That aside, the chemistry between Clary and Jace is the best I've seen in awhile. And then she throws the "big whopper" in there, and puts a new meaning on the phrase "teenage angst." I loved it, and I hated it. Of course, I knew it had to turn around. Even expecting it, I was ecstatic when it did. The way it was done was so artfully arranged, that in that last scene by the lake I felt like I was there. I wished I was there. It's become one of my all-time favorite scenes. Cassandra Clare had my awe right there. It felt like she had wrote down emotion rather than words. Her writing style, with all of her sly metaphors, just made that scene.

If you haven't read the series, I highly (if you haven't figured it out yet) recommend it. This series sticks out. 5/5 Stars!

A Note on Clockwork Angel:

Clockwork Angel is the first book in a prequel series called the Infernal Devices. I read it as soon as it was out. I have to say, I was rather disappointed. The character development is good on its own, but after reading Mortal Instruments I was mixing up names. Will and Jace are so similar if not for a difference in history (but who knows, we haven't heard about Will's dad yet) and time period, they might as well be the same person. I felt like it was a rerun of City of Bones. It flows the same and you can relate the characters within each series almost immediately. It took away from the respect I had for Mortal Instruments, honestly. Not that it wasn't a good read, it just felt worn out by the end. I mean, you can't not read it, though, because there are tons of tie-ins within the series that you don't want to miss out on. I just hope Clare adds more depth and originality in the sequel Clockwork Prince. This is coming from a person who has read the Mortal Instruments series, what, 3 times now? I still recommend Clare's work, I'm just hoping for more in her future releases. Don't let me dissuade you, though, it is still addicting, trust me. 3/5 stars? 

Until next time!

The Binge Reader

The Silver Phoenix and Fury of the Phoenix

Hey! So I've heard tons of good things about The Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. I haven't read it, but I'm planning on it, and a free copy does wonders for planning, don't you think? If you agree, I encourage you to head on over to this link and enter to get one:

http://www.malindalo.com/2011/02/silver-phoenix-fury-of-the-phoenix-giveaway/

Also included is a signed advanced reading copy of Fury of the Phoenix, which is super exciting for people like me, who read things all at once!

Until next time!
The Binge Reader

65% of Young Adult writers have not felt love...I pity them.

Warning. Excessive rambling and possible spoilers ahead.

- - -
I read a lot of paranormal romance. It's entertaining and it's a great escape. But, it's paranormal romance. I keep it within the pages of the book. Mostly, because it does not happen in real life. Well, let me correct that statement. You can't hope for it to happen in real life, because the chances are quite slim.

Anyhow.

Writers who pull the "I'm in love" line before the book is half over lose my respect almost instantaneously. Example: Twilight. "I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." This was after about one half-a** conversation in which nothing was really accomplished except telling us he looks godly and is mysterious. The story then continues to reiterate this a million ways before ending in the most obvious way. That bothers me. I'm not going to get into it. I shall, however, recommend you visit the reader reviews on amazon.com. Click two stars, because that is where the sensible reviews are.

My next point: I positively hate reading about perfect people. I mean, what's the point? For this reason, I have to ask general details about paranormal romance books before I read them. If I find out there's a "perfect man" up against a human being and the perfect man inevitably wins (I might add, you can usually tell within the first 60 pages of the book, or 25 pages after meeting the guy), I don't read it. It's boring and generally makes me very angry. The whole I-have-no-emotions-except-eternal-adoration thing gets old real fast. I must point you to the most mainstream example again (Twilight, if you didn't figure that out...). I read paranormal romance because it lets me escape from cruel reality for a while, which makes me ask the question, if the guy I want to get the girl doesn't get the girl, why am I reading this in the first place? It's like my life, but with faeries (or other things...)!

This brings me back to the point I made in my title. Approximately 65% of young adult writers have not felt love. On a side note: This is not backed by scientific research, because you can't define love by science, and  if they ever try to, it better not be in my lifetime. You cannot define love in general, I believe, but I also believe those of us who have felt it would agree that approximately 65% of paranormal "romance" is not love. There is a line between shallow attraction and love. You can't say something is love just because you have an attraction to someone that you are not "supposed" to be with. Forbidden love does not happen because it is forbidden. That is shallow. Forbidden love is just supposed to make the plot more romantic. Many books have lost sight of this in the race to appeal to the teenage masses (which I am considered part of, I might add.) Stop trying to rip me off.

Sincerely,
The Binge Reader

P.S. I'm probably going to read this tomorrow and say "Man, I was in a bad mood. That sounds angry." For now, I'm just going to sleep because I obviously need it.

The Binge Reader

Hi!! I'm Sarah. I'm a typical college sophomore. Well, not really. My hair is pink in places and I have a sense of morality, but that's another story.

I've created this blog to hold some of my book-related ramblings. My friends got tired of them, so I'm making a blog. The internet is a big place...I figure maybe someone will want to listen. Either way, putting my ramblings here means I don't have to ramble in real life. Well, mostly.

Over time, I've realized that I read differently than other people. I don't know, maybe it's the tortured artist (who knows?) within me, or I just have a good imagination. When I read, time stops, and there is only the book world. I choose books carefully because I have to finish them. If I don't, I daydream in school (more than usual), and I actually get rather distant. Call me crazy, but that's what happens. It's also why I read books in a maximum of three days. I'm not some super fast speed reader, I admit. I don't usually read more than 100 pages an hour, depending on the book. But, on average, I take an evening to finish a book. I just keep reading and I don't take many breaks. I like reading because it is such an escape. When I said there is only the book world, I meant it. I can't talk while reading, and don't try because I won't hear you. If I do hear you, you just broke my trance and I will be pissed. So don't.

You can call me the Binge Reader.