Lucybird Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 (edited) I thought it was about time for a new thread. My 2009-2010 thread can be found here. You can also find all my reviews over at my book blog. My wishlist is already out of control, but I'm always looking for suggestions, so feel free to suggest away. Books read 2011 (60) January (5) One Day- David Nicholls West End Girls- Jenny Colgan The Help- Kathryn Stockett The Siege- Helen Dunmore Beauty- Robin McKinley February (5) Everything is Illuminated- Johnathon Safron Foe Shades of Grey- Jasper Fforde When God was a Rabbit- Sarah Winman About a Boy- Nick Hornby Something Rotton- Jasper Fforde March (4) Our Tragic Universe- Scarlett Thomas Magyk- Angie Sage First Among Sequels- Jasper Fforde One of Our Thursdays is Missing- Jasper Fforde April (5) A Wild Sheep Chase- Haruki Marukami I am Number Four- Pittacus Lore Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay Flyte- Angie Sage Living Dolls (The Return of Sexism)- Natasha Walter May (4) Pigeon English- Stephen Kelman The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty- Sebastian Barry The House at Riverton- Kate Morton June (7) Physik- Angie Sage Queste- Angie Sage Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone- J.K. Rowling Dragon's Pupils: The Sword Guest- Martin Chu Shui The Earth Hums in B Flat- Mari Strachan Darkly Dreaming Dexter- Jeff Lindsey The Piano Tuner- Daniel Mason July (6) Syren- Angie Sage Flesh and Grass- Libby Cone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J.K. Rowling The Economics of Ego Surplus- Paul MacDonnold The Weight of Silence- Heather Gudenkauf A Week in December- Sebastian Fawkes August (7) Half Blood Blues- Esi Edugyan The In-Between Woman- Rabindranath Tagore Sputnik Sweetheart- Haruki Murakami The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim- Johnathan Coe In the Kitchen- Monica Ali Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling That Day in September- Artie Van Why September (4) A Heartbreaking Word of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers Million Dollar Mates- Cathy Hopkins Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J.K. Rowling The Distant Hours- Kate Morton October (5) An American Wife- Curtis Seinfield The Piano Teacher- Janice Y.K. Lee Darke- Angie Sage Alison Wonderland- Helen Smith Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- J.K. Rowling November (3) The President's Last Love- Andrey Kurkov Crazy- Benjamin Lebert The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts- Louis de Bernieres December (5) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling 10 Reasons to Leave a Lover The Hare with the Amber Eyes- Edmund de Waal Grimm's Fairytales The Girl Who Played With Fire- Stieg Larson To be read pile 14 (books in italics are Book Challenge books) Bram Stoker- Dracula Atonement by Ian McEwan Charlotte's Web by E. B. White Emma by Jane Austen Lord of the Rings- JRR Tolkien The Brother's Grimm Fairytales Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Persuasion- Jane Austen Her Fearful Symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger A Game of Thrones- George R.R. Martin Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell- Susanna Clarke Edited January 1, 2012 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 26, 2010 Author Share Posted December 26, 2010 (edited) Rory Gilmore Booklist Challenge (started 2010) Have decided to take part in this challenge. I'm not actually expecting to read all the books in my want to read list but am going to see how many I can read without actually giving up on reading other books! Will be adding to my TBR pile as I get hold of books. For books I read as part of this challenge in 2010 have a look at my old thread or my blog. What I want to read: Atonement by Ian McEwan The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Beloved by Toni Morrison Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Charlotte's Web by E. B. White Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Emma by Jane Austen Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien Frankenstein by Mary Shelley George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Gospel According to Judy Bloom The Graduate by Charles Webb The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Hamlet by William Shakespeare Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare Henry V by William Shakespeare High Fidelity by Nick Hornby The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (Have started this one as a reading circle book on here but couldn't get past the first 100 pages, still I may go back to it) Macbeth by William Shakespeare Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers The Sonnets by William Shakespeare Sophie's Choice by William Styron Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon And have read: Pre-challenge To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront� Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Brick Lane by Monica Ali Babe by Dick King-Smith Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 1984 by George Orwell Books read '10 Gone with the Wind- Margaret Mitchell Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides The Complete Polysyllabic Spree- Nick Hornby Wicked- Gregory Maguire The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky High Fidelity- Nick Hornby Books read '11 Everything is Illuminated- Johnathan Safran Foer A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers Snow White and Rose Red- The Brother's Grimm Rupunzel- The Brother's Grimm Edited January 1, 2012 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 26, 2010 Author Share Posted December 26, 2010 (edited) Take a Chance Challenge 2011 I saw the Take a Chance Challenge on a blog and thought that it sounded like good fun. The thread for this challenge is here My choices are in italics striked options are those I have read The 2011 Challenges 1: Staff Member’s Choice: Go to a bookstore or library that has a “Staff Picks” section. Read one of the picks from that section. 2: Loved One’s Choice: Ask a loved one to pick a book for you to read. (If you can convince them to buy it for you, that is even better!) I am Number Four- Pittacus Lore 3: Blogger’s Choice: Find a “Best Books Read” post from a favorite blogger. Read a book from their list. The Siege- Helen Dunmore 4: Critic’s Choice: Find a “Best of the Year” list from a magazine, newspaper or professional critic. Read a book from their Top 10 list. The Hare with Amber Eyes- Edmund de Waal is mentioned by more than one writer in The Guardian. (So incidentally is Freedom- Jonathan Franzen but that seems like too obvious a choice) 5: Blurb Book: Find a book that has a blurb on it from another author. Read a book by the author that wrote the blurb. Nick Hornby- About a Boy (from blurb of One Day- David Nicholls) 6: Book Seer Pick: Go to The Book Seer and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you. The Terrible Privacy Of Maxwell Sim- Jonathan Coe 7: What Should I Read Next Pick : Go to What Should I Read Next? and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay- ]Michael Chabon (also a Rory read!) 8: Which Book Pick: Go to Which Book? and use the software to generate a list of books. Read a book from that list. The Earth Hums in B-Flat- Mari Strachan 9: LibraryThing Pick: Go to LibraryThing’s Zeitgeist page. Look at the lists for 25 Most Reviewed Books or Top Books and pick a book you’ve never read. Read the book. (Yes … you can click on MORE if you have to.) The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman 10: Pick A Method: Pick a method for finding a book from the choices listed below. Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!) Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it. Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2010 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it. Edited January 1, 2012 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Good luck with your reads next year Lucy, looking forward to reading your reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Good luck with all your 2011 reading Lucy, like Paula I look forward to reading your views on what you've read. Here's hoping you find some good novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 26, 2010 Author Share Posted December 26, 2010 I hope I get some good reads too. I want to keep going with Thursday Next, there's a new one coming out next year so I want to catch up in time for that if I can. I'm looking forward to reading some on my TBR pile too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) Synopsis (from Amazon) 'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.' He smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.' 15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY. From the author of the massive bestseller STARTER FOR TEN. Review Ok here goes. I know lots of people love this book, I'm read so many fantastic reviews, and maybe I'm missing something but I was less than impressed. I wasn't expecting One Day to be so chick-litty, I have nothing against chick-lit as such but I rarely read it and when I do it's because I want an easy, lazy read, and that means I have to know it's chick-lit first. I found it somewhat predictable, to the point that I was getting frustrated at the length of time it took for the inevitable to happen and of course it did happen, eventually. I suppose it was romantic in a way, the idea of fate, but it's nothing new. I didn't like the characters either. I thought that Dexter was a bit of an idiot honestly, and so self-centred. He took advantage of Emma and I didn't think he was good enough for her. Emma I found kind of smug, not exactly self-assured but at the same time rather self-satisfied, despite her criticisms of herself. Emma did at least grow on me though however I wasn't sad so much as shocked when she had died. I did find the end quite good, and realistic. I thought the emotion of loss was done much better than that of love. I could imagine myself reacting in similar ways to Dexter. The ending really saved this story, and actually I would have liked more of it. 2.5/5 Edited January 4, 2011 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 West End Girls- Jenny Colgan Synopsis (from Amazon) The streets of London are paved with gold …allegedly. They may be twin sisters, but Lizzie and Penny Berry are complete opposites – Penny is blonde, thin and outrageous; Lizzie quiet, thoughtful and, well, definitely not thin. The one trait they do share is a desire to DO something with their lives, and as far as they’re concerned, the place to get noticed is London. Out of the blue they discover they have a grandmother living in Chelsea – and when she has to go into hospital, they find themselves flat-sitting on the King’s Road. But, as they discover, it’s not as easy to become It Girls as they’d imagined, and west end boys aren’t at all like Hugh Grant … Review Not much to say about this one, just pretty standard chick-lit fare. Predictable from early on, but strangely satisfying. I read chick-lit to be lazy, and this certainly filled the bill. No great story, no great writting, but an easy comfortable read. 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Great reviews Lucy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) Synopsis (from Amazon) Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver... There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they’d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell... Review I first heard about The Help on Channel 4's TV Book Club, I was intregued enough at the time to add it to my wishlist but it wasn't until reading a number of positive reviews from other bloggers that I really wanted to read it. All the same it could still be just sitting on my wishlist if it wasn't for the fact that my sister leant me a copy. It's been quite a long time since I last read a book that I wanted to read above other things that I wanted to do, but The Help was definitely one of these. I really did not want to put it down, but despite that it still took my a while to read. At first I was unsure of Aibileen's voice, it seemed like the way a white person would write a black person's speech, and kind of fake. After a while it either toned down or I got enough into the story for it to cease to matter, I'm not entirely sure which it was. I grew to love the characters. I think Aibileen was my favourite, she wanted to change things, but not so much for herself as for the people she loved. She did it in small ways, like her stories to Mae Mobley but I really respected her for it. I thought Minny was really strong. I respected her for not taking any rubbish, I found it difficult to understand why she stuck with her husband, but I guess there's a realism there that love just isn't that simple. There's obviously some autobiographical element at play. I could see bits of Stockett's own maid (from her childhood, who she speaks about at the end) in Minny, Aibileen and Constantine. Does that make the book a 'cheat' as fiction? No I don't think so, and a certain realism gives more strength to the topic. Skeeter is very undoubtedly based on Stockett herself, I mean even the names are similar! I'm interested to see if she comes outwith anything else as there was so little real fiction in The Help. 5/5 Edited January 16, 2011 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have also had this on my reading list for a while now. After such a good review I think I will bump it up a it nearer the top. Thanks Lucybird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookworm44 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Lucy, loved your review for The Help. I'm looking forward to it even more now. Also, I look forward to reading your thoughts on Beauty and Rebecca. I enjoyed them both and hope you do as well. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) This book was read as my book recommended by another blogger for the Take A Chance Challenge Synopsis (from Amazon) Leningrad, September 1941. German tanks surround the city, imprisoning those who live there. The besieged people of Leningrad face shells, starvation, and the Russian winter. Interweaving two love affairs in two generations, THE SIEGE draws us deep into the Levin's family struggle to stay alive during this terrible winter. It is a story about war and the wounds it inflicts on people's lives. It is also a lyrical and deeply moving celebration of love, life and survival. Review It's been quite a long time since I last read a story based around the second world war, seeing as it's the nearest I get to reading a particular genre it is something I read fairly frequently. I don't think I've read anything set in Russia during this time before (or at least not wholly based in Russia) so I was glad to expand my horizons a little. I must admit just recently I've not had much luck with these types of books, often finding myself disappointed, and I was hoping The Siege would be different. However I can't say I really felt that engaged most of the time. Undoubtedly the writing is good- there is a certain poetry to it, but it does not really feel as though you get under the character's skin. A lot of the time I found the writing kind of detached. The descriptions of what was going on were very good, I could see what was happening in my mind quite clearly, and at times that made it difficult to read. However I never really got a sense of how the characters felt about what was going on- even when there was a sense of feeling it was described in such a detached way that it felt as much like fact as like feeling. If it was purposeful then I suppose it showed the detachment the characters may crave very clearly but for me it felt like that characters were pretty one dementional. As far as being a war novel it didn't really feel like a war novel, there was some speak of the enemy but it felt almost as if it could be set anywhere in Soviet Russia during food shortages. I found the end was very rushed, almost as if Dunmore wasn't sure how to get to the end so decided just to skip a great chunk of time. Similarly I found that anticipated events, while could have really added emotion were skipped over only to be mentioned later so you know they had happened. I found when it ended a little confusing to, but maybe if I had some prior knowledge of the events of the Leningrad siege I would have known what happened next anyway. The ending however was kind of poignant and probably the best section emotionally, it sort of made me want to visit St. Petersberg 3.5/5 Edited January 23, 2011 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Lucy, loved your review for The Help. I'm looking forward to it even more now. Also, I look forward to reading your thoughts on Beauty and Rebecca. I enjoyed them both and hope you do as well. =) I hope you enjoy it Am reading Beauty now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) Synopsis (from Amazon) When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author. Review I won't usually pick young adult fiction for myself, not because I don't think it will be good as much as because I never really think to look at it. When I do read YA fiction it's because of recommendations- and that's how I found Beauty. I've seen a number of reviews and it had sat on my wishlist for a long time, if some lovely person from BCF hadn't sent me a copy I probably still wouldn't have read it! (I have a horrible habit of not buying from my wishlist). This book in particular interested me because I love the story of Beauty and the Beast, it's my favourite fairytale and I wanted to see a different way of telling it. I really loved Disney's Beauty and the Beast as a child (and it is still amongst my favourite Disney films) and that's where my main impression of the story comes from, I am sure it has its own changes but it was what I was comparing to the whole way through. Some changes I did really like. I was unsure of the idea of Beauty and her family once being rich but becoming poor. Somehow I imagined that even though Beauty had never really been a fan of some of the luxuries gave her it may have changed the way she viewed her new life in the castle. There were more things I preferred though. I liked how Beauty didn't start off beautiful, it made me like the Beast more and showed how similar they were in looking below the surface, I had the impression that the Beast saw her as beautiful because he loved her. I wasn't so sure about her becoming beautiful. On one side I liked the idea that she may have become beautiful because she was in love, but it also gave me the impression that she had to be beautiful for everything to be 'perfect' and I didn't like that. I liked the library and the way that it had books that had not been written yet, and it caused a fair amount of humour. The library in the Disney film is half the reason it's a favourite of mine, I think it's just the perfect library, and I was looking forward to seeing how McKinley did it. I did feel it was rushed a little- but I guess that most people wouldn't want paragraphs describing a room which was actually not that important to the plot. It's just the bibliophile in me that loves libraries and bookshops. In terms of writing style I wouldn't call Beauty a masterpiece but it wasn't written badly, and I felt I got to know Beauty quite well. The Beast probably could have been written better, I only really cared about him for Beauty's sake, not because I liked him. It's an easy and quick read and I would recommend it, just don't expect any literary genius. 4/5 Edited January 26, 2011 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) Synopsis (from Amazon) A young man arrives in the Ukraine, clutching in his hand a tattered photograph. He is searching for the woman who fifty years ago saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Unfortunately, he is aided in his quest by Alex, a translator with an uncanny ability to mangle English into bizarre new forms; a "blind" old man haunted by memories of the war; and an undersexed guide dog named Sammy Davis Jr, Jr. What they are looking for seems elusive -- a truth hidden behind veils of time, language and the horrors of war. What they find turns all their worlds upside down.Review "I used to think that humor was the only way to appreciate how wonderful and terrible the world is, to celebrate how big life is. But now I think the opposite. Humor is a way of shrinking from that wonderful and terrible world." I really loved this book. It was somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, immensely funny and immensely sad. Some sections had me laughing out loud (especially the sections 'written' by Alex). The way Alex used language was part of it, it was so wonderfully strange. Some of it was also what he talked about. Everything is Illuminated in incredibly quotable because of this. In parts the writing was beautiful, in other parts it bordered on crude but somehow these changes in style seemed to fit what was going on. I loved Alex's sections almost instantly, it took me a little longer to get into Johnathan's story, although by the end it all just ran together. It seemed strange to have the author as a character, it gave the story a reality and makes me wonder how much is based on reality. I really think Safran Foer could become a new favourite author 5/5 Edited February 6, 2011 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Shades of Grey- Jasper Fforde Synopsis (from Amazon) Hundreds of years in the future, after the Something that Happened, the world is an alarmingly different place. Life is lived according to The Rulebook and social hierarchy is determined by your perception of colour. Eddie Russett is an above average Red who dreams of moving up the ladder by marriage to Constance Oxblood. Until he is sent to the Outer Fringes where he meets Jane – a lowly Grey with an uncontrollable temper and a desire to see him killed. For Eddie, it’s love at first sight. But his infatuation will lead him to discover that all is not as it seems in a world where everything that looks black and white is really shades of grey . . . If George Orwell had tripped over a paint pot or Douglas Adams favoured colour swatches instead of towels . . . neither of them would have come up with anything as eccentrically brilliant as Shades of Grey. Review I will happily call myself a Jasper Fforde fan. I love the Thursday Next series and really like the nursery crimes series, when I heard Fforde had a new series coming out I was really excited but managed to hold myself off from actually buying it until it came out in paperback.I had heard that Shades of Grey was different from anything else by Jasper Fforde so was a little concerned that I might not like it. Initially I did find things a little confusing, probably because the world that Shades of Grey is set it is so similar but so different from our own, but after a while I began to understand a little more and as the story got going I began to get gripped by it, finding it difficult to put down.I would still say I prefer the Thursday Next novels because they're a bit easier to get your head around but there are also things that I prefered about Shades of Grey. Overall I found the character's more engaging. I especially liked Jane- she was so strong and didn't care about what others thought of her so long as she was doing what she thought was right. I think she could quite easily be seen as a bit of a feminist icon. I liked Violet too because she was so beautifully horrible and manipulative, in some ways she was quite similar to Jane but she directed that energy in different ways. It was more serious than Thursday Next to in that it looked at issues we have in our world but from a different angle, I liked that because I like books that make you think, but it still had the familiar Jasper Fforde humour so wasn't depressing, I can't wait for the next in the series. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 When God was a Rabbit- Sarah Winman This book was sent to me in return for my review. Synopsis (from Amazon) WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT is an incredibly exciting debut from an extraordinary new voice in fiction. Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it’s about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister. Review I was glad to find that When God was a Rabbit didn't carry on exactly as the first chapter had. Although I enjoyed the first chapter I felt like too much happened at one and if that had carried on the book would have been too plot driven for my taste. I can enjoy plot driven books but I never find that they really get into my mind and stay with me, I can say I thought about When God was a Rabbit when not reading it. It was still very readable, which is an element sometimes lost for more ponderous writing. Although at times there wasn't a great deal happening a sense of atmosphere was really well built and the characters were easily loveable. I especially liked Elly- although that may be simply because I got to know her the best. I didn't like Joe so much, there was something a little self serving about him, but I can see why he might be like that considering certain events I think maybe he was trying to protect himself from further heartbreak, especially considering the way he was towards Charlie the second time. I also think that he maybe was trying to protect himself from hearing another secret from Elly, a secret that effected both their lives, or even trying to stop himself from revealing it. I did find the synopsis on the back of the book a little misleading, it suggested that it was a story of a brother and sister, it was that but it was also much more, it was a story about family, and friends, and life. I must admit on reading the synopsis thinking that it was a story about a brother and sister put me off a little, and I may never have really wanted to read it without more information. I'm glad I did read it though. It was very touching, and sad, and funny. Really quite beautiful. If I had to say anything bad about it I would say that it was maybe a bit too issue-y and that made it a little far-fetched and unbelievable. I also did have a feeling at the end that some things had not been revealed, although if you tried to get me to tell you what I don't think I could, at least not without a re-read. 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 About a Boy- Nick Hornby Synopsis (from Amazon) Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off the royalties of his father's novelty song. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy". As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers. In one of Nick Hornby's many hilarious (and embarrassing) scenes, Will falls into some serious misrepresentation at SPAT ("Single Parents--Alone Together"), passing himself off as a bereft single dad: "There was, he thought, an emotional truth here somewhere, and he could see now that his role-playing had a previously unsuspected artistic element to it. He was acting, yes, but in the noblest, most profound sense of the word." What interferes with Will's career arc, of course, is reality--in the shape of a 12-year-old boy who is in many ways his polar opposite. For Marcus, cool isn't even a possibility, let alone an issue. For starters, he's a victim at his new school. Things at home are pretty awful, too, since his musical therapist mother seems increasingly in need of therapy herself. All Marcus can do is cobble together information with a mixture of incomprehension, innocence, self-blame, and unfettered clear sight. As fans of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity already know, Hornby's insight into laddishness magically combines the serious and the hilarious. About a Boy continues his singular examination of masculine wish-fulfilment and fear. This time, though, the author lets women and children onto the playing field, forcing his feckless hero to leap over an entirely new--and entirely welcome--set of emotional hurdles Review I've been watching the film About a Boy for years (being somewhat of a Hugh Grant fan it was never an option not to watch it, I've even seen the terrible Did you Hear About the Morgans?) and enjoyed it especially as it makes somewhat of a deviation from Hugh Grant's normal characters. So I had been planning to read About a Boy for quite a long time, it just took me this long to get round to it, and I still may not have was it not for the Take a Chance Challenge prompting me. It's the only the third book by Nick Hornby I've read. The first was The Complete Polysylabbic Spree which probably doesn't really could as it is non-fiction but the other, High Fidelity, I liked enough to want to read more by him, and About a Boy is one of his more popular novels. I did find it a little difficult not to compare to the film, simply because I know the film well. I was glad to find that seeing the film didn't spoil the book for me, which is something that often happens when I see the film first. I did find myself picturing Nicholas Hoult when I read about Marcus, but possibly that was just good casting as I didn't picture Hugh Grant when I read about Will, I terms of changes in plot it pretty much balanced it out, the end of the film is a bit stupid with Hugh Grant saving the day, I much prefer how it was written with Marcus really coming into his own . I was a little disappointed with the way Marcus met Ellie as it's one of my favourite points of the film, but that isn't much of a big deal really. As with High Fidelity I found About a Boy really amusing, I do think it could have been more touching, but I did care about Marcus at least, even if I wasn't bothered about the other characters. I thought Will was a bit of an idiot but I still grew to like him, or at least the new him. I did prefer High Fidelity, but About a Boy is well worth a read too 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Something Rotten- Jasper Fforde Synopsis (from Amazon) Thursday Next, Head of JurisFiction and ex-SpecOps agent, returns to her native Swindon accompanied by a child of two, a pair of dodos and Hamlet, who is on a fact-finding mission in the real world. Thursday has been despatched to capture escaped Fictioneer Yorrick Kaine but even so, now seems as good a time as any to retrieve her husband Landen from his state of eradication at the hands of the Chronoguard. It’s not going to be easy. Thursday’s former colleagues at the department of Literary Detectives want her to investigate a spate of cloned Shakespeares, the Goliath Corporation are planning to switch to a new Faith based corporate management system and the Neanderthals feel she might be the Chosen One who will lead them to genetic self-determination. With help from Hamlet, her uncle and time-travelling father, Thursday faces the toughest adventure of her career. Where is the missing President-for-life George Formby? Why is it imperative for the Swindon Mallets to win the World Croquet League final? And why is it so difficult to find reliable childcare? Review I seem to forget just how much I love Thursday Next between reading one book and the other, this one was no exception. Funny, exciting, and rather odd. I love Thursday and I liked the addition of some of the new characters. How you can get so much humour from a baby I don't know but I loved Friday, and I really liked Alan too...although I did miss Pickick's 'tricks' a bit. I loved all the fiction related references and jokes, as always. I don't think there is really anything specific I want to say about this one. Or at least not that I could say without spoilers. I think it has been my favourite Thursday Next so far though, I just wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I loved reading your review on About a Boy, I really want to see the movie now! I'm so happy to see you're enjoying Hornby, what do you think you'll be reading next by him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 I loved reading your review on About a Boy, I really want to see the movie now! I'm so happy to see you're enjoying Hornby, what do you think you'll be reading next by him? Thanks Fever Pitch is meant to be really good, so maybe that one, but How to be Good sounds more me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 IMHO those two were my least favorite Hornby novels I hope you enjoy them though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 lol. Have you read Juliet Naked? I thought it sounded good but have seen lots of reviews by people who are disappointed by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 (edited) Juliet, Naked is probably my most favorite Hornby, I wasn't sure if we'd already talked about it or if you've already read it so I didn't mention it in my last post. There's a weird relationship, a man with a passion, and some pretty extraordinary happenings. I loved it. And I just had to buy a copy of it for myself to re-read again and again when I had the chance I'd recommend you give it a go, and see how you like it for yourself Edited March 7, 2011 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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