Think Out Loud #8

Think Out Loud.

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My literary highlights and downsides of 2012

It's already 2013?! Well that went by fast. So here's a random  unstructured post where I review all things related to books and this reviewing page during the year 2012. 

I started reviewing in October 2011 and I'm still going strong today. How about that? this is the most committed relationship I've ever been in. I'm not sure I should have said that.....

Although I am kind of disappointed . This year I didn't finish my Goodreads challenge  which is ironic because my Goodreads challenge for 2011 was 100 books which I completed by 110. This year I reduced it to 75 books which  I didn't complete by 25 (only read 50). It really bugs me ! Of course one shouldn't dwell on the amount of books one reads but the quality right, there's a phrase for that, I can't remember it. 

The best of the 50 books I've read:

#1 Highlight is discovering the ASOIAF saga by GRRM. I'm still not finished with a Dance with Dragons. I'm going slow on purpose . Who knows when GRRM will finish the other two books and S3 of a Game of Thrones isn't coming out for a long time yet.  My reviews of the first four books are my favorite reviews I've written so far. Although they do border on rants. especially a Storm of Swords, which coincidentally is the longest book I've read this year (according to Goodreads)    

#2 Discovering  new authors . James Patterson, I had always seen his name or heard him mentioned along with other authors  I'm ashamed to admit I intentionally didn't pick his book up sometimes. We all have regular authors we read. and although we all know "you should never judge a book by it's cover" we still do! either way Patterson is an awesome writer,  the characters he creates are amazing and talented and human. It's just really easy to connect with them.It's annoying. Neil Geiman, after reading his poem instructions on a fellow reviewers page I was sold. Instructions is a poem about what to do if you find yourself in a fairy tale.  It's an awesome poem and listening to this guy read is like going to a really mellow rock party. I also got the chance to read his comic  The Sandman vol.1 . 

#3 Finishing The Hunger Games. I had hoped for a happy ending when I had finished book one. can't say it was met tho. The ending was bittersweet.  The Hunger Games , The Confession and The Lost Symbol are the most substantial books I read this year.

- The Night Circus is easily the most imaginative book.

- The Silent Girl was the most thrilling

- The funniest now this one's hard: the Scott Pilgrim comics were pretty funny and absurd, so was the manga Yotsuba  and I got to read my first Jane Evanovitch book, Lean Mean Thirteen. I'm impressed by her humor and will definitely be picking up more of her books.

-The twisted, psychological  reads: This is gonna be a tie. but the #1 goes to Red Dragon #2 goes to Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. The title is pretty accurate. Although Johnny is psycho the comic is pretty funny in  a twisted way and has a morbid perception of social life and people. My favorite  sketch will always be Wobbly Headed Bob.

#4 books I bought over the year;

I currently own all four books from the ASOIAF saga and I got the box set for The Hunger Games . I also caved and bought the ASOIAF 2013 calendar. I bought my first mangas, Bleach vol .36 and 37 ( The Pendulum arc) and another Tess Geritsen book, The Silent Girl. Roro @ Roro Is Reading gave me Lothaire (IAD #12)  as a present and I bought the last book in the Lords of the Underworld series #9, The Darkest Seduction. That's two out of the six books I wanted to read in 2012. 

#6 finally picking out a background image for the page . 

#7 garnered some new followers. but My #1 comment-er will always be Kah Cherub @Not Just Nonsense  . and my #2 spot goes to my faithful or maybe occasional readers Mark and Maayra. Who make my day.

#8 this year I received my first autographed book! By none other then one of my friends who won a writing competition and got one of his short stories published  He's well one his way. He's also started reviewing so stop by his page @ Zera's Comic Shelf 
#
#9 I wrote my first review on request which was  for a Bizarro book, A Hollow Cube is a lonely Space. Bizarro fiction is a genre that uses satire and a lot of other crazy stuff to  make weird ,crazy, disgusting stories. A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space is pretty decent compared to the other titles I saw from this genre. Although it's the only book from this genre I've read so  I can't say that, can I. but I saw some really weird titles. So you've been warned.

#10 I got my second request  to review Good Gladys by Martin Renaud two months ago. finished it yesterday. Review pending.

#11 downside : Helena said Sherlock Holmes had no personality and the plot was obvious .I know everybody is allowed an opinion and I should.. let this go. but really...? no personality..really

#13 the best covers 2012: 

#1 Angelfall by Susan Ee. Awesome book , unpredictable hero and ridiculous but feisty heroin.


#2 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

#3 Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

My long term relationship with certain books keep increasing while new ones bloom. According to Goodreads I've been reading Grimm's Fairy Tales since May 2010 and It by Stephen king since June 2010. There are in total 17 books I haven't finished reading. but I do read them on and off, for 2 and a half years apparently . I mean come on, It is a pretty lengthy book and not easy to read. I think the last  thing I read was where this guy was talking to something through the sink. a scary demonic voice that said it was Legion. I'm sorry, but that's the cue to stop reading and run! NOT that I was scared or anything

Then there's a bunch of books I've burrowed but haven't read . and the ever increasing TBR list. But there's still time , there's this new whole year in front of me to read and finish reading books, so come at me 2013.

Down the Rabbit Hole

You know how Alice fell through and ended up in Wonderland. Well some books are like that too. Books that just transport you, they take you away. Consume you. Just like that they ingrate themselves into your mind. You can't stop thinking about it. You become completely lost to a wonderful ,brilliant story . A world unlike reality.

some of these rabbit-hole like books:

The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien

When I got my hands on this fantastic trilogy I was completely consumed. It's not a book you finish in a day (not for me at least). You continue reading and then notice how much time has passed and you must go to school. At school but not really there. You're on the freaking Shire!! In the car driving home you're still there. Your on Middle Earth. The sun, The grass. The simplicity of The Shire and the hobbits. all the good and the oncoming bad.

Tolkien did a great job describing things ,creating such a vivid world with such great, honorable and equally bad and evil characters.

Harry Potter by J K Rowling
The Goblet of fire was the first harry potter book I read. I'd seen the movies before and was interested in the books. Lost in such a magical world. Such great  and memorable characters. This is where I started to enjoy reading.

Pet cemetery by Stephen King
Now not all places a book takes you is going to be a wonderful place. I hate Pet Cemetery. It's probably the first book I've well, a little bit, kind off destroyed. The story wasn't bad. or anything. I just hate this book. and that evil diabolical Cat!! After reading this book(which had on the cover a creepy cat on it) I put it in the fridge. I wasn't scared or anything! I just didn't want anything coming out of it and getting me. Like that creepy cat on the cover!. Honestly, no really. why would you want to bring a dead cat back to life! havn't you ever heard of a pet store?!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
One of my favorite novels.
The words stay with you I suppose. "I am a free human being and with an independent will". "hell is a pit full of fire". "resurum"
I love the character Jane. She's kind, she's describe as a small weak woman/child. and yet she grows into a fine human being. She's treated horribly but retains her innocents and kindness through it all. And Mr Rochester an equally interesthing character. I loved and enjoy the part where he dressed up as an old gypsy woman to trick Jane. I've read Pride and Prejudice and other works by Jane Austen. but Charlotte Bronte with this one novel beats  Austen. (my opinion)

These are the books right a top of my head that have taken me to wonderful places. Then again there's  Twilight which has taken me to Forks and Dark hunters to New Orleans and Greece. Bleach has taken me to Karakura Town. I've walked through the dirty alley's of London with Mr Hide and the unpleasant Mr Dorian Gray., Through the Louvre and The Library of Congress with Robert Langdon. I've been on so many adventures and that I've done through books only.

Where have you been?

~ Genre's ~

I like to read. My favorite genre would be Fiction/Fantasy. Lately I've read a lot of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. But also some Young Adult, Contemporary, Thrillers, Romance, Literature, Philosophy, Children's and a lot more. There are so many genre's out there I've yet to explore. I don't wanna stay in one genre . I want to mix it up. I'd like to explore some Sci-Fi and Historical maybe. Oh and some Steampunk and Dystopian.

I was browsing through the genre's list on goodreads, when i found a genre called "Bizzaro fiction" a sub genre of horror i think. "Bizzaro" yeah you've guessed it right : weird shit!

"Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often utilizes elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive works that are as weird and entertaining as possible". 

Great odds that's it's about crazy people doing crazy ,disgusting,scary-crazy-disgusting things. Of course this is mere speculation on my part from the many titles I've seen on goodreads. 
Like:  
 -A Bear is Eating Me 
- A Haunted Vagina
-The Menstruating Mall
-Satan Burger (followed by the cover, of a naked guy crouching over a plate he's I assume about to SHIT on)
- The Baby Jesus Butt Plug
-Ass Goblins of Auschwitz 
-Sausagey Santa ?

 Some of these titles bug me to a certain end, that would make me not want to read the book. Of course there were other books with less freaky titles . this genre seems interesting enough. I found one book that  interested me  and added it to my TBR list. "Armadillo Fists" by Carlton Mellick III

It's about a woman , Psycho June Howard, aka Armadillo Fists,  who replaced both of her hands with living armadillos. Bizzar? oh i know.

What's your favorite genre? are you exploring any new genre's?