Weave

Hi Everyone and welcome to my reading log for 2015. January ~ 1. This House is Haunted by John Boyne ~ Started: 01.01.15 ~ Finished: 04.01.15 2. Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 05.01.15 ~ Finished: 10.01.15 3. The Secret Library by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 10.01.15 ~ Finished: 11.01.15 4. The First Days (As the World Dies~Book 1) by Rhiannon Frater ~ Started: 11.01.15 ~ Finished: 13.01.15 5. Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies~Book 2) by Rhiannon Frater ~ Started: 13.01.15 ~ 15.01.15 6. Siege (As the World Dies~Book 3) by Rhiannon Frater ~ Started: 15.01.15 ~ Finished: 18.01.15 7. Where the Train Turns by Pasi limari Jaaskelainen ~ Started: 18.01.15 ~ 19.01.15 8. The Future Collection by Beth Revis ~ Started: 19.01.15 ~ Finished: 22.01.15 9. The Asylum by John Harwood ~ Started: 22.01.15 ~ Finished: 26.01.15 10. Deadly Night: Katie & Jenni's Untold Tale: A Short Tale From the As The World dies Universe by Rhiannon Frater ~ Started: 26.01.15 ~ Finished: 26.01.15 11. Bird Box by Josh Malerman ~ Started: 26.01.15 ~ Finished: 30.01.15 12. Don't Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier ~ Started: 30.01.15 ~ Finished: 02.02.15 February ~ 13. NOS4R2 by Joe Hill ~ Started: 02.02.15 ~ Finished: 08.02.15 14. The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero ~ Started: 08.02.15 ~ Finished: 21.02.15 15. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes ~ Started: 08.02.15 ~ Finished: 16.02.15 16. The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman ~ Started: 21.02.15 ~ Finished: 24.02.15 17. The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen ~ Started: 24.02.15 ~ Finished: 27.02.15 18. The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi ~ Started: 27.02.15 ~ Finished: 03.03.15 March ~ 19. Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel ~ Started: 03.03.15 ~ Finished: 12.03.15 20. The Death House by Sarah Pinborough ~ Started: 12.03.15 ~ Finished: 17.03.15 21. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 18.03.15 ~ Finished: 05.04.15 April ~ 22. Birdy by William Wharton ~ Started: 05.04.15 ~ Finished: 13.04.15 23. Swamplandia by Karen Russell ~ Started: 13.04.15 ~ Finished: 29.04.15 May ~ 24. Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link ~ Started: 29.04.15 ~ Finished: 10.05.15 25. Cat and Jemima by Jane Green ~ Started: 10.05.15 ~ Finished: 10.05.15 26. The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy ~ Started: 10.05.15 ~ Finished: 21.05.15 27. Lies in the Dust: A Tale of Remorse from the Salem Witch Trials by Jakob Crane (Author) and Timothy Decker (Art) ~ Started: 21.05.15 ~ Finished: 21.05.15 28. Paranormal Intruder by Caroline Mitchell ~ Started: 21.05.15 ~ Finished: 22.05.15 29. The Color Purple by Alice Walker ~ Started: 22.05.15 ~ Finished: 24.05.15 30. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews ~ Started: 24.05.15 ~ Finished: 27.05.15 31. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (re~read) ~ Started: 28.05.15 ~ Finished: 17.06.15 June ~ 32. The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken ~ Started: 19.06.15 ~ Finished: 24.06.15 33. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller ~ Started: 24.06.15 ~ Finished: 30.06.15 34. The Only Ones by Carola Dibbell ~ Started: 30.06.15 ~ Finished: 21.07.15 July ~ 35. What Lies Within by James Morris ~ Started: 01.07.15 ~ Finished: 02.07.15 36. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli ~ Started: 03.07.15 ~ Finished: 07.07.15 37. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria ~ Started: 07.07.15 ~ Finished: 19.07.15 38. Cooking with Bones by Jess Richards ~ Started: 19.07.15 ~ Finished: 27.07.15 August ~ 39. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn ~ Started: 28.07.15 ~ Finished: 10.08.15 40. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro ~ Started: 10.08.15 ~ Finished: 22.08.15 September ~ 41. The Diviners (Book 1 in the Diviners series) by Libba Bray ~ Started: 22.08.15 ~ Finished: 01.09.15 42. 1Q84 (Books 1~3) by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 22.08.15 ~ Finished: 14.10.15 43. Lair of Dreams (Book 2 in the Diviners series) by Libba Bray ~ 01.09.15 ~ Finished: 14.09.15 44. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris RIddell ~ Started: 14.09.15 ~ 14.09.15 45. The Martian by Andy Weir ~ Started: 14.09.15 ~ Finished: 27.09.15 October ~ 46. Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ~ Started: 14.10.15 ~ Finished: 47. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin ~ Started: 14.10.15 ~ 19.10.15

How I Met Your Mother

The last film I watched was 'Sinister' which I had seen before but I still found it creepy!

I love the original 'Planet of the Apes'

I love the names too Anna Begins, 'Oryx and Crake' were re~read and 'MaddAddam' was first time reading it.

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It is strange at times but that's the beauty of Margaret Atwood's writing, plus the god's gardeners are slightly strange.

I love 'Orphan Black' its a brilliant show, I, sometimes forget that all the characters are played by the same person because she plays them so well! I have still to finish season 2, I recorded it on TiVo, so pleased you are enjoying it Kylie

I would have liked to have read them too but hey ho

I think so too 'Oryx and Crake' is a great read

Fantastic review Chrissy, I especially liked your review of 'Let The Right One In' - well done

The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy~Book 2) by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 17.09.14 ~ Finished: 21.09.14 Title of Book: The Year of the Flood Name of Author: Margaret Atwood Edition: Kindle ASIN: B003PPDBMG Number of Pages: 529 pages Synopsis ~ The sun brightens in the east, reddening the blue-grey haze that marks the distant ocean. The vultures roosting on the hydro poles fan out their wings to dry them. the air smells faintly of burning. The waterless flood – a manmade plague – has ended the world. But two young women have survived: Ren, a young dancer trapped where she worked, in an upmarket sex club (the cleanest dirty girls in town); and Toby, who watches and waits from her rooftop garden. Is anyone else out there? What I thought of 'The Year of the Flood' ~ This is the second time I have read 'The Year of the Flood' and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time I read it. Review from 2010: ‘The Year of the Flood’ can be read as a stand alone book but I would recommend reading ‘Oryx and Crake’ first because it’s a wonderful and interesting read. ‘The Year of the Flood’ starts from the end of Snowman's (Jimmy) story from ‘Oryx and Crake’ and the beginning of Ren and Toby's stories, women who have both survived the pandemic (also known as the ‘Waterless Flood’ by the God’s Gardeners), Ren is isolated in the Scales club she danced in and Toby in the AnooYoo Spa, its early days and both of them are surviving as much as they can, waiting to be rescued. Ren and Toby know each other because they were both members of the God’s Gardeners, a group who believe that all life is sacred and use their skills and knowledge to grow their own food,make their own clothes and their own medicines. The story highlights Ren and Toby’s pasts leading up to the present. At different times in their lives Ren and Toby meet Jimmy (Snowman) and Glenn (Crake), characters from ‘Oryx and Crake’, Ren becomes Jimmy’s girlfriend, Glenn assists a member of the God's Gardeners who is with Toby at the time. All of the characters have interacted at some point, which I thought made great reading because I had so many questions about Snowman, Crake and Oryx. Margaret Atwood brings the characters to life with two strong female characters who are both survivors along with the rest of the God’s Gardeners. As the story progresses, things change within the group which eventually leads to the ‘Waterless Flood’. ‘The Year of the Flood’ is an excellent read and it does answer a lot of questions but it is very different from ‘Oryx and Crake’ (I know there is a risk of comparisons being made between the two books) I found there was more of a feeling of hope in ‘The Year of the Flood’, the God’s Gardeners had so much faith in what they did, which was refreshing, at times there was low points but they worked well, they highlighted how quickly everything changed for some of the characters. The book delves further in the ideas of modified animals, food and so on, the God’s Gardeners have very strong ideas about that. The lifestyle of the God’s Gardeners is explored brilliantly, they are trying to make the world a better place, they are living what they feel is a good life but at the same time they are affected by the same frailties of human nature, love, loss, jealously, I felt it showed human nature excellently. My favourite part was finding out what happened to Jimmy (Snowman), because I did worry about him (yes,sad but true) and you also found out other things and there is a lot of potential for a sequel. It is a strong story about life and how to survive it, how to react with the situations surrounding you, finding out who you are as a person, no one is perfect and you do the best you can with what you have. A great read. Rating: 5/5

Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy~Book 1) by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 12.09.14 ~ Finished: 17.09.14 Title of Book: Oryx and Crake Name of Author: Margaret Atwood Edition: Kindle ASIN: B002TXZR1I Number of Pages: 449 pages Synopsis ~ Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered. So, for that matter, are wolves and racoons. A man, once named Jimmy, lives in a tree, wrapped in old bedsheets, now calls himself Snowman. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility. What I thought of 'Oryx and Crake' ~ This is the third time I have read 'Oryx and Crake' and I still enjoy it as much as I did the first and second time I read it. Review from 2010: 'Oryx and Crake' tells the story of Jimmy, who is now known as Snowman, a name he has given himself. Snowman is only survivor of a virus, a virus created by Snowman's friend, Crake (his real name is Glenn). After the virus, Snowman now lives in a tree, (Snowman survived the virus because unknown to him, Crake had been giving him the vaccination for the virus) and is responsible for Crake's children, species which Crake created, they are the perfect being, they have been created without the basic human need to quarrel, etc, they mate and they exist. 'Oryx and Crake' explores many ideas that are currently being discussed now, genetically modified animals, in Oryx and Crake, they are called 'Pigoons', Pigs whose DNA has been spliced with human genetic information and they were engineered to grow multiple organs for transplants, but now, they roam the land, packs of Pigoons which Snowman avoids. In 'Oryx and Crake', Margaret Atwood highlights Snowman's isolation well, he may have the Children of Crake but Snowman is a different specie to them, they look at him with interest and feed him fish on a weekly basis, they only interact with him when they want to hear stories of Oryx and Crake. Snowman is a brilliant character but a jaded one, he tries to do the best that he can, while at the same time living with the voice of his former lover, Oryx, who torments him on a daily basis. Oryx was also the former teacher of Crake's children. 'Oryx and Crake' explores a world which has now changed, it highlights Snowman's isolation, frustration, confusion brilliantly but at the same time endears Snowman to the reader, you will feel genuinely sorry for Snowman. The book makes you think and I could not help thinking at the end of the book that humans are their own worse enemy. Rating: 5/5

Exit Kingdom (The Reapers are The Angel Series~Book 2) ~ Started: 09.09.14 ~ Finished: 12.09.14 Title of Book: Exit Kingdom Name of Author: Alden Bell Edition: Kindle ASIN: B009WSCUZY Number of Pages: 320 pages Synopsis ~ In a world where the undead outnumber the living, Moses Todd roams the post-apocalyptic plains of America. His reprobate brother, Abraham - his only companion - has known little else. Together, they journey because they have to; because they have nowhere to go, and no one to answer to other than themselves. Travelling the bloody wastelands of this ruined world, Moses is looking for a kernel of truth, and a reason to keep going. And a chance encounter presents him with the Vestal Amata, a beguiling and mysterious woman who may hold the key to salvation. But he is not the only one seeking the Vestal. For the Vestal has a gift: a gift that might help save what is left of humanity. And it may take everything he has to free her from the clutches of those who most desire her. What I thought of 'Exit Kingdom' ~ 'Exit Kingdom' is the story of Moses Todd, a man who has been travelling the roads for years as the world changed to a world where zombies exists and no one is really safe. Moses has learned to live by his wits and keeping his unstable brother, Abraham, safe. Moses and Abraham find a glimpse of humanity when they are given a task, the task is to take a young girl, a vestal to safety as she may have the key to saving the world. As their journey continues, the brothers find themselves facing odds and also facing themselves, the men they are and the men they could be. I have read the first book in the series, 'The Reapers are The Angels' three times and enjoyed reading it every time. I enjoyed 'Exit Kingdom' but not as much as 'The Reapers are The Angels', the story was just as engaging but not as strongly written. Moses is a interesting character and it was interesting to find out where his life had taken him after meeting Temple and his life before meeting Temple, I just felt that there was something missing and I think it was Temple but this story was not Temple's. The story is fast paced, well thought out and raises questions about the world around you and how it can change. Rating: 3/5

Hope you enjoy it Anna

Hope you enjoy it Devi

I hope you enjoy it Bobblybear

The Reapers are The Angels by Alden Bell ~ Started: 07.09.14 ~ Finished: 09.09.14 Title of Book: The Reapers are The Angels Name of Author: Alden Bell Edition: Kindle ASIN: B00413PICW Number of Pages: 238 pages Synopsis ~ God is a slick god. Temple knows. She knows because of all the crackerjack miracles still to be seen on this ruined globe . . . Older than her years and completely alone, Temple is just trying to live one day at a time in a post-apocalyptic world, where the undead roam endlessly, and the remnant of mankind who have survived, at times, seem to retain little humanity themselves. This is the world she was born into. Temple has known nothing else. Her journey takes her to far-flung places, to people struggling to maintain some semblance of civilization – and to those who have created a new world order for themselves. When she comes across the helpless Maury, she attempts to set one thing right, if she can just get him back to his family in Texas then maybe it will bring redemption for some of the terrible things she's done in her past. Because Temple has had to fight to survive, has done things that she's not proud of and, along the road, she’s made enemies. Now one vengeful man is determined that, in a world gone mad, killing her is the one thing that makes sense . . . What I thought of 'The Reapers are The Angels' ~ This is the third time I have read 'The Reapers are The Angels' and I enjoyed it as much as the first and second time I read it. The only difference from my last review is there was a sequel but not about Temple. Review from January 2012: This is the second time I have read 'The Reapers are The Angels' and as always with most of my re~reads I enjoyed it more the second time. Temple is a wonderfully vivid character, her strength, her confidence, her outlook of the world, her vulnerability shine through, she is only 15 years old and has learned to survive the best way she can by constantly moving, isolating herself and dealing with her own past, her guilt. With my second reading, I found myself focusing more on the character of Moses Todd, a man who is pursuing Temple for his own reasons, which to his credit he sticks to throughout the book, despite whatever happens, like Temple, he is looking for redemption and they both find it. Also with most books I usually see the potential for a sequel, this would never had worked with 'The Angels are The Reapers', Temple only has one story to tell and its hers. A book I know I will read again and again. Rating: 5/5

Arcadia by Lauren Groff ~ Started: 01.09.14 ~ Finished: 07.09.14 Title of Book: Arcadia Name of Author: Lauren Groff Edition: Kindle ASIN: B007KOYQE0 Number of Pages: 304 pages Synopsis ~ In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land. Abe and Hannah's only child, Bit, is born into the commune soon after its creation. He grows up there, becoming deeply attached to Arcadia's way of life and everyone within it, in particular the beautiful but troubled Helle. While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. He needs to find a way to live in the world beyond Arcadia, but can he let go of the past to forge a new start? What I thought of 'Arcadia' ~ I enjoyed 'Arcadia' from beginning to end, it drew you into the world of a commune where they are rebuilding a mansion renamed 'Arcadia' and the life of Ridley or 'Bit' as he is known because when he was born, someone said he was a 'littlest Bit of hippie' from birth to adulthood. Bit is a lovely character to read, you see how much of a part of the commune he is and how close the commune is as they help and look after each other. The original members of the commune are a large feature in Bit and his family's life and as Bit grows he sees people come and go within the commune, runaways, unwed pregnant girls, also individuals who love the idea of a commune but find they do not love the way of life in a commune. Bit definitely is the essence of the story and its wonderful to see the world through his eyes. Recommended. Rating: 4/5

Unfortunately, I also have not read any other books by Gary Gibson but on the basis of your interview and how good 'Extinction Game' sounds, I am going to try my luck and enter.

That's cool Devi!

Well its good for pub quizzes!

I am currently reading ~ 'Arcadia' by Lauren Groff, I really enjoyed her other book 'The Monsters of Templeton'

You have read so many great books Athena

Great review Athena, the only chick~lit I have read are the Shopaholic books, will check the above out.