Books You Should Be Reading (for me) This Summer

  Since my summer will be filled with summer camp, parties, planning and weddings, I decided that I should impress upon my dear readers a list of all the books I wish I could be reading this summer and make them do it for me instead. Savvy? Great! Let's get into it.



CARVE THE MARK by Veronica Roth



Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get this brother out alive — no matter what the cost.
The Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

Carve the Mark is Veronica Roth's stunning portrayal of the power of friendship — and love — in a galaxy filled with unexpected gifts.

I have heard...mixed things about this book? Ms. Roth (who used to run a wonderful blogger blog but now is too famous for that *sighs*) is a favorite of mine (mostly for said blog). Her first book was Divergent and then the following sequels. It seems you either like or hate Divergent, I am not the hugest fan, but I did enjoy the story and I was looking forward to Veronica's sci-fi venture. I bought it like, two months ago but haven't gotten around to actually reading it yet. I keep starting the first couple pages and then putting it down and not touching it for forever. I want to read it though, it sounds super interesting to me? Has anyone else read it yet? What are your thoughts?


THE SHADOW THRONE by Jennifer A. Nielsen 



War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.

His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne? 

This is the final book of a juvenile fantasy trilogy that I read awhile back. It's a very good series, very funny and interesting, and I have the last book up on my shelf and STILL haven't read it. What is wrong with me?? Ugh.


NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman

Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: Neverwhere.

Since getting into Neil Gaiman's books last year, I have had a craving, and since I purchased Neverwhere a couple months back as well and STILL haven't read it, this one is on my list too. Neil Gaiman is so great at the speculative genre, and just at writing in general. I have an increasing desire to read his books.


THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo

This extraordinary historical novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the hunchback; Esmeralda, the gypsy dancer; and Claude Frollo, the priest tortured by the specter of his own damnation. Shaped by a profound sense of tragic irony, it is a work that gives full play to Victor Hugo's brilliant historical imagination and his remarkable powers of description.

I love the Disney movie version of this story, so it stands to reason that I would love the original with its darker and more tragic end. Cause I like that stuff. Cause I'm a writer. Also, I need a good solid classic on this list, and I've been wanting to read this all year and I might as well be sad that I have to put it off ALL SUMMER. Sigh.

A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L'Engle


It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. 

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?

My mom bought me this book literally years ago and I still have not picked it up, even though I'm absolutely sure I will love it. Why have I not? Good question, very good question. I do not have an answer. Hence why it's here, on my Not-Summer TBR. Surely some of you have read this? Am I in desperate need to get this book in my hands? TELL MEEEE

  *ahem*

Anywayyyy, I'm sure you can sense my lack-of-reading-time frustration through this blog post. Please pity me and if you can, read one of these titles and tell me about it. Perhaps invent a way to read books through osmosis? That would be really helpful.

What's on your Summer TBR? Or are you like me and unable to have one? *pouts* Have you read any of these titles? Did you like it? Let me know below!

Comments

  1. I haven't read A Wrinkle in Time, so I can't say for sure whether it's good or not. But what I can say is it's perfect for getting prepared for the Disney adaptation that's coming out next year! I still need to read Carve the Mark, but mixed reviews? Oh dear...

    xoxo Abigail Lennah | ups & downs

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    1. Oh?? Disney adaption? *ears perk up* That sounds like the perfect excuse...

      Yeah, I'm not sure. The plot looks super cool but a lot of people didn't like it so I'm nervous. Maybe I'm just putting it off for that reason?

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  2. Did you have to add to my tbr??? *pouts* I ALREADY HAVE OVER 30 BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER (all because of posts like this). Carve the Mark is definitely on the list. I realize about the mixed reviews but like you said it was the same with Divergent, and I liked Divergent. Divergent will always be special to me because it basically introduced me to YA and sci-fi.

    And A Wrinkle in Time and Jennifer A. Nielsen's trilogy are also on my broader, general tbr.

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    1. Sorry *notsorry* XD Definitely let me know how Carve the Mark is, I need some motivation to get into it I guess.

      From what I've read of Jennifer A. Nielsen's trilogy, you should definitely get into it. It's so great. So funny!

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  3. Haha, I don't have a summer TBR either! Like you... busyness! craziness! Ahh! ... Okay, it's not THAT bad, but I haven't made a TBR mostly because of camp. I actually started A Wrinkle in Time back in January and got halfway through. I have yet to finish it. *hides* I bought Carve the Mark about two months ago too. There have been a few times where I picked it up and was like, "I'm gonna read this now." And then never got past the first page. I will have to read both those books this summer... at some point. :P

    I have quite a few books I want to read this month, but I don't know how many of them I'll actually end up reading. I also have to write because, you know, novel rewrite. :P

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    1. Isn't it awful to watch everyone else getting theirs all ready and you're just there like "ahhh, why can't I read all the pretty books too!?"
      Did you like the first half? I had THE SAME PROBLEM with Carve the Mark. I was so pumped from the synopsis and the first couple pages were weird and I was like, what's going on here? And lost interest, I just need to push through and give it a chance I guess?
      Sameee...my goal is 2 books a month but I'm not entirely confident that will be a thing from now til September...
      Ew, rewrites. I feel your pain.

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    2. I know!! I'd like to be able to do that much reading too. I don't know if you knew this, but I was in a reading slump that lasted from January until the end of April. So I've been doing a lot more reading now, and trying to catch up to everyone else. :P

      Yeah, the first half was pretty good. Towards the middle it started to get a little hard to understand, but I wonder if I just wasn't paying enough attention. I tend to zone out when I'm reading sometimes. :P If I read Carve the Mark before you do, I could tell you what I thought of it if you want. (I also read the Divergent series)

      That's a pretty good goal. I should shoot for two books a month for at least July and August. Whether or not that will actually happen though is to be determined.

      Yeah, part of me wishes I didn't have to do the rewrite, but the other part of me is actually kind of excited. XD

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    3. I feel your pain, I've been in a reading slump for the past four years! :P I used to read so much more when I was younger.

      I will have to try it for myself then. And yes, please do let me know what you think of Carve the Mark (and don't worry about spoilers cause I'm a spoiler junkie).

      I figured that I should certainly be able to manage two books if I only take the time to sit down and read. I think that's the biggest hurdle in my life right now, just committing to take the time.

      I feel the exact same way!

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  4. I've read A Wrinkle in Time and the Ascendance Trilogy - I didn't expect to like A Wrinkle in Time, for some reason, but I did like it? Carve the Mark sounds interesting... I'm just cautious because the romance in the Divergence trilogy got a bit intense. And I love the line in the the Neverwhere blurb - "people who have fallen between the cracks" - that might even persuade me to read it, although speculative is not my usual genre.

    I hope you get to work on your TBR sometime! (Then again, planning your wedding is probably more important xD)

    Jem Jones

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    1. Ooh, good, I'm sure I will also like it then. For Carve the Mark I just really hope it picks up past the first five pages that I keep reading cause it's honestly somewhat boring there and it's weird that people from other planets speak like normal, modern earth people...
      You can read Neverwhere with me! I will caution though, Neil Gaiman has rather dark content (he wrote Coraline if you're familiar with that - and it's for kids!) but if that isn't a big deal than you may really enjoy it. My favorite of his books is The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's really good.

      Haha, thank you! Sigh. Weddings, getting in the way of everything. XD

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