I heard this movie stunk.
C'mon, I'm dying over here!
In other, unrelated news, want to hear one of the most overrated book series I've ever read is? Alex Rider. I picked up Stormbreaker after legions of people going "READ ITZ AMARANTHINE TIS AMAZING". It was alright....I guess. I didn't...fall asleep or anything. But it was definitely not mind blowing. For starters, Alex is way underdeveloped as a character.
He was a little funny and relate able but not on the same level as I was expecting. And he's a bit cliched in the fact that he's just generally smart and knows everything, without any explanation or emphasis. I guess you could say that he's only a genius when he needs to be, and it doesn't add any other levels to the story. Oh, and did I mention that he's well versed in martial arts too? Yeah. Ender could still kick his butt though.
I guess it would be a good read for boys who don't read much. Definitely not YA level though. Seriously, in the copy of Stormbreaker I had, the font was honking huge. Like literally, this big. I was looking for pictures and the Alex Rider action figures.
I read the second one, and the plot was so far fetched it's a surprise AH didn't die of cracking up while writing it.
I mean, it's not awful. I like AH's writing style and I wouldn't mind writing a character like Alex. I'd enjoy the rest if the plots were more thought out and less far fetched, Alex grew a personality, and a large dose of charm and humor were injected into the series.
And I hate that they staunchly refused to give the kid a gun because a gun was too dangerous. I mean, that's like sending Alex skydiving and refusing to give him a parachute because he might get strangled by the cords.
I'm not really looking forward to the others, but I'm getting desperate for books here! I might try those Christopher Paolini books(ya know, with the dragons on the cover and the titles that all start with E.) and I want to try James Patterson's Witch and Wizard.
If you're looking for something to read, this series will be one of the most epic things to ever happen to you in your life.
But seriously! I need good books! Comment with suggestions, I'm begging you!
In other news, I'm feeling a resurgence of affection for this book:
I'm stoked for the movie and can't believe I have to wait a whole nother year. But that guy they got to play him...I think he might be my favorite actor of all time. Of all time. He's going to be all too old to play Ender...though, ehhhhhhh,...
I heard they purposefully didn't want to make Ender six years old in the movie. I'm a little sad, but I guess yeah, a six year old wouldn't be up to all the violence and cussing.
*rubs hands together*
ReplyDeleteLets see...where do I start?
I say, first off, you NEED to read the Inheritance Circle (or is it Cycle?). Paolini is gifted. Even if half the world says his stuff is fried beetle stinky.
Next, I say you should read War Horse. It might not be your style...but I liked it..and therefore I recommend it.
The Redwall series by Brain Jacques.
The Book Theif (that is if you haven't read it yet)
Challice by Robin McKinley.
The Clone Codes series by The McKissacks.
The C.H.A.O.S Trilogy by Jon Lewis.
And if I can think of any more, I'll be sure to comment back!
hmm okay i don't read as often as i would like and i'm not exactly sure on the kind of stories you are into but if you are looking for a really good christian book check out:
ReplyDeleteHeaven is For Real by Todd Burpo- its outstanding
and if you haven't read them yet (even though they are kind of young and really easy reads) check out the "The Apprentice" series and "Jedi Quest" books by jude watson- i love this books
sorry thats all i can suggest right now.
Fate of the Jedi series
ReplyDeleteTuck Everlasting
Love Comes Softly Series
Any book by Michelle Moran
if i think of more, i'll make sure to comment. happy rading!!!!! :)
Great quote at the end! I would recommend The Cronus Chronicles by Ann Ursu - they are similar to the Percy Jackson books with Greek myths in real life, action, and lots of humor. And I agree with Ashley that the Inheritance Cycle is really good.
ReplyDeleteI've read... three Alex Rider books? Maybe two. I agree with your observations: cliche, no inner journey to keep the reader truly interested, and the plots were laughable. *shrugs* They're the type of books that I consider cheap entertainment.
ReplyDeleteBooks? How about good books? *smirk* I can definitely give you a list of good books to check out.
The Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan
L. B. Graham's Binding of the Blade series
Michael Reaves's six Star Wars tie-in novels (read them in order; Death Star isn't one of the "series")
Zero-G by Alton Gansky
The Pinkerton Lady Chronicles by Lee Roddy
anything by Sigmund Brouwer (Fuse of Armageddon is particularly good)
The Blood of Kings trilogy by Jill Williamson
The Sword of Lyric trilogy by Sharon Hinck
The Firebird series by Kathy Tyers
Good enough for now? :)
Uhhhhhhh..........
ReplyDeleteJane Austen books if you haven't read them
The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black
Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado
That's what I have from the top of my head. :D
OH THE KINGDOM SERIES!!!!!! Yes. Yes. Yes.
DeleteOkay.
ReplyDeleteMiss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (If you're not objective to creepy stuff.)
War Horse (Going with Ashley on this one.)
The Heroes of Olympus series, if you haven't read it yet. (Here's a little spoiler...Nico shows up in the latest one.)
Ophelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters (This one might be a bit below your reading level, but it's a good book.)
I'm sure I'll think of some more...
I reccomend:
ReplyDeleteThe Red Haired Princess by Ann Rinaldi (I love this one!)
The Royal Diaries by assorted authors (Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Marie Antoinette are the best ones, along with Nzinga and Anacaona)
The Contest, The Climb and The Summit by Gordon Korman
The Daughters by Joanna Philbin
Dragons Breath by E.D. Baker
Alphas by Lisi Harrison (>:D)
Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grant
The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding (Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!)
Star Wars Heir to Empire is great but I think you have already read that. Darth Plagueis is also good.
ReplyDelete-James
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Probably my absolute favorite book! So, so, SO indescribably good.
ReplyDelete:)
Definitely Redwall. Should keep you going for a while.
ReplyDeleteFellow Redwaller! "the gods smile!".
DeleteYeah. Asa is amaaaaaazing. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, Ender could pretty much kick anyone's butt, only if they bugged him first though.
I love Ender.
By the way, are you looking for a series, or just novels??
And hahaha, I'm in "Percy Jackson re-read" time too, and after that I'm sensing Artemis will be making his rounds :P
And to top it off, the quote you ended your post with? I just read that part earlier.... xD
I'm also glad you're coming around on the Ender deal. hehe, I guess for some it just takes a little longer xD
ReplyDeleteI feel like Max Ride crashed in the most recent book though. I bet I'll roll my eyes all the way through Angel. -_-
Oh and have you ever thought of getting into manga?? Don't just pick up any manga 'cause the majority are really, really ICKY, but there are one or two series' that are epic. o_O
Like which?
DeleteAmarathine, I think I'm loving these suggestions myself!
Good books:
ReplyDelete"Entwined" by Heather Dixon (really fun read for fairy tale lovers and/or dancers of any kind)
"The Belgariad" (series) and its sequel series "The Mallorean" both by David Eddings (really good fantasy series --though more adult then anything else on my list)
"A wrinkle in time" (and the other books that follow) by Madeleine L'Engle (just a good semi classic book/series)
"Here, there be dragons" by James A. Owen (again, good fantasy)
-'Slippers
I think you might enjoy The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. It's an easy read but a great story.
ReplyDeleteOkay, reading comments made me think of more.
ReplyDeleteI really like Ann Rinaldi books....historical fiction. :D
Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher is good.
The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson is also good.
ANN RINALDI...*happiness*.
DeleteI haven't read the Alex Rider book(s)... but I'd suggest at least trying Christopher Paolini's books - especially if you like high fantasy. Plus, the series is now complete at four books - Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance - so you won't have to wait for new installments if you like it!! Speaking of which, I really need to read Inheritance...I got it for Christmas and haven't read it yet, silly me...
ReplyDeleteAnd also, I'm not sure what kinds of books you like, but I set myself a goal to read sixty new books this year. So if you follow my reviews on Goodreads, you might find some new books to try. O.o
Hope you find some good books to read soon!
There's a award waiting at my blog for you!
ReplyDeleteThey don't like Nico? Ridiculous! I'm just going to try to block that out. You have a good point with the "backstabbing little punk," thing, I guess, but he's still one of my favorites from the series. I thought his character growth arc was amazing. (:
ReplyDeleteYes, the Max books are amazing! And I wasn't too impressed with the first Alex Rider book, either. I never went on to read any of the others. But now I definitely have to read Ender's Game, because you've got me intrigued.
I'm going to throw out some titles here, in case you haven't read some of them.
-The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, or his Midnighters series, or his novel So Yesterday (can you tell I'm a fan of his?)
-Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
-The Echo Falls series by Peter Abrahams
-Left Behind series
-A Separate Peace by John Knowles
-I feel like you would've read the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke already, but if not, they're amazing. Team Dustfinger!
Love the Percy Jackson quote, by the way!
I think you'll enjoy "Witch and Wizard." I read the whole trilogy and they were quite good. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend if you haven't already read them-
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
The Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix
Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
The Power of Five(or The Gatekeepers series) by Anthony Horowitz(the first isn't that great but the rest were very interesting).
The Sea of Trolls trilogy by Nancy Farmer
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (there is a lot of cussing in these books but they are very good).
The Icemark Trilogy by Stuart Hill
Hope this helps :D
Good books. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteThe Hobbit. Awesome book!
The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Eragon and the rest of that series.
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Pendragon series (never read them but I've heard good things about them)
The Warrior cats series by Erin Hunter (When I suggest this, I always get two complaints 1. I don't like animal books 2. 60 BOOKS! About CATS?! Are you kidding? But my answers are 1. The cats are pretty relatable. And I hated animal books when I first read them. Especially cats. But I still liked Warriors And 2. You don't have to read all 60 billion books. Just read the first 6. They're the best anyways. The rest are just for the megaWarriorsfans who would die without more books *cough*me*cough* So yeah, give Warriors a chance)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Some Jules Verne classics.
That's all for now, but if I think of any more I'll let you know.