Thursday 13 October 2016

Winter Reading List 2016!! (#3)

Hey Guys!
Vanilla Here.

Daaaammmnnn, its been long. I do have to say when it comes to exams, everyone forget time flies. I am extremely happy as my final exam is finished today, which means I can live freely like it is the 4th of July.

So, I have actually made a target for reading 15 books this year on goodreads app (an amazing app in my opinion). You might wonder whaaat?15 books only, what are you, a jock?
But please do understand that I am not (nor will ever) be a jock but the fact I have important examinations this and next year (My O's!!) So I already knew it is difficult for me to dedicate my time into reading. (though now with my EOY over, I can read so much more! DO tell me if you guys want a New Year reading list or something!). You can consider this to be my annual well-known November and Winter Reading list which I posted darn late but now I am a month early. Hooray? It also made me realize that today marks officially 3 YEARS of VD!! Holy Figs on a stick! I am extremely proud for where we have come today (though it is still a very boring and always-late updated blog). I don;t really take this as seriously so yeah... but anyways, this is the compilation of the rare times I have managed to cheekily slipped in a book or two in midst of studying.

1st Book: City of the Beasts   by Isabel Allende
                 Adventure/ Fantasy

The fantasy queen is back at it again! I have always made fantasy an important part of my life. Like no joke. If you have seen my wattpad (link at the bottom of the post), I started out and still do write and create fantasy books throughout my pastime. I have enjoyed the genre growing up.
So, I was very hyped when I heard about this book and it did not disappoint me!! It talks about a boy travelling with his grandmother t the Amazon due to a dramatic turn of events that is very emotional and I loved it. He goes on an adventure, meeting a girl from the local village and shares his similarities with her. Both of them go to discover not only the Amazon Forest but also about themselves. They see a side of the jungle no one can and the book brings about some of the most important and serious messages through a simple tale of a complex world. This book does not only have random characters flying and stuff (the stereotype people tend to have about fantasy) but instead the writer is able to describe a world of magic and discovery through the eyes of a young boy as well as put in enough detailing to make it seem you are there.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you are an avid fan of either genres, this is a MUST for you to read.
3 ice cream cones out of 5


2nd Book: 7th Heaven    by James Patterson
                  Mystery/Thriller

I think I might just make a combined review of the whole woman murder club series one day. If you have seen my blog at least once in your life, you will be aware of 2 things; I love food and I love James Patterson's works more than any writer. 7th Heaven is the 7th book in James Patterson's WMC Series which you can know more about via my previous posts and here.
This book is about a series of fires that get solved alongside another case Detective Lindsay Boxer has to deal with. And throughout the series (f you have read it), they don't only touch about the mystery and action part of finding the killer and blah blah but it also tugs on your pathos by having Lindsay's personal life involved. So this book does have a fair share of drama. I kind of enjoyed this book more that the 6th target and I am pumped for the next book which is the 8th confession. A little secret: I have never finished a single book series till date. I know.. I'm pathetic but it is true. I tend to  lose interest in series quite fast due to the fact the turn of events is just unlikely and absurd or it loses the magic it once had. My hope is that I would be able to finish WMC as my first series but I'm not so sure now.
7th Heaven is another really good book by James Patterson and I believe you should check it out.
2.5 ice cream cones out of 5


3rd Book; Snow White Read-Handed    by Maia Chance
                 Historical Fiction/ Fantasy(sort of)

I heard so much about this book on pintrest which hyped up my interest. I also searched for this book for more than a month or so in which I came across it in my local library in June-July. The synopsis of the book was very promising, talking about a mystery twist in a classical fairytale. However, the writing style and the main character was just out of sync as well as the fact that the story progresses very slow, making it uninteresting and boring to read. I quit about a few chapters into the book as the whole characters are confusing which made me both disappointed and upset.
1 ice cream cone out of 5


4th Book:  Digital Fortress   by Dan Brown
                 Mystery/ Thriller

Obviously, when you (or I) hear Dan Brown, we squeal. It has been quite obvious that I have been a big fan of Dan Brown ever since the Da Vinci Code era, so upon finding this book, I was beyond excited as well as heard many positive responses from my friends (whom I have turned into Dan Brown fans as well).
But however, when I read the book, I was initially upset that the main character was not Robert Langdon and that it is a woman ( not being sexist) It is not that I don't like female leads but in mystery and action books, it is more difficult to write in their perspective and handle situations without looking like either a sexist or feminist. The book was rather bizarre and I just hated some of the main characters as they are explained and crafted in a way very unappealing. Midway the book (or more), I gave up because it was really boring and the writing style was rather messy.
No joke, this is the most disappointing book from Dan Brown I have ever read and obviously this is my personal opinion.
1.5 ice cream cones out of 5


So this is my Winter aka November and December reading list for 2016. I do apologize not all of the books in this series are really good books to read and I have yet to reach my goal of 15 books this year. I have purchased another Dan Brown book and am crossing my fingers this is not terrible if not I would be writing a rant post soon.

Until next time, keep your ice cream cones dripping!