lexiepiper Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Hey lexiepiper, I came for a wee visit, are you there? I can't see you behind the huge Mount TBR! Love it! With things being a bit rocky in real life at the moment, I'm not going to set any goals for this year, instead I just hope to at least hit 100 books, which I think should be doable. I'm also hoping to make a bit of a dent in my tbr book pile and try not to buy as many as I did last year. If I manage that, I'll be a happy girl I hope this year will be a great year for you, books-wise and otherwise. I think your 'goal-less goal' is just as good as any, it's nice to have no pressure to read for numbers and instead just to enjoy the ride Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 I am here, I can just about manage to peek over the top of the huge pile of books hehe! And thank you, I appreciate it! How are things going with you? x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) For anyone that's interested, I completely overhauled my blog a few days ago, and I'd be interested to see what people think of it You can check it out here - Book Sanctuary Edited January 9, 2011 by lexiepiper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 For anyone that's interested, I completely overhauled my blog a few days ago, and I'd be interested to see what people think of it You can check it out here - Book Sanctuary I like the look of the new blog!! I also picked up a shiny new kindle for Christmas and also purchased Splinter in the 12 days of kindle sale. Think it looks an interesting book and will be checking your blog to find out you views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks Tunn! At only £1 there was no way I could pass it up, his other book was fantastic, so I have high hopes! Have you read any of the Jo Nesbo books, they're pretty awesome too, I read The Snowman a few weeks ago and it was so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks Tunn! At only £1 there was no way I could pass it up, his other book was fantastic, so I have high hopes! Have you read any of the Jo Nesbo books, they're pretty awesome too, I read The Snowman a few weeks ago and it was so good! Yeah I finished the Snowman just before Christmas and thought it was very good. I bought the first in the series - Redbreast for my Kindle with an Amazon voucher I got for Christmas. I also see that the follow up to the Snowman - The Leopard is due out in a couple of weeks. Amazon have it at £6 something for Kindle pre-order but am hoping they might drop that nearer the £3 mark when it is actually released. I have never read Gordon Ferris before but liked the blurb and reviews and as you say at £1 it really was a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 For anyone that's interested, I completely overhauled my blog a few days ago, and I'd be interested to see what people think of it You can check it out here - Book Sanctuary Just had a look at your blog and I see your taking part in The Ultimate Teen Guide Book Challenge! Me too! I've only just started the challenge aswell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Just had a look at your blog and I see your taking part in The Ultimate Teen Guide Book Challenge! Me too! I've only just started the challenge aswell! I think it was you that posted about it in another thread and that's how I discovered it It does look like a pretty great challenge though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 oops! Apoligies for getting you hooked on a huge reading list I think its a really good challenge too, probably will still be doing it in ten years time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 oops! Apoligies for getting you hooked on a huge reading list I think its a really good challenge too, probably will still be doing it in ten years time! Yeah probably! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) So thanks to a crazy hectic life atm, and my natural procrastination, I'm so so behind on reviews! I'm trying to catch up now though, so the first few reviews will be from books I read at the end of 2010, but I figured I'd still post them here anyway The Snowman by Jo Nesbo No. of pages: 550 Rating: 4.5/5 Series: Harry Hole (Book 7) Synopsis: The night the first snow falls a young boy wakes to find his mother gone. He walks through the silent house, but finds only wet footprints on the stairs. In the garden looms a solitary figure: a snowman bathed in cold moonlight, its black eyes glaring up at the bedroom windows. Round its neck is his mother’s pink scarf. Inspector Harry Hole is convinced there is a link between the disappearance and a menacing letter he received some months earlier. As Harry and his team delve into unsolved case files, they discover that an alarming number of wives and mothers have gone missing over the years. When a second woman disappears Harry’s suspicions are confirmed: he is a pawn in a deadly game. For the first time in his career Harry finds himself confronted with a serial killer operating on his turf, a killer who will drive him to the brink of insanity. Review: A little boy awakes to find his mother has disappeared, upon his search for her around the house, he sees a snowman in the garden with his mother's scarf wrapped around it. A few days later, another mother goes missing, and there's another snowman. So begins Harry Hole's chase after the 'Snowman' serial killer, but considering Harry is a disgraced ex-alcoholic, it's not going to be a smooth ride... My one and only niggle about this book is the cover, I absolutely hate the massive 'the next Stieg Larsson' sign, and it almost put me off of reading this book completely. It's like comparing an apple to a banana, sure they're both fruits, but that's where the similarities end, and it's the same with these authors. Personally, I prefered this book over the one I've read by Stieg Larsson, so I find the sign a bit frustrating, plus it's rude to try and launch an author in a new country by saying he's 'like' an already established author, especially when they have so much talent and merit of their own. Apart from that I loved this book! It very dark, and truly what a thriller should be in every sense. Harry Hole is one of those characters that's hard to love, but he's great at his job, and I found him to be very funny throughout the book. I loved the mystery of the murders, and it unravelled nicely, with lots of twists and turns. I thought I knew who the killer was a few times, but of course I was completely and utterly wrong! The ending was amazing, one of the best endings I've ever read in a thriller book, and I cannot stress enough how great a thriller this book is! If you're a fan of them, then this is definitely a MUST read. I can't wait to get my hands on more books from this series! The Fledgling Handbook by P.C. Cast No. of pages: 157 Rating: 3/5 Series: House Of Night (Handbook) Synopsis: Merry meet, fledgling. I trust this guide will serve you well...Every vampyre fledgling who arrives at the House of Night receives a copy of The Fledgling Handbook 101, and now, fans can have one, too, with this gorgeous must-have edition. Inside you'll find original stories, the complete vampyre history, inside info into rituals, vamp biology, and the Change, and much more. Review: A companion guide to the House Of Night series. The Fledgling Handbook is given to all new vampyre fledglings upon arriving at the House Of Night, and it describes many aspects of life as a vampyre, including history, ritual information, what will happen during your change and almost everything else! I was kind of looking forward to this, as it's mentioned so much during the series and I was so curious what would be in it. I felt mostly disappointed though, it's super short, and still it dragged when I was reading the pages, and there isn't even that much text in there either! The pages are lovely though, thick shiny paper, and lots of pretty pictures and such on them. Basically it's just filler, most of the stuff in it, you know from the series itself and it was clearly released just to cash in on the success of the series. Not worth buying in my opinion, but if you're interested, borrow from a friend or the library. Blood Vines by Erica Spindler No. of pages: 483 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: Alex Owens knows very little about her childhood or who she really is - her only family an absent, emotionally fragile mother. Alex has always felt something was missing and has spent most of her life searching for what that could be. When an infant's remains are unearthed, Alex realises she has a connection to the case. Suddenly long-lost memories start flooding in, leading her back to a small town in California and to dark and terrifying nightmares that haunt her every waking moment. Greeted with silence and suspicion, Alex is determined to get to the heart of a secret no one wants to see uncovered. As violent deaths and a series of pagan rituals terrify the tightly-knit community, Alex is forced to confront the terrible truth about a single night that changed her family's lives for ever... Review: Alex has always had strange dreams, and coupled with the secrets her mother quite obviously keeps from her, she feels that something is missing in her life, but she has no idea what. But when she's contacted about the death of a baby she has no clue about, she realises the secrets her mother kept are coming back to haunt them... It's well known that Erica is one of my favourite thriller writers, and this book is no exception to the rule. It was gripping and full of twists from page one, and maybe a tad more dark that some of her other books because it's about the murder of a little baby. I really felt quite suffocated at times during the story, which goes to show how great the writing is. It was great as always to see all of the puzzle pieces falling into place, and there were plenty of surprises, including the ending which I didn't see coming. It's well worth a read if you're looking for a gripping thriller that you can't put down! The Small Hand by Susan Hill No. of pages: 167 Rating: 2/5 Synopsis: Returning home from a visit to a client late one summer’s evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and stumbles across the derelict old White House. Compelled by curiosity, he approaches the door, and, standing before the entrance feels the unmistakable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own, ‘as if a child had taken hold of it’. Intrigued by the encounter, he determines to learn more, and discovers that the owner’s grandson had drowned tragically many years before. At first unperturbed by the odd experience, Snow begins to be plagued by haunting dreams, panic attacks, and more frequent visits from the small hand which become increasingly threatening and sinister… Review: Having taken a wrong turn on a country road, Adam Snow accidentally comes across a once beautiful, but now run down abandoned house. As he stands admiring it, he feels a little hand slip in to his, but to his horror, there is no one stood beside him. As he tries to forget the experience, he feels the hand slip in to his again, and realises he needs to find out more about the house that led him to the hand... A pretty disappointing read overall really. I was expecting a scary ghost story and it was nothing of the sort, and I actually found it to be pretty dull. It had so much potential to be great as well which is a shame. I did enjoy the mystery aspect of the plot as so far as I wanted to know the story behind the hand, but didn't really feel that it was explained to much extent. The characters were never explored to any depth, so I never felt like I got to know or like any of them. I think the best bit about this book is the fact it's so short, so it didn't take long to get through. I don't think I'd read anything by this author again. Edited January 20, 2011 by lexiepiper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Have finally finished up my reviews for the end of 2010 Now to start on the 2011 ones! Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane No. of pages: 414 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: Summer, 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped patient. But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. And neither is Teddy Daniels. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry? An approach that may include drug experimentation, hideous surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing. The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island. Review: Teddy and his partner Chuck, are called to Shutter Island to help find an escaped mental patient. But once on the island, Teddy starts to realise things are not what they seem. Over the course of the next 24 hours, while a terrible storm rages, Teddy finds himself questioning everything he ever believed in... I wasn't sure whether I was going to like this, so I watched the film first which I loved, and then got a hold of the book after that. I was pleased to find that the book and film were very similar, as sometimes they change the film so much from the book it's not even noticable as the same thing! The ending is really good, and it's definitely a bit of a mind bender book, but in a good way. The character of Teddy is lovable, well written and interesting to get to know, I liked the way his past unravels as you read further into the book. Shutter Island is a great setting, and you really get the creepy feel of this desolate island and it's inhabitants. I would most definitely recommend both the book and the film, I think Leo Di Caprio and Mark Ruffalo perfectly capture the characters of Teddy and Chuck. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting No. of pages: 327 Rating: 5/5 Series: The Body Finder (Book 1) Synopsis: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies – or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world...and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift, but now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer – and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling in love, Violet is getting closer to discovering a killer...and becoming his prey herself. Review: Violet has always been able to sense dead things, they send out a echo to her, which doesn't stop until they're laid to rest. So Violet does her best to help them pass on peacefully. But what has always been dead animal echoes, becomes a lot more when she finds the body of a young girl....and then another young girl. As Violet is the only one who can see the echoes which attach to both the victim and the murderer, she is determined to find out who is killing the young girls in her town, even when the killer sets his sights on Violet too... I really enjoy the sensing dead bodies kind of storyline, and this one reminds me a lot of the Charlaine Harris Harper Connelly series which I'd definitely recommend to people who enjoy these kinds of books. The Body Finder is actually a pretty creepy book, which I've not really come across before in the YA genre. I was on tenterhooks throughout most of the second half of the book after Derting really ramped up the suspense, I just couldn't put it down until I found out what happened at the end. I loved Violet as a character, she seemed very down to earth, and just an all round lovely kind of girl just trying to deal with a pretty morbid talent. The growing romantic feelings between Violet and Jay were sweet to read, and added some normality to a pretty creepy story. I really enjoyed The Body Finder and I'm excited to see where the story goes in the next book! Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles No. of pages: 357 Rating: 3.5/5 Series: Perfect Chemistry (Book 1) Synopsis: When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. Review: Brittany has worked hard to make sure everyone thinks she's perfect and has a perfect life. Alex on the other hand is a gang member from the bad side of town, and everyone knows it. So when Alex's friends bet him to hook up with Brittany, he decides to put 'perfect' Brittany in her place. But as Alex slowly gets to know Brittany, and the cracks start to appear in her perfect life, and they find a connection neither thought would ever happen... Perfect Chemistry turned out to be so much more complex than I thought it would be. At first glance Alex is exactly what you'd imagine a gang thug to be, and Brittany is the typical 'rich bitch' who everyone admires but secretly hates too. I wasn't sure where a story like this could go, but the characters became so real as the story went on, when you slowly started to see the cracks in their lives and the reasoning behind their actions. I thought Simone Elkeles did an amazing job with the characters, and it's almost like the story was irrelevant, the only important thing was Alex and Brittany and how their lives were changing because of each other. The story is a common one, the forbidden love, and how they overcome it, but the characters truly make this anything other than common. Definitely recommended for people who like character driven books, or want to read something a little out of the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Generation Dead by Daniel Waters No. of pages: 392 Rating: 3/5 Series: Generation Dead (Book 1) Synopsis: All over the tri-state area, something strange is happening. Teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they come back different - they stutter and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed 'living impaired' or 'differently biotic', there are lots of conspiracy theories to explain this new phenomenon. But as their numbers keep on growing, so does the discomfort of the living people in the community. When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, her best friend and star of the football team, Adam, has conflicting emotions. And when Tommy decides to try out for the football team, it sets off a chain of events that escalates into deadly violence. Review: Phoebe is a goth, so she's a bit of an outcast, but nothing like the 'living impaired' kids that have started to attend their school. But as Phoebe becomes friends with, and starts to fall for Tommy, one of the 'living impaired', she realises that there are people that will do anything to stop their relationship... This is a hard book for me to review. I liked it and yet I didn't like it, but I'm finding it hard to say exactly why. I loved the 'zombies' aspect, but found the story and writing to be quite slow going. When I was reading it, I'd find my mind drifting off and thinking about other things, and then I'd abruptly remember that I should be concentrating on this. I did enjoy the storyline, and most of the characters, I just wish the writing had a bit more 'umph' to it. I wasn't that keen on the ending, but I will carry on with the series to see how the plot progresses and hope the next book will be more enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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