Books I Want to Re-Read

Back in September of 2015, I decided I'd go ahead and read all of Harry Potter again. I mean, I've re-read this series before, but I figured it'd be fun to do it once more. So, here we are in March of the following year, and I'm just now finishing up that re-read. It started with me reading each book in a row, to me alternating between Harry Potter and another book, to me re-reading one book per haul of books I brought in. So, to celebrate me finally completing this re-read, I figured I'd make a list of all the books I would like to get around to re-reading this year!

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
I re-read this series a couple years ago, and I actually really enjoyed it! For some reason, even though I had practically just read the books at the time, I was on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out what happened next, even though I already knew! So, yes, I would like to re-read these books. However, this would not include the Heroes of Olympus considering I didn't like them all that much.

2. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I've never re-read this series before, so I don't know what the re-read experience is like, but I would really like to give it a try. I'd wanted to read these again right before Lady Midnight, but it's certainly too late for that!

                           

3. Warriors by Erin Hunter

Here's another childhood favorite that I would like to re-read. This was a series that really got me into reading, and I just want to throw myself into this world once more! 

4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

I read this book once when I was first learning about the World Wars in school, and it's always been one of my favorites. I think it'd be fun to read it again now that I've forgotten so much, and see what I take from it. 

5. The Selection by Kiera Cass

Here's another series that I personally enjoyed but have not re-read. Especially with the Crown coming out, I want to re-read all these books. 

So those were 5 books/series that I want to re-read sometime in the future! What books do you want to re-read? 

Shadowhunters

I'm sure that if you're a fan of the Mortal Instruments book series by Cassandra Clare, you sat down some time this week to watch Episode One of the new TV Series "Shadowhunters". 

The second the show ended I opened up Twitter to see what people were saying, and I found plenty of mixed reviews flooding my feed.  I thought it would be fun to share my personal opinion about the premiere and here back from you about what you thought.

I'm not a movie or TV critic by any means, and I won't be addressing some of the more technical parts of the show.  Nor will I be talking about anything that actually happens story wise.  In other words, I won't spoil anything, and if you've yet to see it, this review is perfectly safe. 

It was clear that the acting was certainly not the best at some points.  Some of the lines came across as cringe-worthy, but I feel like this is to be expected for some of the newer actors.  We did hear Alberto Rosende (Simon Lewis) say he'd been working at a restaurant just before accepting the role!  What I'm trying to say is that I think the acting will definitely improve as the series progresses. That is how experience works! 

As far as my general reaction to the plot, I found parts of the actual story were a tad boring for me, just because I, having read the books, already know everything about the shadow world.  I expect the interest level will increase as the series progresses, and Clary understands fully what is happening.  Then we can stop listening to her freak out over every little thing.

On a side note, what did you guys think of the song "Monsters" that played in the beginning?  I really liked it! I thought it was a cool song to use for the show, and fit nicely with the story.  Every time I listen to it, I can just picture Izzy, Alec, and Jace striding down the street in their Shadowhunter gear.  While we're on the topic of music, I'd just like to give a little shout out to Beth Crowley.  If you haven't heard of her, she's a YouTuber who writes songs about books and whatnot and has a spectacular voice.  She has some pretty awesome songs about The Mortal Instruments, and you should totally check out her channel. 

Alright, sorry for that little deviation from the path there.  Let's get back to this reaction! 

Overall, I was actually really entertained with episode one.  I'm overjoyed that ABC is willing to take a chance with this series, even though it flopped at the box office.  I also think this is a great way to bring in new fans.  People aren't going to leave their houses and go to the theatre to see a movie based on a book they haven't read.  But, I've talked to quite a few people who watched the first episode, and they are now reading the books.  Sure, Cassie is usually coming out with new content, but nobody that's not already a fan is really going to read that content.  This TV series will definitely bring in new fans, and I think that people who've already decided they didn't like the show should give it a few episodes before they make their final decision.  I believe that the series will get better as we move deeper into the relationships between all the characters and delve farther into this mystical world we've all come to love.