50/50 Friday (36): Best/Worst Place to Read

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc).  Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!

I'm finally on time for once!  This is me getting my life back on track...

Today's Topic: Best/Worst Place to Read

You can take this topic any which way you please.  It could be the best and worst places for you personally, or you can get creative and ponder the possibility of reading underwater with sharks (a distinct and realistic possibility).  I'm going to be going with the more personal part today.

Best:

In a two story, open library with a window

This right here, is my life's goal.  I remember being in a room like this when I was young (I can't remember where for the life of me) and it's been in my mind ever since.  Seriously, I would forego a husband (or wife for that matter) for this room right here.  Reading in libraries in general is always so relaxing and peaceful for me.  They just have this restful atmosphere, especially if, like the picture to the left, they have wood paneling and shelving.  The window is also a necessary touch that brings the light in.  Reading by natural light is one of the best feelings in the world to me.

Worst:

Under a bridge at the end of winter by a river

So funny story... I think it was in March and the weather was pretty nice (compared to the rest of the winter) and it was like 65 degrees out (around 18 degrees C) so I decided I would go and read by the big river that I live by.  If you know anything about rivers, it's that because of the open expanse of water, it's pretty much always windy.  So I sat underneath this bridge and the wind kept whipping past me and by the time an hour had past, I was tired of holding the book's pages in place (I was reading a paperback) and my fingers were blue because, like a smart person, I didn't bring gloves.  It was probably the worst reading experience of my life and I won't be doing it again.  Reading in nature is great (not my favorite but it's okay) when it's actually warm out and not windy with no bugs but when it's freezing and there's a biting wind in your face in whole time?  Not fun.

Have you ever read in any of these places?  Where are your favorite and least favorites places to read?  Make a post and link up below!

Next Week's Topic: Favorite/Least Favorite Book in the First Half of the Year

Review Thursday: Numbers Ignite by Rebecca Rode

Amazon  Goodreads

Numbers Game #2

Goodreads Blurb:

"Treena and Vance think they’ve escaped the numbers game forever. They’re wrong.

After Treena’s disastrous attempt to unite the nation, she has the deaths of hundreds haunting her dreams. Now, with hatred and accusations following her past the border, she’s determined to leave that horrible day behind and find a peaceful, uneventful life with Vance and the settlers. But when she starts seeing mysterious figures hiding in the abandoned cities at night and uncovers a strange desert population, she realizes there’s a danger much greater than NORA to worry about—and she just abandoned her people to their fate.

Vance is a prisoner. Being rejected by the girl he loves and put on trial for betraying his clan are bad enough, but now he’s been framed for a crime he never committed. Their less-than-perfect refuge has become the political game of a madman, and Vance is the only one who can stop it—if he can keep from being executed first.

Treena and Vance are still very much in the game, and this time it will take everything they have to save those they love."

Review:

Thank you to the author, Rebecca Rode, and to Olivia (who organizes the review chain) for gifting me with a copy of Numbers Ignite in exchange for an honest review!

I read the first book in this series a little while ago and loved it so I was expecting great things out of the sequel.  Luckily, it didn't let me down!

1.  The characters.  I really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters, especially as we're introduced to more as Vance and Treena meet more people.  The alternating POV's between Vance and Treena really helped with this and kept everything so connected and present.  While I wouldn't say this book really dives into the inner psyche, the characters are all well-thought out, each with their own background and personality.  Sometimes, there were moments where there was a particularly odd thought or decision but those moments are few and far between.  This is such a good middle-of-the-road dystopian novel, walking the line between too little and too much.

2.  The plot.  The plot is equally good.  The structure follows the typical hero's journey (dystopian edition) and it really works for this book.  It may seem repetitive for a book to follow the path of so many before it but why fix what isn't broken?  The author threw in some really nice plot twists and in true trilogy fashion, we get a little bit of a more comprehensive peek at the outside world which supplements the plot nicely.  The pacing is quite good as well and it kept going at a steady clip throughout with the usual variances.

3.  The romance.  To be quite honest, there isn't much romance in this book at all compared with the first one.  I really did appreciate that choice made by the author, though.  There were opportunities for her to start up multiple love-triangles but she kept it simple and normal.  Treena has the potential for relationships when she's away from Vance and vice versa but they know who they want and that's that.  I think this is a much more accurate interpretation of human nature and I loved that the author recognized that romance isn't the only secondary plot line available.

4.  The writing.  As I've mentioned before, this book is a good middle-of-the-road dystopia and the writing reflects that.  There's nothing too fancy about it but it does the job in a very adequate and even exemplary fashion.  There are moments where the world felt a little far from reach and fuzzy but for the most part, the author kept the feelings of the book intact throughout.

The Final Verdict:

A solid dystopian sequel with an engaging plot and characters.

4.5 stars

Meet the Author

REBECCA RODE is the international bestselling author of the Numbers Game trilogy and Love Right, a sweet romance. Her published works also include the inspirational book for mothers, How to Have Peace When You're Falling to Pieces, and various freelance articles in the Deseret News, Provo Daily Herald, KSL.com, Family Share, and Schooled Magazine. She loves cheesy martial arts movies, chocolate-banana shakes, and good old fashioned romance. Rebecca lives with her husband and four children.

Connect:

Website

Goodreads

50/50 Friday (35): Best/Worst Book Read in May

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc).  Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!

I've figured out the coding issues!  Cue the momentous applause!  I do now have to contend with 15 extra hours added onto my already full work schedule, though, so I'll be a little late for the next week or two before everything gets back to normal.  I'm trying to be a little more proactive about scheduling posts and paying attention to review deadlines.

Today's Topic: Best/Worst Book Read in May

Review Wednesday: The Departed by Chase McCown

Amazon  Goodreads  Book Depository  Barnes and Noble

Standalone to date

Goodreads Blurb:

"The United States is under siege!
A devastating new bacterial disease sweeps across the states on the west coast and saps its victims of their own free will. Four strangers must work together to survive a mad dash across the United States to find safety in the nation’s capital. The outbreak chases them from their homes on the west coast, and they struggle to reach the capital before the disease does. When they arrive, danger rears its ugly head again, and the four must race against time to save not only themselves, but the entire country from destruction. The Departed is a story filled with the unlikeliest of heroes, who must find hope even when things look hopeless."

50/50 Friday (34): Most Deep/Shallow Book in the Fantasy Genre

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc).  Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!

Mehhhhhhh.  Okay so remember the frustration from last week?  That frustration is still very present.  I don't know what is up with Blogger but it's been getting worse and I'm having serious thoughts about switching to Wordpress.  I'll probably stick it out for now because I'm super busy working and trying to get everything set for next school year and I'm also ridiculously behind on R&R's and reading in general.  So.  I've also been in a huge reading and blogging slump recently and have the desire to do nothing but work and watch Netflix.  So there are many emails.  Never fear!  I shall defeat this!

Today's Topic: Most Deep/Shallow Book in the _____ genre (your choice) (message/fluff)

Review Wednesday: Kepler One - The Choosing by T.P. Keane

Amazon  Goodreads  Book Depository  Barnes and Noble

Indication of continuation of the series

Goodreads Blurb:

"The radiation on Earth is killing everyone Zoe Ruthland cares about. After winning the Lottery, she is the only tier five citizen given a chance to start over on a new planet. Seen as unworthy, a criminal, many want her to fail. Zoe must survive training, and the other cadets, to secure her place on the Kepler One spacecraft. But something sinister lurks behind the Government’s plans to save humankind and Zoe has no idea that she is an integral part of it; that she is chosen for another reason."

Review Sunday: Poisoned Iris by Cindy Mezni

Amazon  Goodreads  Book Depository  Barnes and Noble

The Red Era #1

Goodreads Blurb:

"Athens was once the cradle of civilization. Now it's slowly but surely becoming the tomb of humanity.

The Red Plague, a violent virus which had run rampant decades ago, left its imprint on the planet and the flesh of men. All that remains of the modern world is an endless wasteland of ruins—Erebos—and two cities—Elysion, the obscure island of the Non-Infecteds about which no one knows a thing, and, Tartaros, the crumbling town of the Infecteds where despair, hatred, violence and poverty are the operative words.

And at the heart of this universe lives Irisya, a sixteen-year-old Non-Infected girl, staying recluse in her home to be safe and relying on her brother, Memphis, for everything.

But then, one day, he disappears without a trace.

Irisya has no choice. To save him, to survive, she will have to brave all the dangers of the outside world."