Nollaig

Yeah I know a few people on here who are fans of her work. Having read two of her books I can safely say I'll be reading more. Yeah I had no idea it was so short! But still, very good.

Oooooh. Good to hear The Quiet Earth was good. I've seen the movie and loved it (even though it's a B-movie). I'd forgotten there's a book, I must read it. I've slowed up a bit on my reading the last few days, but currently working my way through the second Internment Chronicles book. It's not great, like the first one, but I'm enjoying it in a Twilight-kinda way all the same.

Starting to get warm and sunny again here. Hoping the real heat holds off at least til June.

Rewatching Season 1 of US House of Cards. Such a good show.

Congrats on finishing your first year, Tiger! (Still terrifying me that you're old enough to be in uni at all ) Glad your dad's birthday was fun, Gaia Hope everything's okay, Claire :/ Went out for drinks last night with some people from work to say goodbye to a friend/colleague who has gotten a job with the Central Bank in Dublin. Very sad that she's leaving, she's one of the two people I get on best with from work. It was a great night though, and we're planning a roadtrip via Dublin and Newgrange to Malin Head over the summer so that's something to look forward to Otherwise things are okay, I'm feeling pretty down/overwhelmed lately. Work is going okay, but I've always felt out of place at that job and will continue to. Just gotta get on with it, it's only short term and it'll generate a bit of cash.

I hope you enjoy it! It's less than 200 pages, so a fairly quick read

Jumpstart The World - Catherine Ryan Hyde Synopsis: Elle is a loner. She doesn’t need people. Which is a good thing, because she’s on her own: she had to move into her own apartment so her mother’s boyfriend won’t have to deal with her. Then she meets Frank, the guy who lives next door. He’s older and has a girlfriend, but Elle can’t stop thinking about him. Frank isn’t like anyone Elle has ever met. He listens to her. He’s gentle. And Elle is falling for him, hard. But Frank is different in a way that Elle was never prepared for: he’s transgender. And when Elle learns the truth, her world is turned upside down. Now she’ll have to search inside herself to find not only the true meaning of friendship but her own role in jumpstarting the world. Review: Jumpstart The World is one of only a handful of books I've ever read, which made me think time and time again, 'I can completely relate to this'. The main character, Elle, became entirely a vehicle for me being exposed her situation, in that her every reponse - occasionally intolerant or politically incorrect as they were - were the same as I believe mine would be. I think my favourite thing about this novel is that it takes a girl who is incredibly (literally, it was difficult to believe) unaware of the LGBT community - and portrays her with all the confusion - and occasionally even prejudice - that comes with exposure to a whole new concept or experience. Her reactions were not always okay, but that is an okay thing to depict in a story. It's even a GOOD thing to depict, because it goes to show an important truth about people - that we are capable of more than we've been raised or socially conditioned to believe or know. If someone has a fundamentally good heart and good intentions, like Elle does, walls and boundaries can be broken down. This novel is brilliantly written - quirky and funny as is seemingly Hyde's style, but it is too short. The characters do not get fleshed out enough - The Bobs are little more than 'short', 'tall' and 'gay', Annabelle disappears for no discernable reason halfway through the story, Elle's mother is little more than alluded to and even Wilbur, who we see a bit more of, feels like he has an entire novel of his own to share. While paying more attention to these characters may have diluted the focus of the novel (which was itself, perfectly articulated), I feel it would have been a worthwhile compromise to share more of these characters. Particularly Wilbur. Can you tell I liked Wilbur? I of course also loved Frank - who couldn't? - and even Molly. The story was not immensely original (it did feel a little plot-driven at times - the premise of a 15 year old girl being dumped off alone in New York simply does not ring true) and it had to take a twist somewhere, naturally - but it was a better twist than I was expecting. More subtle, more random, more realistic. Of all the things that could have happened, this is the one that'd make you go, 'typical'. I've criticised a few aspects of this book, but I genuinely loved it. It could have been too pointed, but it's a gentle book that speaks to understanding, tolerance, and kindness. It's one I'm going to go back to in the near future, and I would highly recommend it to absolutely everyone. Rating: 4.5/5

Finished Jumpstart The World by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Excellent little book. Not flawless but very nearly. Adored a couple of the characters. Review to follow. Also it was my 50th read of the year - halfway to my goal! Not sure what I'm going to pick up next!

Yeah I'm not sure really if he did intend that, but I dunno!

Thanks peeps I just finished Jumpstart The World. Great book. Too short, not fleshed out enough, and in a way I get that, it makes sense, but I wanted more. That aside, genuinely awesome book. Review to follow.

Last night I had an amazing hoisin duck pizza!

I actually wasn't, I just happened to get it at the same time! I actually understand what she means, but I loved the writing style and the way it meandered. It felt like a very authentic recollection of a fragmented memory being shared with a stranger. But there was something a little flat about it, which is why I took off the half-star.

I'm glad you enjoyed Girl and... sort of? enjoyed Shock? I just finished Shock myself and I really enjoyed it, though I did feel a tad uninvolved myself - I felt a lot of the characters... or something... were/was a bit flat. But I thought it was a very accomplished novel.

The Shock Of The Fall - Nathan Filer Synopsis: ‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’ The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction. Review: The Shock of the Fall is a really unique reading experience. The style of writing is extremely distinctive, and presented in such a way as to capture a sense of being written in chunks (on a computer and typewriter, punctuated by formal letters and documentation) by a semi-unreliable narrator recalling the tragic experiences of his earlier life. I absolutely loved the repetition of phrases and words, across a couple of paragraphs or from one end of the book to the other, and the meandering thought processes that capture the indirect nature of human thought and recollection. Despite the unusual writing style, it’s a highly readable and engaging story which starts off being about the death of a young boy as told by his younger sibling (an adult at the time of telling), but the reader quickly begins to pick up on the fact that there is more to Matt Homes than a straight-forward narrator. Over the course of the book bits and pieces are alluded to and finally revealed, ultimately slotting together in a heart-wrenching depiction of loss, grief, and mental illness. For a debut, this is an extremely accomplished novel and the authenticity of Matt’s character should leave no reader surprised that the author is a registered mental health nurse. He knows what he’s talking about, and he talks about it with great care and great skill. I don’t want to talk to talk too much about the plot as much of the pleasure to be derived from this book is in the journey through Matt’s experience as though he is recollecting is for you personally, but I highly recommend picking this one up. Rating: 4.5/5

Yeah I did think of you in terms of the genre, I think that aspect would appeal to you, but realisically I think it would be far far far too crude. I've also finished Nathan Filer's The Shock Of The Fall, so review to follow on that.

Oh my god I can't believe its so long since you last posted here Paula, where has the time gone?!

Critical Failures #1 - Robert Bevan Synopsis: One minute, they're drinking away the dreariness of their lives, escaping into a fantasy game and laughing their asses off. The next minute, they're in a horse-drawn cart surrounded by soldiers pointing crossbows at them. Tim now has the voice and physique of a prepubescent girl. Dave finds that while he lost a foot or two in height, he somehow acquired a suit of armor and a badass beard. Julian's ears have grown ridiculously long and pointy. And Cooper... well Cooper has gotten himself a set of tusks, a pair of clawed hands, and finds that he's carrying a bag with a human head in it. Meanwhile, a sadistic game master sits back in the real world eating their fried chicken. *** Review: This is definitely the most crass and least politically correct comedic book I've ever read. I don't doubt there are books out there that exceed it in both areas, but in my experience of reading it represents the pinnacle. And honestly... I loved it. I have a dark, deeply politically incorrect sense of humor and this book read just like my a wittier version of friends and I sitting around having a laugh. There were genuinely moments where I thought to myself, 'you can't *say* that!' and then I cracked up laughing anyway. There were moments where the frequency of this humor grated a *little* bit, but not enough to affect enjoyment. The plot is relatively thin (primarily composed of half the gang getting captured, and the other half attempting rescue only to be captured themselves) - this book largely sets up the people, their characters, the world they're now in. I'll forgive it that as it was an immensely enjoyable read with great characterisation, a fun world and it is also the first in the series, so now I really feel set up for the gang to go on adventures in this bizzare new world. The writing is great - crude though it is in places, and utterly disgusting at times, it's not unintelligent and it definitely creative. It's full of nerdy nods to the world of tabletop gaming - beginning with a several page description of a gaming session before they're transported to the game world. I could actually read an entire book of Bevan just describing a standard gaming session, that's how witty and fun his writing is. I have to say this will not be for everybody - I'm not sure I actually know a single human being (well, maybe one or two) that would actually find this funny, but if you've got an obscene sense of humor and are a bit of a gaming/fantasy nerd, you should get a laugh out of this. Definitely gonna be reading the next two installments in the series - if they're half as good as this then I've got a lot to look forward to. Rating: 4.5/5

Whoops fallen a bit behind here. Great review of Doll Bones - I am terrified of anything dolly, but I've been looking for something else Holly Black to try so I might give this one a go!

I've never gotten around to reading that one. Both were on the shelves at the same time and I chose The Book Thief over it because the cover was prettier, always meaning to come back to the other. Glad you enjoyed it

Ah I'm really glad you enjoyed Elizabeth Is Missing. I too expected something more thriller-esque, and was pleasantly surprised.

Wow, so much reading! I'm glad you had a good holiday, it sounds lovely!

Ick. The weather is like ick. And so blustery!

I'm so excited for you! Reading blogs are soooo much fun, and just you wait! You'll soon be picking up reading suggestions all over the place, it's impossible not to here!

Sitting in a diner with a friend drinking celebratory 'we both got jobs' mint malts! And shopping in Penneys. Not a book in sight!

I'm flipping back and forth between a few - when I can read a proper book, I'm reading The Shock Of The Fall, which I'm halfway through, (usually at work) and then when its dark and I need my tablet I usually am reading Jumpstart The World by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which I'm maybe a quarter through, and really enjoying. This weekend, must tackle some more of A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing.