Jump to content

Weave

Advanced Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    8,147

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Weave

    What's up in July?

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Continuing my run of excellent news, I managed to secure a last-minute transfer in my job after all! I go back to work in my local branch of WH next Friday, which is one week after my maternity leave finishes, which is great, because I just took a week of holiday pay because I though I was leaving the company! The timing couldn't have been better if I'd planned it myself! :)

     

    This now means we'll have a bit more money to spare once we've moved, so we're about to feel like we're minted - LOL!

     

    Good luck with the move and your job Kell :)

    Athena's Reading List 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Morgan Matson - Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

     

    9725419.jpg

     

    Genre: Contemporary Fiction

    Age-range: Young-Adult

    Format: Paperback (with photos and notes)

    Pages: 344

    Synopsis (GoodReads):Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

     

    My thoughts: I started to read this book because I was going on a (little) road trip myself.

     

    I really enjoyed this book. There was quite a bit of depth to it, with themes such as bereavement. It took me a while to read this book because of our move that was / is happening. The book reads easily and you want to keep on reading. The story contains some flashbacks now and then, about things that happened in the past with Amy. I really liked the characters, particularly Amy and Roger (the two main characters). The book has little notes, emails, photos, playlists and receipts printed in it, that helped telling the story. I quite enjoyed this.

     

    The one thing I missed, for someone who doesn't live in the United States, was a map. I was never educated about the different states in the US so I don't know where some of them are. But I guess since the book is written by an American author, the people in the US would just know these things.

     

    Otherwise I can't really fault the book. I really enjoyed reading it. There were certain bits in the story I liked more than others though. In particular there was one character I didn't really like who was in one chapter. So I didn't like that chapter that much but I loved the rest of it. I fled through the last part of the book, it's written in such a way that you want to keep on reading to find out what happens next. The book can be enjoyed by adults as well as young adults.

     

    Rating: ***** (10/10)

     

    Great review Athena, I love the cover of the book. :)

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman ~ Started: 01.08.14 ~ Finished: 04.08.14

     

    Title of Book: Anansi Boys

    Name of Author:  Neil Gaiman

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B005NAD7ZW

    Number of Pages: 354 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    Fat Charlie Nancy is not actually fat. He was fat once but he is definitely not fat now. No, right now Fat Charlie Nancy is angry, confused and more than a little scared - right now his life is spinning out of control, and it is all his dad's fault.

     

    If his rotter of an estranged father hadn't dropped dead at a karaoke night, Charlie would still be blissfully unaware that his dad was Anansi the spider god. He would have no idea that he has a brother called Spider, who is also a god. And there would be no chance that said brother would be trying to take over his life, flat and fiancée, or, to make matters worse, be doing a much better job of it than him. Desperate to reclaim his life, Charlie enlists the help of four more-than-slightly eccentric old ladies and their unique brand of voodoo - and between them they unleash a bitter and twisted force to get rid of Spider. But as darkness descends and badness begins is Fat Charlie Nancy going to get his life back in one piece or is he about to enter a whole netherworld of pain? 

     

    What I thought of 'Anansi Boys' ~

     

    I first read 'Anansi Boys' a few years ago and I am happy to say I enjoy the book now as much I did the first time I read it.

     

    After his death of his father, Fat Charlie returns to Florida for his funeral where he discovers he has a brother, a brother he has never met and all he has to do to meet his brother is to tell a spider that he wants to see his brother unfortunately Fat Charlie does not believe he has a brother until Spider arrives and descends Fat Charlie's life into chaos, steals Fat Charlie's fiancé Rosie, blackmails Fat Charlie's boss which leads to Fat Charlie being arrested, the list goes on. 

     

    Fat Charlie decides to get rid of his brother, to make him leave because asking Spider to leave does not work and now Fat Charlie is facing a world of gods.

     

    Fat Charlie and Spider are fantastic characters, two brothers who look alike but don't look alike (if that makes sense).  Fat Charlie (who is in fact not fat, he got the name when he was teenager by his Dad), Spider is everything that Fat Charlie is not, he's confident, he does what he wants and he is a god, just like their dad, the god Anansi, the spider god.

     

    As mentioned, I enjoyed this book from start to finish, it was funny, surreal and everything that makes Neil Gaiman's writing great.

     

    I know I will re-read this book.

     

    Rating: 4/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    American Gods by Neil Gaiman ~ Started: 12.07.14 ~ Finished: 01.08.14

     

    Title of Book: American Gods

    Name of Author:   Neil Gaiman

    Edition: Kindle

    ISBN-10: B005NACYQU 

    Number of Pages: 612 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    After three years in prison, Shadow has done his time. But as the time until his release ticks away, he can feel a storm brewing. Two days before he gets out, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr Wednesday claiming to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a very strange journey across the States, along the way solving the murders which have occurred every winter in one small American town. But the storm is about to break... Disturbing, gripping and profoundly strange, Gaiman's epic novel sees him on the road to the heart of America. Includes extra material exclusive to this Headline Review edition 

     

    What I thought of 'American Gods' ~

     

    This is the first time I have not enjoyed a Neil Gaiman as much as his other books which did surprise me.  The story was great, well written, the characters were wonderful and Shadow was my favourite character.  It was just too long, the version I read was the 10th anniversary edition which now has the full manuscript and as I said it was too long.  

     

    I felt that most parts seemed to ramble on and it did not bring anything to the story.  

     

    It was interesting read and I enjoyed parts of it but I do not think I will read it again.

     

    Rating: 3/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth ~ Started: 08.07.14 ~ Finished: 12.07.14

     

    Title of Book: The Wild Girl

    Name of Author: Kate Forsyth

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B00CW0G5A0 

    Number of Pages: 512 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    Dortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him.

     

    Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm.

     

    It is a time of War, tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land.

     

    Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Frog King' and 'Six Swans'. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen's father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream.

     

    Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales. 

     

    What I thought of 'The Wild Girl' ~

     

    I read 'Bitter Greens' also by Kate Forsyth a few months ago and I enjoyed it immensely, the story was well written and I loved all the characters and how I grew to care for them.

     

    I enjoyed 'The Wild Girl' just as much, the character of Dortchen is brilliant to read, there is so much to like about her, she's responsible, spirited, caring, stubborn and tells wonderful stories which she shares with Wilhelm Grimm. 

     

    The story intertwines history that Dortchen and her family witness and suffer and the joys of storytelling.  I felt they worked well together because during the times of darkness and unrest the stories that were shared helped the people around them.   Dortchen's relationship with her father is complicated and as the story progresses it becomes more complicated, it leaps off the page as you read, I could not help but hate her father, there was rare moments of how caring he could be but they were few and far between.  

     

    Dortchen and Wilhelm's relationship was lovely to read and so much keeps them apart, I have never wanted characters in a book to have a happy ending as much as I wanted Dortchen and Wilhelm to have theirs.

     

    After I finished 'The  Wild Girl' I read about Wihelm and Dortchen, they had a good life together which make this story even more special.

     

    I am looking forward to reading more books by Kate Forsyth.

     

    Rating: 5/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Weave

    The 100 by Kass Morgan ~ Started: 06.07.14 ~ Finished: 08.07.14

     

    Title of Book: The 100

    Name of Author:  Kass Morgan 

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B00BJ5AE24

    Number of Pages: 337 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    No one has set foot on Earth in centuries - until now.

     

    Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents - considered expendable by society - are being sent on a dangerous mission: to re-colonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

     

    CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves - but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

     

    Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope. 

     

    What I thought of 'The 100' ~

     

    I enjoyed 'The 100', the story was good to read and the premise was interesting, I like the idea of the generations from survivors of a nuclear war living on connected spaceships circulating the Earth.

     

    'The 100' of the title are teenage delinquents who are sent to earth to find if it can be repopulated as the spaceships are breaking down and losing oxygen which the council know about, while the rest of the population have no idea what is about to happen to them.

     

    All the characters are well written and they have their own stories as to why they were imprisoned, some reasons are justifiable and some reasons are ludicrous, needless to say, they are now all on Earth and it's very much survival of the fittest. 

     

    The story ends at exciting point and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series 'Day 21' which is due for released in September of this year.

     

    I have started watching the television adaptation of 'The 100', it's passes the time but the book is better.

     

    Rating: 3/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki ~ Started: 22.06.14 ~ Finished: 06.07.14

     

    Title of Book: A  Tale for the Time Being

    Name of Author:   Ruth Ozeki

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B00AO3K01C

    Number of Pages: 400 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    Within the pages of this book lies the diary of a girl called Nao. Riding the waves of a tsunami, it is making its way across the ocean. It will change the life of the person who finds it. It might just change yours, too. 

     

    What I thought of 'A Tale for the Time Being' ~

     

    I enjoyed 'A Tale for the Time Being', it was a interesting story and the characters were well written.  Nao, one of the main characters was great to read as she shared her life with the person she hopes would find her diary, I enjoyed the fact that despite what was happening in her life she still had hope. 

     

    I look forward to reading more books by Ruth Ozeki.

     

    Rating: 4/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff ~ Started: 15.06.14 ~ Finished: 22.06.14

     

    Title of Book: The Monsters of Templeton

    Name of Author: Lauren Groff 

    Edition: Kindle 

    ASIN: B0094HY3P8 

    Number of Pages: 480 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    Willie Cooper arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton, New York in the wake of a disastrous affair with her much older, married archaeology professor. That same day, the discovery of a prehistoric monster in the lake brings a media frenzy to the quiet, picture-perfect town her ancestors founded. Smarting from a broken heart, Willie then learns that the story her mother had always told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't the one-night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely.

     

    As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, a chorus of voices from the town's past rise up around her to tell their sides of the story. Dark secrets come to light, past and present blur, old mysteries are finally put to rest, and the surprising truth about more than one monster is revealed.

     

    What I thought of 'The Monsters of Templeton' ~

     

    'The Monsters of Templeton' is the story of Wilhelmina 'Willie' Upton (not Cooper as it says in the synopsis) who returns to her home town of Templeton, where her mother, Vivienne lives.  Vivienne and Willie's family history is a big part of Templeton.  Willie has returned home because she has found herself in trouble and needs to get away from her troubles.  Willie is surprised when her Mother tells her truth about her father, Willie having been told by Vi that she was unsure who her father was is more surprised to find out that her father is a resident of Templeton and she has to find out by herself who he is.  

     

    Willie begins to explore her family history and as she does she finds out more and more about her ancestors and their secrets.

     

    I started reading 'The Monsters of Templeton' at the start of the year and for some unknown reason I just could not get into the story, so I put it to one side.  This time, however, when I started reading, I became quickly engrossed by the story and enjoyed it from beginning to end.  The characters are very well written, they are realistic and flawed.  Willie's history is interesting and I enjoyed finding out more about her family and the discovery of who her father is. 

    There is something mystical about Templeton and I loved that there was a monster in the lake and how he/she appears throughout the book.

     

    A wonderful book.

     

    Rating: 4/5 

    Your Top 10 Albums of All Time

    in Music / TV / Films

    Posted

    Great topic Frankie :)

     

    1.  The Black Keys ~ Brothers

    2.  Dan Auerbach ~ Keep It Hid

    3.  Metallica ~ Master of Puppets

    4.  Muse ~ Origins of Symmetry 

    5.  The Kings of Leon ~ Youth and Young Manhood

    6.  Best of Bowie ~ David Bowie (I know its not a proper album but its has all of my favourite songs on it)

    7.  Biffy Clyro ~ Only Revolutions

    8.  Talk Talk ~ Spirit of Eden

    9.  Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds

    10.  The Black Keys ~ El Camino

     

    post-3736-0-92652100-1402957396.gif

     

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Weave

    Planets of the Apes by Pierre Boulle ~ Started: 13.06.14 ~ Finished: 14.06.14

     

    Title of Book: Planets of the Apes

    Name of Author: Pierre Boulle 

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B004ZLS4I0 

    Number of Pages: 274 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    In a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light, Ulysse, a journalist, sets off from Earth for the nearest solar system. He finds there a planet which resembles his own, but on Soror humans behave like animals, and are hunted by a civilised race of primates. Captured and sent to a research facility, Ulysse must convince the apes of their mutual origins. But such revelations will have always been greeted by prejudice and fear... 

     

    What I thought of 'Planets of the Apes' ~

     

    I have lost count how many times I have watched the film 'Planet of the Apes', the original 1968 film and I always wanted to read the book and I was pleased to see it was released in the kindle edition. 

     

    The film is similar to the book in different parts, in the book, the main character is called 'Ulysse' and the rest of the spaceship crew have different names, the rest of the characters have the same names in the book and film.

     

    As much as I liked and enjoyed the book, I enjoy the film more, the book has many themes throughout, identity, society and how a individual sees the world which was great to read, the only negative aspect to the book was Ulysse, at times he seem very ignorant despite his constant reminder to himself that he was more intelligent and better than the ape society.  

     

    The ending is predicable and I am glad I read it because when all is said and done Pierre Boulle creating this world that eventually became a memorable film.

     

    Rating: 3/5

    Weave's Reading Log 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    13 (the 13th book in the Women of the Otherworld series) by Kelley Armstrong ~ Started: 09.06.14 ~ Finished: 13.06.14

     

    Title of Book: 13 (the 13th book in the Women of the Otherworld series) by Kelley Armstrong

    Name of Author:  Kelley Armstrong

    Edition: Kindle

    ASIN: B007TNY7LO

    Number of Pages: 419 pages

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    13. The breath-taking, explosive finale to the Women of the Otherworld series

     

    War is coming to the Otherworld. A sinister cult known as The Supernatural Liberation Movement is hell-bent on exposing the truth about supernaturals to the rest of the world. Their violent, ruthless plan has put everyone at risk: from werewolves to vampires, from witches to half-demons.

     

    Savannah Levine - fiery and unpredictable - stands at the heart of the maelstrom. There is a new, dark magic inside her, granting her the power to summon spells of terrifying strength. But whether this magic is a gift or a curse, no one knows.

     

    On the eve of battle, all the major players must come together in a last, desperate fight for survival - Elena and Clay; Adam and Savannah; Paige and Lucas; Jeremy and Jaime; Hope, Eve and more... They are fighting for lives. They are fighting for their loved ones.

     

    They are fighting for the Otherworld. 

     

    What I thought of '13' ~

     

    This is the final instalment of 'The Women of the Otherworld' and I had always dreaded the series ending but after reading '13' I am glad it has come to a end.  As with the previous two books, Savannah is the main character and despite a huge change in her life, she has not changed for the better.  

     

    The redeeming feature of the book was Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Paige and Lucas, I enjoyed reading their points of view.  The book has a lot of excitement which is good and keeps you entertained.  The downside is the changes to a character which are very sudden changes which I found frustrating. 

     

    I am glad I read 'The Women of the Otherworld' and I will re~read the earlier books but not the later books.

     

    Rating: 3/5

×
×
  • Create New...