Nearly a month later!

I've finished another book. This one should have been finished weeks ago, this the book literally sat by my bed for a week without being opened/read!
4.
Title: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse
Genre: Fantasy, Greek Mythology
Summary (taken from Amazon): Percy Jackson is now 14, a bit older and wiser, yet still entangled with the Fates. Friends, monsters, dysfunctional gods, and the romantic stirrings of all things natural and mythological are encountered. His good friend, if oft-time rival, Annabeth (daughter of Athena) is missing, as is Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Joined by best buddy Grover-the-goat-boy and an argumentative array of accomplices, Percy sets off to fulfill, and hopefully foil, the foreboding prophecy of the Oracle. Plagued by ominous dreams, thwarted by hideous monsters, and challenged by conflicting partnerships, the search party's success hinges on unlikely unity.
Thoughts: There were SO MANY things I didn’t see coming! I was right there with Percy every time he felt stupid for asking a question about something he “should” know. Why wasn’t Clarisse’s info given more? Like where had she been? Maybe I missed that. *shrugs*

This book took longer for me to read for some reason – actually I think it had to do with the fact that when I first checked it out of the library (btw it is now a week LATE in being returned oops!) I didn’t get far enough into the book before stopping. But the last 2 days of reading it, I read 5 chapter chunks and that’s what allowed me to finish it. I really hope I’m able to get the “hooking” chapters read of The Battle of the Labyrinth so I won’t take forever to finish it.
Rating: 4 out of 5

50 Book Challenge

I finished up 2 more books. Would have liked to had them finish over the weekend, but that didn't happen. I'll be getting 1 or 2 more books from the library tomorrow. Pretty sure I can finish this series in the next 14-21 days (depending on if the books are available at my local library)!

2.

Title: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Genre: Fantasy, Greek Mythology

Summary (taken from Amazon.com): In this second adventure in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy is anticipating the end of seventh grade and a summer at Camp Half-Blood with kids who are the offspring of Greek gods and mortals. He dreams that his pal Grover, a satyr, is in danger. After monsters attack in his school gym class, Percy and Tyson, a homeless kid, are picked up by Annabeth, a half-blood friend, and rushed to the camp, which is under attack. The tree that guards the camp is dying, and Chiron, the activity director, has been dismissed. Another dream reveals that Grover, whose peril is increasing, is on the same island as the legendary Golden Fleece, which may be the cure for the troubled camp. With the help of Hermes, Percy and his pals set off to the Sea of Monsters, where they encounter legendary dangers. Riordan's clever mix of classical mythology, contemporary teen characters, and an action-packed adventure will bring new readers to the series.

Thoughts: If there aren’t already plans for this to be made into a movie, IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN! Really, I’d like to see how Clarisse is portrayed…and also Tyson and the other Cyclops from the island. OH! And the island with Circe – but now that I think about it, I don’t know how well it would really fit in with the movie. But back to the book, it definitely seemed full of more adventures than the first one did. The humor was still there and learning about how Cyclops came to be was also interesting. I do wish I hadn’t read the ending first. I wasn’t much surprised to see Thalia, but I understand Poseidon’s message to Percy so much better. The whole time I thought it was about the chariot race or even Tyson leaving for his internship with Poseidon. It was also nice seeing the relationship progress between Tyson and Percy.

Rating: 4 out of 5



3.

Title: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Demigod Files (companion book)

Genre: Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Companion Books

Summary (taken from Amazon.com): In addition to three previously unreleased short stories about Percy and his companions, it also includes such filler as interviews with the same, along with word games, portraits of some of the Gods and their half-blood offspring, and the inevitable sneak preview of Book 5. The short stories are the meat of this book, and are filled with Riordan's trademark anachronistic humor. The first one puts Percy and his enemy Clarisse, the daughter of Ares, on the same team as she tries to retrieve her father's chariot, which has been hijacked as a prank by her two immortal brothers. The second story relates an incident that occurred during one of Camp Half-Blood's infamous Capture the Flag games, when Charlie Beckendorf, the camp counselor for Hephaestus, is captured by a horde of giant, poisonous ants, and has to be rescued with the help of a mechanical dragon. The final story brings Percy, Thalia, and Nico, the son of Hades, together at the request of Persephone to help retrieve Hades's stolen sword, the loss of which could be deadly to the Gods, and the resolution of which forms a lead-up to the probable events of Book 5. Despite the fact that this is more of a marketing package than anything else, the quality of an interest in the three stories likely justifies its purchase.

Thoughts: I didn’t know what to think before checking this book out from the library. I thought it was going to be more about what Demigods are, and lists/background info on who some could possibly be. I liked that it was from the point of view of Chiron and had interviews from some of the campers. I really liked the games. When I saw those I took the book to work with me and photocopied them so I’d have something to do. I also copied The Twelve Olympian Gods + 2 pages. I like having useful stuff like that (even if in a couple years I end up throwing it away). The additional short stories were also a nice added touch.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

back on the reading wagon

1.

Title: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief

Genre: Fantasy, Greek Mythology

Summary (taken from Amazon): Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.



Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Thoughts: I saw the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and after some minor convincing from a friend, I went to the library and checked the book. I was really hoping I wouldn’t be daunted in reading it like I was with the Harry Potter books, but I found that once I started reading it, I couldn’t put the books down – with the exceptions for when I needed to take a mental break. So much of what I learned in Elementary & Middles schools about greek Mythology came back and I remembered why I liked it so much. Mythology is just fun and made explaining things so much more easier. I finished the book in about 9 hours. Hoping that The Sea of Monsters provides as much humor and knowledge as The Lightening Thief did.
Rating: 4 out of 5