Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Published in 2008. 756 pages.


I finished it late last night! From what I've heard, some people were disappointed with Breaking Dawn - but I think many of those weren't huge fans of the previous books either. It seems to me that there are people who just like picking on Stephenie Meyer for some reason. So what if the Twilight Saga isn't great literature?! It was fun, and my daughters and I enjoyed it!

I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say the following:

• I was satisfied with this conclusion to the saga.
• I'm not sure what I was expecting would happen, but Meyer managed to both surprise me and keep me engaged.
• A few pages - maybe more than a few - could have been edited out, but for the most part, I'm glad Meyer didn't cut the story short.
• I hope that we'll get to return to the world of the vampires and werewolves some time in the future.

Other book bloggers' reviews of Breaking Dawn:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Holly (August 4, 2008)


• Aria (August 2, 2008)

2008.44

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Published in 2008. 619 pages.


First sentence: The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters.

Last sentence: "The strangest," he agreed.

The premise of the book: On Stephenie Meyer's website, The Host is called "science fiction for people who don't like science fiction." It's a post-apocalyptic tale in which humans have become hosts for a species of invaders. Their minds are taken over, but their bodies remain intact and continue their lives. Wanderer is the invading "soul" of Melanie - but Melanie refuses to relinquish possession of her mind. The plot of the book outlines what happens as these two beings interact and learn about each other.

From the book jacket: "One of the most compelling writers of our time, Stephenie Meyer brings us a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the very essence of what it means to be human."

Why I read this book: As a big fan of Meyer's Twilight Saga, I probably would have read this - her first novel for adults - sooner or later. After getting a few recommendations from family members, I decided that I should get to it sooner than later. Since it was the July pick for Becky's Online Reading Group, "sooner" become "now." I'm also including this read on my 42 Challenge list.

What I thought: I like the Twilight books better, but I still enjoyed this one. At 619 pages, it took me a while (although my daughter Jelly Bean read the whole thing - plus five other books - during the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon). Meyer is a great storyteller, and toward the end of the novel, in particular, I was having a hard time putting the book down. The basic premise - while not particularly original - was well executed. Reportedly, there is a sequel in the works, and if that happens, I'd certainly read it.

Other book bloggers' reviews of The Host:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Sharon (August 6, 2008)


• Marg (July 15, 2008)


• Stephanie (June 26, 2008)


• Bobbi (June 21, 2008)


• Holly (May 16, 2008)


• Becky (May 11, 2008)

2008.42

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Published in 2001. 664 pages.


First sentence: I could hear a roll of muffled drums.

Brief plot summary: Told from the viewpoint of little-known Mary Boleyn (the "other" girl of the title), this is the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Why I read this book: A friend recommended this book to me some time ago, but I hadn't gotten to it yet. In December, I decided to put it on my 2008 TBR Challenge list, and then when Emily picked it as our IRL book club read for February, I had to read it now.

What I thought: When I was a child, historical fiction was a favorite genre of mine. I haven't read a lot of it in recent years, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I only had a cursory knowledge of Tudor England before reading The Other Boleyn Girl, but I'm eager now to learn more. Philippa Gregory appears to research her topics well, even if some people have taken exception to her conclusions. She certainly writes a compelling story. As she has stated,

I am very pleased when I can tell a slightly different story from the conventional one, especially if it makes readers see the more usual story in a different light. I like to give people a sense of a different sort of past. I like to challenge the conventional views.

Favorite aspects of the story: I loved the feminist attitudes that Gregory gives to Mary. For example, at one point, Mary laments,

"If women could only have more," I said longingly. "If we could have more in our own right. Being a woman at court is like forever watching a pastry cook at work in the kitchen. All those good things, and you can have nothing." [p. 304.]

I also loved the relationship between Mary and William Stafford.

The words froze on my pen, I could not say that I regretted loving William, for every day I loved him more. In a world where women were bought and sold as horses I had found a man I loved; and married for love. I would never suggest that this was a mistake. [p. 518]

Something I didn't need: The seduction of King Henry by both Mary and Anne is quite graphically described. A friend of my 12-year-old daughter has read this book, but I told Sugar Plum that there is no way that I would allow her to read it. (I did tell my 17-year-old that she could read it, if she wants.)

Continuing the experience: My IRL book club is going to see the film version of The Other Boleyn Girl when it opens at the end of the month. In March I'm going to read The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy for my church women's group book club, which will give me another perspective on Anne Boleyn. And I suspect that before too long I'll be looking at the other books in Gregory's Boleyn series, perhaps starting with The Boleyn Inheritance.

How well I multi-tasked with this read: In addition to being the second of my 2008 TBR Challenge books, this book fulfilled requirements for the Unread Author Challenge, the 888 Challenge (in my "IRL Book Club Picks" category), the Back to History Challenge, Every Month is a Holiday (for Library Lover's Month), the Reading Full Circle Challenge, the Chunkster Challenge, the Winter Reading Challenge, and the A~Z Reading Challenge. Phew!

2008.13

Chunky Isn't Always Bad

Think Pink Dana saw a void in the reading challenge world so she's filling it with the Chunkster Challenge 2008. Running from January 7 through December 20, the challenge requires at least four books of at least 450 pages in length. (By the way, I've shamelessly borrowed Dana's post title for my own post. I find her sense of humor delightful!)

Here are my four selections:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (560 pages)


• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (reportedly about 600 pages, although it's also reportedly not yet completed - so I may have to make a substitution, as I will if its release comes too late)


• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276 pages)


• Possession by B. S. Byatt (576 pages)

Three of these four are already on other challenge lists, and The Count of Monte Cristo is a book that one my reading friends has been encouraging me to read for a while - mostly recently again last night! - so I might as well give it a try!