Noll's 2016 Books and Cross-Stitch

[Athena]

Shame All Fall Down fell down . I enjoyed reading your review though.

[bobblybear]

For some reason I thought there was a film version of it coming out this year, and that the book was fairly new. What planet am I on?! I'll have to give that a watch, if I haven't missed it. ETA: I missed it

 

Oh drat, I missed it too.

 

Monsters sounds interesting. I added to my wishlist, but apparently it was already on there!

[Nollaig]

Great review for Monsters Noll. I agree with it all (so will just link ) but I didn't knock a star off .. I thought it was definitely among the best I've read this year. Could not put it down. Woofed it up .. which is sadly rare these days. Made me feel terribly uncomfortable but not so much that I couldn't bear to go on with it. Ruth pointed out to me that Emerald is an actress in Call the Midwife .. I didn't know (well .. I've hardly ever seen it so no surprise there ) .. she has written some children's books but sadly my library doesn't stock them and can't get them in I'll be looking out for her for sure though  

 

I did love it but the ending was definitely underwhelming for me, so I couldn't give it five stars. Yeah I'd seen and dismissed Shiverton Hall as something that might be okay but probably not worth rushing to pick up - but now I may read it

 

Shame All Fall Down fell down . I enjoyed reading your review though.

 

Hehe

 

Oh drat, I missed it too.

 

Monsters sounds interesting. I added to my wishlist, but apparently it was already on there!

 

it's very very good, definitely worth a read! That happens to me too - and when it does, I usually bump it up the wishlist so it gets bought sooner - if a book can convince me twice I want to read it, it deserves that

[Nollaig]

#91 After Me Comes the Flood - Sarah Perry

 

Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents welcome him with open arms - but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, they've prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along. As nights and days pass John finds himself drawn into a baffling menagerie. And what do they intend for John?

*** 

Review: Wow, I did not like this book. Before I get into it, let me say I loved The Essex Serpent, I thought it was beautifully written (though, unlike others, I did think some of the writing was decorative), and while I didn't think the plot lived up to its full potential, or that the connection between the two main characters was particularly moving or even well-founded, I did thoroughly, thoroughly enjoy reading the book. After Me Comes the Flood came before TES, and while Perry must be credited for the serious advance in quality between the two novels - every criticism I have of TES is present in AMCTF, and everything I liked is missing.

In other words, AMCTF subsists in dull, flat characters doing basically nothing, described in somewhat decorative writing which simply adds to the tedium of trying to get through this mindnumbing borefest. I saw a lot of reviews on Goodreads which described it as rubbish, or readable but pointless, and I was misled by my enjoyment of TES into thinking maybe they were wrong. They weren't. Don't waste your time. It's not badly written, it's just nice writing about absolutely nothing. Spoiler: The menagerie intend nothing for John. Literally, nothing.

It's possible there's some big allegory I'm missing - there are some biblical/religious references, and I've seen it mentioned that the author had a religious upbringing, but I honestly doubt even that could make this book worthwhile.

Rating: ★✰✰✰✰ (I didn't like it)

[Nollaig]

#92 Naomi's Room - Joanthan Aycliffe

 

   

Genre: Horror
Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, four-year-old Naomi Hillenbrand disappears from her father's side in a crowded toy store; on Christmas Day, her mutilated body is discovered in a field. But a part of Naomi remains, unwilling or unable to leave this world. Ghostly photographs capture her playing with two other little girls dressed in Victorian garb while a sinister man in black watches...watches them all. Charles Hillenbrand is tormented by grief. When sinister whispers in the night begin to taunt him, he tries to uncover the evil truth behind Naomi's death. But long-buried secrets await him and threaten to take him beyond the brink of sanity, to a place where he could lose his very soul.

*** 

Review: This... is a very dark book. Usually when I see reviews saying 'this is a dark/scary/disturbing book' I come away thinking 'ah yeah, I spose'. This is dark. In a lot of ways it is a classic haunted house story, featuring a lone person reminiscing the tragic, fateful events leading to his current situation, and featuring creepy figures in photos, and a big old house with a history and freaky night-time happenings, apparently driven by the death of his daughter. While I didn't find this book particularly scary, I felt a little suffocated for my entire reading of it by the gloomy, depressing atmosphere that pervades throughout it. The whole thing feels like a lament. Which is exactly what you want from a book like this, it's the kind of book you close and think 'well thank the baby Jesus that is neither real, nor happening to me'. The film version of that feeling, for me, is The Hole. *Shudder*

This book isn't without flaws - there is quite a lot of exposition and quite a complicated backstory behind the hauntings, even though it's quite a short book, with a weird fact thrown in towards the end that really served no purpose at all and jarred my experience of the explanation a little. For some people, the ending was a massive flaw and it seems to have knocked a lot of reader's ratings down quite a lot. While I see where they're coming from, I'm not easily affected by even very cruel or graphic violence in novels (I'm not normal, I know, but hey, how many Saw films got made?) and I really, really was not expecting the novel to go that way. At all. I actually thought it was kind of great. Not necessarily the specific actions, but, the general concept.

All in all, an exceptionally dark and graphic book I probably wouldn't recommend to most people, but I enjoyed it.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Athena]

Great reviews .

 

Wow, sorry to hear After Me Comes The Flood was so unenjoyable.

[chesilbeach]

I did love it but the ending was definitely underwhelming for me, so I couldn't give it five stars. Yeah I'd seen and dismissed Shiverton Hall as something that might be okay but probably not worth rushing to pick up - but now I may read it

Although it's for a slightly younger audience, Shiverton Hall is surprisingly dark and spooky. I think you might enjoy it, Noll.

[Nollaig]

Although it's for a slightly younger audience, Shiverton Hall is surprisingly dark and spooky. I think you might enjoy it, Noll.

 

I might grab it after payday

[Nollaig]

#93 The Hatching - Ezekiel Boone

Genre: Thriller/Horror 
Synopsis:  Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these incidents begin to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at a Washington, D.C. laboratory. Something wants out. The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake.

*** 

Review:  I loved this book! It has been so long since I've sat down and gotten absolutely engrossed in a fast-paced creepy horror thriller that wasn't a total guilty pleasure (i.e. terribly written). Now, don't get me wrong, there's a reason I gave this four stars, not five - it's not earth-shattering, original, or even particularly creative. It's the story of the sudden appearance and outbreak of an ancient species of creepy crawly taking the world off guard, told from multiple perspectives including political, military, civilian, and scientific views, which all join together in a scrapbook of short, snappy chapters to illustrate the horror and the attempt to contain it.

I don't doubt for one second that anybody who knows anything about science, spiders, Nazca lines, politics, the FBI etc etc would have reams of 'well actually's about the characters and events, but you know what, it worked for me, accurate or not, because I haven't a clue. I didn't necessarily like all of the characters, and it did take some flicking back to previous chapters by some characters to recall them. The women are also all obsessed with sex and/or assess all men in relation to sex, which was a bit odd, but it didn't overly detract from my enjoyment. I loved the diversity of the viewpoints, and I loved that there were both recurring characters who wound up working together, as well as random doomed characters who simply offered a once-off additional view.

I didn't find the critters to be particularly scary, though the ick-factor spiders possess which makes me scream and flail was definitely captured. I think the downfall for me was that I was never fully absorbed by the sense of threat and fear prevalent by the end of the book. Something about the movement from local incidents to a global threat never quite rang true for me. It did provide some depth to my experience of playing games like Plague Inc though, which was fun. The ending was also pretty abrupt, but that's okay because THERE'S A BOOK TWO! Of course there is.

But! I'm dying to read it. Highly recommend this read as a light creepy-thrilly bit of fun.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (Loved it!)

[Michelle]

I've had my eye on this for a while, and snapped up the ebooks when it was cheap, so I'' glad to hear it's good. Although, why do us spider hating people feel the need to read about them?!

[Nollaig]

I want other (fictional, so I don't feel guilty) people to suffer as I have suffered with these things crawling up my legs in bed.

 

I hope you enjoy it when you get to it - it was the on-sale ebook copy I grabbed too.

[bobblybear]

This sounds up my alley, as I like a good fast-paced exciting thriller. Spider scare the heck out of me though.

 

I've added it to my wishlist but will wait a bit for the price to come down.

[Nollaig]

#94 Danse Macabre - Laura M. Hughes

 

Genre: Horror
Synopsis: The dead beckon and the little girl obeys. Night after night she answers the graveyard’s call, though she dreads her encounters with the creature that dwells there. But she’ll soon come to learn that memories are much more dangerous than monsters…

*** 

Review: In the interest of full disclosure, I know the author of this novella. However, that is not something that affects my criticism of anything - I won't say I like something unless I do, and I really, really liked this.

Danse Macabre is a surprisingly dark, bite-size chunk of creepiness. It's extremely well written, employing some clever devices such as chapters which count down from ten, rather than starting at one, to add to the spooky, foreboding atmosphere which pervades the story. I think the presence of a little girl and animal companions suggests something, at first glance, which is going to be a lot lighter than this story turns out to be - and it's delightfully chilling to see just how far the darkness in this story gets pushed - at least one point in it genuinely made me gasp and go 'NO YOU CAN'T.'

I was a little unsure of the ending, it felt a little abrupt and I wasn't really sure how to interpret it, but really the only complaint I have is that it was too short, and I think Blue would have benefited simply from more story to acquaint the reader with her. That is not to say her character is lacking, simply that I would liked to have spent more time getting to know her. I loved the characters of Snail and Raven, particularly Snail. I got weirdly attached to that snail.

All in all, a solidly enjoyable novella which is the perfect quick read to get you in the mood for the upcoming spooky season. I'm genuinely looking forward to whatever comes next from Laura.

Rating: 4/5

[Nollaig]

#95 The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena

 

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: How well do you know the couple next door? Or your husband? Or even—yourself?  People are capable of almost anything. . . Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco  soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

*** 

Review: I decided to pick up this book due to rave reviews all over Goodreads.

I've no idea what the hell those people were reading, but it wasn't this, coz this book fails on almost every level. It's not even that it's bad, as such, it's just dull, poorly paced, poorly plotted, unengaging, and all round 'meh'.

It started off pretty okay, and in fairness I tore through the whole thing in an evening and a bit. It was easy to read and I guess I was interested enough to want to find out what happened. Unfortunately the biggest downfall of this book is that you're told exactly what happened via the deductions of the flattest detective I've ever encountered in a thriller, right in the first couple of chapters. And in case you miss anything along the way, every other character endlessly repeats every possibility and their own place in the case, so that absolutely no mystery whatsoever is retained. Except the Mystery of the Spectacularly Bad Tacked-On Ending, which is a final chapter that was utterly unnecessary.

There was a good premise here, but it just didn't work. The author doesn't know how to construct a thriller. Or tell a story. I gave it two stars simply because it was a quick read. Don't bother.

Rating: 2/5

[Nollaig]

#96 Black Eyed Susans - Julia Heaberlin

 

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row. Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue.

*** 

Review: Wow. that synopsis is long, and that's the culled version. The original told basically two thirds of the book.

I wanted to really like this book, I loved the premise and even chanced buying a paperback copy of it rather than getting it on my tablet. Admittedly, part of that was the cover. It's a great cover. Unfortunately it didn't really keep me all that engaged. I enjoyed reading about Tessa, her daughter, and the investigation was pretty interesting. Even if the plot itself wasn't overly riveting, there was enough in the psychiatrist sessions and the forensics for it to keep me reading to the end and not come away totally disappointed. It was, however, a little bit of a chore to pick it up every evening.

I'm not sure. I think it deserves more than two stars, so I'm giving it three, but I really don't think it's all that remarkable. I didn't buy the ending at all, thought it was way over the top.

You could do worse than this book, but I wouldn't recommend racing out to buy it.

Rating: 3/5

[Athena]

A 2, a 3 and a 4. Sounds like I should read Laura's story some time! Great reviews .

[Nollaig]

Thanks Gaia

[Nollaig]

Okay so I never use separate member threads when I have them, and while I want this one to still be primarily book focused and not natter about my day-to-day life, I figure I'm gonna start including any crafts I do in here too, which for now is just cross-stitch but may expand to other things, and hopefully follow that on next year.

 

I've started doing cross-stitch and I love it - I'm still learning, making mistakes and working out what I think looks best. I'll post some photos of what I've done so far later.

[Athena]

I look forward to those photos .

[Anna Begins]

Right on! I'm into crocheting myself. I'm struggling to find a balance between reading and crocheting, as I feel bad when I don't read enough! Have fun!

[Nollaig]

Right on! I'm into crocheting myself. I'm struggling to find a balance between reading and crocheting, as I feel bad when I don't read enough! Have fun!

 

I knowwww cross-stitch has been getting all of my attention for the last week and a half and I'm seriously falling behind in my reading. I'm taking it as a sign that the first colour I tried to use in a new project was the only colour in a set of 22 I ordered that was the wrong one. I also forgot about getting an appropriate sized needle for this different fabric. So, primarily reading this weekend, while finishing off the last little bit of my last project, and then tomorrow or Tuesday I'll go get the supplies I need in town. 

 

I don't know a huge amount about crocheting, but it's on my list of things to try. What kind of things do you make with it?

[Anna Begins]

Well, I was much better this spring, but I stopped for awhile and now am trying to get back into it again. I like doing granny squares and would like to make an afghan out of them- there is a project like what Claire is doing with the quilt squares, called 365 days of granny squares. But I'm not that good

 

Cross stitch looks kind of hard, trying to get the stitches all the same size. Is it a bit like embroidery?

[Nollaig]

Well, I was much better this spring, but I stopped for awhile and now am trying to get back into it again. I like doing granny squares and would like to make an afghan out of them- there is a project like what Claire is doing with the quilt squares, called 365 days of granny squares. But I'm not that good

 

Cross stitch looks kind of hard, trying to get the stitches all the same size. Is it a bit like embroidery?

 

I've been following Claire's patchworking and I actually really want to get into sewing a quilt, although maybe crocheting one would be a better place to start.... ooh I'm getting all the ideas!

 

Cross-Stitch is a subset of embroidery. The fabric I use, aida, has holes punched in it, each four making up the four corners of a square, (basically a grid) so that's how you get it all the same size. Abby apparently uses muslin, which doesn't have a grid, so I have no idea how people do those ones. You can get aida with different counts, so 11 holes per inch, or 14, 16, 18, etc. I've been using 14, which is quite basic and common, but I've bought some 16 count in an attempt to get a slightly finer finish for my next piece.  I may then move onto 18, or I might try a different fabric.

[Nollaig]

So the three stitches I've done so far.

 

 

The giraffe was a self-contained kit, and while done on the same fabric as the other two, I think it looks better simply because of the diversity of colour, so I'm hoping when I get working my next one (a winter scene of a bunny and a robin) it'll look nice like that.

 

 

The second one - let's say the smudged out word was "cares" - is one I've seen variations of around the internet for years, and loved. I've always wanted to make my own, and it's eventually why I decided to take up cross stitch. I chose the tree colours myself, and as you can see made a balls of it by choosing dark shades that were way too dark. Lesson learned! I'm probably gonna remake this one when I've had more experience.

 

 

The third one looked a lot better in the pattern. Again, using 14 count aida like the other two, but I adhered to the rule of using two threads per stitch (instead of the three I used on the giraffe) and now it looks really scant with bits of white fabric showing between all the blue. I should fill in all the white with white thread but it's not worth it as this was very much a learning curve piece. I made a lot of mistakes, encountered a lot of issues involved in making a slighter bigger piece with lots of stitches, and learned a lot of lessons.

 

I'm hoping to go to town after work to get a needle for my new, finer fabric and the one missing colour I need to start on stitch 4: Bunny and Robin.

 

[Little Pixie]

Aw, what a lovely giraffe. Looking forward to seeing the cute bunny !