Athena Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Great reviews ! Station Eleven sounds really good, I shall put it on my list for books to look into . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Thanks Gaia! I do hope you read it...I'd be interested to hear what you think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Station Eleven was just on sale for $1.99, but alas, no longer. I do hope to get it soon though, I was just bummed to miss the sale. Anyway, it's on the short TBR because of you Thanks for the great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Oooh, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Anna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Seems you and me largely agree on The Silence, I had the same issues with it. Haven't read Gurnsey yet but its on my tablet. Can't say I'm in any more of a rush to read it after your review hehe I haven't picked up Station Eleven yet despite all the good I've heard about it because it seemed like a hefty read and very complex, which isn't something I've been looking for lately, but you've made it sound very interesting, so maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Most people enjoyed Guernsey more than I did. If you aren't put off by a book full of letters, then you may find it easier to read. I wouldn't say Station Eleven is hefty or complex.....it's just different in that it covers a broader range of ideas than your typical post-apocalyptic novel. It didn't take me very long to finish it either because it was so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I'm glad you liked Station Eleven. I've had it on my wishlist since it came out but haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet. I'm really looking forward to it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Oooh, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Anna. Maybe it can be my first library rental There is only one copy and no one on the waiting list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 I'm glad you liked Station Eleven. I've had it on my wishlist since it came out but haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet. I'm really looking forward to it now. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. It's such a good read. Maybe it can be my first library rental There is only one copy and no one on the waiting list. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Station Eleven sounds really good. I've just added it to my wish list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Goodo - hope you like it, Andrea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer, Anne Barrows Ah, I didn't know you aren't a big fan of novels told in letters (there's a word for it but I'll be damned if I could remember it). If I'd known, I would've warned you! I'm glad it wasn't a complete bust, though, and that you did enjoy some bits of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 The thing is, I loved Ella Minnow Pea which is in the same format, but I think with Guernsey, because I wasn't expecting it, it kind of made it start off on the wrong foot with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Aw, shame about Guernsey. We shouldn't have hyped it up so much for you. I think the type of novel is called epistolary (yes, that's it—I had to look it up to make sure I got the spelling right!) Great review of Station Eleven. I've seen it mentioned around here a bit but didn't know much about it. You've told me just enough to make me add it to my wish list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks, Kylie. I hope you enjoy Station Eleven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 I'm so behind. Shift – Hugh Howey This is the sequel to Wool – the first in the Wool Trilogy - but it doesn't actually pick up where Wool left off. Instead it takes us backwards and describes the events that happened in the past which lead to the surviving population having to live in silos. This part was the most interesting to read for me, although it did stretch the imagination significantly and in reality it's not something that could ever happen. That aside, I did enjoy the thoughts of the main character of that time, and his naivety (although that's not the right word, considering how far fetched the outcome was) as to what was happening. The story also jumps to the future and runs in parallel to the events happening in Wool. I liked reading the different perspective of what was happening in the other silos and how Silo 1 (which is where this book is mostly set) reacted to it. There was also a lot more background to Silo 1 – which is the control centre that runs the other Silos - and how they are forced to live and work in shifts that last months, and then they are put back into cryosleep, while the next shift is awakened. There are a couple of characters from Wool that are covered in Shift – mainly the boy who becomes Solo. That was interesting to read as we didn't cover too much of his background in Wool. The timescales are huge, the book spans several centuries with all the jumping back and forth. It's probably a bit longer than it had to be, but still interesting to read. On the whole, I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Wool. 4/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Ellie Quin: Episode 1 - Alex Scarrow Set in the future where the world has changed a lot, Ellie Quin is about to turn twenty and desperately wants a different life to the one she has now. Currently she is working on the family farm in the middle of nowhere, where not much happens or is likely to happen. She wants the thrill of living in a big city, where everything is faster paced and more exciting. The book lets us know right from the start that there is something remarkable about Ellie Quin. Via news feeds and Wikipedia entries we are told that she played a most significant role in the existence of humanity. Aside from these hints, not a whole lot happens. We follow Ellie as she plans her journey (unbeknownst to her family) to the city, but that is about it. Unfortunately the story ends before anything is revealed and we are left without knowing a whole lot about Ellie and what made her special. This type of cliffhanger has put me off buying the second book. I think if they had added a few more chapters to this one and took the story that tiny bit further, I'd be more inclined to carry on with the series. But the way it was left, the author didn't deliver enough to keep me interested in what may happen next. 2/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 The Hidden Girl - Louise Millar Hannah and Will have recently purchased a run-down house – Tornley Hall - in a remote village in Suffolk, near to where Will grew up. They are both desperate to adopt a baby, and have a deadline of 10 days to tidy the house up before the social worker visits. Will still works in London while Hannah is renovating the house, and when the snow traps him at work, she is stuck on her own at Tornley Hall. She soon begins to notice that her new village isn't perhaps as idyllic as she hoped, with the local people being distinctly unfriendly towards her. Also, in the night noises throughout the house wake her, and she finds various belongings moved around. There were a few things I had a problem with in this book. I couldn't warm to the characters or the situations they were in. Their reactions towards other people (when they were treated rudely) didn't seem realistic at all. I found the payoff to be very weak and unbelievable. We were led down one path in the story, and if there was going to be a twist at the end then it should be something better, not worse! I also found it very insulting to rural people, as though people who live in villages are gormless narrow-minded idiots with nothing but violence on their minds. There wasn't a single decent characters among those who lived in the village, and that just grated on my nerves. And the ending was just over-the-top saccharine sweet and silly, and could be seen a mile off. Having said all that, it was still an easy read. I know it doesn't sound like I enjoyed it at all, but at the same time it wasn't a struggle to read. But I won't be reading anything else by the author. 2/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 The Atlantis Gene - AG Riddle This was an impulse buy – something about it must have caught my eye and it was cheap so I bought it and one of it's sequels. It's one of those forgettable books and as it's been a month since I read it, I have kind of forgotten a great deal about it. There are several distinct plots which come together at the end. One is that a large metal object – likely a submarine – has been found in Antarctica. The other is the abduction of autistic children, from a government centre in Indonesia. And the other is that a secret government organisation called Clocktower has been compromised, and only one man (isn't that always the way ) can be trusted to find the reasons behind why and how. Well, this was a fast paced thriller, but I found the plot a bit too complicated with so many things happening at once. As a consequence, large sections were skimmed. The whole story was far-fetched and so didn't hold my interest throughout, and some bits of the ending were over-the-top, but the author certainly has a vivid imagination. I'm not particularly interested in reading the sequels, but as I have already bought one (sequel) I may get to it eventually. On the whole, a very average read. 2/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Eeeysh, three 2/6s in a row. Hope your next read is better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Seconded! Never nice to get on a run of 2s. Or indeed 1s of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 I'm still catching up on reviews. I've read four books since then and they are all higher scoring ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I'm still catching up on reviews. I've read four books since then and they are all higher scoring ones. Ooooh, I hope one of them is for The Goldfinch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I'm still catching up on reviews. I've read four books since then and they are all higher scoring ones. Yay ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Ooooh, I hope one of them is for The Goldfinch! Not yet, still reading that one. It's a massive book...I'm about 40% through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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