30 Day Book Challenge: Day 18

I stumbled across this 30 day book challenge by The Chronicles of Radiya and decided to give it a try. Hopefully it will lead to 30 consecutive days of blogging that liven up the blog a bit and give us a chance to get to know each other a little better.

Day 18: A Book That Made You Laugh

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I absolutely adored Beth and Jennifer’s relationship, and some of the things that they said reminded me so much of my own friendship with my best friend. A combination of their emails to one another and the reminiscing that resulted from them made me laugh at the most inappropriate times — on a train, surrounded by people that I had never spoken to; in the hospital while I was waiting for a volunteer interview… It’s okay, though: this book was excellent and made the stares and strange looks that I received completely worth it.

What was the last book that made you laugh?

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Top Ten Books That Should Have Sequels

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own “top ten” list.

This week’s topic is top ten books that should have sequels. There has been many a time where I’ve fallen in love with a book and its characters only to discover that it’s a standalone. Or where I’ve finished a series and found myself saying, “but this can’t be over… I want to know what happens to ___.” When a book is really close to my heart, I want it to continue forever – even if the ending was perfect. Here are some of those books:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I know that she wrote seven books and a few companion books, but after reading this article about what happened after the series ended, my desire to go back to Hogwarts has returned full-force. I wouldn’t mind a series about Harry’s children or even a Marauder’s series… I just want more.

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I fell in love with Marco, Celia, Poppet, Widget, and the circus itself. I would love to read more stories set in Le Cirque des Reves, even if it’s just a description of what each tent holds.

 

 

 
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
I absolutely loved reading Beth and Jennifer’s emails to one another. I want to see Beth and Lincoln go on dates – and read Jennifer’s thoughts about it, of course!

 

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Christopher is endearing, and I loved viewing the world through his eyes. It would be so much fun to go on another adventure with him, especially if he’s channeling his inner Sherlock Holmes again.

 

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Yes, I know that Lola and the Boy Next Door is a companion novel to this. And, yes, I did enjoy it. But I want a true sequel – after all, I need more Etienne St. Clair in my life.

 

 

Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
The ending of this series left me in shock. While the open ending seems somewhat hopeful, I need to definitively know what happens to Todd. I’d also like to see the new settlers arrive, and see more about Wilf since he’s adorable.

 

 

Delirium series by Lauren Oliver
This is another example of a final book in a series having an open ending. I didn’t mind the ending, but I would love to see what happens to the world, what happens to Alex and Lena’s relationship, and just more Alex in general.

 

 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I know that Fire and Bitterblue are companion novels, but I’d love to see another book dedicated to Katsa and Po. Their relationship dynamic is excellent, and they’re both likeable characters, so I would be more than okay with visiting their world once more.

 

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
This series feels like it ended mid-sentence. I have a lot of questions that remain unanswered, so I would love to see another book just to finalize the Baudelaire’s story.

 

 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
If Frankie managed to cause all of these shenanigans at her prep school, I can’t imagine what situations she’d get herself into in college.

 

 

What books do you wish had sequels? Leave a list or a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post in the comments below.

Book Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it’s someone you’ve never met.

My Rating:

Attachments is narrated by a mix of the emails sent between Beth and Jennifer and Lincoln’s third person point of view, allowing the reader to understand the reasons behind why Lincoln continued to read these exchanges – we are just as charmed by these ladies as Lincoln is and want him to keep reading about them so that we can keep reading about them too.

Lincoln is sweet, sensitive and quiet, yet still completely believable. He falls in love completely, honestly, and for the right reasons, baring his soul and leaving himself vulnerable. He has his flaws – namely his lack of confidence, indecisiveness, and passive nature – which are instrumental in his growth and development throughout the course of the novel.

If I showed anyone my email inbox right now, some of the subject titles – not to mention the content – would lead to questioning looks. “This is nice harassment, really.” and “seriously though, did they /have/ to give him a shirt?” are just two of the many lovely emails that my best friend and I sent back and forth before realizing that Facebook chat might be an easier communication method (and less likely to provide any of the cute guys we talked about with reasons to get a restraining order). We would send each other stories of epic proportions while away at different universities, and I quickly learned not to read her messages during a lecture if I didn’t want the students around me to glare while I laughed uncontrollably. Suffice to say, Beth and Jennifer’s friendship reminded me so much of my own, which certainly added to its charm and realism. Beth and Jennifer are confident, supportive, caring, hilarious and snarky, and I sincerely hope that everyone is able to have a friendship like theirs at some point in their lives.

Attachments is a more than a character-driven romantic comedy; it’s a brilliant and meaningful experience that perfectly captures what relationships are all about.