karen.d
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Posts posted by karen.d
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4 hours ago, Athena said:
I've decided I can't really take a break from my library loans if I want to get all or most of them read, so I'll just be reading my library loans. I finished a book yesterday, so I'll see which loans I feel in the mood to read this weekend (and that are also a bit suitable for the read-a-thon for my brain).
It's a little early, but I hope everyone who participates, has fun reading this weekend
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Have fun reading too! I've read a few pages of 'IT' this morning. I'm going to be busy this afternoon, so I will try and read some more later..
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On 7/21/2019 at 11:09 PM, Hayley said:
I haven't been reading particularly fast recently but I do still have three reviews to catch up on! So, first...
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
4/5 - I really liked it
As some of you may have noticed, I really love this series. They always have a brilliant combination of history, magic and genuinely compelling mystery. Again, as some of you know, the books are usually set in London, but this novella takes us to Germany for the first time. This is interesting in a lot of ways. It shows us how magic is organised in other countries, how much Germany knows about Britain's magic systems, and hints at how their histories intertwine. I suspect, from this novella, that we'll be seeing more from different countries in future books, which is great.
On the other hand, I just didn't like the characters in this book as much. Tobias is our first person narrator in this one, instead of Peter, and I didn't really feel like Tobias had a strong enough personality stand out. There were moments when I actually forgot it wasn't Peter Grant narrating. I'm honestly not entirely sure whether this was intentional. There are a few plot elements that strongly link Tobias' story to Peter's, which suggests that we're meant to notice how similar they are, but I think it actually just made Tobias seem a bit boring.
The mystery and magic were great, as always, with very strong links to Peter's first case in Rivers of London (although different enough that it wasn't predictable). I would definitely want to read more about Tobias and Germany's magical community, but I just didn't love this book quite as much as the others.
I've seen this book being mentioned somewhere else and I thought it looked interesting. Can you read each book as a standalone or do I have to start from the beginning?
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1 hour ago, Hayley said:
Me! I’ve been really indecisive about what to read recently so hopefully the read-a-thon will help
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Hope you make good progress on IT @karen.d
Thanks! I'm about 200 pages into 'it' now. So hopefully I will be able to read a chunk of this book, over the read-a-thon.
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1 hour ago, Athena said:
The next read-a-thon is scheduled for this next upcoming weekend, the [/b]2nd[/b], 3rd and 4th of August (next Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
I just spent a week reading quite a bit (it was The Reading Rush - 22nd to 28th of July), and I have my library loans. I need a break from reading for a little while, so I may not read a lot today, tomorrow and Wednesday. Then I have to think about, do I think I can finish my library loans on time that I can read some graphic novels and manga during BCF August read-a-thon (like I usually do), or will I read my library loans instead (but I already read the ones with the most pictures)?
Anyway.. will anyone be joining me in doing the read-a-thon this upcoming weekend?
I-m planning on participating in the read-a-thon this weekend. I want to make some progress on 'IT' by Stephen King
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27 minutes ago, Athena said:
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Thank you so much Karen!! How have you been? I noticed you hadn't been posting much. I hope things are okay with you and yours
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Hi, I'm fine, haven't really posted too much lately, but I hope to get back to posting on here. Also, thanks for visiting my blog, I am still trying to figure out how blogging thing works!
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7 minutes ago, Hayley said:
Oh you definitely need to read it then! I can't wait to see what you think of the others now!
I'm currently reading 'IT' by Stephen King, but when I eventually finish this, I will read 'The Angel's Game'.
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9 minutes ago, Hayley said:
I find the organisation of your charts really satisfying to watch. I wish I could see my own reading that way but I know I wouldn't be able to keep track of everything properly!
I
Me too! I definitely would like to be more organized with my reading, but it doesn't work out that way. I'm going over to YouTube, to catch up on all of your videos.
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44 minutes ago, Hayley said:
I loved them all, if that makes you feel better! The book that's technically second in the series, 'The Angel's Game,' is very different to the other books though. It's a lot more creepy-gothic, and it's about David Martin, rather than Daniel. You could definitely skip it and go straight to The Prisoner of Heaven, but The Angel's Game does give you some intriguing background about Martin and his book...
You've made me want to re-read them now
If 'The Angel's Game' is even more gothic and creepy, then I'm probably going to love it! If you re-read these books, I'd be interested to see if you enjoy them just as much as the first time!
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2 hours ago, Hayley said:
Yay! I probably said this already but I really love that book. The others in the series are also very good, although nothing ever beats the magic of the first book
I agree it's the best book I've ever read. Part of me wants to read the next book in the series, but I'm worried that it's going to be disappointing, compared to 'The Shadow of the Wind'.
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'The Shadow of the Wind'- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I was recommended this book by a friend who has read this book, and its follow up books, many times.
When I first started reading this, I thought that it was going to be a fantasy novel. It isn't, but it's a lot more than that.
Firstly, I thought that the writing was fantastic. This novel was originally written in Spanish, but the English version I read was very well translated. It was poetic and beautiful. This story is a brilliant mixture of suspense, humour and intrigue, which has vivid, almost noir depictions of Barcelona which I loved. I loved how the plot weaved, twisted and turned and still remained understandable. Occasionally the plot slowed a little, but actually, I liked that, because it meant that you could really take in the atmosphere, the writer was creating. In fact, I slowed down whilst reading this, so that it wouldn't end.
I loved the characters in this novel. Even though Daniel is the main protagonist in this novel, for me Fermin, was better. I loved his humour and, even though he is a homeless person, he was still portrayed as incredibly intelligent.
I've read a lot of books in my time, but by far, I think this is the best book I've ever read. I think this is going to be a book that I'll read again and again. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the novels in this series.My Rating *****
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On 7/17/2019 at 10:48 AM, Madeleine said:
I loved Shadow of the Wind, definitely a keeper, hope you like the rest of it.
I've just finished reading 'The Shadow of the Wind' absolutely loved it. It's probably the best book I've ever read. I will post my full review soon!
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Polar bear
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14 hours ago, Athena said:
What a shame it was an overall disappointing read! It had a good premise. Great review
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Yes, it was extremely disappointing. I seem to be reading a lot of disappointing books at the moment. However, I'm reading 'Shadow of the Wind' at the moment and I really like it so far.
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'Queen Camilla'- Sue Townsend
I remember reading 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' when I was a teenager and really enjoying it. So when I saw this book, I was looking forward to reading this.
This novel is based on what would happen if the institution of the Royal Family was in exile and were living on a council estate. Britain is divided into many different zones, depending on your social standing and no one can cross zones without an I.D card. Also the police know your every move, thanks to cameras which are installed everywhere and they can access all information about the residents, using the Vulcan computer system.
Firstly, I liked how Sue Townsend characterized the members of the Royal family, they are all very likable characters, funny characters. I also liked that we got the perspectives of the royal pets too, on what was going on.
However, I found a few things wrong with this book. I personally like the British Royal Family, but, even though this book is funny, I could tell that the author wasn't entirely in favour of them and so I felt that at times, the jokes were a bit cutting and were laughing at the Royal Family, rather than laughing with them.
Secondly, at the beginning of the book, I felt like this was making some interesting observation on modern British life. However, as the book progressed, what could have been a humorous insight into these issues, turned into a bit of a mess.
Thirdly, the construction of the plot was very sloppy. The plot didn't seem to focus on one specific thing. What was a book about the Royal Family and the illegitimate son of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles , randomly turned into a farce about the dogs in the area. The comedy with the dogs at the beginning was funny, as I said before,, but it escalated into farce.
Also, plot line involving a police officer having a crush on one of the lower class women in 'Slapper Valley', one of the exclusion zones, never got an resolution at all..
Finally, the ending for me, was very poor. It ended quite abruptly and was quite frankly, bizarre and unsatisfying.
I started out really enjoying this book, but in the end, it turned into a bit of a mess. This was occasionally funny, but overall, a very disappointing read.My Rating ** 1/2
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16 hours ago, willoyd said:
Good summary. Pretty much exactly reflects my thoughts at the time I read it. Like you, I had no inclination to try for the follow-ons.
Thanks! I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't enjoy this book.
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1 hour ago, Madeleine said:
I saw the film of Inkheart a few years ago (on TV) and it was the same, a great idea but basically they get captured, escape, get captured, escape etc. I think it's a trilogy but I don't think they made any more films.
As far as I know this is the first book in a trilogy, but I'm not tempted to read any more of the books.
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3 hours ago, Athena said:
So sorry this was just an okay read for you
. I enjoyed reading your review though .
Thanks! It's a shame I didn't enjoy this book more.
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'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke
I read this novel for a book club and, even though the premise is good, it missed the mark for me.
The characters were very well crafted, I particularly liked Dustfinger, because he's a complex mixture of good and evil. The interaction between the characters was very good.
The problem for me, was the plot. The idea of book characters coming to life in the real world, sounded really appealing. When I started reading this, I expected it conjure up the magic I experienced when I read stories as a child. What I found was, that the plot of this book revolved around the characters going to a location, being captured, escaping and being recaptured and taken back to where they were before. This meant that.even though this was over 500 pages, I felt this book completely lacked drive.
I liked the message of reading books being magical, but I felt like this idea was integrated into the story in a forced way. By the end it felt like it was preaching a little bit in my opinion.
I also didn't like some of the decisions the characters made. It took a long time for any kind of resolution to happen and even then, the plan they carried out, felt a bit feeble and slightly rushed.
I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, it was just an ok read for me.My Rating **1/2
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4 hours ago, Athena said:
That's pretty good! Particularly if you're not really enjoying the book. How far into the book are you? I liked the movie Inkheart but haven't yet read the book/trilogy it's based on.
I was about 80% into the book when I wrote my last message. I've now finished 'Inkheart' and I found it very disappointing. I wanted to really love it too. I hope you enjoy it if you read this book, it wasn't for me though.
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19 hours ago, Athena said:
I'm glad you were able to find it on your Kindle
. How odd about your Kindle vs. GoodReads! Sometimes GoodReads and Amazon differ too, then I go by Amazon since they are the ones that sell it (and GoodReads is sometimes incorrect for paperbooks I read too).
Nice, I thought it might have something to do with sports. Did you like the book?
That's a lot of pages! I look forward to read your thoughts on Perks in your thread, I read the books years ago.
Yesterday I read 25% of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness 3: My Solo Exchange Diary 2 by Nagata Kabi, and then realised I was reading book 3 instead of book 2. So then I started and finished My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness 2: My Solo Exchange Diary 1. I had read the first book about a month ago in our June read-a-thon I believe. I plan to go back to My Solo Exchange Diary 2 today, though I haven't decided yet if I will re-read or skim or skip the pages I read yesterday by accident.
I wish everyone happy reading during this last day of the read-a-thon (Sunday)!
This read-a-thon, I managed to read 305 pages of 'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke. Considering I'm not really enjoying this book (i'm too far into the book to DNF it), that's not bad!
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58 minutes ago, Athena said:
Hi Karen! The next read-a-thon is scheduled for the 5th, 6th and 7th of July. Would that work for you? We could change the dates if it doesn't.
Yes, that's fine with me. I'll definitely be joining in!
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Hi when's the next read-athon? Thanks!
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28 minutes ago, bobblybear said:
Hi Karen - just catching up on threads as it's been ages since I've been here.
I'm in the camp of those who loved Eleanor Oliphant. I listened to the audiobook and it's one of my favourite narrations, but it's possible that I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I'd read it instead.
A lot of people love this, it's just not my cup of tea!
28 minutes ago, bobblybear said:I tried reading Never Let Me Go a few years go. In fact, I may have finished it but it was a real struggle. The movie was good, terribly depressing though.
I have The Keeper of Lost Things on my Kindle waiting to be read. Sounds like it's a bit of a mixed bag! I've thought about starting it a few times but other books have been taking priority.
I haven't watched the film version of 'Never Let Me Go', but it would be interesting to see what's it like on screen.
There are some good things' about 'The Keeper of Lost Things', but I think it could have been better.
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1 hour ago, bookmonkey said:
I figured out Gone Girl really early on in the book, so for me it was a bit predictable. But everyone has different tastes in books, which is good. It'd be boring if we all liked the same things.
True! I can't remember exactly whether I figured it out early (I read 'Gone Girl' years ago). However, I kno9w when I was reading it, my friend was too and we had very differing opinions of the ending o this book.
I'm currently reading 'The Girl on the Train' and I'm enjoying it, but, as I've watched the film version, I think it's not having as much of an impact on me, as if I hadn't have watched the film.
Read-a-thon 2019
in Group Reads
Posted
I'm about 37% into 'IT', I think i've read a total of 146 pages over the book over the last two days which is ok. I'm going to read more this afternoon and evening.