Bout of Books! Wheeee!

Ok guys. I know, i know, its been a little while. BUT, i have read so many books, its crazy. So, there will be a (several months) wrap up coming soon. 

Until then, I'm going to be participating in a really cool read-a-thon program called Bout of Books. 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Stay tuned for a to-be-read (TBR) for BOB and more blog entries to come. Thanks! 

Book Sessions: Prophecy by S.J. Parris

I just finished Parris's Prophecy, about 3 minutes ago-- I have to say, it was an extraordinary read! So, naturally, I have to debrief about all of my thoughts.

First of all, I'm really glad to see that Parris's writing is fairly consistent. The tone of the overall series hasn't changed; it still has that adventurous thriller ring to it, but with a touch of intellectual and philosophical merit. It also stays true to the characters; if you feel that you've invested into the characters of Heresy (which I most certainly have), there's no reason to fret- Parris does an exceptional job with keeping the character delineation harmonious. 

However, the one distinct change I did notice was in the use of verb tense. When I began reading this second book, it felt as if something in the manner of Parris's writing had changed, but I couldn't put my finger on what it could be. Then I realized; Giordano Bruno, as the narrator, speaks in the present tense, as opposed to past tense, which I find is the usual way in books. So for example: " 'Will you not be missed?' I gesture in the direction of the wedding feast." Instead of the typical, "I gestured." It's a small detail, but if you pay close attention to things of that sort, which English majors tend to do, it makes a great difference in the overall flow of the writing. I for one found it more personal, almost like a journal entry as opposed to a story telling. Eventually, throughout the course of the narrative, you hardly even notice. 

Another slight change in the consistency is that this time around, we see a much more human side of Bruno. In her previous book, Bruno seemed an almost impenetrable, unwavering intellectual, who has steeled himself against emotions or affections, and who practically unnaturally never made a mistake in his investigations. Luck always seemed to be on his side, and he always managed to make the right decisions and know all of the answers. However, we see a much more faulty Bruno this time around. In Prophecy, we find Bruno struggling to keep himself distanced from his ambassador's beautiful wife, running through multiple theories of the mysteries, almost all of the time being wrong, and several times making mistakes that cost him dearly, as well as cost others. You may find yourself saying "Gosh, Bruno! Get it together!" But believe me, it makes for a more convincing, and therefore a more relative, character. 

In terms of the overall story, it was SO intricately weaved and constructed; Parris has a talent for writing about conspiracies and intersections of lies and betrayals. She doesn't allow for one moment of dramatic irony; we follow as many twists and turns in the narrative as the protagonist, Bruno, does. One character, in particular, shows an immense display of betrayal at the end, though I will not divulge who it is :). Watch out! Prophecy was no disappointment to fans of Giordano Bruno's adventures, and I'm sure the next book in the series (which I will begin in about 5 minutes), Sacrilege, will not disappoint either. It leaves you hungering for more of the adventure, more of the historical mystery and drama, and definitely more of the courageous, yet searching and therefore loveable, character of Bruno. 

Oh! And Parris's fourth installment of the series, Treachery, is due out this month! So naturally, I'll be reviewing that. If you want to follow my reading, I'll be diving into Sacrilege by S.J. Parris next.

Cheers and happy reading :),

Kayla

Book Sessions: Heresy by S. J. Parris

     Okay fellow book lovers. As my first official book review, I want to start with a book that took me literally FOREVER to get into, but once I did (and I'm SO glad that I did), it was incredibly rewarding. The book is called Heresy by S. J. Parris, and it's genre-ally (my word for what genre it can generally be categorized under ^.^) a historical thriller. Which automatically means: YES, I MUST READ. I LOVE YOU FOREVER HISTORICAL THRILLER NOVEL.

     The book takes place in late 1500s Protestant England, right after the English throne separated from the Catholic Church. It gives you a brief history of the Catholic monk Giordano Bruno (which actually was a real monk) and all of his troubles leading up to the current events of the book. Troubles like excommunication, fleeing the Catholic Inquisition, allegations of heretical studies of magic, and teaching the forbidden theory that the earth is not the center of the universe. Major mind blowing stuff right there. So, if you get into stories revolving around accusations and conspiracy, treason, secret societies, and plain old mystery, this book is definitely for you.

     At first, I was a little disappointed. The plot literally takes a good 10 chapters or so to really catch your interest (which is why it took me so long to get started), and honestly, you have no idea what's going on until Parris wants you to know. But believe me, when the puzzle finally does start revealing the bigger picture, the realization and discovery is well worth the wait. While trying to explain to my mom how amazingly rewarding this book was, I created a pretty good metaphor in my opinion: Heresy isn't a cheap thrill book, boom boom you're done book. Sure, those are easy reads, which require minimal actual brain activity or mutual interaction with the characters. It's a slow courtship kind of book; it demands a patient, steady enticement of the reader. It takes a while to warm up, but boy, when it does, it's on fire. 

     In terms of character development, Parris may lack a little with minor characters, but does a fulfilling job with the ones that count. Bruno is a character to sympathize with, but at the same time, you find yourself questioning him. Without giving too much away, it's safe to say that Bruno is a character that I think will continue to surprise over and over again. You're never really sure what he'll think about what; he's someone that's very confused about what he believes at the moment. I'm curious to see how this character develops in her other two sequels, Prophesy and Sacrilege. I have a feeling that Bruno is on the brink of a huge discovery, whether external, effecting the world as a whole, or internal, changing who he is forever. I'm excited to see what's next for our friend, Bruno, and I'm hopeful that S.J. Parris can deliver throughout the rest of her trilogy.

     Wanna join me in exploring my current book? I'm reading Prophesy by S.J. Parris. I'll be posting my thoughts on that one soon! This series is admittedly a bit older, spanning from 2010-2012, so it's a bit difficult to find in your mainstream bookstores on hand. Order online through B&N, Hastings, or Amazon, and you'll be just fine! ^.^

Cheers, and happy reading :),

Kayla

Confession: Oh my gosh! You love Shakespeare TOO?!

     Have you ever been so excited, so passionate. so ecstatic about something, but you really didn't have anyone of consequence to share it with? And those poor, unfortunate souls who did have to listen to you gush, well, really didn't get it to begin with? That's how I've felt about books and poems and literature, and well honestly, being an English major as a whole. Welcome to my life as an all-things-printable enthusiast. My genre? Typically fiction. My subject? EVERYTHING. If you're like me, completely and totally passionate about reading, but have no one to share this celestial passion with, follow my blog! I'll be posting weekly on the current books I'm reading, and I'll give all of you a heads up before I start a book. I encourage you to join me in my reading endeavors! Leave comments below of books YOU'RE reading, and what you think about them. 

     Cheers, and happy reading :), 

     Kayla