Weave

Hi everyone! sorry I haven't posted for awhile, we are back to one laptop

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 18.03.15 ~ Finished: 05.04.15 Title of Book: The Robber Bride Name of Author: Margaret Atwood Edition: Kindle ASIN: B002TXZSNA Number of Pages: 529 Pages Synopsis ~ Zenia is beautiful, smart and greedy, by turns manipulative and vulnerable, needy and ruthless; a man's dream and a woman's nightmare. She is also dead. Just to make sure Tony, Roz and Charis are there for the funeral. But five years on, as the three women share an indulgent, sisterly lunch, the unthinkable happens; 'with waves of ill will flowing out of her like cosmic radiation', Zenia is back... 'The Robber Bride' is the story of three women and their friend, Zenia, who uses them to her advantage. What I thought of 'The Robber Bride' ~ This is the second time reading 'The Robber Bride' and I enjoyed it more than I did the first time I read it (but I think I gave it the same rating). What can I say about Zenia? Love her or hate her, she makes an impression, how she manages to become part of Tony, Charis & Roz's lives is nothing short of remarkable, she sees their weakness, use it against them then destroyed their lives by having affairs with the three women's significant others, as Zenia admits herself, she shown them how weak willed their men are, whilst using the women's fears against them. As always Margaret Atwood writes vivid characters, characters who are easy to relate to which makes for more interesting reading. Tony, Charis and Roz are strong women and you learn about them from their backgrounds and they learn more by their experience with Zenia. Zenia is a enigma, you never find out where she is from, is her name really Zenia? She tells so many stories, it's difficult to believe what is true. Zenia also makes Tony, Charis and Roz sees themselves for who they are, they all have the best of intentions helping Zenia, at the same time, they are human, they feel pleased that they have helped her, it doesn't make them bad people, its just that Zenia uses it as a weakness against them. A memorable story which I will read again. Rating: 5/5

Fantastic review of 'The Death House' Noll, the ending wasn't what I expected either, I kept thinking that something would happen before the end.

I keep my eyes opened when I am in the dentist, scared I will miss something

Thanks Athena and Noll

Great review Noll

Great review of 'The Man Who Ended The World' I agree about the typos, etc, I found it was the same when I read 'The Last Raider-Rider' I have added 'Gilead' to my wishlist.

Thanks Anna, it was recommended to me by amazon too

Noll ~ From amazon, if I'm interested in a book, I read the reviews, etc, add them to my wishist, then check out the books that customers have bought on the basis of the book I just bought/added to wishlist. I really enjoy YA, I do think (sometimes) that I am too old for YA.

Hope everyone is ok I am looking after my nieces 3 days a week, I won't lie, I'm knackered looking after them, its worth it though, they are a lot of fun

Thanks Alexi and Bobblybear

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough ~ Started: 12.03.15 ~ Finished: 17.03.15 Title of Book: The Death House Name of Author: Sarah Pinborough Edition: Kindle ASIN: B00K5UFGRC Number of Pages: 286 Pages Synopsis ~ This is an exceptional, contemporary, heart-breaking novel. Toby's life was perfectly normal . . . until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test. Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House; an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They're looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it's time to take them to the sanatorium. No one returns from the sanatorium. Withdrawn from his house-mates and living in his memories of the past, Toby spends his days fighting his fear. But then a new arrival in the house shatters the fragile peace, and everything changes. Because everybody dies. It's how you choose to live that counts. 'The Death House' is the story of Toby, an average teenager who goes to school, plays football and is interested in girls. Toby's life changes when he returns home from school one day and is taken away to The Death House where all the residents like Toby are there because of something found in a blood test, as they all wait for any sign of sickness, Toby looks back on his life and tries to face his untimely death, then Clara arrives at the house and everything changes again for Toby. What I thought of 'The Death House' ~ 'The Death House' was a interesting read and definitely not what I expected. The story of Toby and the rest of the boys of dorm four and all the children of the Death House is a sad one, taken away from their family and isolated because of a blood test, the residents are all waiting for signs of sickness, anyone who becomes sick is taken away to the sanatorium on the top level of the house and never seen again. Matron and the nurses are cold towards the children because they know their fate. What I enjoyed about 'The Death House' was the idea of this sickness that does not have a name but has been around for many years, I liked the mystery of it. The characters are well written, they are all easy to identify with and you feel sympathy for all of them especially the younger children, there are some genuinely sad moments. I did not expect the ending which made the story more memorable. Rating: 5/5

Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel ~ Started: 03.03.15 ~ Finished: 12.03.15 Title of Book: Station Eleven Name of Author: Emily St. John Mandel Edition: Kindle ASIN: B00JQ9FYAM Number of Pages: 353 Pages Synopsis ~ What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty. One snowy night in Toronto famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in North America. The world will never be the same again. Twenty years later Kirsten, an actress in the Travelling Symphony, performs Shakespeare in the settlements that have grown up since the collapse. But then her newly hopeful world is threatened. If civilization was lost, what would you preserve? And how far would you go to protect it? 'Station Eleven' is the story of the the arrival of the Georgia flu. On the same night an actor dies, the whole world changes and then there is the aftermath. What I thought of 'Station Eleven' ~ 'Station Eleven' stands out from the usual end of the world books, there is so much more to it, there is the cause of all the death and then the aftermath, there is stories of survival and scavenging which all the characters reflect upon. All of the characters are intertwined with each other, they may have met, they maybe connected to each in some way before the world changed. Arthur Leander connects all the characters, Kirsten Raymonde played the part of the child version of one of King Lear's (played by Arthur) daughters in the theatre the night the Georgia flu hits Toronto, Jeevan, a paramedic who was watching the show and tried to assist Arthur, Clark Thompson who was Arthur's close friend, Elizabeth Colton, Arthur's second ex-wife and mother to his son, Tyler, who return from Israel and become stranded in a airport because of the Georgia Flu where she meets Clark. Also Miranda Carroll, Alan's first ex-wife, who creates the graphic novel series of 'Station Eleven', she gives Arthur a copy of 'Dr Eleven' volume one, number one: 'Station Eleven' and a copy of 'Dr Eleven', volume one, number two: 'The Pursuit' which Arthur gives to Kirsten who treasures and still has them twenty years later. What I enjoyed most about 'Station Eleven' was the character development, Kirsten is part of the travelling symphony who travel the back roads and bring Shakespeare to the people. The troop are a family and it shows, they face dangers together, it is during one of their shows they meet a self proclaimed prophet who causes trouble for the troop. Jeevan finds a home in one of the many settlements, Clark remains in the airport while Elizabeth and Tyler has long since left. I also enjoyed that despite what happened, there are people striving for some semblance of normality, to give the next and future generations something positive. There is so much emotion in 'Station Eleven', there is loss, love, birth, death, acceptance, strength and preservation. I enjoyed 'Station Eleven' from start to finish, I enjoyed it so much I read slower. 'Station Eleven' is a wonderfully, vivid book. Rating: 5/5

Its a good read Noll, I know how you feel, anixety can be isolating

The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi ~ Started: 27.02.15 ~ Finished: 03.03.15 Title of Book: The 10PM Question Name of Author: Kate De Goldi Edition: Kindle ASIN: B0072KI8DC Number of Pages: 245 pages Synopsis ~ Frankie Parsons is a worrier. Are the smoke alarm batteries dead? Does the cat have worms? Could that odd-shaped spot on his chest be cancer? What about bird flu? Most of the people in Frankie's world ? his father, his brother and sister, his great-aunts, his best friend ? seem gloriously untroubled. Only Ma takes his catalogue of persistent anxieties seriously; only Ma listens patiently to his 10 p.m. questions. But of course, it is Ma who is the cause of the most worrying question of all. This extraordinary novel, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, with an impeccably drawn cast of characters, is the story of how one young boy's carefully controlled world unravels around him. Frankie's story will resonate with readers of all ages. 'The 10PM Question' is the story of 12 year old Frankie Parsons who lives in New Zealand. Frankie enjoys school and spending time with his friend Gigs. Frankie also worries about everything from batteries in the smoke alarm to bird flu, everything worries Frankie and the questions in his mind never stop. He worries most about his Mum who runs a bakery from home and is a great lover of Russian literature, she is also agoraphobic (a fear of wild, open spaces) which she gets support for. Everything changes when Frankie meets Sydney, a girl who travels from place to place with her mum and sisters. Frankie discovers that everyone worries and finds a way to ease his own worries. What I thought of 'The 10PM Question' ~ I enjoyed 'The 10PM Question' I identified with Frankie, I was a very anxious child and I worried about everyone and everything. 'The 10PM Question' is a wonderful story of family and living with mental health, Frankie is 12 years old and has a lot to deal with, he is very much loved by his family and they are a strong family but Frankie is isolated because of his worries. The title of the book, 'The 10PM Question' is about the time that Frankie asks his Mum questions which stem from his worries. His mum answers all of his questions but there is always the underlying question for Frankie 'why doesn't his mum go outside?'. What I liked most about the story was the positive note it finished on, I was happy for Frankie. A memorable story. Rating: 5/5

Thanks Marie, it is a great story, I hope you enjoy it

Thanks Athena and Anna

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen ~ Started: 24.02.15 ~ Finished: 27.02.15 Title of Book: The Ninth Life of Louis Drax Name of Author: Liz Jensen Edition: Kindle ASIN: B0049U413E Number of Pages: 244 pages Synopsis ~ Nine-year-old Louis Drax is a problem child: bright, precocious, deceitful, and dangerously, disturbingly, accident prone. When he falls off a cliff into a ravine, the accident seems almost predestined. Louis miraculously survives - but the family has been shattered. Louis' father has vanished, his mother is paralysed by shock, and Louis lies in a deep coma from which he may never emerge. In a clinic in Provence, Dr Pascal Dannachet tries to coax Louis back to consciousness. But the boy defies medical logic, startling Dannachet out of his safe preconceptions, and drawing him inexorably into the dark heart of Louis' buried world. Only Louis holds the key to the mystery surrounding his fall - and he can't communicate. Or can he? 'The Ninth Life of Louis Drax' is the story of nine year old Louis Drax, a boy who is accident prone and believes he is living his ninth life after losing the previous eight (due to his accidents). Louis is very intelligent, precocious and deceitful (for reasons you will find out). Following a tragic accident when Louis falls into a ravine, at the time he and his parents were enjoying a picnic when the accident occurred, now his father is missing, his mother is in shock and Louis is in a coma. Louis is admitted to a clinic in Provence under the care of Dr Pascal, as time passes, Dr Pascal finds himself falling for Louis's mother and experiencing other strange occurrences, is Louis reaching out to Dr Pascal? Will Louis get to tell his side of his story? What I thought of 'The Ninth Life of Louis Drax' ~ 'The Ninth Life of Louis Drax' is a interesting story about a extraordinary boy who is somewhat misunderstood and mature for his age. I found the story insightful about the power of mind and human nature which I enjoyed. I liked Louis, he was a interesting character, I enjoyed reading his thoughts. A great read. Rating: 5/5

The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman ~ Started: 21.02.15 ~ Finished: 24.02.15 Title of Book: The Pianist Name of Author: Wladyslaw Szpilman Edition: Kindle ASIN: B006ITXQGW Number of Pages: 225 pages Synopsis ~ We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events, all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close... riveting' OBSERVER On September 23, 1939, Wladyslaw Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor live on the radio as shells exploded outside - so loudly that he couldn't hear his piano. It was the last live music broadcast from Warsaw: That day, a German bomb hit the station, and Polish Radio went off the air. Though he lost his entire family, Szpilman survived in hiding. In the end, his life was saved by a German officer who heard him play the same Chopin Nocturne on a piano found among the rubble. Written immediately after the war and suppressed for decades, THE PIANIST is a stunning testament to human endurance and the redemptive power of fellow feeling. 'The Pianist' is the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a talented pianist who survives in war torn Warsaw after his family are taken to a concentration camp. What I thought of 'The Pianist' ~ I read 'The Pianist' when I first heard about the film adaptation being released (it was a few years before I actually saw the film) and the book has always stayed with me. The strength of Wladyslaw is inspiring and heartbreaking as he lives with his world changing from losing his job, his home because he and his family are Jewish, moving to the ghetto to narrowly escaping the train which takes his family away, never to be seen again. I enjoyed 'The Pianist' from start to finish, it's such a thought provoking story, a story of courage and what you will do to survive. The author's style of writing is surreal, he tells you what happened but there is no feeling, which you understand, he wrote his story a few years after the war, the shock of everything that had happened remained, which made the story more heartbreaking. A memorable book, I enjoyed reading about what happened next for the author and the story of his saviour. Rating: 5/5

No, you convinced me

I have read it Sousa and I enjoyed it, I feel a re~read coming you due to your comments, thanks

She has plenty of books around (Margaret Atwood) so take your time hen

I hope you enjoy it Marie, looking forward to your review.

I have 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?' and I enjoyed it Hope you enjoy his books Anna and I agree completely that electric sheep sound very Margaret Atwood Brothers are great.

Agreed. I have two books left to read in the series.