Anna Begins Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 What readily comes to mind is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (who I like a lot btw), it took me, I think, 23 days. Which is a long time for me. I know it took me ages to read Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show too, but that was about 18 years ago and I was hit by a car . (I was on foot!) It was good though and I enjoyed it. Even The Stand didn't take me longer than 10 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell took me months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 What readily comes to mind is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (who I like a lot btw), it took me, I think, 23 days. Which is a long time for me. I know it took me ages to read Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show too, but that was about 18 years ago and I was hit by a car . (I was on foot!) It was good though and I enjoyed it. Even The Stand didn't take me longer than 10 days. Yikes !! Poor Anna. It took me ages to finish Ken Folletts Pillars of the Earth, cos I cared so much for the characters. I couldn't bear putting the book down if someone was in the midst of some awful experience, so I'd read until all was fine, then put the book down until I felt up to tackling it again... and since the characters had a real roller coaster time of it, there w s a lot of putting the book down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Nice answers so far ! It took me ages to finish Ken Folletts Pillars of the Earth, cos I cared so much for the characters. I couldn't bear putting the book down if someone was in the midst of some awful experience, so I'd read until all was fine, then put the book down until I felt up to tackling it again... and since the characters had a real roller coaster time of it, there w s a lot of putting the book down. That's an interesting way of reading . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 This week's topic is: Inaccurate Book Covers Author's Note: --Those books that have nothing to do with the story, or the cover model doesn't look anything like the actual main character, or it's a really cheesy cover for a great read! I know I've had books with inaccurate book covers, but I'm going to have to think hard which ones they were! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 A few I've found that I don't think match the books very well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 No they don't do they? What's with the dominoes on "Book Thief"? Maybe the publishers think it has some symbolism. And the Mockingbird cover is almost illegible, as for Gatsby, yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Waterwitch - It`s actually a sweet urban fantasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 None of those covers of Poppy and Pixie match their stories! Good finds . My copy of To Kill a Mockingbird has a sort of painting of a court room filled with people on it. My copy of The Book Thief has a picture of Death on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 I posted this on my Facebook last week, but I have recently read The Warden by Anthony Trollope, and whilst searching for the cover for my book blog I came across this raunchy version of this Victorian classic. Trollope must be spinning in his grave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 The couple look like they were computer-generated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I'm falling about laughing at The Warden' s cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 What a terrible cover for that story! It is sort of funny though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I don't actually know the book The Warden, but that cover is dire for any book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 This week's topic is: Spooky Settings Author's Note: --These can be settings that exist in books or ones you'd like to see in books. Also, if you are like me, you don't really have to make this about horror or scary settings. You can also use eerie, atmospheric settings. Macabre settings. Eclectic settings. I'm not a scary horror person either, but I do enjoy the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 One I've read very recently - Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. Definitely spooky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is the one that immediately springs to my mind - it's very spooky and atmospheric (not the dreadful film! The stage play, on the other hand, is simply perfection). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 The spookiest book by far that I have read is a fantastic Icelandic (where else) ghost story I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdadottir. I love all her books, but this is by far the best. I have read a lot of Icelandic books, but never read anything quite like this one. I actually went to the deserted village where it is set a few summers ago, and I can imagine that to be alone is such an isolated place really would be creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 This is easy! Just sort of... disturbing or dark books? Here are mostly horror books. Actually, I guess they all are! Yesterday's Gone by Sean Platt and David Wright Horns by Joe Hill World War Z by Max Brooks Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame- Smith Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin Psycho Robert Bloch I, Zombie by Hugh Howey Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker Damned by Chuck Palahniuk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Not a horror fan at all but really enjoy atmospheric books like ... Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Mr Chartwell by Rebecca Huntand all Neil Gaiman's books. The most macabre and disturbing book I've read is William Golding's Lord of the Flies. I hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 This week's topic is: Most Misleading Synopses. Author's Note: -- Ever read a synopsis and think it sounds dumb, but then you read the book years later and it's actually amazing? Ever read a synopsis and think it sounds amazing, but it actually turns out to be nothing like the synopsis? Ever have a synopsis spoil something that happens 75% of the way into the book so you just spend most of your time waiting for that one element you already know? This is the topic for you. I know I've read a bunch of these, ie. where they talk about something that happens 67% into the book, but at the moment I can't remember which book it was. I do know that often children's books give away a little more than I'd like, but the book I'm thinking of was a book for adults and I was waiting the whole book for the thing to happen that was mentioned in the synopsis on the back. I can't remember which book it was though.. Btw, please, no spoilers! If a synopsis spoils something that happens late in the book (something Amazon for example seems to do sometimes), please post it has a spoiler, rather than quoting the synopsis so more people get spoiled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lau_Lou Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 I cannot think of any books where the story doesn't match the blurb at the back. Will be interesting to see if anybody has. Is a synopsis and a blurb not the same thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 The Radleys by Matt Haig. The blurb was very vague - and I'm so pleased! If it had said more about the subject matter (I shan't say what it is) then I would never have picked it up, and I loved it! Conversely, the blurb for Another World by Pat Barker hinted at something that didn't really take off and left me feeling dissatisfied with the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Is a synopsis and a blurb not the same thing? I always thought they were the same but it appears officially there are different definitions: link and link. By the Author's Note though it seems that she meant the blurb, which I've personally been calling synopsis, so maybe the two have become a bit intertwined in internetland. I took what Samantha (the author) said as to mean 'the text on the back of the book or on the inside of the flap, or the description on Amazon or wherever you buy your e-books'. That's what I thought she meant (my words). Janet, those are two interesting examples. Sometimes a vague blurb can actually be helpful. Shame about the blurb for Another World though, I can imagine that wasn't very satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I really enjoyed The Radleys, thought it was a fresh take in a rather overdone genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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