Michelle Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Sorry, a rather boring thread title! My first book started in 2010 is Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin, a YA fantasy book. So far so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Oooh, I read all of her Earthsea novels when I was a kid. My friends and I used to pretend to be all the characters (I wasn't cool enough to be Ged, so I tended to be Vetch). I might have to have a go with this one. I'll look forward to your thoughts on this, Michelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 I really enjoyed it Mac, but having looked at the synopsis for the first Earthsea book, I would think it's quite different. It's about the various groups of people who live in the Uplands (rather than the cities) - each family line has a different 'gift', and they all live in fear that another family may use it's gift against them. The main character comes from a family with the gift of 'undoing', which although can be used for small things, is often used to kill, and he fights against this. He becomes so scared of his gift, that he blindfolds himself. It's a 'coming of age' book, as much as a book about the various families, and it's quite a gentle pace. I think that's why I often enjoy YA fantasy.. as much as I enjoy the fantasy genre, I find the larger books and sagas a bit off-putting, as my reading time is limited.. the YA ones are often shorter, and easier to dip in and out of. I've now moved onto the second book in the series, Voices.. another good which has started well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 It sounds great, Michelle. I feel similarly to you about the fantasy genre. Also, I have a 'comfort blanket' kind of feeling about the like of le Guin and Susan Cooper, so I may well give this one a go. Thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Mac, have you read Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud? That was one of my highlights of 2008, and it's probably out in paperback now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Wow, no. That sounds great, though. I'll grab this when I shop next weekend. Thanks, Michelle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I have 'The Earthsea Quartet' on my tbr pile Michelle you are very welcome to borrow it when I finish it Happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Thanks Paula. I've almost finished the second book, Voices, which has a different feel to it. The two main characters from the first are back, but the story is completely different, so there's actually no need to read these in order. Over the past few years, I've re-read a couple of Stephen King novels.. I originally read these as a teenager, so I don't remember much. I've re-read The Stand, The Shining and Salem's Lot (the latter as an audio book), and have very much enjoyed the experience. I was catching up on the King thread on here, and Cujo was mentioned.. and today I saw it on our work's books stall.. so I've also started that tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 All else may have to go on hold for a short time - I was very happy to grab a copy of William Hussey's Witchfinder - Dawn of the Demontide from Amazon Vine. Some of us here have read his adult horror books (as Bill Hussey), and he's now moved into YA horror. I've read the first few chapters, and it's rather excellent so far.. but certainly not for younger teens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Ooooh Michelle I can't wait to hear what you think of it when you've finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Me too! Green with envy that you get to read it now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 I was very excited when I saw it! It's published in March, so not long to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 I have it pre-ordered so it'll arrive quickly Really looking forward to reading it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Witchfinder continues to be rather good - I think it's perfect for teens who enjoy the horror genre. I also started House of Leaves last night - I think it will be a slow read, as I will need to concentrate, but so far so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 What is House of Leaves? The title alone is very intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 There are 2 threads about it: http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11550 http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8359 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Thanks It does sound interesting - if a little odd. I might have to add it to the list! I'll look forward to your thoughts on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Here I go again, forgetting my thread! Witchfinder.. http://bcfreviews.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/witchfinder-by-william-hussey/ House of Leaves has also gone on hold for a while, as a publisher has sent me 6 books to review, listed here.. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/michelle_bcf&tag=Atlantic&collection=-1 I've almost finished the YA one, The Queen Must Die, review to follow. Meanwhile, I've been listening to Magyk on my iPod, which is the first in the Septimus Heap series. It was a great one to listen to, with a good reader. I've now moved on to Flyte, and unfortunately the reader isn't quite as good. I'm hoping the story will be as good as the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Oooh I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on The Girl with the Glass Feet Michelle, I've read and not enjoyed some of Ali Shaw's short fiction however the premise for this sounded really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 I shall certainly let you know once I get to it - it certainly seemed unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Meanwhile, I've been listening to Magyk on my iPod, which is the first in the Septimus Heap series. It was a great one to listen to, with a good reader. I've now moved on to Flyte, and unfortunately the reader isn't quite as good. I'm hoping the story will be as good as the first. I've read the whole series, and I love it. They do develop onward and outward from Magyk, but I felt the development worked well, taking the reader to places distant from the castle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Oooh, I'd be interested to see what you think of The Queen Must Die. I've been putting it in & out of my shopping basket since it was published, I can't quite make up my mind whether to try it or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Yes, I'm really interested in 'The Girl with Glass Feet' too .. it sounds like my sort of book .. be interested to know what you make of it. I loved 'Magyk' when I downloaded it from Audible and I was so disappointed when I downloaded 'Flyte' ... a good reader makes all the difference, I did eventually get into the story though and have since downloaded 'Physik' which I'm struggling with a bit (but more because I haven't given it enough time and have to keep going back to the beginning again). I do wish they'd kept the same reader though .. his voice for Marcia was fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Yes, I'm really interested in 'The Girl with Glass Feet' too .. it sounds like my sort of book .. be interested to know what you make of it. I have two books which they've asked me to prioritise - I shall make this one number three! I loved 'Magyk' when I downloaded it from Audible and I was so disappointed when I downloaded 'Flyte' ... a good reader makes all the difference, I did eventually get into the story though and have since downloaded 'Physik' which I'm struggling with a bit (but more because I haven't given it enough time and have to keep going back to the beginning again). I do wish they'd kept the same reader though .. his voice for Marcia was fantastic. Do you mean the reader for Magyk? If so, I loved his Marcia, and she actually became my favourite character. I also think that the reader for Flyte actually makes it sound more of a children's book.. maybe because the younger characters are sounding quite 'whiny' to me. Have they kept the Flyte reader for Physik, or does it change again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Do you mean the reader for Magyk? If so, I loved his Marcia, and she actually became my favourite character. I also think that the reader for Flyte actually makes it sound more of a children's book.. maybe because the younger characters are sounding quite 'whiny' to me. Have they kept the Flyte reader for Physik, or does it change again? The first reader was Allan Corduner and he was brilliant .. since then it has been Gerard Doyle and I believe he reads books two, three, four and five .. unfortunately!! I agree with you, Gerard makes the books seem more childish ... Allan actually made the book seem more mysterious and magical. I just cannot understand why they changed .. it must have been the readers decision because no-one in their right mind would have swapped one for the other. If I was Angie Sage I'd have been so annoyed. I did get used to it after a while though ... though I definitely didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as 'Magyk' ... and I can't help but wonder if the story was weaker or whether it was just totally down to the reader. Look forward to your future thoughts on 'the Girl with Glass Feet'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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