FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at A Daily Rhythm and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during the last week and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. Below a selection of my newest additions; click on the book descriptions to go to its Goodreads page! 😀
My finds:
Title: On The Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: August 28th 2006
Finished reading: October 20th 2015
Pages: 432
“It’s funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that’s why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It’s not the pain they’re getting over, it’s the love.”
On The Jellicoe Road has been on my radar for a while now and it actually has been recommended to me various times in the past. I ended up really enjoying this read, but I have to say the first part of the story is quite confusing. Luckily I was warned that the first part is exactly that and they told me to just keep reading and things would soon start to make sense. They were right. This novel by Melina Marchetta is without doubt very well written and the whole confusement in the beginning is actually part of the charm. Why haven’t I given it an even higher rating? It may seem that I’m contradicting myself, but I don’t think I would have continued reading without the warning that the beginning is hard to understand. The characters are very well developed though and once you get an idea of the whole situation the prose and plot just suck you right in. If you like realistic fiction and don’t mind a confusing beginning, On The Jellicoe Road might just be the perfect read for you!
Taylor was abandoned by her mother on the Jellicoe Road when she was eleven and ended up at a boarding school. When she was fourteen, she decided to run away and try to find her mom, but she was tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now she is seventeen and the leader of the school’s underground community, having to lead the annual territory war with the Townies and the visiting Cadets. This year the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, a guy she has some history with. When the only adult Taylor trusts, Hanna, disappears, things get even more complicated for Taylor… Now she not only has to make sure they don’t lose any more territory, but she also wants to try and piece together the clues Hannah left behind. What is the real history of Jellicoe Road?
The beginning of On The Jellicoe Road didn’t completely convince me, but the rest of the story more than made up for it. The prose, the characters, the plot and plot twists… Melina Marchetta used those in a way that once you are past the confusing part, you just can’t stop reading. I will probably try to do a reread at some point, since I will most likely enjoy this read even better the second time around. If you like the genre, I would definitely recommend this one; just remember that it may take a while before you can fully understand what the story is about.
WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.
I am currently reading two titles I have been wanting to start for a while now: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The first is a really fast and entertaining read so far, so I will most likely finish it first and then continue with Outlander. I’m not too far into that one yet, but so far things are looking promising!
Four finished books this weeks, which is not bad at all considering I didn’t have that much time to read.
* The first is The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson; a title I picked up because I was in the mood for a good fantasy read. I really enjoyed this one!
* I then finally finished And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, completing my two TBR challenges. Yay! I didn’t enjoy this one as much as his other work though…
* Next up is Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake, which I LOVED! It’s such a creepy and perfect Halloween read! I’m going to read the sequel ASAP.
* The last one is On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, a read that starts out really confusing and I’m still not completely sure what to think of it.
The first book I will pick up when I finish The Murder Complex will be my only pending ARC Ochoco Reach by Jim Stewart. After that, I will probably try to finally read The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey… Although I might give in and start yet another series first with Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender since I’m trying to read a bunch of creepy books for Halloween. The last one, The Valentine Circle by Reinaldo DelValle, is still my latest TBR jar pick I will most likely put on hold until I’ve finished most books on my October TBR.
WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.
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.
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.
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.
