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Charm

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Posts posted by Charm

    Charm's Choices for 2009

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Great review Charm, I felt so sorry for Oskar and Eli but I was glad they found each other ;)

     

    Oh me too, and I thought the ending was perfect :(

     

    This sounds really good :) Good review. That's yet another for me to look out for :D

     

    Thanks Stephanie :D It was great, I loved it, I hope you like it too :friends0:

    Charm's Choices for 2009

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    thank you Ben! :(

     

    For a minute there though I thought you meant my age! :friends0: I had to do a double take and think about what you were talking about :) Another two and I will have completed my personal '52 books this year' challange, I wonder what the final number will be ... ;)

    What's Your Book Activity Today? - Take 6!

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    I hope you like it Charm, I tried to be as honest as I could.

     

    I read it and, as always its a great review! Definately not as gushy as mine :(

     

    It must be really awesome to have your OH actually reading a book and enjoying it so much he can't wait for you to read it so you can discuss it

     

    This would be my dream *sigh* I so wish my OH would read more, he reads about 2 or 3 nights a week when he goes to bed for approximately 10 mins or until his eyes close, whichever comes first :friends0: It took him 8 months to read his last book but I've given him a Deaver to read so hopefully he'll get hooked! ;)

    Charm's Choices for 2009

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Charm

    I finished Let The Right One In ~by~ John Ajvide Lindqvist last night which I bought after reading Gyre's review.

     

    Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

    Oskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they became friends. And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself. Oskar is a 12 year old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city's edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened. Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200 year old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood. John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel is a unique and brilliant fusion of social novel and vampire legend, a deeply moving fable about rejection, friendship and loyalty.

     

    My thoughts:

    This is a tale of how Oskar, a lonely, badly bullied 12 year old boy meets and befriends Eli, a 200 yr old vampire who is trapped in a young girl's body. They've both suffered a hard life and soon they come to need each other, learning more about themselves as their relationship grows. Its not all about this friendship though, she is a vampire after all and soon the killings start ...

     

    It took me a little while to get into this book and at the beginning I did wonder if I was going to like it. The tale is set in a cold, bleak and somewhat depressing estate near Stockholm in the early 1980's, the author managing to paint a picture of drab and dreary life very effectively. There are several storylines, each told by different characters from different angles and all coming together at the end for a great finish.

     

    Some of the chapters where pretty hard to read, especially the bullying, but I found Oskar to be such a resilient character and, with his own means of escapism, often quite a dark little boy at times too. It was written with just the right amount of unpleasant realism to make it a bit disturbing but not unreadable. The vampire scenes were both gory and believable, giving a certain feeling of dread, which definately satisified my horror reading requirements.

     

    I ended up really loving this book and totally recommend it. Its an endearing story of a boy called Oskar, of having to grow up fast, and of having to face some truly creepy stuff.

     

    10/10

    Charm's Choices for 2009

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I finished Living With The Dead ~by~ Kelley Armstrong a wee while ago now but completely forgot to do this! :friends0:

     

    Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

    Robyn Peltier has always lived a normal life. So when her boss is murdered and she is named prime suspect, she is way out of her depth. As the bodies pile up only her friend Hope, and Hope's somewhat spooky boyfriend Karl, are on her side. Hope, meanwhile, has a few secrets of her own. Namely that she is half-demon, and her 'spooky' boyfriend is actually a werewolf. Hope also knows that Robyn has accidentally stumbled into a bloody supernatural turf war. And the only way she can keep her friend alive is by letting her enter a world she's safer knowing nothing about ...

     

    My Thoughts:

    Hope's best friend Robyn unwittingly ends up being a prime suspect in a murder. Usually a very competent woman, Robyn falls to pieces but gets help from half demon Hope and her werewolf boyfriend Karl. The chase is on, Hope and Karl trying to find out the truth while Robyn just has to try and keep herself alive, easier said than done when it's a psychopathic clairvoyant hunting you down ...

     

    This wasn't one of my favourite of the series, I'll have to admit, there just wasn't enough variety in it for me. Even though I did like the main characters, I'd have preferred if some of the others in the series were more in it too. The storyline appeared to me to be one big chase with most of the explanation arriving towards the end. Having said that, it was nice to see the supernaturals from a human point of view and the storyline with the detective learning what he was, was a nice addition to the characters.

     

    It's not that I didn't enjoy it, I actually did and I'm glad I read it, it just wasn't one of my favourites in the series :D

     

    7/10

    What's Your Book Activity Today? - Take 6!

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Charm, glad to hear that you liked it so much! But wasn't it a rather disturbing read? I was appalled at some of the things in it, only I managed to read like 50 pages before I quit so I don't know how it continues. Gonna read it sometime though! Have you thought about reading other books by that author (can never remember his name)?

     

    I wouldn't say I was appalled no, however some of the bits were a bit hard to read but they did help to give a feel to the developement of some of the characters. I definately would recommend you try again, the underlying story is basically a tale of friendship, although if you've sworn of vampires for a while, maybe not! :friends0:

    What's Your Book Activity Today? - Take 6!

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Charm wow, that's some speedy reading right there, did you finish the Vampy Swede already? I hope you liked it all the way

     

    I finished Dead and Gone last night. I'm sad to have finished the series but on the other hand I'm glad that I can finally read something else without feeling guilty. And, with all due respect to Charlaine Harris and those of us who've enjoyed reading this series so much, I do feel like my brain has become a one-dimensional thing, recognising only one kind of style of writing, waking up only to hear the calls of the vampires. And I've had enough of hearing about how "someone remembered/learned/appreciated someone's topography"! Farewell Sookie, I will visit you again sometime o/

     

    Thanks frankie :lol: I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was the most endearing, horror read I've read :friends0:

     

    Glad you enjoyed the Sookie books and love your little farewell speech! :D If you have the Psb's at least you've still got True Blood to watch :motz:

     

    Finished Twilight, whata quick read that was. I am going to write my review tonight, not sure what to start now, maybe I will carry on the Vampire theme with the first True Blood book?

     

    Hope you enjoy Sookie, its a bit more 'adult' than Twilight :motz:

     

    I finished Let The Right One In last night and really enjoyed it. Think I may change track a bit and move on to The Time Travellers Wife :D

    True Blood

    in Music / TV / Films

    Posted

    I hope you like the series frankie, I have a feeling your BF might anyway :lol::friends0:

     

    I watched the finale of series 2 last night. Jason was hilarious and brilliant as ever!

    Especially when he and Andy Bellefleur were 'coming to the rescue' and Jason was going through all the famous film quotes, " I love the smell of nail polish in the morning" ... :D brilliant! Then of course they took all the credit for saving the day!

    He's so easily swayed, by himself as well as others :motz: I'm so glad the

    Marianne storyline is over though, it did drag on a bit and hello? Why did Sam not just kill her like that ages ago??

     

     

    Really can't wait now until series 3 :motz:

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