The Fairytale Survery Part 1

Hi, Eleanor here!
I found this feature on The Daily Prophecy and thought it looked rather fun so here it is...The Fairy Tale Survey, Part 1. Part 2 will follow.

Classic Princesses:

Pinocchio – The boy whose nose grows when he lies.
Is there a book you lie about reading, because you feel ashamed for liking it?

I'm not really embarrassed by any of the books that I have read. I think that reading is a very personal thing and although there may be books I wouldn't brag about reading (for example some of the samey, trashy vampire romance books that I love so much) if someone asked me outright I would never lie.

Beauty and the beast – The girl who fell in love with personality.
Which book do you love that has a hideous cover?

Hideous is a very strong word, I'm going to go for a book I love that has a slightly-boring-and-not particularly-striking-in-my-opinion cover. 'Partials' by Dan Wells. I love love love this book but just feel that the cover is a little dull. I don't think that having people on the front cover of a book looks very good, maybe it's just me. Saying that, you cannot see the person's face (the ultimate cover sin) plus I do only have this book on kindle so have not seen the cover on a real life book.

Snow white – Hunted down for her beauty.
Do you ever buy a book based on the cover alone and if so, what is the last one?

This is going to have to be a really boring answer when I say that no, I have never chosen to read a book because of it's cover. I, occasionally, pick up a book at random from the library and borrow it but this has nothing to do with cover. I am not an overly artistic person and so the cover doesn't mean too much to me. However, it is always nice when a book has a nice cover i.e. Wonder by R.J Palacio.

Sleeping beauty – Cursed to sleep, awakened by true loves kiss.
What is your favorite book couple?

I am going to say Jace and Clary from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. But only from the first trilogy, in the second I think it all gets a little silly. (I have not read 'City of Heavenly Fire' yet though, so the series could still redeem itself!)

Little Mermaid – Gave up on her old life for love.

Do you ever branch out to new genres or do you like to stick with the ones you know and love? If you try new things out, what is the latest book?

My absolute favourite genre is dystopian but I do love a paranormal romance too. Although there are plenty of those out there, I do like to branch out and find different things quite a lot because I find the story lines of the books I love to read can sometimes become a little repetitive. Recently I have read 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion, which was different to what I normally read but still amazing! I have also read and loved 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern, 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared' by Jonas Jonasson and 'Timeriders' by Alex Scarrow.

Cinderella – Who lost her shoe after midnight.
What is the last book that made you stay up all night?

I recently read 'Shadows' by Paula Weston and absolutely loved it. I haven't yet reviewed this book but the two installments of the trilogy that I have read so far are very good and I would definitely recommend them.

Rapunzel – locked up in a tower.
What are some of the worst books you read last month?

Last month I started a book called 'The Key to Erebus' by Emma V. Leech and Roisin O'Connor, a book which I had heard good reviews about but that I just could not get into. The story is very fantastical with vampires, fairies, witches, the usual lot, a genre which I do usually really enjoy but in this particular case I found the main character quite dull and the plot didn't grip me at all. I hate not liking a book as I feel as though I have failed to understand the author/s and so I may go back to this book one day and find I love it, we'll have to see.

What do you think of this survey? Have you read any of these books?

The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, reviewed by Eleanor

Author: graemesimsion.com/twitter
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 298 pages
Buy this book: Amazon

What is this book about?

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. So Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper. (Goodreads)

Who should read this book? The main characters are all adults but this does not make it an adult book. 'The Rosie Project' is definitely suitable for older teens as well.

Star Rating: 4 Stars

Question 1. What character would you most like to have tea with?

Don. Because he is a scientist and so am I. And also, he's just such an interesting person!

Question 2. What character would you most like to throw tea at?

Don again. Because although he has a very high academic ability, his Asperger syndrome causes him to sometimes misunderstand things in social situations and so he says some pretty abrupt things. And these things are occasionally worthy of lots of thrown cups of tea.

Question 3. What do you think of the cover?

I really like this cover. Simple is best.

Question 4. Can you read the tea leaves from the beginning or are there twists in the plot?

There aren't really any plot twists in this book, the 'main part' of the ending is fairly predictable... i.e. 'The Rosie Project,' but, for me, this is what makes the book so lovable. As the reader you can see what is happening and where the story is going but Don Tillman is COMPLETELY oblivious. This makes the book more about his own self discovery rather than surprising the reader and I think this is what made the book work so well.

Question 5. Favourite quote!

“You know what I like about New York?” he said. “There are so many weird people that nobody takes any notice. We all just fit right in.”

Overall: I really really loved this book. It made me laugh out loud at some points and my eyes to fill with tears at others. The main characters are just so great, the love story realistic and the story is well paced so it becomes very difficult to put the book down. In some ways it was a little similar to 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time' by Mark Haddon, which is another book that I very highly recommend! Overall, definitely pick up this book, it's a very special one that you'll want to tell everyone about.

What did you think of this book? What would you like us to review next?

Top Ten Books We've Read This Summer

Top Ten Books We've Read This Summer is this week's addition of Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish.

Eleanor:

I have read pretty much nothing for about the last two months as I've been in extreme revision and have only left the house for exams... (I want to say 'hahaha kidding' but I'm sadly not) However, today my exams finished, which means I can start reading again. Woop woop. So as I haven't been reading this summer yet, here are three books I will be reading...

1. The Rosie Project by, Don Tillman -I've heard some good things about this book and it looks so feel-good and funny.

2. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare -because the wait is finally over!

3. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon -I'm not sure how I haven't read this book because it's been out for quite a while. But soon I will have.

  

Bronte:

4. After the End by Amy Plum. I really enjoyed this new book from Plum - it was just as amazing as the Die for Me series!

5. Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt. My review for this is coming on Thursday but this book was great - I liked it even better than Send Me a Sign which I also loved.

6. Thats actually all the books I've read this summer (because of exams etc) so I am going to pick my favourite book of last summer which was: Wonder by R.J Palacio. This book was something special and different but still completely enjoyable, although emotional.

  

Izzy:

7. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles- I heard so many good things about this book- and to be frank, I was a bit disappointed. We'll have a full review up for you guys soon where I'll go into more detail but it was a shame.

8. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore- I liked this book, and was a good start for me to try and read more adult books, though to warn you this is not a lighthearted summer read! It was interesting, and definitely made me think as well as having me choked up at moments. Although I won't be re-reading I can see myself thinking about this book for a long time.

9. Sort of cheating as I'm only halway through but- Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This book is not fun and games either but the characters are all incredible so far, flawed but relatable. Also I feel so dumb for never realising Nigeria even had a civil war in the 1960s. To hear history of other countries in novel format is always so interesting for me.

  

Hope you enjoyed this week's Top Ten (Nine) Tuesday, have a great week!