Lefty_UK

Ok so I haven't written in here for a while and I have read a few books since but the one that I really want to talk about is the one I have just finished reading - Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The basic premise is a boy receives a delivery of numerous tapes and when he listens to them realises that they are voice recordings of a girl from his school who recently committed suicide. In the tapes she reveals thirteen things that had a contributing factor to her taking her own life. It wasn't a really long book so I was able to read it within a few hours and it was a really good book, definitely unique - I have never read or seen anything like it. There are times in the book where you feel very sorry for the girl who kills herself and other times where you want to shake her but ultimately it would seem futile. I would definitely recommend this to people though.

I really enjoyed this book - Oskar is such a sweet kid and I love his friendship with Eli. I did make the mistake of watching the film straight afterwards though which I shouldn't have - I should have waited a while as I ruined my enjoyment of the film by being so critical of it.

Ok, so I can't believe I haven't posted in this topic yet as I am a massive fan of Stephen King. My first introduction to him was when I was 8 years old and IT was on television. I had watched the second half at a friends house and then saw that my Mum had recorded it and begged her to delete it as it was so scary... of course she didn't and the next day me and my friends watched it and I kept running out of the room as Tim Curry terrified me Anyways... a few years later I was at a car boot sale and I saw the book and brought it for about 50p - bargain! I was only about 10 at the time so didn't really understand it and gave up fairley quickly but it did become my first King book and it freaked me out. After that I pretty much devoured any King book I came across, although there are still some older ones that I am yet to read but have on my TBR list. My favourites would be Christine, IT, The Dark Half, The Stand, Needful Things and The Dark Tower series. The only one I haven't enjoyed as much so far is Hearts in Atlantis but I haven't read a lot of his more recent stuff. One thing I love about Stephen King is the rewards you get for being more than just a casual reader - I love that he makes references to other works in his books, a few of his books mention a rabid St Bernard and then you have the Salem's Lot/IT/Dark Tower/Insomnia/Eyes of the Dragon/The Stand crossover (I think there are a few other books that could be a part of that too). I also adore his style of writing which I think can be a bit like marmite, some people just can't get into it. The endings of his books can leave you feeling disappointed but you can still see why he has chosen to end his books the way he does despite you wanting it to end in a certain manner - The Dark Tower series is a prime example of this. Anyway, that's my Stephen King essay done ... I love him!

I finished this last night and thought it was brilliant. I loved the idea and the characterisations.

Just finished reading Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill. I had heard a lot about this book, lots of people saying how scary it is and I read a few Stephen King comparisons and I have to say, it didn't disappoint. It takes a lot to scare me these days and although this didn't fully manage it, it certainly made me look over my shoulder a few times. I can see why people compare it to Stephen King's The Shining as well. It's a completely different style of writing but the idea of an artist (instead of a writer) going slowly and maddeningly insane as a result of ghosts of the past in an old building full of penthouse apartments (instead of a hotel) is definitely familiar, not so much so that you could accuse Nevill of copying the idea though. It's the first book I have read by Adam Nevill and I will definitely look into getting some more to read (once I have made it some of the way through my TBR list). I very much liked his style, his use of language and imagery.

They're very good although, as it can be with King, can be a little hard going at times. I would definitely recommend them.

Ok, so I have read so much lately. I completed the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson and I would recommend them to everybody, brilliant books with, what seems to me, such originality about them. And Lisbeth, the title character, is one of, if not the, most extraordinary character I have ever come across. I have also read the second omnibus of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden Mysteries which are easy to ready and perfectly enjoyable little books although I struggled to identify with Aurora through the last two stories. I have read the Dark Visions trilogy by L.J. Smith which was highly enjoyable. I have read that she is writing a sequel which I will definitely read. The story centres around a small group of teenagers who have psychic abilities and are invited to a specialist place to live where they can hone their abilities but all is not as it first seems. A friend recommended that I read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which was a very cleverly told little mystery about ten people invited onto an island only to find themselves getting picked off one by one. Lastly, I have finally gotten round to reading the next in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, Haunted which is told by the ghost of Savannah's mother Eve Levine. I finished reading it today and have to say that so far it's actually my favourite in the series. I have been reading a lot thanks to having my Kindle and I have already set out the order of the next thirteen books I read, starting with Broken by Kelley Armstrong.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh This is subject to change though as I have a lot of classics to read.

I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a few days ago and am now reading The Girl Who played with Fire. Normally I find that some books are so overhyped that I just end up finding them just OK however I found this fantastic. I had no trouble getting into it and found myself so absorbed I couldn't put it down - am looking forward to getting more into the second one now.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Stieg Larsson I started and finished this within around 30 hours - I literally struggled to put it down! This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. The story was interesting and I loved the characters who Larsson portrayed vividly. The mystery within the story was riveting and I sat up until 2am this morning to finish it as I couldn't go to bed without knowing what had happened. Can't wait to read the next one in the series.

Ok so this year so far I have completed both The Lily Bard Mysteries and The Dark Tower Series' and brief reviews follow: The Lily Bard Mysteries - Charlaine Harris Lily Bard is a cleaner in a small town called Shaespeare - a place she chose to live as it fit her name. For most of her life she was normal girl until one day she was abducted, tortured and gang raped. After that she took charge of her own life, she started weight lifting and took put in martial arts classes so she knew how to take care if herself. After a few years of living peacefully in this new town murders start happening and naturally she manages to be in the thick of every single one of them. These books aren't going to win any literary prizes but they are an easy, fun little read and they were a welcome break from The Dark Tower books for a brief period of time. Charlaine Harris is a somewhat inconsistent writer (see the last Sookie Stackhouse book, which was terrible), but I do tend to enjoy the characters she writes and Lily Bard is certainly an interesting one. The Dark Tower - Stephen King Where to start with these books. I loved books I-V (The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass and The Wolves of Calla) - the story seemed epic, the characters were wonderfully written and I have always love Stephen King's style of writing. I enjoyed all the cross-overs with other King books as well. The book VI Song of Susannah came along and, although I didn't hate it, it certainly didn't capture my imagination as it's predecessors did but it set the stage for the final showdown in book VII The Dark Tower. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet as have only just finished it. Part of me feels like it was inevitable, part of me feels like it was vaguely genius but a louder part of me feels a little cheated. I'm not sure what the position is on spoilers in these threads but to cover myself Like I said, I'm still unsure how I feel about the ending but as a series it was an epic journey and was very well written. I loved the characters of Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah and Oy (who was adorable throughout) and the enemies were, mostly, well written although the Crimson King was a bit weak ultimately. I would definitely recommend the books to people who are open minded to non-conventionally told and ended stories.

Rose

Bird

Haha, I got 10/10 and guessed a few of them

Got 9/10 today but only because I accidentally clicked the wrong answer on one of them...