Throwback Thursday - Chronicles of Narnia

Welcome to another episode of Throwback Thursday! This week I am looking back on Chronicles of Narnia.

The Chronicles of Narnia captured my imagination in a way that only Harry Potter had done previously. I had heard of the books before the first movie came out, but I hadn't read them. This was another one of those cases where I watched the first movie before I read the first book. I then read the books, in reading order, before the next movies came out. 

I loved C.S. Lewis' imagination and the world that he created in this series. I loved his writing and all the deeper meanings that could be found. I loved all the different characters and watching them all develop.

My favourite book is The Horse and His Boy because I loved the idea of a horse that could talk and have such an amazing bond with his rider. As a horse rider myself, that always called to me and I would always imagine what it would be like to have my horses talk to me. 

I always loved the talking animals. My favourites included Mr and Mrs Beaver from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Reepicheep and, of course, Aslan. I particularly loved Reepicheep because he was so fierce, even though he was so small. I also loved all the magical creatures, such as the centaurs and the dryads. I loved the idea that trees had spirits. 

My favourite memory to do with the series was when my mum gave me her box set that she had read when she was a kid. The covers were all warn and some of the books had started to fall apart because she had read them so much, but it just meant so much to me that she would give them to me.

Have you read the Chronicles of Narnia? If you have let me know what you think of them and what your favourite memory of them were in the comments below.

Mel.

Up next: Review: Green Monkey Dreams by Isobelle Carmody

Throwback Thursday - Inheritance Cycle

This week brings my third edition of Throwback Thursday. I have decided to look at a series I read for the first time around six years ago. 

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini is one of my favourite series of books. I first came across the series through the movie, Eragon. I liked the movie and then found out that it was based on a book, so I went out and found a copy, which just so happened to be in my High School Library. I read it, and absolutely loved them. It was one of those times when you just go, “What on earth did you do to the movie?” and now I can barely sit through the movie!

I love dragons and the idea of a dragon having a connection with a person, whether they be elf or human, was really fascinating to me. I also loved that there were fierce, wild dragons that were the typical image of dragons. Saphira was certainly one of my favourite characters, I even named my cat after her. I loved how she was witty and independent of Eragon, in some ways, and how she both taught Eragon and learnt from him. I think that their relationship is perfect for two young characters starting out in a world that they are unfamiliar in.

Talking of favourite characters, I loved Brom. He was so mysterious and complex. He was wise and a great teacher for Eragon. *SPOILERS* I also loved how he kept adding to the storyline even after his death and the fact that he was Eragon’s father really added to the story and I think explained some questions about his relationship with Eragon *END OF SPOILERS*. I also loved Angela. She was so cheeky and nosey, and she always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

My favourite book of the four would probably by Eragon because it was a brilliant start to the series and really set the scene for the rest of the series. I also really enjoyed the second, Brisingr, because of the revelations that it brings. My least favourite would be the third, Eldest, because it was a little slow going. I really enjoyed the last book, but the end annoyed me somewhat.

*SPOILERS FOR INHERITANCE* Of the couples in the book, Nasuada and Murtagh would be my favourite, even if they didn’t end up together at the end. Actually the fact that they didn’t end up together and neither did Arya and Eragon really frustrated me. I loved Nasuada and Murtagh because I felt that they each brought out the best of each other and also brought out their softer sides. I loved that it was because of Nasuada that Murtagh’s real name changed and released him for Galbatorix’s control *END OF SPOILERS*.

I recommend these books to anyone who enjoys magic, dragons and the like, particularly if you like Lord of the Rings. If you have watched the movie and haven’t read the books, don’t let the movie put you off. 

Mel.

Up next: Review: Eternal edited by P.C. Cast

Throwback Thursday - Harry Potter

Harry Potter would have to be, possibly, my favourite series of all times. I have reread them so many times that I have lost count, I actually can't remember how old I was when I first read them either. I have also watched the movies more times than I can remember. Just a note for any who haven't read these books there will be spoilers in this post.

So how did I come across them? Which book is my favourite? Who are my favourite characters? What was my favourite scene? Which is my least favourite book? How did the books compare to the movies? Well these questions, and possibly more, will be answered in my 2nd ever Throwback Thursday.

How did I com across the Harry Potter books?

• Well I was given the first book as a Christmas present when I was younger (like back in primary school younger) from my brother. It then sat on my bookshelf for a good couple of years until I didn't have anything else to read that sounded interesting so I picked it up. I then kicked myself for not reading it earlier because, shock horror, I absolutely loved it. I then went to my library and read the others that were currently out. Once all seven where out, and I was doing some Christmas shopping, I saw all the books in Kmart and then I bought them all in one hit.

Which one is my favourite?

• Prisoner of Azkaban would definitely be my favourite because you get introduced to two of my favourite characters in Remus and Sirius and you learn all about the Marauder's. I also thought it was a very interesting plot with the time travel.

Who are my favourite characters?

• Well there are a few. The first one (not particularly in this order) would be Sirius Black. I love his loyalty, his fierceness and the fact that he has a sense of humor. I also loved that he tried his best to protect Harry but he didn't stifle Harry either, he let Harry be his own person and make is own choices.
• I love Remus Lupin, as well. He is such a kind man and willing to help out anyone who needs it. He is caring and very protective of the ones he loves. He also has a sense of humor but he can be sensible too, which is also a plus.
• Nymphadora Tonks is also another of my favourite characters. She doesn't care about what people think of her, in both her looks and her choice of a husband. She is kick-ass and a fiery character, and possibly the character that I would most like to be.
• Hermione Granger is character I love. She is so strong and smart, and the boys wouldn't have survived first year without her, not to mention all the other years! 
• My final favourite character, although I am sure I will think of more later, is Luna Lovegood. I love how unique she is and how serene. She is another character that is not afraid to be herself and she is incredibly smart. She believes in unseen things, and I also think that helps her to believe in the people around her. She is also such a brave character!
• Oooh I knew I would think of some others. I forgot to add the Weasley twins, Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

What was my favourite scene (major spoiler here)?

• It would be where Harry goes through Snape's memories and finds out that Snape never went back to the Dark Lord. It is such a sad part, but it was Snape's redemption and I just love the story between him and Lily.

What is my least favourite book?

• The Order of the Phoenix because Harry is really whinny and angry and gets on my nerves. Plus I can't stand Umbridge and a certain character's death.

What is my favourite movie?

• Again it would be the Prisoner of Azkaban (for reasons, see above). They did a good job with the adaptation of this book to the movie as well. Not much was missed and I think the casting for the characters was spot on.

What is my least favourite movie?

• Goblet of Fire because they cut so many scenes out and only really showed the scenes of the triwizard tournament. I felt that it missed important conversations, particularly meeting with Sirius in Hogsmeade.

Anyway, that is all I have to say on this issue for now. I really do love these books. Feel free to leave your answers to these questions in a comment below.

Mel.

Up next: Review of The Fault in our Stars by John Green.

Wrap-up of this week and What is to come next week

What happened this week?

Good question. I decided to really get this blog up and running and I am excited for the time ahead. So what I brought you this week was a review of possibly my favourite book of 2012. I gave you my first ever entry of Throwback Thursday, where I looked at two favourite series of mine. I then gave you an outline of what you can expect from me over the coming weeks and, hopefully, months. Saturday saw the start of Seven on Saturday, where you got to see my taste in Book Couples. And then of course there were the challenges that I signed up for. These are the 2013 TBR Pile reading challenge, Short Story Summer challenge, Take Control March 2013 challenge and the Australian Women Writers challenge 2013. Click on the pictures of the challenges to sign up! I will be bringing you the progress of these challenges in this wrap-up post across the weeks. 

What will happen next week?

Monday: Review of The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus 3) by Rick Riordan

Tuesday: December releases that I am looking forward to

Wednesday: Review of The Golden Door by Emily Rodda

Thursday: Throwback Thursday - Harry Potter

Friday: Review of The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Saturday: Seven on Saturday - Summer Reads

Sunday: Wrap-up/Preview and Challenge updates

I hope you enjoyed this week and I am looking forward to sharing with you next week.

Mel.

Up next: Review of The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus 3) by Rick Riordan

Throwback Thursday - Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus

On Thursday's I will be doing Throwback Thursday. This is where I will talk about previous books, in particular series but I will also do standalone books, that I have read. On a Throwback Thursday I might give a mini-review on each book (but not necessary everytime), tell you what my favourite/least favourite parts were and tell  you how I came by these books. 

So now to my first Throwback Thursday. This week I am going to cover two series because the second leads on from the first, that being Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) and Heroes of Olympus (HOO). I first came across PJO because of the move, The Lightning Thief. I enjoyed the movie and then saw that it was based on a book, so I went out and bought the box set and read all the books in the series. Then I questioned how that could completely ruin the story line of the first book when they turned it into the movie. After falling in love with Percy and his friends in PJO I found out about HOO and then I read them. 

I recently took to rereading PJO and the books current released of HOO before I read the latest book out, the Mark of Athena. I will do a full review of Mark of Athena when I have finished reading it, but before then I had the idea to share some of my thoughts on each of the books so far. 

Firstly, just a comment about the writing style. In the PJO series the writing is first perspective, with the main voice being Percy (obviously). I am not usually a fan of first perspective writing because I feel like we miss out on other things (for example, The Hunger Games where I feel we miss so much of the action and revolution because it is all written from Katniss' perspective). However, in this series I felt it worked really well because Percy was generally right in the thick of the action and anything else important to the plot that he didn't experience he saw in dreams. In HOO the writing is third perspective and I really like this. It was refreshing to have someone else's point of view and it allowed you to see things important to the story line that the other characters didn't know at that point in time. 

I loved Rick Riordan's writing style. I found it so easy to read, but he put enough complexity into the plot so I wasn't certain of what was to come. I really like books where I have to guess what is coming, and the more wilder my theories the better.

So the first book in the PJO series is the Lightning Thief. One thing to say first, if you haven't read this but have seen the film please do not be put off, the book is different in so many ways to the movie, and heaps better. So what did I like about this book? I think the better question would be what didn't I like about the book, which other than the betrayal, which was needed but I didn't have to like it, the answer to that would be nothing. Probably the best thing I liked about this book was the complexity. I spent a lot of my time guessing why someone would do certain things and wondering how Percy was going to get out of each situation. I also really like the monsters. The descriptions were so vivid and imaginative and they could be fairly witty too.

My favourite part about the second book, the Sea of Monsters, would definitely be the humour. There were so many great mental images that I got from some of the scenes, particularly with Grover and his 'love' and also the Party Ponies (sorry about the vagueness but I am trying not to spoil anything if you haven't read it). The introduction of a couple of new characters was well done, each one having a particular part to play and they weren't unnecessary. Even though I liked the humour, it is a serious story and there are plenty of sad/somber parts. There isn't really anything that I didn't like about this book.

This also applies to the third book, the Titan's Curse. This was a great book, possibly the best. Again there was plenty of humour and again there was plenty of sadness. There was also quite a bit of tension and hostility in parts of this book, particularly between the Hunters of Artemis and the demigod's from Camp Half-Blood. I have to say, and I am a little ashamed to admit this, I absolutely love Apollo. His humour was refreshing, but he also showed that he could be serious, particularly if someone was messing with his family. I am pretty sure he is one god that you wouldn't want to mess with.

There were plenty of times in the fourth book, the Battle of the Labyrinth, that I had no idea how Percy and his friends would survive. There was so much suspicion, tension, spite and many near death experiences. It was really fast paced and action filled, although in saying that there was still humour with my favourite part involving a mortal, a blue plastic hairbrush and the king of the titans. I loved how a lot of the story lines were starting to come together before the final book, even though new questions were also posed.

The fifth and final book of the PJO, the Last Olympian, was probably my favourite of the series. It had me sobbing and laughing at different parts. The ending was brilliant, not what I expected to happen, but it was sad. I loved how at the very end Percy stood up to the gods, and made them accountable for their part in the what had happened. The flashbacks intertwined in this book was well done and gave you enough information that you started to piece together what had happened and what was possibly to come. It really was the best way to wrap up the series.

Then along came the HOO. In the Lost Hero, we met Jason, Piper and Leo, along with most of the regular members of Camp Half-Blood, with one major exception. I loved these three together. They all had their flaws but they all just gelled together. There were some major pieces of news in this story, particularly if you were familiar with PJO, which had me reading into the early hours of the morning, wanting to know what was going to happen next. The mixture of old places and new places and old characters and new characters was handled really well by Riordan and you didn't miss previous characters because you learnt to love the new ones. It was an intriguing and brilliant start to the new series.

In the second book, the Son of Neptune, Percy was joined by Frank and Hazel, as well as quite a few new faces. Again the mixture of new and old was handled brilliantly and I loved having the different perspectives. I felt that it was needed more in this book than the previous one because of the different backgrounds of the characters and the different secrets that each character had. Again, I was constantly wondering how on earth  the characters were going to survive and achieve their goals in time. It was fast paced and left me wanting to know more. One thing I didn't like was Octavian. Every time he was present in the story I wanted to strangle him, and usually I am a non-violent person. He drove me insane, but his character required that and I think it will be very important for the stories to come.

So now it is time for me to read Mark of Athena, which I have been wanting to read since it came out in October. There are so many questions that need answering, but may or may not be answered in this book, and I am pretty sure a ton more will pop up. 

Now my first ever Throwback Thursday is complete and it has been fun. I hope you have enjoyed it and please leave comments bellow on your thoughts about the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.

Bye for now,

Mel.

Up next: An introduction to what I will be posting and when.