Title: Dune
Author: Frank Herbert
Series: Dune Chronicles #1
Genre: Classic, Science Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 528
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
This was actually the third time I’ve read DUNE. I first read it for my Science Fiction class in high school. It was one of a handful of books I read that were assigned to me. (I usually just didn’t read and watched the movie, if there was one, instead. Gasp!) I fell in love with the story that first time I read it.
Each time I reread this story, I fall in love with it all over again. I adore everything about it. I love Herbert’s writing, the characters, the setting, the complexity of the story, and the ethical / moral issues it explores.
During this reread, the relationships between the characters stood out more than they had the previous times. I think reading all the different stories with romance intertwined in them has affected how I view other stories. I found myself wanting Paul and Chani’s love story to be more prominent, even though I knew it wouldn’t be.
Despite the fact that the love story wasn’t as prominent as I wanted it to be, I loved the story just as much as I did the other two time. I’m glad I took the time to reread it again rather than just focusing on reading books I’ve never read. I also think it’s high time I read the other books in the series since I’ve never read them.
Update: As of 2026, I still haven’t read the rest of the series and I don’t plan to at this point. Over the years, DUNE has become my all-time favorite book. I don’t want to be disappointed by the sequels and I don’t want that disappointment to ruin my love for this story. Fortunately, it stands well enough alone that I don’t need to go on.
During my latest read back in 2021, I was more aware of how much Herbert relied on Islamic culture as his inspiration for the series. In past reads, I had wondered if some of the words were inspired by Arabic, but it wasn’t until I was watching the new movie that I started to do more research on Herbert’s inspiration. I didn’t realize the extent of Islamic cultural references he used until then. I’ve decided that I can still love the story while acknowledging the misappropriation for what it is, and do better by supporting Muslim authors and authentic Muslim stories.
City Of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 453
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
Also in this series: City of Bones, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
My Thoughts
These books are seriously intense. There’s a part of me that wishes I would’ve read this series as each book was published so I could wait and let the adrenaline coursing through my body ebb a bit. Then there’s an even bigger part of me that’s glad I didn’t have to wait between each book as it would’ve been torture.
CITY OF ASHES was probably even more intense than the first book because I knew the characters and I was way more interested in what happened to them. The feelings the characters went through along with the intense situations occurring around them made this book so action-packed that I felt like I needed an inhaler to help slow down my breathing and a sedative to relax my nerves.
At this point, I can’t wait until I read CITY OF GLASS so I know what happens. I’m worried that the story isn’t going to end the way I want it to, that the conflict between the two main characters can’t be resolved the way I need it to be. But, I’m starting to see how things will turn out because of Clare’s amazing ability to foreshadow so there’s still hope.
Update: When I read this for a third time, I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I thought Natalie Moore did an amazing job with each of the characters. The structure of the audiobook was a little weird, though. The version I listened to didn’t have individual chapters. It was all one big chunk of audio.
City Of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 485
Reason Read: Play Book Tag, Recommended
Rating:
Also in this series: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
My Thoughts
I’ve had a lot of people recommend this trilogy to me. I started reading CITY OF BONES on Saturday morning and I’ve been reading it non-stop for the past two days. I couldn’t put it down. Hopefully, the rest of the trilogy is just as good.
The story was very suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m actually still on the edge of my seat because there was a twist at the end and I’m dying to know whether it’s true because it will affect so much in the series. I really want to start reading CITY OF ASHES, but I’m afraid I won’t go to bed tonight if I start reading now.
Update: When I read this for a third time, I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I thought Mae Whitman (her?) did an amazing job with each of the characters.
The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 224
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
My Thoughts
My parents gave me THE SECRET GARDEN on my 10th birthday. In the 21 years I’ve had this book, this is the first time I’ve ever read it all the way through. I remember trying to read it a couple of times when I was younger, but I never finished because I hated to read at that time. Now that I enjoy reading, I decided it was high time I read it.
I knew the story because I’ve seen a couple of movie adaptations. I really enjoyed the movies and I’m glad I finally took the time to read the book. I enjoyed the book as much as I’ve enjoyed knowing the story. I almost wish I would’ve read it a long time ago because I found it so much richer than the movies.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this story was its positivity. The last chapter was very profound. Even though you’d miss the story, you could read the last chapter and understand the intent and message of the story. I think it’d do a lot of people good if they were to learn from the this message.
It’s probably a good thing I didn’t read this until now. If I had read it when I was only 10 years old, I would’ve never realized the profoundness of those two paragraphs. I don’t even think I would’ve realized it if I had read the book five years ago. It’s amazing how time and experience can change our perspective.
Freshman For President
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Reason Read: SLTA Party
Rating:
My Thoughts
I enjoyed FRESHMAN FOR PRESIDENT a lot more than I thought I would. I honestly thought I was going to hate it because I just wasn’t that interested in the subject matter. Even though it’s not one of my favorite books, I think it’s well written, fun, original, and unique. I also liked that Ally didn’t sugar coat real-life issues.
Dune
Author: Frank Herbert
Series: Dune Chronicles #1
Genre: Classic, Science Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 528
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
This was actually the third time I’ve read DUNE. I first read it for my Science Fiction class in high school. It was one of a handful of books I read that were assigned to me. (I usually just didn’t read and watched the movie, if there was one, instead. Gasp!) I fell in love with the story that first time I read it.
Each time I reread this story, I fall in love with it all over again. I adore everything about it. I love Herbert’s writing, the characters, the setting, the complexity of the story, and the ethical / moral issues it explores.
During this reread, the relationships between the characters stood out more than they had the previous times. I think reading all the different stories with romance intertwined in them has affected how I view other stories. I found myself wanting Paul and Chani’s love story to be more prominent, even though I knew it wouldn’t be.
Despite the fact that the love story wasn’t as prominent as I wanted it to be, I loved the story just as much as I did the other two time. I’m glad I took the time to reread it again rather than just focusing on reading books I’ve never read. I also think it’s high time I read the other books in the series since I’ve never read them.
Update: As of 2026, I still haven’t read the rest of the series and I don’t plan to at this point. Over the years, DUNE has become my all-time favorite book. I don’t want to be disappointed by the sequels and I don’t want that disappointment to ruin my love for this story. Fortunately, it stands well enough alone that I don’t need to go on.
During my latest read back in 2021, I was more aware of how much Herbert relied on Islamic culture as his inspiration for the series. In past reads, I had wondered if some of the words were inspired by Arabic, but it wasn’t until I was watching the new movie that I started to do more research on Herbert’s inspiration. I didn’t realize the extent of Islamic cultural references he used until then. I’ve decided that I can still love the story while acknowledging the misappropriation for what it is, and do better by supporting Muslim authors and authentic Muslim stories.