Reading What the Cool Kids Read: Musing Mondays

Another Musing Mondays prompt from Should be Reading:

Are there any “raved reads” –books that everyone seems to be talking about– that you’re hoping to get read this year, yourself? What books are they, and why are you hoping to read them? Is it because you want to say you’ve read it? Or, would you have chosen to read it, even if you’d discovered it yourself, and no one was raving about it?

In my experience, overly-hyped or raved about books tend to disappoint. Too often these books come with a set of expectations few can live up to. I feel the same way about movies. But there are exceptions. When my book club raves about a book, I will definitely pick it up. Usually, we'll put the particular book in our rotation anyway.

I read Twilight before people were raving, and I'm so glad. I enjoyed it, but I would have gone in with a much more critical eye if everyone was talking about it. Same was true for the City of Bones trilogy.

To be fair, I read Hunger Games post-hype and still loved it. But I stalled after book two. My daughter just finished all three and is begging me to read Mockingjay so we can talk about it. Sharing with her is always a huge motivator!

For this year... I still want to read the much-hyped The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I already own the three books, but I'm hesitating. Can it live up to what everyone is saying?

I do love to chat with my friends about books, but most of them aren't reading what's in vogue. We usually pass titles around, but they aren't necessarily mainstream in popularity.

But, to be a little more hip in the book world, particularly since I have a teenager daughter who devours books and needs appropriate recommendations, I am joining one more (at least) reading challenge: 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. I'll have more details about this challenge on Wednesday.

What hyped book is on your must read list for 2012?

*****

Tomorrow, I'm thrilled to be hosting Sallie Lundy-Frommer who will be talking about her novel, Yesterday's Daughter, "an emotionally laden paranormal vampire romance novel woven with layers of betrayal, love and loss."

Please stop by!

City of Bones

The first book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare shows us a world of Shadowhunters, specially bred humans. These Nephilim are warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons, demons most humans can't even see. We meet Clary Fray and friend Simon as they head out for a night on the town. Clary witnesses a demon slaying and Jace, head Shadowhunter, knows she must be special.

When Clary's mom's life is threatened, Clary is thrown into the Shadowhunter world and discovers everything her mom has been hiding about her true lineage. Jace believes himself to be father-less, thinking he saw his father murdered in cold blood. The bond between Clary and Jace is immediately evident but not as it initially appears.

I loved the twists and turns. Every time I thought I had a grasp of a character, the plot threw me a curveball. Some of these deviations I enjoyed, some I didn't. Cassandra Clare weaves an intricate tale and leaves you wanting Book Two. Although the story is fast-paced and rewarding, the characters are thinly developed. Will I feel that way after Books Two and Three? I'm not sure, but I shouldn't have to read three books to feel an understanding for the characters.

Although Clary and Jace propel story, I was more intrigued by more minor characters like Simon, Luke and Jocelyn (Clary's mom). I'm not sure this was the Author's intent. Normally, I want the main characters to drive me from page to page. I hope the next two books bring some special powers to Simon and a full understand of what motivates Jocelyn. Let's hope anyway.

Listed on Amazon as appropriate for grades 8 and up. I would agree, and might go younger. For lovers of demon romance, there's very little and hints of it prove discouraging. At least in Book One, this series is more about the action and resolution than romance and deep thought.

As I always say, an Author's ultimate goal is to get you to buy their next book. Book Two is already bought.