Noll's 2016 Books and Cross-Stitch

[Nollaig]

#53 Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders." Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history.

*** 

Review: If I was still doing half marks, I definitely would have given this novel 4.5 stars. It was so close to being 5 - but there were a few little niggles that prevent me from honestly saying I enjoyed this to the extent of other books I've rated 5 stars. 

First off I have to say that the writing is beautiful in this novel. It's one of those books where, after reading a few chapters, you can relax into the knowledge that even if you're not entirely crazy about whatever happens, it will at least be a genuinely pleasurable reading experience. I've read a lot of duds lately, and this one really reminded me that there are genuinely excellent books out there. And also that I love historical fiction; I've really got to read more of it.

As for the plot, I'm fascinated by how much of this is based in actual history. Several of the names of actual victims of the Plague in this little English town have been used, or slightly reworked, as well as some of the facts about the historical event. I found this really fascinating, and am actually now interested to go visit the little town whose claim to fame, somewhat unfortunately, is the Plague. It is however, also the story of a congregation who chose to limit the spread of the disease as much as possible, and it is the horror of the disease, versus the natural fear of it and instinct to run, versus moral duty, that makes this a heart-wrenching and compelling novel.

Place all of the above in the context of a very superstitious and religious community, and you get a really fascinating insight to the religious and social life of long ago, Amidst the terrifyingly rapid spread of an incurable disease is the chaos of witch hunting, deadly mobs, and the attempts of a brave few to maintain order in the face of their society crumbling. Thinking about it now, this is an incredibly multi-faceted novel which is extremely well constructed.

So what are the niggles? Well, the two biggest ones are two events at the end - one completely unnecessary destruction of a good character, and the epilogue. Both completely unnecessary, and after having immersed myself in what had been such a wonderful, if searing, read, it wasn't fun to be skimming pages going 'wtf?' towards the end. All the same, highly, HIGHLY recommend this novel.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

#54 Hex - Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Genre: Horror/Ghost Story

Synopsis: Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.
Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a 17th century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters your homes at will. She stands next to your bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened.The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting, but in so doing send the town spiraling into the dark, medieval practices of the past.

*** 

Review: I was so sure for so much of this novel that it was going to turn out to be a five star read, but unfortunately the ending let it down (for me). Not mentioned in the synopsis is that this novel was originally written in Dutch, and not only translated into English, but Americanized - moving the setting to America, changing names etc. The author did this to make the experience of reading the novel more relate-able to international readers - rather than it being a quirky Dutch story, it would be something that could happen in their own little towns. I wonder, a little, if this change is what made the ending not work for me. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though.

This is, even translated, an extremely well written novel. Traditional ghost stories tend to rely on their lack of modernity - lack of electricity, phones going dead, being cut off from the world. Modern ghost stories occasionally revolve entirely around the use of modern devices, like the Paranormal Activity films. They're not great films, but the idea is the scary stuff is what's picked up on the devices. This book places modern life and technology into a traditional setting, and focuses on a younger, modern generation challenges the traditions of old. It's really quite a unique setup, and although there are quite a few classic horror tropes in here, they're well written enough to be genuinely spooky. Not a few times I was reminded of Salem's Lot, probably the only other horror story I've read where an entire community is built up and credibly portrayed in one book.  At the same time, the idea of this ghost town with intricate surveillance of an ancient ghost layered on top of that community requires a hell of a lot of suspension of disbelief, and there were a few occasions where that nagged me. All the same, the vast majority of this book is spooky, immersive and wholly successful in what (I thought) it tries to do.

The end, however. The end. Hm. I can definitely see a lot of people liking it, but it seemed to become a little bit stream-of-consciousness and a little bit metaphorical, and it honestly lost me a bit. I know what was literally happening, but any messages or morals the author was trying to convey were probably largely lost on me, because I didn't realise for most of the book that that was what he was building to. I wound up skimming the last 20 or 30 pages, so that was a bit of a disappointing end to something that would otherwise probably have gotten 5 stars. I still highly recommend it for an excellent creepy read, though.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

Not gonna review this one properly, but for the sake of not confusing myself with my numbering again.

 

#55 The Deadly Space Between - Patricia Duncker

 

Basically it's about a guy with a bit of an Oedipus complex who is way too close to his mother, and then becomes obsessed with a creepy-as-all-hell weirdo she starts seeing. It starts off kinda weird and then just gets bad. Found it on a list of disturbing books. Wasn't disturbing, just senseless as far as I could see.

 

Rating: Boo-urns.

[Athena]

Great reviews!

 

What a shame the ending of The Demonologist wasn't good at all.

 

You read a Dutch book . I haven't read it myself but I have heard of the author. It's not so nice the author chose to change the setting to be American. I get that that might appeal more to certain American readers maybe, but I'd definitely prefer the original Dutch (of course, I can read the original Dutch). Such a shame the end was a let-down.

 

Wow, The Deadly Space Between must have been really bad. A shame .

 

I'm glad out of these three reads, that at least one of them was nice. I hope your next few reads will be more enjoyable (with better endings )!

[Nollaig]

You read a Dutch book . I haven't read it myself but I have heard of the author. It's not so nice the author chose to change the setting to be American. I get that that might appeal more to certain American readers maybe, but I'd definitely prefer the original Dutch (of course, I can read the original Dutch). Such a shame the end was a let-down.

 

 

I'm actually so jealous that you can read the original Dutch version! I'd love to be able to read it.

[Michelle]

That's one of the things I did in my review of Hex - I would love to read the original, because I think I'd prefer that setting, and I think the tone would be a bit different.

[Nollaig]

It took me so long to finally write a review of Hex! Every time I tried I just couldn't put any real thoughts together beyond "I enjoyed it".

[Nollaig]

#56 The Wrong Train - Jeremy De Quidt

 

Genre: Childrens/Horror
Synopsis:  It’s late. Dark. A boy rushes to catch a train, leaping aboard just before it pulls away. Suddenly he realises that it’s the wrong train. He’s annoyed, of course, but not scared. . . . Yet. He gets off at the next station, but the platform’s empty, and it doesn’t look like any station he’s seen before. But he’s still not scared. . . . Yet. Then a stranger arrives - someone with stories to help pass the time. Only these aren’t any old stories. These are nightmares, and they come with a price to pay. . . . Scared yet? You will be.

*** 

Review: I was (very kindly) sent a proof copy of this (with no request for a review) from the author, simply because I enjoyed one of his previous books and was apparently 'lovely' about it! I was thrilled, as the one I read (The Toymaker) is indeed an excellent, scary book and I was hoping for more of the same from this one. I will preface this with - I'm not a fan of short stories, generally speaking. Any time I read a collection of them, I come away with very mixed feelings, because I love some, like some, and dislike some, and I never know how to sum up the book. Bearing that in mind - this is a collection of 8 short scary stories linked together (quite loosely) by a broader narrative. But I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't think there were any stories in this book which I actually disliked; my feelings ranged from 'like' to 'love'.

True to his previous work this is a very dark book for younger readers - I wouldn't hand this to a child under 11/12 without being sure they could handle it. But I think that's brilliant! I wish there had been stuff this scary around when I was a kid. That said, this will creep adults out, too. Most of the stories feature a fairly standard horror trope - lights going out, creepy old mansion, haunted/cursed places/objects etc. But De Quidt puts a great spin on them. The second story in particular, read at 1am in the (mostly) dark, which was about a security light repeatedly turning on without electricity, took a turn I did not expect, and left me with as many nerves about lights switched ON, as off! Another favourite was Dead Molly, but I honestly liked them all. The first one was pretty brutal. It wasn't so much creepy as shocking, and it probably disturbed me more than any of the others.

The writing is great, as I expected; not pandering to younger readers any more with easy words than with easy content. The only reason I am knocking off a star is because I would have liked more depth to the narrative linking everything together. This would have worked just as well as a collection of short stories without it. All the same, I wouldn't let that put anyone off reading this, it's well worth it.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[ian]

That's a great review! And what a nice act by the author. I assume that as this was an proof copy that this book isn't actually out yet?

[Nollaig]

That's a great review! And what a nice act by the author. I assume that as this was an proof copy that this book isn't actually out yet?

 

Thanks! And yep, I think it's out in September

[Athena]

I'm glad you really enjoyed this book. I know short stories aren't quite your thing, so it's great that you quite enjoyed this collection . A really kind author to give you a proof copy .

[Michelle]

The Toymaker has been on my wishlist for ages - I've just added this one.

[Nollaig]

The Toymaker has been on my wishlist for ages - I've just added this one.

 

Hope you enjoy them if/when you get to them!

[Nollaig]

#57 The Man from Primrose Lane - James Renner*
*The weirdest review I've ever written    

 

Genre: Fiction/Thriller
Synopsis: In West Akron, there lived a reclusive elderly man who always wore mittens, even in July. He had no friends and no family; all over town, he was known only as the Man from Primrose Lane. And on a summer day in 2008, someone murdered him. Four years later, David Neff is a broken man. The bestselling author of a true-crime book about an Ohio serial killer, Neff went into exile after his wife’s inexplicable suicide. That is, until an unexpected visit from an old friend introduces him to the strange mystery of “the man with a thousand mittens.” Soon Neff finds himself drawn back into a world he thought he had left behind forever. But the closer he gets to uncovering the true identity of the Man from Primrose Lane, the more he begins to understand the dangerous power of his own obsessions and how they may be connected to the deaths of both his beloved wife and the old hermit.

*** 

Review: Erm. This book is.... difficult to review, and not just because I don't want to spoil it, but because I'm not sure if it should actually be spoiled. Most of this review is not going to be about the actual book, but about why it's a difficult one to recommend or choose to pick up.

So, there is a facet of this book which divides readers greatly. There are two camps - those who know said facet going in, like myself, and those who have no clue. The former seem more able to guess the twists - I certainly was, and I wound up feeling like the book was too long, overwritten, and took way too much time to introduce the facet I knew was coming. The latter have no idea what to expect, and they get caught up in the initial facet they are presented with, only to be absolutely gutted that what was a great book up to that point stopped being as good. I think the opposite - I think it only hit it's stride when said facet was introduced. A lot of people come away from this book very confused, not sure what they've just read, and others feel betrayed by the additional facet.

So it seems there's really no winning with this book, and that's why I'm giving it four stars. I did love it, I loved the concept, the writing was great, the characters were great, the additional facet was superb, if a little overwritten and granted the ending was a tad underwhelming, but overall a very enjoyable read, let down by the fact that regardless of whether you know what you're getting or not, only a very small portion of people are going to be happy with the entire novel.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[bobblybear]

^ Ok, this sounds intriguing! I've added it to my wishlist.

[Nollaig]

Don't blame me if you don't like it!

[bobblybear]

Never! And don't blame me if you don't like A Little Life.

[Nollaig]

Hahah so many people have praised it I'd have to blame half the world, not just you! So far, really liking it.

[Anna Begins]

Grrr- somehow missed your review of The Wrong Train... I'm glad you found some short stories you liked! Did I miss Butterfly Garden too? Hmmm...

[Nollaig]

Nope, I haven't written that. I'm still several reviews behind, and I write them out of order because some just come to me easier than others!

[Nollaig]

#58 The Butterfly Garden - Dot Hutchison    

 

Genre: Psychological thriller
Synopsis: Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens. When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself. As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding...

*** 

Review: I picked this book up entirely because of the amusing reaction Anna had to it, which was mostly that she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. That, combined with a review (on Goodreads) claiming a gaping plot hole, proved too much for my curiosity to resist. I wasn't expecting too much from this book, and while it was a quick, easy read it about lived up to expectations.

It's an interesting concept with some thought gone into it, but I felt the execution was a little underwhelming. You know from the first chapter or two what is ultimately going to happen, the only mystery really is how it comes about. That was what kept me reading, wanting to find stuff out, but my reaction in the end was pretty much 'meh', because due to the police interrogation nature format of the story, there were no real surprises there. Anything that hadn't been overtly stated, the reader could guess from maybe halfway through. Well there was one 'twist', but it wasn't great or really very relevant to the story. I would also have liked there to be more focus on the Gardener and his background.

I guess what the story lacked, apart from a good structure, was credibility. I should have been horrified by what was happening in the book, but it just felt too fake for it to have any real impact on me, and I do think that's a shame, because I really liked the concept. I'm giving it three stars because I read to the end and got some enjoyment out of it, but really my reaction to it is 'meh'.

Rating: ★★★✰✰ (I liked it.... I guess!)

[Nollaig]

#59 We Should Hang Out Sometime - Josh Sundquist

Genre: Non-Fiction/Humour
Synopsis: A bright, poignant, and deeply funny autobiographical account of coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor, from Josh Sundquist: Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker.Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.For twenty-three hours. In eighth grade. Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong? The results of Josh's semiscientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love--or at least a girlfriend--in all the wrong places.

*** 

Review: Not many books actually make me laugh out loud, but this one did. I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction, but this one has an unusual premise, and given that Josh is a motivational speaker, I figured this book might prove to be entertaining, and it did. And the graphs. Oh the graphs. The stories in this book are frequently relatable, sometimes hilarious and somewhat unbelievable, and always they are accompanied by honestly spectacular graphs, many of which I could happily use as visual aids to describe my experience of life. In fact, as I have an e-copy of this book, I may do some screencapping and do just that. So much of this book had me furiously nodding my head and going 'YES! THIS!'

I was, admittedly, heavily leaning towards giving this book four stars, because I had one major criticism - Josh claims that the point of this book was to revisit old flames and interview them, to determine the cause of failure of each relationship (or lack thereof). This never really happens - in some instances he gets no reply, in most instances, he fails to direct ask any questions, and ends up deeming a lot of the answers to his unasked questions unknowable. This frustrated me, because my approach (and I have actually done this with a couple of guys) is literally to go, 'so what the hell happened? Was it me, was it you? Can you quantify my failings, please?' Although, granted, I've never gotten any straight answers either, so maybe people are just too adverse to identifying these kinds of negative features. However, the end of the book completely redeemed it. There was actually a twist! And it might be a twist that some people will see coming, but it actually caught me completely off-guard and really hit home.

Even if non-fiction isn't your thing, or motivational speaking isn't your thing, or wondering about ex-not-girlfriends isn't your thing, this is honestly a book worth reading. Even if graphs aren't your thing (you weirdo), it's hard not to get a feel-good kick out of reading this. Highly recommended.

Rating: ★★★★★ (It rocked)

[Nollaig]

#60 The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien

 

Another non-review for a book I didn't like. Basically a greedy guy goes to steal a box of (possibly money) off a guy he killed, and he winds up in this strange nonsensical land, pondering in great depth the (stupid) theories of a fictional philosopher and discussing bike theft and weird things with a pair of policeman and his soul. Right.

 

I knew the twist before I went into it, and it was just as well because I never would have finished the damn thing if I hadn't thought there was going to be some great moment at the end revealing said twist. There wasn't.

 

Some of the writing is very good, and I actually thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and bits of the end - really spooky stuff - but most of it was the kind of illogical makey-uppy nonsense that irks me.

 

Rating: 2/5 (It was okay, in parts)

[Athena]

Great reviews, Noll ! I'm so happy you enjoyed We Should Hang Out Sometime .

[Hayley]

I'm really glad you reviewed The Butterfly Garden, I saw it on goodreads and thought the concept looked really interesting but wondered if it was executed well since the reviews were quite mixed! It is a shame though, it was an interesting idea.

 

Is The Lie Tree one of the books you're waiting to review? I don't think I've missed it here have I? Because I'm torn on whether to read that one too