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Michelle

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Posts posted by Michelle

  1. These were my thoughts:

    Having only read a few pages of Wicked, this was my first introduction to Gregory Maguire, and to begin with, I found the style rather difficult. About half way through the book, everything seemed to start making sense.. I’m not sure if that’s just the way the book is, or if I suddenly ‘adapted’ to his style.

     

    The story is an unusual retelling of the tale of Cinderella, told from a very different viewpoint, and in a way you wouldn’t expect. By the conclusion, the characters are well developed, and expected events are presented in a rather unusual way.

     

    I’ve seen mixed reviews from those who have read Wicked, as to which they prefer. If you’re struggling at the beginning, please stick with it, as it develops into a great retelling.

  2. We've only just started watching this, and I agree with most of the comments above. Whereas I LOVED Sam, I really don't like the woman much. And yes, Gene Hunt was made rather 'god like', which was a bit annoying.

  3. Until recently, I've avoided picking up any of the Doctor Who books, although I can't pinpoint why! However, I was recently sent one to review, and I was rather impressed.

     

    I really like the small hardback format, and it was a nice fast read. For this one in particular, I felt that the Doctor's character had been caught rather well, but not so much Martha's. However, this is obviously going to change from book to book, dependant on the skills of the writer.

     

    All in all though, it did feel like I was reading a TV episode, and I will certainly be looking out for more. (There's a list here.)

     

    I was also sent a Torchwood one, which I'm reading now. I'll share my thoughts on this one when finished, but once again, I'm keen to read more. (List here.)

     

    I'm sure some of Doctor Who / Torchwood fans have read some of these, so which have you enjoyed, which ones are good stories, and which seem to catch the characters well?

     

    For fans who haven't yet tried them, is there a reason why? Do you think you may now be tempted to give one a try?

  4. So we only have 6 episodes to go (including tonight's)?

     

    On the subject of tonight's episode, I thought I had a good handle on time lines etc, but I'm a bit lost (haha) now! Was that

    after they got off the island, but before Sayid's previous episode, where he was shown to be an assassin for Ben?

     

     

     

    Did Ben use some sort of time travel, to get the Sahara.. because of the way he was seen 'arriving'?

     

     

     

    And why on earth did they nor insist he explains the smoke monster?? We NEED to know! lol

     

     

    (I've used spoilers, just in case someone has recorded it, and not watched.)

  5. We missed this when it was on, and have just watched the last episode from the box set. All in all, I did enjoy the last one, but I wasn't exactly clear what had happened.

     

     

    I did wonder if his mind had shown him what life would be like if he woke, and he therefore decided not to wake up, and let himself die.

     

    But, according to this article, it was meant to be literal.. he really did wake up, then committed suicide.

     

    Although that's pretty dark, I actually felt relieved that he went back to them, because I felt so involved in that life, and those characters.. if that makes sense?

     

  6. I'm counting the minutes too! According to some comments I've seen from some who have already seen it, it's a rather good episode!

     

    Without me running off to look it up, does anyone know how many episodes are left this year?

  7. If submitting a review, please make sure that you have provided the following:

     

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  8. In case anyone doesn't get the newsletter...

    New Seller Ratings!

     

    Following feedback from both our buyers and sellers, we’ve made a number of changes to the way our books are listed and displayed for sale, which we hope you’ll all appreciate.

     

    One of the biggest changes is the introduction of our new ‘Seller Ratings’. Buyers can now rate each purchase once a book has been received to reflect the accuracy of a seller’s condition rating, the promptness of dispatch and the level of packaging. This feedback is then used to produce a ‘Seller Rating’ for each seller, which is then displayed next to every book listed for sale, giving more choice to buyers when deciding which book to buy. These ratings are displayed next to the ‘Seller ID’, however we encourage all members to logon to their MyAccount homepage and set their ‘Display Name’ which will then be displayed next to their books listed for sale instead.

     

    To start off the Seller Ratings, we've given every seller a score rating of 4 (out of 5) for every sale already made (meaning ‘satisfactory’), and then made adjustments for any cancellations, returns etc.

     

    We hope these changes will not only give more choice to buyers, by enabling them to select between Price, Condition and Seller Rating, but will give more control to sellers, as we also increase the number of books which are eligible for postage payments, giving sellers more choice on whether they wish to add postage or discount their books, while still encouraging them to remain competitive and compete against other sellers.

     

    In the meantime, with the holiday season fast approaching, we’ve put together a selection of great books ideal for the plane, train or a slow boat to china.

  9. Book One: A World Torn Asunder

     

    The first few chapters of this book throw you straight into this world - a war in the Middle East wipes out it’s oil supply, and events have escalated from there. Power, especially from nuclear stations, has become the most valuable thing, and cites and towns look after only themselves.

     

    Into this confused world steps the vampires. These are not the sexy, mysterious vampires that have been appearing in recent books, but rather vicious killers, who have waiting for a chance to attack.. which they now have.

     

    Jumping forward approximately two years, the vampires are very much in charge.. and the remaining humans are kept in walled cities, ready to be food when needed. Due to their problems with sunlight, the vampires have a selection of ‘thralls’.. not quite vampires, but under their control.

     

    A small group have avoided capture, and this group of rebels lead a fight to defeat the vampires, and free the humans.

     

    This is very much a book about war, with lots of battle scenes, and violence.. and yet it never lets go of the humans involved in the middle. The characters are not deeply explored, but certainly enough to progress the story.

     

    The strength of this book is it’s non-stop action. The story never lets up, and it’s very hard to put down. I often sat in bed thinking the usual ‘one more page’! I would have liked to learn a little more about the characters, especially the vampires, but with book two being released later this year, hopefully I will.

  10. I've been in contact with the author, and she is quite lovely. As an interesting point, she has mild bi-polar herself, so the portrayal would have been accurate. She's hopefully joining us at some point, as a featured author, but will at least be doing an interview.

     

    Thanks for the recommendation Inver. :)

     

    I think I may offer this one as a book ring here.

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