~Weave's World Of Books 2010~

[Weave]

So glad you enjoyed the demonica series Weave!! Nothing like a bit of pure escapism to perk up one's mojo

 

There were fab, thanks hen

[Weave]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ~ Started: 13.11.10 ~ Finished: 23.11.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

 

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's ground breaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meagre existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbours during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

 

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

 

This is my second reading of 'The Book Thief' and I enjoyed reading it this time as much as I did the first time.

 

'The Book Thief' is the story of Liesel Meminger, the book thief of the title who is taken by her Mother to Molching beyond the outskirts of Munich to be fostered by Rosa and Hans Hubermann who live at 33 Himmell Street ('Himmell' means heaven) until her Mother returns for her, tragically as the story begins, Liesel and her Mother have lost a loved one, its at this point that Death (our narrator) sees Liesel and witnesses her stealing her first book, which is called 'The Gravedigger's Handbook'.

 

Liesel begins her life with Rosa and Hans, who she now calls Mama and Papa, Hans teaches Liesel to read, which opens a whole new world for her in books, the first book she reads is 'The Gravedigger's Handbook'.

Liesel also finds a friend in Rudy Steiner, her next door neighbour, the boy famous for 'The Jesse Owens Incident' when Rudy covered his body in charcoal and ran around the local park to be like his hero, Jesse Owens (who won various medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany), unfortunately this is also Rudy's first lesson on what is right in Germany, something he struggles with as the book continues.

 

'The Book Thief' is an amazing book, it shows the powers of words, books, love, strength and everything else that makes us human, something the narrator Death finds somewhat confusing at times, he is there to take the souls and not to think or ask the reasons why.

 

A book I will read again and again.

Edited November 23, 2010 by Weave

[Lilywhite]

I've had this one sitting around for a while and whilst I haven't picked it up yet, I couldn't find it in myself to give it away. I'm glad I didn't now and I hope to get around to it a lot quicker.

[Weave]

I've had this one sitting around for a while and whilst I haven't picked it up yet, I couldn't find it in myself to give it away. I'm glad I didn't now and I hope to get around to it a lot quicker.

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you read it Lilywhite

[Weave]

The Strain (Book 1 in 'The Strain' Trilogy) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan ~ Started: 23.11.10 ~ Finished: 01.12.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come.

 

In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country.

 

In two months - the world.

 

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

 

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing . . .

 

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city - a city that includes his wife and son - before it is too late.

'The Strain' is the first book in 'The Strain Trilogy'.

 

The story begins with flight 753 from Berlin landing at JFK airport in New York, there is no communication from the plane and when personnel investigate, they find the plane without power, all the doors locked (and unable to be opened) and no noise from inside of the plane from the 210 people on board (199 passengers, 2 pilots and 9 cabin crew), the initial thought is possible terrorism but when the plane is opened, its becomes clear that its not terrorism, its something else. Dr Ephraim'Eph' Goodweather, head of The Canary Project, part of the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), a rapid-response team of epidemiologists who detect and identify biological threats are called to investigate, what Dr Goodweather finds is something sinister, something that spreads fast and the only person who can help is Abraham Setrakian, pawnshop owner, former professor and survivor of Treblinka, who knows what has happened to the people on the plane and how to stop the situation from getting worse.

 

'The Strain' is an excellent story, the characters are shown brilliantly and are easy to identify with and you feel for them, there is enough excitement to keep you entertained and shocks too.

 

******

 

The Fall (Book 2 in 'The Strain' Trilogy) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan ~ Started: 01.12.10 ~ Finished: 13.12.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading and soon will envelop the globe. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather - head of the Centres for Disease Control's team - leads a band out to stop these bloodthirsty monsters. But it may be too late.

 

Ignited by the Master's horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World vampires, each vying for control. At the center of the conflict lies a book, an ancient text that contains the vampires' entire history . . . and their darkest secrets. Whoever finds the book can control the outcome of the war and, ultimately, the fate of us all. And it is between these warring forces that humans - powerless and vulnerable - find themselves no longer the consumers but the consumed. Though Eph understands the vampiric plague better than anyone, even he cannot protect those he loves.

 

With the future of humankind in the balance, Eph and his team, guided by the brilliant former professor and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and exterminator Vasiliy Fet and joined by a crew of ragtag gangsters, must combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than anyone has imagined - a fate worse than annihilation.

 

'The Fall' is the second book in 'The Strain Trilogy'.

 

'The Fall' begins where 'The Strain' finished, a week has past and the situation is worsening within New York and the world, more and more vampires are being created. Eph Goodweather and Abraham Setrakian are now in hiding and trying to find a way to stop the Master, a foe which Abraham has faced before, with more and more vampires being created and enemies of not only the Master but the human race now involved, what will happen next to Eph and Abraham.

 

'The Strain' is an interesting sequel to 'The Fall' and I am looking forward to the final part, 'Eternal Part' which is due for release in October 2011.

[Weave]

The Maze Runner (Book 1 in the Maze Runner series) by James Dashner ~ Started: 13.12.10 ~ Finished: 18.12.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas can remember is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade, an encampment at the

 

Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there, or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything to find out ~ even the Grievers, half machine, half animal horrors that hunt the Maze's walled corridors.

 

The Maze Runner tells the story of Thomas who wakes up disorientated inside a dark lift which is moving, to where? Thomas does not know, all he knows is that he is afraid and that his name is Thomas, he has no memory of where he is from or where he is going, eventually the lift stops and is opened, Thomas finds himself staring into light with voices surrounding him, as his vision clears he sees boys and a rope to lift him out of the box (which the boys call the lift), he has arrived in The Glade where the boys call themselves 'Gladers' and as Thomas quickly finds out they live in a encampment in the middle of a maze, where Grievers exist, half machine, half animal who roam the maze at night.

 

The Gladers have lived there for two years, all of them arriving the same way that Thomas did, in the box with no memory, they only way they can remember anything of their past is to unfortunately be stung by a Griever, a serum must be given and then the person experiences what is called 'the changing', its during this time they see flashes of their previous lives, which quickly disappear as they become well. Thomas's arrival in the encampment causes disruption mainly because Thomas questions everything, his surroundings, the reason he is there, one thing he is focused on is becoming a maze runner, within the Glade there is a selection of boys known as runners who enter the maze everyday trying to solve it, so they can escape, they must return before dusk because the gates at each entrance of the maze are closed and the grievers begin to roam looking for their next victim, anyone who has not made it back to the Glade in time.. The Gladers and now Thomas all work towards two goals, survival and solving the maze.

 

I enjoyed 'The Maze Runner', the story was interesting and I liked the idea of the maze and how exactly the Gladers got there, I also enjoyed the dynamic of the Gladers and Thomas, despite their circumstances, etc, they accept Thomas as one of their own, proving how quickly they acclimatised themselves to the Glade, they have built a well run society despite their age and the addition of Thomas encourages them to use more of their potential, which was great to read.

 

The interaction between the boys is shown well, especially how they speak to each other, very realistic and often humorous. The book focuses on different subjects and raises questions which is good to read. The ending is left opened with speculation as to what will happen next, so I am very pleased I bought the sequel ~ 'The Scorch Trials' .

 

A good read.

[Weave]

The Scorch Trials (Book 2 in the Maze Runner Trilogy) by James Dashner ~ Started: 18.12.10 ~ Finished: 26.12.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

 

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

 

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated - and with it, order - and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

 

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

 

Thomas can only wonder - does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

 

Following on from 'The Maze Runner', Thomas and the rest of Gladers find myself facing another trial at the hands of WICKED (which stands for 'World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department'), this time they must survive 'The Scorch', a bleak and unforgiving stretch of land which along with the rest of Earth suffered the devastation of the sun flares. Whilst travelling across The Scorch, the Gladers face Cranks, individuals who suffer from the disease known as 'The Flare', a virus which up until the sun flares occurred had remained locked in a laboratory, only to be released following the chaos from the sun flares. The Cranks have been left there by WICKED to survive the best way they can, by fighting and killing each other and anyone else who crosses their paths.

 

Thomas and the rest of the Gladers are told they have also caught 'The Flare', due the memory loss which WICKED has caused, the group do not know if this is the truth or not, so they must face 'The Scorch' by any means possible, while at the same time dealing with WICKED's actions to work out the variables, who is the strongest member of the group.

 

My thoughts on 'The Scorch Trials' ~

 

'The Scorch Trials' is more exciting than 'The Maze Runner' but the story is as strong as ever, WICKED have found more ways to torment Thomas and his friends which was sad to read because despite their skills, Thomas and his friends are children being made to make decisions they should never have to make until they are adults. WICKED uses Thomas and his friends to achieve their goals, any death is another variable which I found cruel. The story engrosses you from page one and I have said before, it is always the sign of a excellent writer when you care about the characters and you will with both books. The final book's title has not been announced as yet but I am looking forward to finding out how the trilogy ends.

 

A great read.