It’s Monday, what are you reading? (8)

This meme is hosted at Book Journey

Not an overly productive reading week but considering the amount of things I have on my plate: a paper due, two major scholarship applications for PhD funding, the semester just started and I'm the primary instructor for a lab, I volunteered to write book reviews for the student paper (I do it anyway, and this way I can put it on my CV), not to mention I haven't been feeling a hundred percent health-wise, well, I think I did pretty good (although I don't have high hopes for this week either!). On the bright side, fewer books for my post means I can make the cover images bigger- I hate the tiny ones but sometimes the alternative is a lot of scrolling. 

Last week I finished reading:

Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld

The final book in the Midnighters series which was my first experience with Westerfeld. Can I say BLAH about this conclusion though? I'm not sure if he wanted to shock the reader, but I was more annoyed than surprised by the way things wrapped up (or didn't). I usually avoid spoilers in my reviews but I may have to do one with spoilers to properly discuss how I feel about this book.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Still, my disappointment with Blue Noon didn't stop me from picking up the audio for another one of Westerfeld's series and one of the books that inspired the entire dystopia craze (which I love). Although I sometimes find myself disconnected from his characters I love the worlds he builds and his crazy intelligence and creativity. The reader of this audiobook annoyed me sometimes though, she read the dialogue from some characters in a way that sounded a bit tired/stoned. I was unsure if I was going to stick to print for the rest of the books, but I knew it'd be awhile before I had the chance to read them that way so audio it is.

Swing Low by Miriam Toews

At first it was hard to believe this was the same writer as Irma Voth, it was so different, but gradually I found the similarities in Toews' style. It's the story of her father's life, written in the first person, and told from his hospital bed when he's slightly crazy, a fact which makes it difficult to read at times. It took me a really long time to get involved at all in the novel because of its scattered nature, and I only just finished it before I wrote this post (Sunday night) despite the fact that I picked it up over a week ago and it's under 250 pages. I'll have my full thoughts up later today... once I finally form them cohesively.

What I plan to read this week: 
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

I'm about two thirds through the second book in the Uglies series and loving it so far. There are a lot of questions from the first book still that I hope I find out the answers to soon, but it's scary how believable Westerfeld makes the changes in Tally. I also way prefer Zane to David... sorry but it's true.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Since I'm so far into Pretties I expect I'll get a chance to pick up the third book in the series (and the official finale of the Uglies Trilogy- which became a series when a fourth book was written). I expect only good things from Westerfeld and I have pretty much learned to block out the annoying part of the reader for the audiobook's voice so that I don't have to wait to pick these up. I've heard fantastic things about the audio for his Leviathan books so I'll probably get those next.

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

Like I said, I don't expect to have much time for reading this week, but when I do I'll be picking up my copy of this book, which has been on my To Read list for many weeks now and I bet you're getting as sick of seeing it there as I am of putting it! But now the review deadline is quickly approaching and hopefully that's the motivation I need. I'll definitely have to follow it up with a bright and cheerful read though.

What are you reading this Monday?