Top Ten Tuesday: In Which it Is Described How My Enjoyment of Certain Books Has Changed Over Time…Or Not

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from the book lovers over at The Broke and the Bookish.

So I sort of struggled with today’s topic, which was 10 books that you’ve changed your opinion about over time. I have to be honest, my opinion of books doesn’t usually change all that much. In fact, there are only three series/books I can think of that I’ve fallen out of like with over the years and that I will never willingly read again (my good opinion once lost, is lost forever). The reason for this is pretty simple–for pleasure I pretty much only read the books I like and I’m fairly good at evaluating them and moving on. Even though my reading of texts change (I don’t read Harry Potter the same way that I did as a kid), my pleasure at reading doesn’t diminish just because the book isn’t similar to other things I’m reading. I tend to strike a balance between judging a book on its own merits and seeing it within a larger body of works and in its time period–I’m big on context. Because of this, I think I have fairly reasonable expectations on books and so they don’t disappointment me very often. However, every rule has its exceptions, and these are mine:

  • The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer–I read the whole series twice, and it wasn’t until the second reading that I really wasn’t so sure about the books. I was so interested in the story the first time, and I read them so quickly I didn’t really evaluate the writing. And then on the second read-through, that’s all I could see–and it wasn’t all that pretty.
  • Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James–Again, another book that I read really quickly and was fascinated by, but I didn’t even have to read it again to start questioning it. As I learned a little bit more about the lifestyle depicted in the book via various feminist websites, I realized that the book really fails at the major issue of consent, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And it’s not really realistic either. It’s really your average romance novel with a more risqué premise.
  • Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls–The first time I read this book, I thought it was fine. But from third to eighth grade (I changed schools a bunch) I was either required to read this book or watch the film. So now I can’t stand it.

And here are seven books/series that I’ve continued to love, even if I don’t get exactly the same things out of them as I did when I first read them:

  • The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling–After all this time? Always. I’ve read these books more times than I can count. And they’re still the best.
  • The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank–I read this book for the first time in 6th grade, and I identified with the protagonist in a very different way then than I do now, but the book is still amazing and there’s so much to it and the story of this family.
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen–This one speaks for itself.
  • The Wizard of Oz series by L Frank Baum–Still the charming and magical world I loved as a kid.
  • The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde–This is one of my favorite works by any author in any period. It just makes me laugh.
  • The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot–I recently reread this series and I still think it holds up.
  • Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer–I bought this book again the other day, (I donated it when I went to college, along with a lot of other books. The only thing I ever regret getting rid of is books…) and I started reading it immediately. It only took me a few hours to read, and it instantly put me in a good mood. Can’t ask for more than that.

 

Have you read (or reread) any of these books? What was your opinion of them? Is there any book that you’ve changed your opinion about over time? Or is there a book that you always stay constant to? Let me know in the comments.

 

Series Challenge #1: The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

 

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The first completed series on my list was one I read for book club. Our reading list for the year includes 4 trilogies, and this was the first one up.

Series Breakdown:

Books in Order: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant

Favorite Book: Divergent

Genres/Keywords: science fiction, young adult, dystopic

My Average Rating: 3.33

What These Books Do Well: feisty heroine, interesting societal makeup with the faction system

What These Books Could Do Better: the romance (I really don’t like Tris/Four’s relationship), science fiction elements (the tech is way cooler in the films), the storyline (the plot feels stretched), the ending (I won’t give it away, but I was not thrilled)

Overall Thoughts: I really like science fiction and I enjoyed the first two films, but the books did not really impress me. I liked the first book the best, which went deeper into the creation of the faction system and was the most clever.

 

Baking for Bookworms: Chocolate cake from Veronica Roth’s Divergent

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I’ll be doing a separate post soon about my thoughts on Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, but for now, let’s get cooking! Or baking. Whichever you prefer.

The first mention of chocolate cake happens during visiting day, which doesn’t occur in the movie, but basically it’s a time for the family members to officially say goodbye to each other and wish each other well in their new lives. For Tris, this is a startling moment because her mother reveals that she came from Dauntless and chose Abnegation as her faction:

“She walks away, and I am too stunned to follow her. At the end of the hallway she turns and says, ‘Have a piece of cake for me, all right? The chocolate. It’s delicious.’ She smiles a strange, twisted smile, and adds, ‘I love you, you know.’                        -from Chapter 15

The cake, in some odd way, becomes a symbol of the Dauntless, in the same way plain food stands in for Abnegation. I’m not sure exactly what the chocolate cake is supposed to express, but nevertheless as the series progresses it becomes more and more clear that this is Dauntless’s ‘thing,’ just like eating things out of cans is the what the Factionless do. (I actually think something spicy would be more symbolic. Dauntless are risk takers, but they’re not really all that indulgent. If anyone has thoughts on why their food is chocolate cake, I’d love to read them in the comments!)

But on to the cake!

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe—it’s cakey and suitably chocolate-y, but you can have a piece of it and not feel totally sweeted out or that it’s just too rich. It’s somewhere in between light and dense and has a mid-size crumb. It’s awesome, in other words.

Recipe from Julie Richardson’s book Vintage Cakes

 

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola or other light flavored oil
  • 3 egg yolks at room temp (eggs are easier to separate cold—I like to separate and then leave them on the counter with the butter. You can save the whites for a Swiss meringue butter cream)
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • your choice of frosting—I like raspberry or fruit flavored butter cream with chocolate, but this cake would go well from everything from a chocolate ganache or nutella to any sort of frosting you can come up with

This recipe makes 3 cake rounds or one sheet cake. If you’re using rounds, grease and line the bottoms with parchment. If using a sheet cake, grease.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put the unsweetened chocolate in a bowl with the cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water on top and let sit for one minute. Stir together until combined and smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and set aside.

Sift together your dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Cream your butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes on medium speed). Scrape down the sides of the bowl before drizzling in the oil on low speed. Turn speed up to medium high and beat until fluffy, three minutes.

Blend in the egg/egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the first is fully incorporated.

On a low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, and then alternate with the chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Stop mixing before the last of the flour is incorporated and finish by hand to ensure you don’t lose all the air.

Spread batter into your prepared pan(s). Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter. Bake in the middle of the oven until the cake bounces back when the center is touched (about 22-25 minutes for the rounds, about 30-45 minutes for the sheet cake—I haven’t prepared this cake in a sheet pan, but that’s my estimate).

Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before flipping the rounds out or keep the sheet cake on the wire rack until cooled (I hate turning sheet cakes out. I like serving them out of the pan).

Spread with your desired topping (even just a sprinkle of cocoa or powdered sugar) and serve.

 

What food makes you feel Dauntless? Let me know in the comments.

 

 

Women Writers Reading Challenge #64: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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It took me a while to finish this book because I accidentally left it at my parents’ house. And did I mention I only had 60 pages left?

This is an interesting twist on a beloved fairy tale replete with cyborgs and inter-species love. As you know, I love a good fairy tale adaptation. The characters are interesting, the story moves quickly, and there’s just enough happening to keep it interesting. I can’t wait to read more.

Women Writer’s Reading Challenge #58: Abandon by Meg Cabot

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I’ve probably mentioned before that I am a big Meg Cabot fan. In fact, I’m rereading all the Princess Diaries books now so that I can read the final book in the series (Royal Wedding), which just recently came out (this year? last year?). So when I found out that Cabot had written an adaptation of the Hades and Persephone myth, I had to check it out.

I’ll start off by saying that it’s not my favorite start of a series from her by a long shot. It doesn’t normally take her as long to get going, and I think this is partially because she doesn’t usually start off in the middle of the story and then hint like crazy at what happened in the beginning. Once she brings you into the meat of the story, things get more interesting, with an extremely good-looking Death-type character, and an atypical view of the underworld. It’s not a must-read like some of her books are, but it’s a start that leaves me wanting to read more. I recommend this book to any Cabot/myth adaptation fans.

Women Writers Reading Challenge #55: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

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Eleanor & Park may well be the most moving story that I’ve read in a long time. Rainbow Rowell handles the exhilarations and complications of young love deftly and sensitively, knowing that while these relationships may be short lived, they’re every bit as real as the ones undertaken by older adults. Eleanor’s living situation, while challenging to read about, is a fundamental emphasis on something that we instinctively know–that everyone needs love and acceptance and safety.

Though the book is emotional, the feelings develop organically. Rowell shies away from sentimentality and delivers a book with raw, potent power. I’ve had this book on my list for a long time, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This book might make you cry, but it’s a must read for anyone who wants to be young and in love, who is young and in love, or remembers what it was like to be young and in love. A great book.

Women Writers Reading Challenge #50: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

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Yes. That word just about sums up this book. I finished this book in a single sitting, and as you probably know if you read my Top Ten Tuesday bookish habits I’ve quit post…that hasn’t happened in a really long time. The last time it happened, I was reading Andrea di Robilant’s book Chasing the Rose, well over a year ago.

This book is everything you could want in a great YA fantasy series–an intriguing and complex magic system, a dark, fascinating fantasy world (this one is very loosely based on Russia), a feisty heroine, good love interests, and an important quest to decide the fate of the fantasy world. What more could you ask for? The writing is fast-paced and engaging and well constructed. I cannot wait to finish the rest of this series, and I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I know. And now, I’m recommending it to you. Though you’ve probably already read it if you’re up on your fantasy YA reading, and if you have, you can squeal about it in the comments with me.