Wednesday, February 2, 2011

January Book Roundup

 And now it's time for a special, beginning of the month post!

While I love discussing books with people, I'm not big on writing reviews. There's no ebb and flow to book reviews and it feels a little like I'm committing myself to one opinion. Actually, I'm not big on reading reviews either, generally because I'd rather read the book and debate opinions with you than have you throw them at me.

But at the same time, I want to tell you people what I've been reading. Maybe, somehow, I'll help you find your next favorite series. Maybe we have the same tastes and can recommend things to each other, yeah?

So a compromise. Short reviews. Once a month. Twitter-style. 140 characters or less, baby!

ETA (03/02/11): I used to do five star ratings, but I got rid of them because I don't like how arbitrary they are. However, my favorite books of the month are now marked with a star ().

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
YA Contemporary--Contemporary teen romance that's both fresh and daring. Loved how it deals with female body image issues in a realistic light. 

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
YA Anthology--Short story collections are hit-and-miss, but this one's a winner. Debates what's better: zombies or unicorns. Team Zombie FTW. 

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
YA Urban Fantasy--Little Red Riding Hood revisited. With hunting. A bit aimless at first, but the striking personalities of the two sisters make up for it.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
YA Post-apocalyptic--A serious zombie apocalypse. First 100 pages a little difficult to sink into, but deadly gorgeous world-building pushed me through.

Mystery--Third Jackson Brodie book. As always, Atkinson's prose and characters are luscious, but too much darkness in the end for my liking.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
YA Urban Fantasy--Third of the Mortal Instruments. I completely adore Clare's characters and after all of the build-up and drama, such a satisfying ending! 

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
YA Post-apocalyptic--More on the zombie apocalypse. Holy crap loved the character development and continued world-building. Cannot wait for the third book! 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
YA Historical Fantasy--First of The Infernal Devices. Started off slow, but got better halfway through. Yay for intriguing characters and abundant steampunk elements.

Did you read any of these books this month . . . or did you read them months ago when they first came out? What did you read? Anything good? Tell me in the comments!

8 comments:

katespins said...

I like that you used the Goodreads standard. Although you were very concise in your description I would love a little more detail. As an example in City of Glass you say you adore her characters, why? what is it about them that you like? Tell us more about what these books are about? I know you were using twitter style but I think that is too limited.

Sarah Robertson said...

Unfortunately I don't want to bog myself down in lengthy reviews. A lot of other people have nice, long, far more in-depth reviews than I do though! Maybe in the future I'll link to the Goodreads pages for each of these books so everyone can check them out that way. :D

katespins said...

I can understand that. I think the link to Goodreads is a great idea. That way anyone reading your blog who wants more detail can have it.

Sarah Robertson said...

Okay, totally going to go turn those book titles into links!

Kate Robertson said...

The links work great, thanks.

Sarah Robertson said...

You're welcome.

Brenna Braaten said...

I like your little reviews. I think it's perfect for you, and the perfect size blurb for someone wanting a quick look.

Sarah Robertson said...

Haha, glad you appreciate them. :) There's actually kind of hard to write since they're so short!

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