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Paula's 2013 reading log


Weave

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Slaughterhouse~Five by Kurt Vonnegut

 

​Synopsis ~

 

It took Vonnegut more than 20 years to put his Dresden experiences into words. He explained, "there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again." Slaughterhouse Five is a powerful novel incorporating a number of genres. Only those who have fought in wars can say whether it represents the experience well. However, what the novel does do is invite the reader to look at the absurdity of war. Human versus human, hedonist politicians pressing buttons and ordering millions to their deaths all for ideologies many cannot even comprehend. Flicking between the US, 1940's Germany and Tralfamadore, Vonnegut's semi- autobiographical protagonist Billy Pilgrim finds himself very lost. One minute he is being viewed as a specimen in a Tralfamadorian Zoo, the next he is wandering a post-apocalyptic city looking for corpses.

 

I enjoyed 'Slaughterhouse Five' a lot more than I thought I would, I avoided reading it for ages because I thought I was not intelligent enough to understand it, well I did understand it and it spoke to me in many ways.

 
Wars are raged and it's children that are fighting it, young men who become soldiers not knowing what they are facing.
 
Billy Pilgrimm the protantist of the piece shares his story of the destruction of Dresden and his time on the planet Tran,  where the inhabitants believe that no one dies, they are in different realities.
 
This was my first step into the works of Kurt Vonnegut, I look forward to reading more of his books. 
 
Rating:  5/5
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The Gone Series by Michael Grant

 

Synopsis (For 'Gone') ~

 

Suddenly there are no adults, no answers. What would you do? In the blink of an eye, the world changes. The adults vanish without a trace, and those left must do all they can to survive. But everyone's idea of survival is different. Some look after themselves, some look after others, and some will do anything for power ...Even kill. For Sam and Astrid, it is a race against time as they try to solve the questions that now dominate their lives ...What is the mysterious wall that has encircled the town of Perdido Beach and trapped everyone within? Why have some kids developed strange powers? And can they defeat Caine and his gang of bullies before they turn fifteen and disappear too? It isn't until the world collapses around you that you find out what kind of person you really are. A chilling portrayal of a world with no rules. When life as you know it ends at 15, everything changes.

 

The 'Gone' series was a series that I had wanted to read for some time and just never seemed to get round to it.  I finally read the series on my kindle and enjoyed it immensely, a great premise for a series, all the adults mysteriously disappear and a clouded dome is covered the whole island.  As the series progressed, the characters become memorable and you genuinely care for them, you want all the answers to the questions that they are asking.  The last book in the series was excellent, a great ending to the series. 

 

Rating:  5/5

 

**

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

 

I am very biased when it comes to Stephen King, I'm a fan and the only book I have never liked by him was 'Rose Madder'.  'Bag of Bones' was such a lovely story, really heartfelt and just showed how good an author Stephen King is, there was also scary parts in the book too, one of the many things I like about Stephen King, he pulls you in the book. 

 

Rating:  5/5

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Great reviews! I own Slaughterhouse-Five on my Kindle but haven't read it yet. I have the first book of the Gone series but I haven't read it yet (I'm not sure if I should read it or whether I should wait and collect the whole series, as I prefer to do). Bag of Bones I bought recently, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it :).

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks everyone, I really enjoyed 'Slaughter~house Five' and the 'Gone' series was great, I'm so tempted to re~read them all again :)

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Horns by Joe Hill ~

 

This is the first book I read by Joe Hill (he's also Stephen King's son), I definitely didn't read the book thinking he would write like his Dad and I was right, he didn't.  Great story, the main character Ignatius, he is flawed in a lot of ways and also carrying around a lot of emotional baggage.  I am looking forward to the film adaptation.

 

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill ~

 

I didn't like '20th Century Ghosts' as much as I thought I would, I think Joe Hill's strenghts are writing novels as opposed to short stories, I could not even tell what stories I read. :blush2: 

 

All my friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman

Born Weird by  Andrew Kaufman


The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman


The Waterproof Bible by Andrew Kaufman ~


 


Andrew Kaufman has become one of my favourite authors, his stories are lovely and well written.  All the characters are quirky and believeable.  Great reads all round, if you get the chance, read some Andrew Kaufman.


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  • 3 weeks later...

Read so far ~

 

Unwind ('Unwind' Trilogy~Book 1) by Neal Shusterman (re~read)

Unstrung (A 'Unwind' story) by Neal Shusterman

Unwholly ('Unwind Trilogy~Book 2) by Neal Shusterman

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

 

:readingtwo: 

Edited by Weave
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  • 1 month later...

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