Athena Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 Here are three photos of my gifts: My brother and his girlfriend got us this cool name tag for on our door!: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 (edited) That is awesome! The cakes look super good and so do you!! You tell that male nurse I said so And I like the sound of the short story (you know I love them!), I might have to tag that along during the Read a thon. Does she write more short stories? Edited October 27, 2014 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Wonderful gifts, scrumptious cakes, love the T-shirt! Your picture is just lovely, Gaia. Disconnected sounds good, great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 That is awesome! The cakes look super good and so do you!! You tell that male nurse I said so And I like the sound of the short story (you know I love them!), I might have to tag that along during the Read a thon. Does she write more short stories? Thanks, Anna ! Yes, she has written more short stories (though for some reason the Amazon reviews aren't good of some of them), but I've only read this one, and one of her bigger novels, both of which I liked. I haven't bought the other short stories (including the free one) because the reviews on Amazon are not so good. That said, Disconnected's reviews are slightly better but not brilliant either, but I enjoyed it, personally. So maybe I should just ignore the reviews from some upset people we will see. Wonderful gifts, scrumptious cakes, love the T-shirt! Your picture is just lovely, Gaia. Disconnected sounds good, great review! Thanks, Kate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Ooh, those cakes look lovely ! Congrats on the presents ; I like your photo, too - you look like a nice person to know. Is that the Gilmore Girls box set ? I have the seasons as individual boxes ; I got them as them came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Ooh, those cakes look lovely ! Congrats on the presents ; I like your photo, too - you look like a nice person to know. Is that the Gilmore Girls box set ? I have the seasons as individual boxes ; I got them as them came out. Thanks ! That's very sweet of you to say so . Yes it is! The individual boxes are inside, they are very pretty. I didn't know much about this show until I joined this forum. I saw some bits on YouTube and liked it, so I look forward to watching it and see how I like the whole thing. I hope to be watching the first episode soonish. P.S. A review coming up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 A. S. King - The Dust of 100 Dogs Genre: Historical Fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 330 Synopsis (GoodReads):In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with "the dust of one hundred dogs," dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body-with her memories intact. Now she's a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica. My thoughts: I recently read Ask the Passengers by the same author and really liked it, so I thought I'd read one of her other books (I had two on the TBR). I really enjoyed reading this book. It consists of three parts, each of which have individual chapters in them. We see the story from three perspectives, Emer, Saffron and Fred. Emer was a girl pirate in the 17th century. She was cursed to live the lives of 100 dogs and after that she is born as human baby Saffron. Interspersed with the chapters are sometimes "Dog Facts", a few pages where the main character talks about the various lives she had as a dog and what she learned. I really liked the chapters of Emer and Saffron, and the doggy bits. I found Fred's chapters harder to get through, because I didn't like him as a character. Two things about him struck me as annoying, his attitude towards his dog and his attitude towards other people. This didn't sit right with me. At first you don't see yet how Fred ties in with the story, and he doesn't have any chapters in the first third of the book, but it'll all come together in the end. I thought it was really interesting to read about Emer's life in the 17th century, first as a little girl and then when she's a bit older. The story gradually unfolds over the course of the book. Saffron was really interesting too. I didn't like the character of one of her brothers, but I really liked her character. The doggy bits were a great extra, particularly where she tells about some of the lives she's lived as a dog. The story in general was really interesting and there were some unexpected plot twists. I really liked the writing style. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. I haven't read any other books that feature pirates, that I can recall. So this was a first! I enjoyed learning a bit more about the late 17th century. I really liked the writing style and some of the characters were very interesting. There were also a few things I didn't like. All in all, if the synopsis intrigues you and it seems like your kind of book, I'd recommend reading it. Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 What a lot of lovely presents, and a great picture of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 What a lot of lovely presents, and a great picture of you. Thanks, Janet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I LOVE that cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 I LOVE that cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs! Me too ! I'm glad you like it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Love the presents and the cakes look delicious! I also love the tshirt. I like the cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Happy belated birthday Gaia! Love the presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 Love the presents and the cakes look delicious! I also love the tshirt. I like the cover of The Dust of 100 Dogs too. Thanks, Devi ! Happy belated birthday Gaia! Love the presents. Thanks, Laura ! I went to the book fair and I finished Where We Belong by Catherine Ryan Hyde, so I'll post a review soon and also a list and photo of my books (once I've sorted them out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 Catherine Ryan Hyde - Where We Belong Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 446 Synopsis (GoodReads):Fourteen-year-old Angie and her mum are on the brink of homelessness... again. The problem is her little sister, Sophie. Sophie has a form of autism, and a tendency to shriek. Home never seems to last long. Until they move in with Aunt Vi, across the fence from a huge Great Dane. Sophie falls in love, and begins to imitate the dog’s calm nature. The shrieking stops. Everyone relaxes. Until Paul, the dog's grumpy, socially isolated owner, moves away. Much to Angie's humiliation, her mum thinks they can follow Paul and his dog. Once reunited, despite a huge age gap, Angie and Paul form the closest friendship either has known. But Angie risks everything to help Paul's dream come true, even their friendship and her one chance at a real home – the only thing she's dreamed of since her father was killed. A place she won’t be thrown out of. A place she can feel she belongs. My thoughts: I was given this book for my birthday (I picked it myself) and have been meaning to read another book by this author. I had one on my TBR and was given two for my birthday (well, I picked two ). The synopsis of this one seemed the most interesting to me, because it features a girl with autism and a dog, two things I'm interested in. So I decided to read this one. Where to begin when reviewing this book? It's such a powerful, emotional story. The book is split up into several parts, with chapters in each one. The chapters all have two dog paws as part of their heading, I liked this little addition. I really liked the characters in this book. Angie is very mature for her age and a very interesting person. I also really liked Paul and some of the other characters. The only character I liked less was Angie's mum, because of how she acts and the decisions she makes. This is a very deep, emotional story with many layers. It's definitely what I would call 'literary fiction' (for some reason I classify some Dutch books as such but never English ones, I don't know.). It's a complicated story, there aren't loads of characters but there are many layers to the story. I really liked reading it. The writing style is very good and I was engrossed straight away. There are plenty of plot twists that I wasn't expecting. There are also some very emotional, touching moments in the book. So if that's not your thing, then maybe this book isn't for you. Overall though I really enjoyed reading it. I feel like my review isn't doing it justice, but I really love this book. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 it was a very good review Athena. It seems you enjoyed the book as much as I did. CRH is a pretty darn good author. and, I am glad you had a nice Birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 it was a very good review Athena. It seems you enjoyed the book as much as I did. CRH is a pretty darn good author. and, I am glad you had a nice Birthday. Thanks Muggle ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Scott Meyer - Magic 2.0 1: Off to Be the Wizard Genre: Fantasy, Science-fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 373 Synopsis (GoodReads):Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard. What could possibly go wrong? My thoughts: My boyfriend gave me this book (and part two in this series) for my birthday. I was very intrigued so I wanted to read it soon. First off, this cover is really pretty. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way.. This book drew me in straight away. It became suspenseful really quickly and I wanted to keep on reading to find out what would happen. There were quite a few plot twists, a lot of which were unexpected and a few of which I saw coming just before they happened. There is a lot of humour in the story and I really liked the writing style. The characters were very interesting and I really liked the main character. While it's book one in a series (I'm unsure of course how book two ends, and whether the author has planned any more books in the series), it does have an ending and can be read as a stand-alone book (in case anyone wanted to know that). Overall I really liked this book and really enjoyed reading it. I constantly wanted to keep reading to fidn out what would happen next. It bears a few similarities to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline but is also very different really. I really enjoyed reading this book and will be reading book two soon. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Here's a list and a photo of the books I bought at the book fair. Carrie Slee - Dat Heb Ik Weer 1-2: 2 In 1 Katie Fforde - Restoring Grace Katie Fforde - Going Dutch Lola Jaye - While You Were Dreaming Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout - Love Inc. 1: Love Inc. Daniel Blyte - This Is The Day Beth Harbison - Was Ik Maar... - (Thin, Rich, Pretty) (free book!) Mariëtte Middelbeek - Single & Sexy Marijke van den Elsen - Pretty Perfect: Verwaand, Verliefd, Verraden, Verrast... Ildikó von Kürthy - De Dertigersdroom (Schwerelos) Simon Sukkel and Jim Smith - Ik Ben (G)Een Sukkel 1: Ik Ben (G)Een Sukkel Simon Sukkel and Jim Smith - Ik Ben (G)Een Sukkel 3: Ik Ben (G)Een Sukkel Meer Herbjørg Wassmo - Tora Trilogie 2: De Stille Kamer (Det Stumme Rommet) Herbjørg Wassmo - Tora Trilogie 3: Huidloze Hemel (Hudlo/s Himmel) (I own book one in this trilogy) Majgull Axelsson - Augusta's Huis (Slumpvandring) (I really liked Aprilheks by the same author) A. C. Baantjer and Simon de Waal - De Waal & Baantjer 5: Een Rat In De Val A. C. Baantjer and Simon de Waal - De Waal & Baantjer 9: Een Tip van de Sluier (woohoo for them just having some of the ones I didn't have yet) Loes den Hollander - Vreemde Liefde Loes den Hollander - Loslaten Anne Rice and Ashley Marie Witter - Vampire Chronicles: Interview with the Vampire: Claudia's Story John Jackson Miller - Star Wars: Knight Errant Karen Miller - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth Karen Miller - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Siege Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell - Fortunately, the Milk... Geronimo Stilton - Fantasia 1: Fantasia (Nel Regno Della Fantasia) Sara Douglass - Darkglass Mountain 0: Beyond The Hanging Wall Orson Scott Card - Pathfinder 2: Ruins Paul Magrs - Wildthyme 1: Enter Wildthyme Paul Magrs - Wildthyme 2: Wildthyme Beyond! Markus Heitz - De Donkere Tijd 2: De Orde Van Het Zwaard Markus Heitz - De Donkere Tijd 3: Het Teken Van De Duistere God Markus Heitz - De Donkere Tijd 4: Het Oog Van Tzulan Markus Heitz - De Donkere Tijd 6: De Bronnen Van Het Kwaad Jenny Hare - Het 1000 Vragenboekje Over Liefde (Ask the 1000 Most Asked Questions About Love) Richard Carlson and Kris Carlson - Maak Van Een Mug Geen Olifant: In De Liefde!: 100 Nuttige Tips om Hartzeer te Voorkomen (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff in Love) Ian Stewart - Taming the Infinite: The Story Of Mathematics From the First Numbers to Chaos Theory Sofie Sozendaal - Gek van Eten: Als Voeding je Leven Regeert (free book) Susie Burrell - Raak die Laatste 5 Kilo Kwijt: Snel, Verantwoord en Zonder Moeite (Losing the Last 5 kg) Ella Berthoud, Susan Elderkin and Maarten Dessing - De Boekenapotheek: Lees & Genees, Aangevuld met Nederlandse en Vlaamse Literatuur (The Novel Cure) David Pringle - The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 I have now read 199 books this year so far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Wow ! 200 books by tomorrow ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Here's a list and a photo of the books I bought at the book fair. Have you read any of the other Star Wars books? I am a total SW nerd/ purist, but hold strict to the movies! I have now read 199 books this year so far.. And already working on 200!! Have you a plan for the read a thon yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Looks like you had a lovely birthday, Athena. I really hope you enjoy Gilmore Girls considering you now have the entire collection! Nice haul from the book fair. I was lucky enough to see Neil Gaiman live early this year. He read out part of Fortunately the Milk, and it was great. I've been wanting to read the entire story since then (of course he stopped just as it was getting really interesting ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Wow ! 200 books by tomorrow ?? Not quite, but soon . Have you read any of the other Star Wars books? I am a total SW nerd/ purist, but hold strict to the movies! And already working on 200!! Have you a plan for the read a thon yet? I haven't read any other Star Wars books yet, I did play some SW video games and I do have one other SW book on my TBR. I really want to see the movies again sometime in the next while. I've got some shelves to pick books from, but will make a plan once I'm done browsing the forum . I'll post it in the read-a-thon thread . Looks like you had a lovely birthday, Athena. I really hope you enjoy Gilmore Girls considering you now have the entire collection! Nice haul from the book fair. I was lucky enough to see Neil Gaiman live early this year. He read out part of Fortunately the Milk, and it was great. I've been wanting to read the entire story since then (of course he stopped just as it was getting really interesting ). Thanks ! I look forward to getting started on it. That's great that you got to see him! I'm a little jaleous . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Fun Fact #523: The average page count of the books in my collection is ~350-375 pages (Book Collector says 350, Excel says 375). That includes short stories as well as big omnibusses on the Kindle that have several books in one file. The average amount of pages of the books I read so far in 2014 is 265. Hmm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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