BOOK REVIEW: My Name Is Memory – by Ann Brashares

Title: My Name Is Memory
Author: Ann Brashares
Genre: YA, Fiction, Romance
First published: June 1st 2010
Finished reading: October 13th 2015
Pages: 324

“I killed her once and died for her many times and I still have nothing to show for it. I always search for her ; I always remember her. I carry the hope that someday she will remember me.”

Yes, I admit I mostly picked up my copy of My Name Of Memory because of the cover. The blurb sounded interesting as well, although I was afraid things would turn out to be too cheesy. Those who follow my blog will already know I’m not a big romance fan and I’m probably one of the few that haven’t read The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants yet (and probably won’t). I’m not saying this was a particularly bad read and I actually enjoyed some of the stories set in the past, but the more recent storyline is full of cliches and the romance scenes just didn’t do it for me. I did like the general idea of the story, although some of it was a bit far-fetched. Daniel is what you call an old soul with many memories of his past, but some of the things he does during the story are actually quite ‘stupid’. Also, I’m not sure I actually like Lucy… Although I do appreciate her development as a character if you forget about some of cliche actions. I have a feeling this one is another case of not-for-me. So I guess that if you like romance stories and enjoy reading Anna Brashares‘ work in general, you will probably end up enjoying My Name Is Memory as well.

Ever since the first life he remembers set in 552 Asia Minor, Daniel has been falling in love with the soul of the same girl. Life after life, he and Sophia have been finding either other, but somehow they were never destined to actually be together… And while Daniel has the ability to recall past lives and recognize the souls of others, Sophia never seems to remember him. Daniel keeps hoping to finally have the chance to be together with the woman he has loved for centuries, and it seems that the young Sophia (now called Lucy) finally begins to remember some of their shared past. But will the mysterious force that has kept them separated tear them apart again?

Like I said before, part of me not liking My Name Is Memory that much is because I simply don’t enjoy reading romance stories in general. The general plot idea is actually quite interesting and I enjoyed reading about Daniel’s past, but the more recent scenes and the romance between Daniel and Lucy were just too cliche for me. But if you enjoy the genre in general and like the sound of this story, I do suggest giving this novel by Ann Brashares a try.

WWW Wednesdays #60 – October 14th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I finally did it: I started reading the book that has been on my TBR pile the longest! And The Mountains Echoed is just as good as Khaled Hosseini‘s other books so far, so I’m still not sure why it took me this long to finally pick it up. I’ve also started reading On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta… I’m not that far into the story yet, but it is yet another title I have been wanting to read for a while now.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

I managed to finish no less than six titles since last week, so I’m pretty much a happy camper. Most of them were on my original October TBR so it looks like I might actually complete the list!
* Somehow I have never read a graphic novel before, but Through The Woods by Emily Carroll was hauntingly beautiful and the perfect introduction to the genre.
* My next read was The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom, a truly inspirational read about how we have become obsessed with time over the centuries.
* I then read Firebolt by Adrienne Woods, an ARC and fantasy story about dragons I absolutely loved. I will have to continue the series soon since the ending was a mayor cliffhanger!
* I was in the mood for a good crime story, so I picked up The Night She Disappeared by April Henry up next. It was a quick and entertaining read and just what I was looking for.
* I managed to finish The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern next. I really enjoyed this read and the descriptions and prose are more than beautiful. The odd pace did prevent me from finishing this read quickly though.
* The last book on the list was the only one I was slightly disappointed by this week: My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

As soon as I finish And The Mountains Echoed, I wil start reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I have been wanting to start this series for ages now and I’m really looking forward to read it. I should read The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey first though since I have been starting way too many new series without reading sequels… And I have a new ARC, Ochoco Reach by Jim Stewart, pending as well. The last one, The Valentine Circle by Reinaldo DelValle, is my latest TBR jar pick I will most likely put on hold until I’ve finished most books on my October TBR.

Teaser Tuesdays #63 – October 13th: My Name Is Memory

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at A Daily Rhythm. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

I’m trying to actually read all the books I put on my October TBR this time, so I picked My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares as my next read. So far I’m not really convinced by the story, but hopefully it will pick up later on. Fingers crossed!

My teaser (25%):

“It was back then, as a child in the eighth century, that I allowed myself to suffer how jarringly destructive the present feels and how fragile the past. The present is over quickly, you might say, and it is, but man, it goes like a wrecking ball.”

What are you reading right now?