The Mortal Instruments conclusion

I actually felt like the series could have ended with Book 3. Granted, Cassandra Clare left some loose(ish) ends at the close of City of Glass, but I still felt pretty satisfied with the way things had turned out.

Then again - as I mentioned in a previous post - I was a little depressed when I reached the last page and realized that the adventure was over.

So, naturally, I went ahead and picked up Book 4, City of Fallen Angels. If you also felt like you couldn't get enough of this story, then go ahead and read Book 4. I read it just as quickly as the previous installments.

But be warned, if you do read it: City of Fallen Angels (Book 4) leaves you hanging on a significantly skinnier thread than Book 3. And there is no Book 5. Yet.

We will have to wait.

Until then, let me know what you think about the Mortal Instruments series, however far you have read into it. I have raved and praised previous to this post, but I will just say again....

I love this series. It's got fantasy, adventure, romance, action, magic, and epic proportions. It's my kind of entertainment. So if you're looking for an escape from the winter doldrums, then pick up this series. It's great fun.

Are you a Book Hugger, too?

Coined a new phrase today on facebook. I can honestly say I have not heard it before and it is totally MINE. Not to brag (ok so maybe a little), but it completely captures a very important aspect of my personality and maybe yours too:

The Book Hugger.

Isn't it great?

I came up with it in a sudden flash of brilliance as I described how rare it is for me to think that a movie based on a book is close to being as good as the book.  (Trust me, this practically never happens. Name off any movie you can think of that is based on the book and I will tell you why I think the book is better.)

But anyway, it prompted me to officially dub "book hugger" into the lexicon of Le Mot Juste, or in other words, those words that we are always trying to think of to perfectly describe something in the shortest way possible.

Samster's official definition -

"book hugger:
a) one who loves reading books, holding books, buying books, and living within the story-world of books;
b) one who unabashedly gushes about their obsession for reading and books;
c) one who prefers books to most other kinds of media, especially when comparing an original novel to the movie that was produced based on it;
d) a person who cringes and cries at the mere thought of any person trashing, burning, or disappreciating books in any way.
"Synonyms include: bookworm, library rat, book clubber, book geek, aspiring writer, closet poet, page turnee, word nerd, scholar, student, book store bum, speed reader.
"antonyms: book hater, ignoramus, vegetable, dictator, Nazi.
"see also: GENIUS."

Are you a book hugger, too? If you think are, let me know why you would call yourself this.

The Mortal Instruments rollercoaster

Okay, I admit. I finished the Mortal Instruments series.

I'm serious! I turned into a reading zombie this past week and stayed up late reading and I could not wait to know what happened.

After City of Bones (book 1), I had to read the City of Ashes (book 2), and then I just had to finish City of Glass (book 3) because I could not concentrate on folding laundry, making dinner, or getting anything done as long those books were unfinished.

I'm comparing this series to the best, star roller-coaster attraction of the paranormal genre. It was... amazing.

Here's my goodreads review of the last book. I promise I don't give anything away.

The ending twist of City Of Bones - no spoilers

I stayed up late reading in bed this weekend and I finished City Of Bones. I couldn't help it!

Question for you, when you get to the end: What did you think about the twist?

It was definitely startling. I didn't see it coming; I am not ashamed to admit. It definitely "thickened" the plot up nicely and gave you a reason to pick up Book 2.

However, the twist was a little disturbing. Much of the book was spent in building up a certain "tension"...until the end, when it's sort of yanked out from under you.

As a writer, I have to appreciate that Clare has constructed a very clever plot with a cliffhanger that you cannot disregard. As a reader, I'm not so sure that I have accepted the ending twist yet, and I'm mostly reading on in the hopes that the twist will unravel again. If you've read it, you know what I mean.

So you might say that Clare is now in danger of losing my interest... unless she can somehow validate the tension of the first book. Really soon. I've already started book 2, and... I'm waiting.

have you gotten City Of Bones yet?

Have you started reading City Of Bones?

Well, I have and I am loving it. I always love a magical and action packed plot. Who doesn't? But after reading a good share of cheesier and cheaper books in the same genre, I also have a very healthy appreciation for an original storyworld and fascinating characters.

It is seriously hurting my productivity. I am nearing the end of  Book 1 and I have no doubt I will have to read on.

Which leads me to my next point of business. If anyone else is becoming equally engrossed in City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments Book 1 then you have probably realized that it's not entirely reasonable to expect to finish the whole series in one month. They're meaty books. I don't think even I could finish four of them by the end of the month.

So, we may be making February an optional month for choosing to read either Life of Pi, or just to finish The Mortal Instruments series. Just as an FYI.

And just for the record, I think City Of Bones would be wildly successful as a movie. If you thought Twilight was successful... well... I'm just saying that City Of Bones would be one that I would not have to be embarrassed to go see. :)

Let me know what you think of the book if you've started it! I hope you like it as much as I am.

Final thoughts on Uglies

Just in case anyone else out there has recently finished the Uglies series and wants a few more thoughts about it, here ya go!

I thought a lot about the interaction between the main characters in the books. Specifically, between Tally and her best friend, Shay. It seemed a little... ironic... to me that their friendship lasted only a short period of time before the conflict of their world pulled them apart.

To recap, they became best friends during just a few short months before their scheduled "pretty surgeries," in the first book, Uglies. Near the end of Uglies, they had a falling out that lasted all through the second book, Pretties, and even resonated into the third book, Specials.

Of course you could argue that when Tally and Shay both became Specials in the third book that they were technically aligned on the same "team" once again. They acted civil towards each other, right? Yet to me it seemed like the tension between them never fully dissipated.

Let 2012 reading begin!

Alright, thanks to everyone who gave feedback about January's read. From what I can tell, it looks like we had about 3 votes for City of Bones (including comments) and 2 votes for Life of Pi in the poll. Since I definitely want to read both books and I don't want to leave anybody out, let's go ahead and start reading City of Bones for January and schedule Life of Pi for February.

Sound good?

This means if you voted for Life of Pi and you want to get a head start, then by all means you can go ahead and start reading it now. I just won't start discussion on it until the end of February.

Hit the libraries, the bookstores, Amazon, or wherever else you go to get your books. Hopefullly we'll all have plenty of time to reserve the book we want and read it before the end of the month.

Just a reminder about City of Bones: It is the first book of a series - the Mortal Instruments - so if you want to read on in the series, try to squeeze it into January if you can since we will start with a new book in February. I may try to read the whole series as well.

Once again, feel free to let me know if you read Uglies, Pretties, or Specials and what you thought of the series. I have one more post coming up later this week about the series, and more specifically, about the character interaction.

Happy reading!