Review of The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Book:  The Red Pyramid
Author:  Rick Riordan
Published by:  Hyperion Books
Pages:  516

From Goodreads:  Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe - a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

I loved the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series by Rick Riordan so I have been looking forward to reading this book since it came out.

Maybe it was all the hype surrounding this novel, but the story didn't really do it for me.  I really wanted to love it, and I tired, but I just couldn't. 

I think one of the reason I couldn't get into this book was the Egyptian mythology.  I'm not that interested in it and I felt there were so many characters, that I had a hard time keeping track of them all.  I'm also not a big fan of the half human, half animal gods and goddess. 

I did, however, love the two main character Sadie and Carter.  Sadie is a courageous, gutsy girl with a snappy tongue.  Her comments to her brother and to the other characters will keep you laughing throughout the novel.  She is exactly what you would imagine when you think of the annoying little sister.  Carter was so brave and so innocent that my heart went out for him.  I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything will be ok. 
       
All of that being said, Riordan creates a story unlike any other.  It's full of adventure, danger and tears. 

Overall I'd give it ★★★

What did you read this week?

So I thought I would try something new and talk about what I accomplished this week. 


Books I finished reading this week: 

Books I started this week: 

It's been a busy week with classes starting again and meeting my new group of students.  I wish I could have finished more books but hopefully I will catch up this weekend.  That's what I've accomplished...what about you?

Follow My Blog Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

           My answer to this week's Follow Friday question:

What is/was your favorite subject in school?

 

My favorite subject in high school either had to be English or Chemistry.  I loved the different books we got to read for English but I hated the grammar and writing parts.  For Chemistry, I just love being in the lab and doing experiments.  I also think it's super cool to use chemistry to understand what things are made of and how they work.  (I'm still studying Chemistry now, hence the change in tenses)

Thursday's Name Game

Name:  Carter
Gender:  Male
Character From:  The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Meanings and history of the name Carter:

• It is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Carter is "one who transports goods". Occupational name and surname.

Personal Experience:

• A family friend of mine has a little boy named Carter.  He's about 2 years old and is cute as a button.    

Places name Carter:

• Carter County, Tennessee

Famous real-life people named Carter: 

• Carter Burwell, wrote the musical score for the movie Twilight
• Carter Jenkins, actor in the movie Valentine's Day and he has also been on mutiple TV shows 
• Carter Stanley, was a bluegrass musician in the band The Stanley Brothers
• Carter Jefferson, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist
• Carter Oosterhouse, carpenter on the TLC series Trading Spaces 

Carter in song, story & screen:

• Carter, character played by Morgan Freeman in the movie The Bucket List
• Carter Lang, a fictional film director in Joan Didion's novel "Play It as It Lays"

List adapted from www.babynamewizard.com


These are just some I know...what about you?

Review of Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry

Book:  Anastasia Krupnik
Author:  Lois Lowry
Published by:  Dell Publishing
Pages:  114

From Goodreads:  Anastasia's tenth year has some good things, like falling in love and really getting to know her grandmother, and some bad things, like finding out about an impending baby brother. 


When I was younger I read a lot of Lois Lowry's novels including Number The Stars, The Giver, and A Summer To Die, but I had never read Anastasia Krupnik.  I came across this novel a couple of months ago and knew it was time to finally read it. 

Anastasia Krupnik is a spunky, fickle ten year old girl.  She's creative and original and very opinionated.  One of my favorite things about her is her little green notebook where she keeps her most secret thoughts.  In there she has a list of things she loves and things she hates.  Throughout the novel this list gets changed many times, with items often appearing on both lists or being crossed off and then latter added on the same list or the other list.  It really shows her thought process and how her feelings are attached to a certain moment in her life and not to herself as a person.   

There is not a lot of action in this book, instead the book follows about 6 months or so of Anastasia's life.  There is something endearing about this book.  I think it's the fact that Anastasia is just who she is.  She doesn't care about what others think and she often walks to her own beat.  She is definitely a friend I would have wanted in elementary school (but I probably would have been to shy and intimidated to even say hi). 

One of my only criticisms of this book is that there wasn't much depth and the author didn't go into as much detail as I would have liked, but this is probably a result of me being an adult reading a children's book and not the book itself.  This is a really cute read and I'd recommend it to preteens or children.   

Overall I give this book ★★★★

Your go-to-Novel

So I'm sure most people have a go-to outfit when they're asked someplace nice at the last minute (like a little black dress) or a go-to meal when they just don't know what to cook (mine is confetti burritos), but do you all have a go-to book when someone asks for a recommendation?


I understand a lot of people have recommendations depending on the person's likes, but what about if you don't know the person well.  Is there a go-to book you have to recommend as a fall back option?

As I was thinking about this question I decided I would choose Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.  I absolutley loved this book and I think it would be great for both young adults and adults.

So what would be your go-to book recommendation?

Review of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Book:  Nightshade
Author:  Andrea Cremer
Published by:  Philomel
Pages:  452

From Goodreads:  Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

I feel like this is a very hard book to review without giving too much away.  First off I did fall in love with the novel.  I stayed up late at night reading/finishing it and I couldn't put it down.  It's a fast-paced, thrilling, sexy ride that I did not want to get off of.  Plus this cover is beyond gorgeous! 


Most of the characters were well developed and very likeable.  The main character Calla is a tough and spunky teenage girl/wolf, as she should be being the alpa female of her pack.  She's a bit of a Tomboy who has a slight problem with certain rules she's suppose to follow revolving her pack.  She's a feminist in a way and wants to stand up for what's right even if it means endangering her life to protect others.

The writing pulls you in from page one and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.  This was a lot sexier read than I would have imagined, but it was done in a nice way and not too over-the-top.  I loved that the pack life wasn't perfect and the characters faced real issues and problems that normal teenagers have along with their pack duties.  


I would have gave this novel five stars if it were not for certain aspects of the ending (which I won't go into so there won't be any spoilers).  


Overall I give it ★★★★