New Moon

I've said it once and I'll say it again - New Moon is the only Twilight book worth reading.

In this installment of the insanely popular vampire series, Stephanie Meyer's sub-par writing is forgiven as she provides an interesting narrative. I put this down to less Edward, more Jacob.

The plot: After a near death experience on Bella's birthday, Edward and the Cullen's decide to leave town to protect her from harm. Devastated by the break-up, Bella retreats into herself into a deep depression. After realising that risk taking behaviour allows her to 'see' Edward again, Bella takes to motor bike riding and cliff jumping to feel closer to her lost love. Becoming closer to her friend Jacob, who has a secret of his own, the love triangle is cemented and everything has gotten a whole lot more complicated when Edward looks to end his life and goes searching for the evil Vulturi - only Bella can save him.

The good bits: Jacob - if you aren't on board with Team Jacob, there's something wrong with you. Finally Meyer provides a likable, real character to the series.

The bad bits: the dialogue is ridiculous - sappy, unrealistic and passionless - and the character of Bella is a terrible example for young girls. Her 'can't-live-without-my-man' attitude and ability to give up everything, and everyone, for Edward is frustrating.

The audience: Once upon a time I would of said that the Twilight series was just for young adults (particularly tweens) but now, after reading in the glossies about Twilight mums, I'm beginning to see how far reaching the series is. Still, boys steer clear, this is chick lit.

The rating: 3/5

*Bonus: The film

The cast: As far as I'm concerned, Kristen Stewart is as interesting as a day at the cricket - dull and uninspired. But in this way she is the Bella of the series, as Bella is written as a boring, unconfident, clingy girl who refuses to believe she is worthy of anything, let alone the love of a vampire. Robert Pattinson is decent, but it is Taylor Launter that shines in this film. He is Jacob Black - everything about him beckons you to support his claim to Bella's heart. Brave, caring, fun and gorgeous, Jacob is everything any girl would want - Taylor plays his part well. And those abs, enough said.

The good bits: Any scene with Taylor/Jacob - the only reason to watch. The same can be said of the wolf pack - why would you want to hang out with the stiff vampires when there are fun, good looking and alive guys/wolves around? The wolves bring much needed comic relief to the film.

The bad bits: Any scene with the Cullen's - you have such a gorgeous talented cast, for example Nikki Reed, and they say maybe a couple lines each in the movie. What a waste. And the translation of Bella's depression to the big screen made her seem even more pathetic - you can count the number of times she looks happy on one hand.

The rating: 3/5

A Walk To Remember

I was twelve years old, standing in the library of the beach house my family had rented for the summer when I found this book.

A Walk To Remember, Nicholas Sparks, was the first book to bring me to tears, and the first romantic book to cross my path. It is a truly beautiful story that will touch even the coldest of hearts. Try as you might, this is a story that will linger with you always.

The plot: Seventeen year old Landon Carter never expected to fall for Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the local Baptist Minister. She's all sweetness and purity, whilst Landon is exceedingly ordinary, preferring the company of his 'cool crowd' of friends. Thrown together by the Christmas play, Landon finds himself falling in love with the last girl he would have expected. But Jamie has a secret, and it will have a heartbreaking result.

The good bits: The love story. Nicholas Sparks has a way of taking what should be an ordinary story and making it magical. The characters are vivid and each of their journeys is heart wrenching. I love the simplicity of Sparks' writing style as well; in its simplicity this book is complex, it is emotive, powerful, honest and, most importantly, relatable.

The bad bits: Sometimes it's a little difficult to relate to the ethereally perfect Jamie, but the effort is well worth it. The reader cannot help but love Jamie. The style in which the book is written is a little difficult to get used to, Landon is quite repetitive, saying 'if you know what I mean.' But this adds to the charm of Landon's character, giving him a real voice.

The audience: Any woman that believes is love will adore this book. Tears will fall, rest assured, and a seemingly simple story is weaved by a master of romance.

The rating: 4/5

*Recommendation: Watch the movie starring Shane West and Mandy Moore. Moves me to tears, each and every time!

The Repossession Mambo

I was set the task of reviewing The Repossession Mambo for my University student newspaper, and it is thanks to that, that I have experienced this incredible book.

Eric Garcia seems to be a strange man - I thought this after reading the explanatory notes he included at the back of the text, recounting how he came by the idea and how the idea grew. His book is an incredible story of science fiction, with a powerful message about detached humanity and the dark side of technology. This is an intense read - probably not for those looking for a fun, easy read - but it is well worth the effort! In this book you will find science fiction, humour, love and action.

The plot: In the not so distant future life is made immeasurably longer by the use of antiforgs: artificial human organs. The antiforg business is booming, and the Credit Union is in the business of making loans to make their clients' dreams of an endless life a reality. However, fall behind in your repayments and you'll get a visit from a Bio-Repo man who will remove the organ in question and leave you to die. Remy, a former Bio-Repo man, once wielded the scalpel in such situations, but has gone into hiding, himself a target of organ repossession. Typing his story on an old type writer, Remy grants the reader entry into this dark world, where the unimaginable is legal.

The good bits: I loved the characterisation employed by Garcia - at the beginning I thought that he had absolutely missed the mark with his characters, but it didn't take me long to see the genius of the way in which he had written the characters. I especially loved Remy's detachment from the people he was repossessing organs from - he treats his job like it's as ordinary as walking outside to get the mail. And I loved the idea of the 'antiforgs' - which is hardly a new idea - because Garcia approached the idea in a whole new way.

The bad bits: Sometimes you may find yourself thinking "wait, what? What are they talking about? What just happened? How?" My advice is to just go with it, it'll get explained later, but until it does get explained, it can be a little frustrating.

The audience: Before I read this book, I would have said "science fiction? Only nerds read those!" but now I have a different opinion entirely. Anybody can, and should, read this book - just come to it with an open mind, it's an extra ordinary story with extra ordinary ideas!

The rating: 4/5

*note: A film adaptation starring Jude Law will be released soon!

The Time Travelers Wife

So, I just got back from the cinema, having seen the film adaptation of The Time Travelers Wife.

The book, a favourite of mine by Audrey Niffenegger, is one of those books that has a plot that is difficult to grasp at first, but develops as such that it is entirely believable. The book has stayed with me, the messages of love and waiting, and how the two are forever linked, is so strong and resonates with me completely.

The plot: Henry DeTamble has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel involuntarily. It is while time traveling that Henry meets his future wife, Clare. The catch is that Clare is 6 and Henry - during his visits to her, that continue until she is eighteen - he varies in age from his mid thirties to forties. One day when Clare is 21 she finds Henry, he has no memory of who she is - they haven't met yet in his time, but their romance immediately resumes, leading to their getting married. But marriage to a time traveler isn't easy, even with a love as strong as theirs, so this is the story of Henry and Clare and their struggle to live with Henry's problem.

The good bits: Just about everything. The character development is extraordinary - Niffenegger has made Clare and Henry real. The idea of a time traveling gene is so masterfully crafted as well that the plot does not seem ridiculous, even to the most critical reader, and the ending will melt even the hardest of hearts.

The bad bits: You will definitely need a box of tissues on hand. And reserve a lot of time for this one if you're not a particularly fast reader like me; it's a heavy volume.

The audience: This book is definitely for a female audience. The enduring love story, the superb writing and plot make this a story that will capture the hearts of women of all ages. I recommend starting this one on a free day, you won't want to put it down and it'll save you calling into work sick.

The rating: 5/5

*Bonus: The film

The cast: I will start off by saying that Rachel McAdams is Clare. I hope my love of Rachel hasn't made me biased, but she played Clare the way I had always imagined her. Clare's vulnerability, devotion, determination and passion were perfectly executed. Eric Bana, another favourite of mine, did a decent job with Henry though I felt he was sometimes let down by the screenplay. Some of his dialogue felt so silly.

The good bits: Eric and Rachel have terrific chemistry - I believed that they were in love.

The bad bits: It would of been nice to see more of Dr Kendrick - he plays such an important role in the book, and this was lost in the film. And the 'fading away' Henry did when time traveling seemed cheesy. I'd always imagined it as more of a 'pop' and disappear, like apparition in Harry Potter.

The ending: My friends left the cinema confused about parts of the film, which would indicate that the film isn't completely accessible to audiences that haven't read the book. This was my issue with the book being made into a film, as it really is one of those stories with so many layers of information, that every piece is crucial. A 107 minute film just can't squeeze everything in. I disliked the way the film ended, the original ending in the book was much better. But again, I won't give the ending away!

Rating: 2/5

If you do go to see the film, at the very least browse the summary on wikipedia - it'll help a lot!

Splendor: The Luxe Series

I have not visited the Young Adult section of a book store in a long time, but last week I found myself in Borders picking up from that very section. I was introduced to this series by a friend, and though the style is simple, much simpler than what I usually read, I found myself falling in love with the series.

The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen are beautiful books about beautiful people with seemingly beautiful lives hiding dark secrets that could destroy all.

The series begins in 1899 and ends in 1901 - two tumultuous years that have seen reputations destroyed, fortunes lost, fortunes gained, hearts broken, lives ended and gossip made. Sound juicy? You won't be disappointed, it is.

The plot: It's 1899 and there's a storm coming - a storm of secrets, gossip, love, betrayal, death and new beginnings. The blue bloods of the New York City scene are introduced - Elizabeth Holland, the perfect, golden girl of High Society who every man loves, and every girl loves to hate. There's her impulsive younger sister Diana, who is prepared to break all the rules for love. And then there's Penelope Hayes, best friend of Elizabeth, who is manipulative, beautiful and determined to supplant her friend as the Queen of the social arena. Add in gorgeous beau's, a forbidden love, wealth, a sudden death and you have: The Luxe. It's Gossip Girl at the edge of the twentieth century.

Fast forward to the final installment, Splendor.

The good bits: everybody loves a scandal and this series serves this up in droves. The fashions are amazing, the historical tidbits that come as an excerpt from a newspaper to bits of etiquette advice from society matrons, adds some interesting elements to the plot and ties in the shifting scenarios. The strength of this series is probably the relationships - you'll find yourself supporting one couple, wishing for another, detesting another, to the point that you're desperate to know what happens next...always a good thing in a book. And it's not a happy ending for everyone, which is such a nice change.

The bad bits: In some parts the conversations feel forced, you'll find yourself thinking "oh come on, so-and-so did not just say that." Dialogue is difficult to write, but in this series sometimes it feels as though the author didn't really try. And this installment offered some even more far out plot twists than the other books - one of which, I'll leave you to read and find out which, made me laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.

The audience: though the book is 'young adult' fiction, I would say that any young woman could enjoy these books. Particularly over the summer, stretched out on the beach when a simple, fun read is the order of the day.

Rating: 3/5

Welcome

Welcome to With her head in a book, the blog where my passion for reading can take center stage!

In a nutshell:

I can't remember a time when I didn't love reading. I am a reader. The joke in my circle of friends is that I'd read every book in the local library by the age of ten. There is some truth to that. My favourite author is Jane Austen, though J.K Rowling and Maggie O'Farrell are close seconds. My favourite book, well I could never pick just one. But Pride and Prejudice (Austen) and After You'd Gone (O'Farrell) always have me coming back for more...

Why start the blog now?

Summers just around the corner, University is finished for the year, I have nothing but time on my hands, and I plan to spend a lot of that time reading. I figure, why not share my reading with an audience? Maybe I can help you discover a new author, a new book, a new genre. But most of all I'll be blogging for myself.

What will I blog about?

I will write about new releases, classics, any book that crosses my path and provokes thoughts that I feel need to be shared. No author or genre is off limits, I'll try anything, so if you have suggestions, make sure to share them with me!

And so we begin a new adventure. Let the reading begin!