The Old Switcheroo

Today I was supposed to post my review of Uglies by scott Westerfeld but the thing is, I’m still working on it. I finished reading it two weeks ago but put off beginning the review until yesterday because there was a niggling idea in the back of my head and it was taking some time to come through.

I want to keep the reading challenge reviews short and sweet. A paragraph, maybe two if I’ve got more to say. But I’m currently sitting on over a thousand words about Uglies. I need a little more time to organize and compact my thoughts on the book because thematically it brought up some really interesting questions. So no review today.

I’ll try to post it tomorrow because I’ll be busy cooking Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Sunday will likely see the return of Author Recipes plus some thoughts on why I love dystopian YA.

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Waiting on Wednesday ~ Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

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

Dark Eden
by Patrick Carman
Publication Date: Nov 1^st, 2011

From Goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Patrick Carman’s Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.

What’s got me excited?

This book just sounds sooo creepy! As someone who has a couple of phobias that can occasionally be paralyzing a good scary book that gets it right can be both cathartic and a lot of fun. When I do get my hands on this book I plan to read it alone in the dead of night because with a release date the day after Halloween this book is primed for maximum scare.

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Update: A – Z Reading Challenge 2011

Rules Recap

• to read one book beginning with each letter of the alphabet (A-Z), ignoring articles like and, an and the at the beginning of the title, during the year 2011
• To avoid re-reading books during the challenge
• To choose books  I already own, as possible
• To choose novels over non-fiction
• optional: The letter X may appear anywhere in the title, not just at the beginning

Recently Read

1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Still To Be Read for Challenge

1. Catalyst by Anne McAffrey
2. Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet*
3. The Incomparable Atuk by Mordecai Richler
4. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach*
5. Kaimira: The Sky Village by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Leguin
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
8. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
9. Vitals by Greg Bear
10. XVI by Julia Karr

Finished Books in Challenge

1. Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
2. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. For The Win by Cory Doctorov
5. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
6. The Heist Society by Ally Carter
7. Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
8. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
9. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
10. Remedy by Heidi C. Vlach
11. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
12. This Cake is for the Party by Sarah Selecky
13. Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks
14. The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs
15. Zodiac by Neal Stephenson

*re-reads or non-fiction, to be changed to previously unread novels as possible

I’ve bolded the option for the letter N because I’ve changed books. Neuromancer by William Gibson is an amazing read but one I’ve experienced before. I highly recommend it for dystopian fans as cyberpunk definitely has a dystopian feel and this is the original cyberpunk book. I think it even coined the term cyberspace. Wow right?

Still looking for alternative options to E and J. Fortunately I’ve been offered some time with Pisces Muse’s bookshelf to find alternatives. She is officially my book pimp. She’s also loaned me Incarceron by Catherine Fisher so rather than choose one to review I might end up doing two I books.

I might also replace the non-fiction W in my Finished books to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami.

Coming up…

On Friday I will post a short review blurb for Uglies. I’m currently reading The Night Circus so if I finish I’ll include a blurb about that as well. Maybe. It’s a beautiful lush book and I don’t want to rush it. I might also need a little time to process before I gush about it. I might even give it a full on review if it finishes as well as it starts.

Do you sometimes take your time reading books that are really good or do you rush your way through to get to that sweet sweet ending? How do you decide what to read?

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