Noll's 2015 Book Blog

[Nollaig]

The Enemy - Charlie Higson

 

Synopsis: Everyone over the age of fourteen has succumbed to a deadly zombie virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive. When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

 

***

 

Review: I'm not entirely sure what drew me to this book, or what made it stand out over every other post-apocalyptic/zombie story out there. I do tend to like these kinds of novels, but for some reason I really wanted to read this one, and I wanted it to be awesome. It turned out to be a weird mix of very cool and unexpected on some levels, while bordering on cringe-worthy on others.

 

I think what that came down to, for me, was some really good ideas which suffered from mediocre writing. Some of the challenges faced by the kids and the braveness (or sadism) of the author in killing off characters were great. I don't really want to spoil the plot by giving examples, so I can't really talk up the aspects I liked very much unfortunately, but I definitely think this is a very creative novel. It's just let down by the writing and in some cases pretty poor characterization, so I can see why some people would be put off.

 

I'm not sure whether or not I'll read the next book in the series. While I did enjoy reading this, it worked well enough as a stand-alone novel that I'm not sure I want to risk seeing the things I liked about this book potentially degenerate to the level of the writing in later books. It's a really long series though, so maybe it gets even more creative.

 

Bit of an odd one, while I can say I thoroughly enjoyed it, I couldn't honestly recommend it to others.

 

Rating: 4/5

[Nollaig]

Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

 

Synopsis: January 1937. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely, and desperate to change his life, so when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year, Gruhuken. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return--when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible. Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark...

 

***

 

Review: I don't really like calling this a 'horror' novel, because to my mind the point of a 'horror' novel is to scare. I didn't feel that the point of Dark Matter was to scare, but to immerse the reader in the actual telling of a gently-paced ghost story with a creepy and atmospheric feel. Despite the unique setting of the story (or perhaps because) this novel really has the classic feel of a fireside tale, and it should definitely be read on a dark stormy evening in Winter for full effect!

 

Paver certainly has a way with words, capturing the desolation and bleakness of the Artic and casting it as both beautiful and terrifying. This was probably my favourite aspect of the novel, above the characters and actual story - but both of those were great too. I have to admit, a few weeks after reading the book, I don't recall all that much about the individual characters, even though I did like them. Jack himself largely feels like a vehicle for the reader, and a good instigator of the creepy atmosphere, but he and the other characters were definitely second to the atmosphere of the novel.

 

There isn't too much more I can say about this really, it's one of those books you just have to immerse yourself in and experience for yourself - it's one that is a genuine pleasure to get lost in. This lukewarm review really does it no justice - if you like wintery ghost stories, I can heartily recommend this.

 

Rating: 4.5/5

[Athena]

Great reviews ! It's a shame Grandpa's Great Escape wasn't to your tastes, but knowing your tastes it makes a lot of sense why you didn't love the book. His books do have a Roald Dahl feeling, though I wouldn't have been able to put that feeling into words before you told me.

[Nollaig]

It was worth a try anyway!

[Michelle]

I was really unsure as to how I felt about The Enemy, and in the end I didn't finish it. I got to the bit in the Palace, which seemed really daft, and gave up. 

[chesilbeach]

Great to see you enjoyed Dark Matter.  I love Paver's writing - she writes about the natural world so well.  We read it for my book group a while back, and one of the members had visited the place where it was set, and said it was incredibly accurate in its description, and felt that added even more to her reading of the book.

 

I first came across Paver as a children's writer, and her series The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness are fantastic.

[bobblybear]

You enjoyed The Enemy a lot more than I did. I think I gave it a pretty bad review.

 

Dark Matter sounds great, and I thought I had it on my Kindle, but Amazon tells me I don't. I do have it on my wishlist though, as it's been mentioned here a few times.

[Nollaig]

You enjoyed The Enemy a lot more than I did. I think I gave it a pretty bad review.

 

Dark Matter sounds great, and I thought I had it on my Kindle, but Amazon tells me I don't. I do have it on my wishlist though, as it's been mentioned here a few times.

 

I enjoyed it, but that doesn't mean it was good. I rate out of 5 by enjoyment, not by objective quality

 

You should definitely try Dark Matter!

[Nollaig]

I'm going to reserve this post for the last few reviews I need to post in this blog.

[Nollaig]

And I'm going to use this post for some stats!

 

My 15 Favourite Reads of the Year

 

To Rise Again At A Decent Hour - Joshua Ferris (5*)
Magic 2.0: Off To Be The Wizard  - Scott Meyer (5*)
The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes - Anna McPartlin (5*)
The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey (5*)
Fly By Night - Frances Hardinge (5*)
Longbourn - Jo Baker (5*)
The Rabbit Back Literature Society - Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen (5*)
Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (4.5*)
Mind Games - Teri Terry (4.5*)
Penpal - Dathan Auerbach (4.5*)
Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng (4.5*)
The Martian - Andy Weir (4.5*)
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver (4*)
Bird Box - Josh Malerman (4*)

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins (5*)

Top Five Unmentionables!

A Day at the Office - Matt Dunn (didn't finish)
Hold Me Close, Necromancer - Lish McBride (didn't finish)
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman – Denis Theriault (2*)
The Sky Is Everywhere – Jandy Nelson (2.5*)
Perfect Ruin – Lauren DeStefano (2.5*)

 

Take from The BCF Book Awards 2015:

 

Your favourite read of the year? To Rise Again At A Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris. It's not my only favourite, but Fly By Night gets mentioned a lot elsewhere!

Your favourite author of the year? Scott Meyer. I read all of his Magic 2.0 series, loved it, and got to interview him. #winning
Your most read author of the year? Helen Fitzgerald. Very reliable go-to for thrillers.
Your favourite book cover of the year? Fly By Night
The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? Dead Romantic - CJ Skuse
The book that most disappointed you? The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Theriault. Not what I expected at all.
The funniest book of the year? Off To Be The Wizard by Scott Meyer
Your favourite literary character this year? Saracen the Goose (Fly By Night)
Your favourite children's book this year? Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Whoops.... I didn't read any!
Your favourite re-read of the year? Paper Towns by John Green.

 

General Statistics:

 

Total books: 123
Total authors: 95

New authors: 87

Average rating:
5 stars: 13
4 or 4.5 stars: 54
3 or 3.5 stars: 40
2 or 2.5 stars: 8
1 or 1.5 stars: 0

[Athena]

I'm so happy you gave Off to Be the Wizard a try and that you enjoyed it so much . Great statistics, I'm glad you had a great reading year .

[Nollaig]

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

 

Genre: Young Adult/Coming Of Age
Synopsis: Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life?

 

***

 

Review: Okay, I'm gonna hold my hands up here and say it - this is a good book. For what it is. It's the first Young Adult novel I've read by Rainbow Rowell (after two adult ones), and she just does this so much better. Here (Cath) is a character I can relate to, directly mirrored by her twin (Wren) who is neurotypical and exaggerates Cath's oddities, immaturities and eccentricities by comparison. I see more of myself in Cath than I would like to admit, but in fairness, Cath is pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I can tell you for a fact that being a shut off socially awkward eccentric who Tumblr-obsessess over slash pairings will NOT land you the cutest guy going. It might land you a few dozen cats, but no cute guys.

 

A few things bothered me about the book - the explanation for the twins' names is ridiculous. As if a father as loving as theirs would have accepted that. Also, it does zero credit to fangirls. I say this as one - it is a neutral representation at absolute best, but it closer to suggesting fandom is something everyone outgrows. *cough*

 

That aside, there is a lot to like about this book. There are a few different layers which do a good job of reflecting the demanding life of a teenager stepping out into the world for the first time - social life, love life, family life, academic life, what-to-do-with-one's life. The whole story revolves around the desire to run and hide from it all, seek refuge in fantasy, and refuse to become your own person - which, no matter what kind of person you are, is something everyone has experienced - and if they haven't, they're lying. 

 

I also loved Reagan. I'm basically Reagan, but also a fangirl. If I was still doing half-stars, this would get 3.5 but sure I'll give it a 4.

 

Rating: ★★★★✰

[Athena]

I really liked Fangirl too, I'm glad you enjoyed it . Great review!

 

What did you think of the fanfiction in the book, about Simon Snow? If you liked it, I'd recommend Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, her version of a Simon Snow book. If you didn't like it, then just ignore this comment .

[Nollaig]

It was generic. I wound up eventually just not reading the snippets at the beginnings of chapters. It seemed like she put absolutely no effort into writing a believable scenario. That said, I'd imagine she fleshed it out for Carry On, so I do actually want to read that.

 

Is it meant to be a Simon Snow book, and not a fangirl version of a Simon Snow book, yes? Meaning Baz and Simon probably aren't actually gay in Carry On?

[Athena]

It is meant to be a Simon Snow book, not Cath's version but also not the author's version (I can't remember what the fictional author's name was at this point.. Gemma something?). Other than the synopsis, I can't say much else as I don't want to spoil the book for you.

[Nollaig]

So it is a fanfic? If it's meant to be a fanfic I will definitely read it coz I'm totally all about the Baz/Simon idea. Being a fangirl myself, the people are dispensible, all that matters is you've got two people who bicker endlessly but should totally be together and are probably both men. Plus vampire!!

[Athena]

Yes, it is Rainbow Rowell's fanfic . I think you would like it!

[Nollaig]

Sounds like I may well! I have it anyway, so I'll get to it at some stage!

[Athena]

That's great, it all works out .