Ever decreasing (and increasing) piles

I’m making headway into my giant to read piles.

Some of them I put aside for holiday and that instantly lessened the guilt I was feeling. A lot of them I have now read, and a few I’ve skimmed the first few chapters and decided that they weren’t for me. And of course in the meantime newer books have come in and I’ve read them instead of the tottering stack!

It is probably the advance copies of books that have been the most exciting, although a lot of the library books I’ve been reading are worthy of blog posts all on their own. There is just something special about reading advance copies of books, and even after all these year the thrill of a proof hasn’t worn off.

I’m pleased to say that my friend’s book really didn’t disappoint. I now know that it has changed a lot from the draft I read but I still thought that it was excellent. Less Philip Reeve and more Gemma Malley by the end but that just made it better for me. Enough of the story had been wrapped up that I felt satisfied but I do hope that volume two is forthcoming (hint! hint!)

I was also reading Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. Sadly for me this one didn’t get any better. I really had guessed the twist from the beginning and in the end I was just bored by it. I can see that it might appeal to the Jacob fans of the Twilight series but for me it just didn’t have the punch or story to make this an author I will read again.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma is a hard one to talk about. I think it is a brave book but I’m not sure about it at all. I think that The Bookwitch sums it up best on her blog.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson was a good read. Not that original perhaps but it handled a lot of issues in a fairly believable way. While it didn’t move me as much as other books with a similar theme I enjoyed it and will look out for more by this author.

The highlight of recent days has been Matched by Ally Condie. This isn’t out until the end of the year but it blew me away. A teen romance that didn’t include vampires or werewolves was always going to good, but the dystopian, sci-fi feel was a real surprise. I like books that are different from the current trend and this one really is. It is also well written, tense, romantic, sad, funny… Can you tell I loved it? The best thing was that again although there is scope for a sequel (and I really hope that there is) it is a complete book and you aren’t left hanging. This one is a real contender for book of the year…certainly the best teen novel I’ve read so far this year.

I’ve a few more treats lined up, the sequel to Sarwat Chadda’s Devil's Kiss and an early draft of another favourite author’s book. In addition to this I am involved in the wonderful Writers’ Centre Norwich Summer Read and next week I’ll have the chance to meet and listen to some wonderful authors at the launch event. It is a good thing that the days are so long at the moment – I might event have time to read all of these books!