Reading till you drop

In one of my groups one came with a great idea: the goal of reading 1,000,000 pages in your lifetime. I myself started counting my pages since the beginning of this year and I'm pretty proud on my total of over 9000! (no DBZ pun intended...)

I really have to started reading a dent in my TBR pile though... it's getting huge! I think I have read about 50% of the books that I own.. and I keep buying more! So I actually invented a point system so I will have to read about two books (or one very difficult) before I allow myself to buy a new one, and well, it's working...okay, let's just say that it works.

Too bad is that I recently got all these awesome birthday presents (don't you just hate that...) and yes, they deduct points! :( So I will have to read Rebels Angels and Dracula before I can buy my new batch (Fallen, Hush Hush, White Witch Black Curse, Black Magic Sanction) and now I'm looking into it, maybe I'll have to read even more (oh noes!). I'm way to impatient for this!

Isn't it great how we set boundaries for ourselves?


Oh and of course my latest reviews:

Eldest by Christopher Paolini


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I don't know, this book was one big meh for me. Eragon's trainig grows boring very quickly, how the pains in his back are solved is an anti-climax, Arya is still playing hard to get and I didn't really care for Roran's chapters; that could have been a story he would tell Eragon after he heroicly killed the Twins. I'm very sad for Murtagh, I totally adored him... Why do all the hot guys have to turn bad? Him being Eragon's brother?.. Way too rushed and come on, who didn't see that one coming?
Only things I really did like in Eldest were Angela ('cause she's awesome) and how Sapphira calls Eragon "little one" (that was really sweet).

Edit: One thing that annoyed me in particular was the complete unnecessary and random use of the word "naught". Why do they keep saying that?! I guess Paolini wanted to give their language an antique or sophisticated feel but come on, throwing "naught" in every sentence where "none" or "zero" would suffice is just stupid.

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Frankenstein: Complete and unabridged by Mary Shelley


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the dark and horrible story of Victor Frankenstein, who gave birth to the frightening, hideous, infamous monster.

I read the abridged and simplified version when I was young, and well, I though it was pretty boring. Now I read the original unabridged version I can only begin understanding how brilliant this story really is.

Sceptic as I am, every time I heard people raving about how the genius 18 years-old Mary Shelley wrote this astonishing tale, I thought that this was just overrated following-the-crowd crap. But I got to admit; good old Mary captures human nature just perfectly.

We see the ambitious Victor Frankenstein grow up, see how he passes time with his caring family, we see his drive, how he developed his affection for his studies. Life is still fun and it holds great promise for the future; but we all know there are terrible things about to happen, and Shelley won't let us forget that.

I really liked we didn't get to see exactly how the monster was formed, and that she actually has found a good reason to not tell us. It isn't just a simple writing trick, it fits perfectly in the story and suits Victor as character.

The further we advance in the obscure world of misery, it becomes clear that Shelley will not spare our heroes. She does about everything to torture them. The monster wants revenge on his creator, and in doing this, he hurts himself beyond what is reasonable.

Frankenstein is not a strong character, he is actually quite weak. But that is his charm, and that's what, in my opinion, makes this story so disturbing. Because Victor is so stunningly normal, it feels close to home. He is not some kind of super hero with super humanly powers and traits; he has many faults, some even unforgivable, but a good heart. You just can't help to feel for him, as he descends in his own personal hell. His love for Elizabeth and Clerval and his father is genuine and heart-warming, and his misery is portrayed perfectly. It doesn't feel like self-pity at all. I really started to get a soft spot for the poor man. No human being should endure such a hardship.

A few things that struck me while reading:
- Mary really likes the word "wretch". No, she absolutely adores it. It is mentioned on almost every other page of this book; and what I found quite interesting is that both Frankenstein and the monster consider themselves wretches, and both consider themselves as the most miserable.
- Was it normal for men to cry back then? Tears start flowing everytime someone is done injustice. I wonder if it's just because the writer was a woman, and that she has a certain idea about how men should be, or that it was generally accepted then for men to weep, and let their tears run freely without shame.
- The undying admiration for nature. It's like their TV. They don't get tired of watching it and studying it closely. It makes me want to see the world through their eyes.

Yes, I will have to admit it. Mary Shelley did write a classic tale about humanity and what will happen if we lose ourselves in science. The only thing I wonder about is if she really knew the complexity of what she wrote. Did she really understand what her little horror story would mean for us in this time?
Anyway, a must read.

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The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's gruesome, it's horrible, it's painful and it's gross. Totally loved it.

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Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Paige is a witch, and Coven Leader of the American Coven. That sounds more important than she really is, because the Elders don't really want to give her any power.

Now she has to look after Savannah, daughter of deceased dark witch Eve, with powers no one can predict.

Enter Leah, bad half-demon, a Volo, which means she can levitate things. Levitate in the way that she can chop your head of with a flying plate.

Then there is Nast, leader of the Nast Cabal, a sorcerer business-Mafia, who wants custody over Savannah.

This starts a chain of actions that well, fill the whole book. This book is one long roller coaster ride of fast-paced plot twists. It was very different from Bitten and Stolen indeed, but Paige is a whole different character, so I don't mind. The romance was predictable but kinda cute, Cortez dialogue fit him quite right and Savannah acted like a real thirteen-year-old. Fun read!

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Wow, I didn't know I wrote so much since last time. Hm, I guess I'll post the others later.

Love.