Athena Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Sounds like an interesting read. I want to read more sci-fi books this year, so I might check if we have this at the library Thanks, Mona ! It's quite surprising, the English section in my library isn't that big, and there aren't many science-fiction books in the library (it's not that popular a genre in book shops either), so I was very surprised to have found this. I hope you find it and like it if / when you read it . Amazing bookshelves! I almost died with envy when I saw the fantasy ones. Thank you ! They are double stacked too, most of the time . Happy Reading this year Thank you Julie ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Wow! Sounds like an interesting book. I agree the cover is very intriguing and would make me want to pick it up too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Wow, what a load of charts you have over here! I'm pretty sure your reading log is the most organized on here I hope you have a great reading year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wow! I've been in bookshops less organised, with fewer books! I am in awe and want to come and live in your library Happy reading in 2015! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks, Mona ! It's quite surprising, the English section in my library isn't that big, and there aren't many science-fiction books in the library (it's not that popular a genre in book shops either), so I was very surprised to have found this. I hope you find it and like it if / when you read it . Will let you know when I read it! I've had to stay away from the library lately, or I'll get banned...never quite make it in time with the books as every time I decide to return them after work the library is closed. So I'll need to get it on the Kindle I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wow! I've been in bookshops less organised, with fewer books! I am in awe and want to come and live in your library Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Happy 2015 reading Gaia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wow! Sounds like an interesting book. I agree the cover is very intriguing and would make me want to pick it up too Thanks, if you do I hope you enjoy it . Wow, what a load of charts you have over here! I'm pretty sure your reading log is the most organized on here I hope you have a great reading year! Thanks, Sari, that's so sweet of you to say ! Wow! I've been in bookshops less organised, with fewer books! I am in awe and want to come and live in your library Happy reading in 2015! Thanks, Kat ! So sweet of you to say that. You'd be more than welcome to spend some time in my library. Happy 2015 reading Gaia! Thanks, Alexi ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Happy reading in 2015, Gaia. I love all of your bookshelf pics and graphs. I haven't experimented much with the graphs in Book Collector yet—I don't think I've filled in enough data for the graphs to show any useful information. Speaking of the program, I was so glad that you and I had that conversation on your 2014 blog about the exact user-defined fields we use in BC, because when I opened the program recently—for the first time since I had set up the user-defined fields—they weren't there! I had to start all over again. I would never have remembered what fields I had set up, so I was glad I could refer back to our conversation. I was having problems with my old laptop randomly shutting down, so I think that must have happened before I saved my changes, but I didn't realise until later. Great review of Yu's book. I'll definitely have to bump it up the TBR pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wow, I love your photos, it's like a library! I have 2 small book shelves, with the rest piled by my bed, and in cupboards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Happy reading in 2015, Gaia. I love all of your bookshelf pics and graphs. I haven't experimented much with the graphs in Book Collector yet—I don't think I've filled in enough data for the graphs to show any useful information. Speaking of the program, I was so glad that you and I had that conversation on your 2014 blog about the exact user-defined fields we use in BC, because when I opened the program recently—for the first time since I had set up the user-defined fields—they weren't there! I had to start all over again. I would never have remembered what fields I had set up, so I was glad I could refer back to our conversation. I was having problems with my old laptop randomly shutting down, so I think that must have happened before I saved my changes, but I didn't realise until later. Great review of Yu's book. I'll definitely have to bump it up the TBR pile. Thank you, Kylie ! I'm so sorry you lost your user-defined fields . I'm glad the conversation helped you remember what you had set up though . I hope your laptop will work better in the future. Thanks , I hope you enjoy the book when you read it . Wow, I love your photos, it's like a library! I have 2 small book shelves, with the rest piled by my bed, and in cupboards! Thanks, Michelle ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 George Mikes, Karen Holmes - How to Be an Alien (illustrations by Nicolas Bentley) Genre: Literature, Biography Age-range: Children's Format: Hardback Pages: 48 Date read: 02-01-2015 Synopsis (back of the book):This is the funniest book that you will read about English people! Why are the English different from Europeans? George Mikes' book described the strange things the English do and say. And the English don't get angry when they read the book. They love it! You will too! My thoughts: I saw this book in the library and I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't know, when I borrowed it, that it was a children's version of a classic book (originally written in 1948). This book was okay. I recognised some parts, and found them funny or interesting. Other parts I didn't really relate to. I'm not English nor do I live in the UK, so maybe this makes sense. I liked the illustrations in the book. Overall I'd say the book, this edition at least, was allright but not entirely to my tastes. There are some funny bits in it, though, and perhaps English people can relate to it more. Rating: (***) (5/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Chris Riddell - Goth Girl 1: Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children's Format: Hardback Pages: 220 Date read: 02-01-2015 Synopsis (back of the book):Meet Ada Goth. She lives in Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her father, Lord Goth, lots of servants and at least half a dozen ghosts, but she hasn't got any friends to explore her enormous, creepy house with. Then one night, everything changes when Ada meets a ghostly mouse named Ishmael. Together they set out to solve the mystery of the strange happenings at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, and get a lot more than they bargained for... My thoughts: I saw this book at the library. Last month I read Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman (which I really enjoyed), which had illustrations in it by Chris Riddell, the author of Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse. When I saw this book at the library and recognised the author, I thought I'd give this book a go. Also, this book's pages have purple edges and I liked the look of the illustrations. This was a really creative book. It's a great story, with several good plot twists. I really liked the characters in the book, they were all very well thought out. I loved the book's humourous take on the names of places, people and things, sometimes referencing something or someone famous and sometimes being wholly original. I also loved the illustrations. They are done in the same style as in Fortunately, the Milk... and they're very beautiful and enhance the story. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. It's a story that's fun also for adults, it has great characters and beautiful illustrations. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Jeffrey Archer - Four Warned (QuickReads) Genre: Thriller* Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 98 Date read: 02-01-2015 Synopsis (GoodReads):These four short stories from a master storyteller are packed full of twists and turns. In Stuck on You, Jeremy finds out exactly the best way to steal the perfect ring for his fiancée. Albert celebrates his 100th birthday, and is pleased to be sent The Queen's Birthday Telegram. He is, however, confused . . . In Russia, businessman Richard plots the ideal way to murder his wife. He begins to have a clever idea when his hotel warns him: Don't Drink the Water from the taps. And as Diana, a busy single mother, drives to have dinner with friends, she realises that a black van is following her. Soon terrified for her life, she does whatever it takes to stick to the warning given to drivers: Never Stop on the Motorway . . . Every reader will have their favourite story – some will make you laugh, others will bring you to tears. And, as always, every one of them will keep you spellbound. My thoughts: This was the last QuickReads book I owned, that I had yet to read. It was another read-a-thon, the first in 2015, so I read the last QR book on my TBR. This book contains four short stories, each of which has been featured before in a different collection. * = Not all of the stories are actually really thrillery, but two or three out of four were. Don't Stop on the Motorway (from Twelve Red Herrings) This was an enjoyable and suspenseful story, about a woman who is driving on the motorway and is chased by a man in a black van. I thought it was a nice short story. I liked the main character though of course in a short story there can't be a whole lot of detail (I would've liked a bit more detail). The plot twists were good though not always unexpected. Overall I enjoyed this story. Rating: (****) (8/10) The Queen's Birthday Telegram (from And Thereby Hangs a Tale) This story is based on true incidents. It's about a man who celebrates his 100th birthday and gets a telegram from the Queen. It was an interesting short story and I liked the characters. I would've liked more detail, but the story was too short really go to into much depth (it was 10 pages). Rating: (****) (8/10) Stuck on You (from And Thereby Hangs a Tale) This story is based on true incidents. It's about a man, who's engaged, and who steals a ring for his fiancée. I thought the story was nice but the ending was a bit of a letdown. It wasn't unexpected for me. The middle of the story was very interesting though, the scenes where he is in the jewellers'. Rating: (****) (7/10) Don't Drink the Water (from Cat O' Nine Tales) This was a great story, about a man who wants to kill his wife. There were quite a few twists that were pretty good, I particularly liked the one at the end. The first scene, which is one inmate talking with another inmate, didn't seem to make much sense to me and I was expecting the story to refer to this at the end, but that never happened. I liked the characters in this story and I quite enjoyed reading it. Rating: (****) (8/10) Overall I quite enjoyed reading these four stories. They were entertaining and suspenseful. They were four very different short stories. I liked the writing style of the book. I certainly wouldn't mind reading something else by the author. It seems he's written quite a few novels and some short story collections (from where these stories came). Overall Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Ann M. Martin - The BabySitter's Club 24: Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise (re-read) Genre: Chick-lit Age-range: Children's, Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 133 Date read: 03-01-2015 Synopsis (GoodReads):Mother's Day is coming up and the Baby-sitters have the same problem they do every year: What do they get their mothers? Kristy, especially, wants to do something nice for her mom. Mrs. Brewer has been acting kind of strange and secretive lately, and Kristy's worried about her... But then Kristy gets another one of her great ideas. Why don't the Baby-sitters treat their moms - and the mothers of the kids they sit for - to a day off without any kids around? The BSC plans a gigantic baby-sitting party. It's a Mother's Day surprise that couldn't be beat! ... Until Kristy's mom reveals a very special surprise of her own. My thoughts: This was the next BSC book to (re-)read, for the read-a-thon. It was really enjoyable to re-read this book. Some of the Super Specials were referred to, that took place earlier in the series, so I think I should read a few of those soon too. It really made me want to read more BSC, I just love these books. I loved re-reading this one. It's a babysitting adventure, and I really liked reading about all these characters I like so much. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito - The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan 6: Volume 6 Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 163 Date read: 03-01-2015 Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series) My thoughts: I gave this book to my boyfriend for his birthday. We've both been reading this series so we looked forward to the next volume (he in particular). Since I usually read a manga book for the read-a-thon, I decided to read this one now since it's the one I most wanted to read. In the beginning I was a bit confused with this book. I didn't remember where book five left off, and there was no summary at the start of the book like there sometimes is in manga. There was a character in the beginning but I didn't know who she was. Her name wasn't mentioned in the beginning so I was confused who she was meant to be. The story jumped around a bit in time. I did enjoy reading it but overall was a bit disappointed with this book. I think, like with the other books, it's best to read them all close together. The story will make more sense then. I loved the little nods to the main series (this is a spin off series), those were great! I enjoyed this book but not as much as some of the earlier books. I felt there wasn't as much progression between the characters. I wish there was a bigger focus on the literature club and books in this one, though I guess that's not really what the series aims to be. I really like Nagato, one of the main characters. Overall then I was somewhat disappointed by this book. I enjoyed it but think the books work better when read closer together. I loved the little nods to the main series. Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 A. C. Baantjer and Simon de Waal - De Waal & Baantjer 8: Een Wolf in Schaapskleren Genre: Detective Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 172 Date read: 03-01-2015 Synopsis (me):A student is found in the canal. Was it an accident or is there something more going on? My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon, so it was time for another De Waal & Baantjer, this one was next in the order of the series (I read up to book 7). The book had several cool references, to Baantjer the TV series, to the main actor in the TV series (Piet Römer) and even to the author of the books, A. C. Baantjer. I loved this. This was a really enjoyable story. It reads easily and is well written. I liked the characters and it was nice to read about the students. I recognised some things from the student houses I've been in, though they weren't too bad. This book had a lot of good unexpected plot twists and was pretty suspenseful. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great suspenseful story with plenty of plot twists. I really enjoy reading these books (as well as the Baantjer books). Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Geronimo Stilton - Fantasia 2: Fantasia II: De Speurtocht naar Geluk (Alla Ricerca Della Felicità) Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children's Format: Hardback Pages: 387 Date read: 03-01-2015 <-> 04-01-2015 Synopsis (me):Geronimo Stilton is asked by the Queen of the Fairies to find the Heart of Happiness. My thoughts: Since I read Fantasia 1: Fantasia for the previous read-a-thon, in December, and it was my favourite children's book of the year, I could hardly wait to read book 2 for this read-a-thon. The book contains recipes, information on happiness, philosophy, poetry and rhyming, at the end of the story. My ex-library copy was falling apart a bit, but since I only paid about 80 cents for it, while the books brand new are really expensive in the shops (I don't know how children can afford this), I certainly won't complain! This book had similar elements in the story as book 1. Geronimo Stilton travels again to Fantasia and goes on another quest going past multiple kingdoms. The book is very creative and I loved the illustrations once again. The kingdoms were very interesting and also the characters were great too. The plot twists in the book were good though a few were predictable. The book contains wise lessons for children but it's also really fun for adults. Apparently there are lots of books about this character (Geronimo Stilton). They are written by several people. I think I'll have to borrow some from the library some time. They seem to be very popular, often a lot of them are loaned out. I can totally see why they're popular with children, they're great! I've got Fantasia VI on my TBR (ex-library copy), which I will probably read for the next read-a-thon (unless I can find an earlier book before then, in the library). I really enjoy reading these books. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Veronica Hazelhoff and Joep Bertrams - Maartje 2: Hierzo! (re-read) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Children's Format: Hardback Pages: 143 Date read: 04-01-2015 Synopsis (me):Eight short stories in the life of Maartje. My thoughts: I read this series several times when I was a child, at the library. One of the things I really liked about it, was that one of the characters was named Gaia. I'd been looking for ages to find the books again as I couldn't remember the author or title of them, just the covers. I found books 2 and 3 in the library sale a few months ago and decided to re-read them for this read-a-thon. This book contains eight short stories, though there is an overall storyline. Obviously some things happened in book 1, Nou Moe!, that are referred to and briefly explained. It was really nice to read this book again, true nostalgia. The illustrations were pretty good too. The characters were quite interesting. Maartje and Gaia only got partly along but it was still fun to see my name in a book (this doesn't happen that often! I only know of one other book / series that has a character with this name). Overall I enjoyed re-reading this book. It was originally published in 1981 but the stories were still very fun today to be honest (and why wouldn't they be, other than of course an absense of modern technology). I really enjoyed re-reading this. Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Veronica Hazelhoff and Joep Bertrams - Maartje 3: Auww! (re-read) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Children's Format: Hardback Pages: 146 Date read: 04-01-2015 Synopsis (me):Maartje gets hit by a car and breaks her leg. My thoughts: After reading book two in this series, I went on to read book three (for the read-a-thon). This book doesn't consist of short stories but is one whole story, with numbered chapters. I really enjoyed re-reading this book, more than the previous one. This was one long story, which allowed for more depth and focus. I also could relate to Maartje. My dad broke his leg a few years ago and had to stay in the hospital and have surgery (though gladly he didn't have to stay in the hospital as long as Maartje). I thought this book was very well written. I liked the writing style and the story reads easily.. The illustrations were good too, some of them were surreal, like when Maartje uses metaphors or compares one thing to something else. I thought this was very well done, showing this in the illustrations. Maartje is a great character to read about. I enjoyed the plot twists of the story. Overall I enjoyed re-reading this book even more than re-reading book 2 (Hierzo!). I hope to re-read book 1 too some time, though I don't own it and I don't think the library has it. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Disney - Donald Duck Dubbel Pocket 1 (re-read) Genre: Comic / Disney Age-range: Children's Format: Paperback Pages: 510 Date read: 04-01-2015 Synopsis (me): Stories from Donald Duck and his friends. My thoughts: After reading the Donald Duck pockets I bought recently (and thus running out of newer Donald Duck's to read), I decided to go back and re-read this one. This was always my favourite one, because there are several brilliant stories in it that I love. This is also number one of the dubbelpockets, so I decided to start there. This book contains several stories from Donald Duck and / or his friends. Donald Duck en de Ongeluksplaneet This was always my very favourite story. It was great to re-read it. It's about a planet where the inhabitants always have bad luck. I loved this story. It's so very good. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Willie Wortel en de Super Spaarlamp This is a short story about Willie Wortel and an energy savings lamp. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Mickey Mouse en de Stammenoorlog This is an enjoyable story about the Wild West and the indigenious people of the US (according to Wikipedia this is what I mean.. in Dutch the word is 'indianen', but if I translate that too literally it comes to mean 'people from India' which is not what I mean, though in Dutch the two are two seperate words). Rating: (****) (8/10) Katrien Duck bij de Waarzegster A very short story about Katrien Duck, it was funny. Rating: (****) (8/10) Het Gruwelfestijn This story comes in several parts, it seems it was split up for earlier releases perhaps? It was very good. It's about a hotel, where Donald works, where they hold a 'horror festival', inviting actors from horror films. It was a really enjoyable story, suspenseful and with several good plot twists. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Donald Duck en het Wapen van de Alchimist This is a story about a magical armour. It partly takes place in the Middle Ages and partly in the 'nowadays time' (which was the 1980's when this was written / published). I really enjoyed this one. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Mickey Mouse: Drie Mannen en een Ruimte-Baby This is a story about Mickey Mouse and his two friends, and an alien baby. It was very enjoyable. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Oom Dagobert en de Ontroggelspreuk This is a story about Oom Dagobert and Zwarte Magicka and a spell with which she steals his 'geluksdubbeltje' (I guess lucky dime or something, in the original English? I'm not sure). This was very enjoyable. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Mickey Mouse en de Formule Nummber 13 This was a very enjoyable story about conmen and stolen engines. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Donald Duck en de Terugkeer van Rebo van Saturnus This story is a sequel of sorts and refers to events that happened earlier (the story which I don't think I ever read, because I don't own it). You can easily follow it though. It's a great science-fiction story. I particularly loved the illustrations of Donald, Oom Dagobert and the aliens. I loved re-reading this. Rating: (*****) (10/10) De Zware Jongens en het Verraderlijke Geld This was an enjoyable story, though I remembered one of the plot twists as I was reading the story. It was very entertaining. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Overall I really enjoyed re-reading this book. I remembered the first story, one of my absolute favourites, but didn't remember the others until I started reading them. I loved re-reading them too. I like how in these 'dubbel pockets' the stories are a bit longer, there are more pages to add more details. I've been very tempted lately to buy more modern Donald Duck pockets, but they cost a lot and I finish them quickly (I need to spend less money this year on unnecessary things). I do however have some of my own to re-read, and I think a couple that I haven't yet read, so I will be doing all of that first (unless I were to find some cheap or such). Overall Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 I downloaded two free Kindle books: Ryan Andrew Kinder - 1,000 Awesome Writing Prompts Tara Lee Reed - Once Upon a Theme 1: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda I bought seven books at the charity shop Terre des Hommes, for 6€ total: Loes Hazelaar - Een Overdosis Girlpower Margaret Willey - Octopus: Om Eric (Saving Lenny) Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Christos Tsiolkas - The Slap: One Day, At A Suburban Barbeque, A Man Slaps A Child Who Is Not His Own... Janwillem van de Wetering and Ed van Eeden - Grijpstra & De Gier: Moord Op Heilige Gronden Gerda van Wageningen - Het Leven van een Redersfamilie 1: Met De Wind In De Zeilen Gerda van Wageningen - Het Leven van een Redersfamilie 3: Na Eb Komt de Vloed Gerda van Wageningen - Het Leven van een Redersfamilie 4: Anker Der Hoop I preordered this book last year and it arrived a few days ago: Holly Smale - Geek Girl 3: Picture Perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Wow Gaia! You are already on a reading roll. I must simply start reading asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 All the best, and hope you have a happy reading year Gaia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Wow Gaia! You are already on a reading roll. I must simply start reading asap. Thank you! I hope you'll be able to read some nice books . All the best, and hope you have a happy reading year Gaia. Thanks Devi ! I downloaded three more free Kindle books (because, well, they're free for a limited time, all three are short, maybe they'll be good): Forrest King - How to Improve Memory: These Unbelievable Memory Hacks will Help You Remember Anything Better, Memory Improvement Techniques: All You Need to Know About Improving Your Memory Stephen Howe - Overcoming your Shopping Addiction: The Guide to Beating your Addiction to Shopping and Ending the Shopping Addiction Cycle Jake Kerr - The Old Equations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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