Nollaig
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Posts posted by Nollaig
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I looked this one up because I was interested and a lot of people were talking about it and it isn't available in the US as a physical book until May 12
That's a shame but it's something to look forever to
Finished Only Ever Yours. Holy hell!
I need to let it all sink in. 
Hm... for Kindle as well. Greatly disappointed as the synopsis sounds like something I'd be into.
It'd be worse if it was NEVER going to be for sale!
Yes, that's the correct response.
What a shame, although it's not that far away … eight weeks or so?
That's forever
I'm almost two thirds of the way through Off To Be The Wizard. Absolutely love it, totally suits my sense of humour, and such a unique take on the fantasy genre.
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Yep, that's what I figured too. Looking forward to the rest of your thoughts Bobbly
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Chronicle. It was alright.
I loooooove Chronicle, it's one of my favourite ever films! -
You really can sense the excitement!
Hold **OFF** for a while! Gonna do a bit of dusting before I'm allowed eat it!
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Absolutely hooked on Only Ever Yours. Very scary but also quite believable (given the circumstances).
:exc: -
I'm going to check out those Scott Meyer books, they sound quite good!
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Oh cool - he played Ryan on the The Office (US Version). I know he was a writer for the series, so I guess he has a knack for it.
Yeah, most of the negative reviews I actually read of the book were by fans of the Office saying they expected more. I don't watch The Office, so I had no expectations and I quite enjoyed it.
I've started reading The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin, one of the few chick lit authors I read (because she does a wonderful job of portraying Irish characters). So far so good, sad and heartfelt as her books tend to be. Also trying to finish World After (the second Angelfall book) but it's really not pulling me in the way the first one did, which is a shame.
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A ginormous slice of black forest gateau easily worth four quid being sold for only two! Haven't eaten it yet, trying to hold for for another little while!
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I had heard that already, can't wait for it!
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One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
Synopsis: Finding inspiration in questions from the nature of perfection to the icing on carrot cake, from the deeply familiar to the intoxicatingly imaginative, One More Thing finds its heart in the most human of phenomena: love, fear, family, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that might make a person complete. The stories in this collection are like nothing else, but they have one thing in common: they share the playful humor, deep heart, inquisitive mind, and altogether electrifying spirit of a writer with a fierce devotion to the entertainment of the reader.
***Review: First things first, that synopsis is insanely overwritten, and its only an excerpt from the full synopsis at Goodreads! I enjoyed this book. It is a collection of approximately 60 short stories, several of which do not even really constitute stories so much as a tiny collection of sentences, while others last several pages. On the surface, this book comes across as a light-hearted set of offhanded jokes and punchlines, presented with a creative diversity in themes and characters. On occasion, it delves a little deeper than that, but not often, and for the most part leaves deeper conclusions to be drawn by the reader themselves. One line that struck me as one of the most whimsically expressed dark sentiments I have ever read - it stole multiple rereadings from me and sent a shiver down my spine - is to be found in a description of nice things found in heaven: "Children with old souls finally laughed lightly".
I will admit that within the first few stories, several moments made me laugh out loud, and Novak definitely has a way with words. The second half of the collection moved a lot slower than the first, and while it too contained some gems, most of the stories and vignettes from the whole book were ultimately forgetable. However, some will stick with me - 'The Rematch' and 'The Something by John Grisham' had me cackling with delight, and one-liners in 'Rithmetic' and 'If You Love Something' made me snort with laughter. Many of them felt very relatable in a way that reflected life quite well - they never turn out how you expect and only rarely is anything as perfect or ideal as you might hope. In some cases, things are downright tragic (e.g. 'One Of These Days, We Have To Do Something About Willie'). That reflective nature, perhaps, is my favourite thing about this collection.
Highly readable, I happily read all the stories in their printed order, within 24 hours, and even the forgettable ones didn't really feel like a waste. Special mention must go to 'I Never Want To Walk On The Moon', 'Pick A Lane', and 'The Walk To School On The Day After Labor Day'. Don't go into this collection expecting mind-boggling insight into the nature of the human condition, and you may very well find it tickles your funny bone just fine - probably one to carry in your bag for dipping in and out of on the ride to and from places.
Rating: 3.5/5 -
I watched Into The Woods. It was utterly, utterly bizzare, far too long, unmemorable and yet surprisingly entertaining in an 'at the time' kind of way.
Two men prancing around a waterfall singing 'aagonnnyyy', and a young girl singing very questionably about the things a man-shaped wolf taught her... what on earth.
Biggest criticism - not nearly enough Johnny Depp.
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From what I understand, it's not Amazon that are the problem, it's the publishers submitting the ebook … if they put page numbers in their formatting, it'll be there on the Kindle version, but if they don't you just get the location.
Oh okay! Well they could still refuse to publish things without the page numbers and authors would sort it out quick!
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The Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello 3.5.5
A woman googles herself, using first her married name. Finding only a few nondescript items she decides to google her maiden name. Talk about Pandora's Box! Finding that her sister has died 6 years previously.....how did she not know that? Finding all sorts of very strange items in her memory box that is hidden in the back, top of the closet - Caroline is one confused suburban housewife. Feeling like she is totally loosing her grip on reality, she fumbles her way to the truth. But is it really the right truth? Whose truth could it be?
Identity, memory loss, and lies make this tale twisted and ultimately rather creepy. Frankly, I'm still sorting out the ending.
Fans of Gone Girl should find it......interesting.
That does sound very interesting, tis going on the wishlist!
Enjoy all your new reads
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That's more than a book and a half a week, that's great! I'm only aiming for 2 a week myself, though I just happen to have the time to get more in lately.
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I'll add my review for the sake of including my basic opinions:
Review: Unapologetically harrowing, Only Ever Yours is a roller coaster of psychological and social horror that starts at ground level and plunges down into the depths of despair. I'm not going to try to convince anyone that this is an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one. Imagine a society which subverts women and renders them as literally nothing more than lab-grown, son-bearing or desire-fulfilling slaves to men. Imagine being a woman raised in this society, where being 'academic' is among the worst insults for you, and being fat is the most life-altering disaster that can befall you. Many of the attitudes in this story ring horrifyingly true, as little more than an extreme magnification of the objectification and sexualisation that occurs in our society.
The novel touches on issues such as eating disorders and other compulsive behaviors, mass conditioning and the repression of individual feelings, intellect and self-expression. These issues are explored in an environment populated by social media platforms, disturbingly similar to the ones members of modern society use to carefully construct the lives and selves they wish to convey to others. The context is a post-apocalyptic attempt to 'save' the human race, and the detailed world-building is fantastic, gradually layered from the ground up with no walls of explanatory text but also no confusion about what is going on.
None of the characters are particularly likeable except maybe Darwin (what a name!), the #1 boy who takes an interest in Frieda. I've heard this unlikeability noted as a criticism against the book, but this is basically Mean Girls in a world where your life depends on aesthetically being the in the top third of your year. I actually felt the girls fantastically represented a variety of reactions to the pressures of such a society, and most of them are extreme versions of women I have met in my lifetime (prone to manipulation, backstabbing, backhanded compliments, reluctantly conforming, turning a blind eye etc), which for me says so much about the conceptual relationship between the world of Only Ever Yours and the one we all know. I am taking one mark off because I found some of Freida's pivotal actions to be a little uncharacteristic towards the end - I can't elaborate due to spoilers, but it felt a tad like her actions were forced to bring about the desired ending. I'm also not sure why anyone would feel it was in humanity's best interest to eradicate any surviving animal life when the apocalypse came, but maybe I missed something. Apart from a few little niggles, however, it's brilliantly written.
I have heard mixed responses to the genuinely shocking ending, and while I wish to give nothing away (much as I want to detail my praises of it), I will say that I think the ending is spectacular. I could barely breath for the last few pages; the sheer panic and desperation of trying to survive such a wretched world made me feel trapped and claustrophobic. The ending is nothing short of haunting, and will stay with me for some time. Genuinely a very important book that should be read by all young women who are emotionally mature enough for its content.
Rating: 4/5 -
I am about 55% into The Humans and loving the book.
I finished reading The Humans by Matt Haig. What a wonderful book. One of the best I have read this year. This is the type book that makes me glad that I enjoy reading.
So glad you enjoyed it, its such a lovely book and so funny!
Finally finished This Changes Everything. It took me about a month to read.
Now it's on to Only Ever Yours. Really excited about starting it.
Wahey, I'm really excited about you finishing it and sharing your thoughts!
Enjoy! -
Maybe if enough of us shout loudly enough at Amazon they'll change it!
I think most people have some form of quirk relating to progress-checking, it's quite natural for time-management.
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My dog is from Kerry, well, I didn't get him from Kerry, but he is a Kerry Blue Terrier.
Have a good time!
Nawww they're lovely dogs
And thanks! So far so good!Oooh, The Guest Cat. Is it good, is it good ? Should I buy it ?
Haha I haven't read it yet but I'm flattered by your faith in my opinion
I know a lot of other people have enjoyed it!Ok, I really need to read Only Ever Yours. I've just bought it on Amazon, and will make it my next read. Very intrigued by the comments about the ending being so shocking. I love a strong ending that leaves you a bit dazed.
Excellent, I really hope you enjoy it. It's a very dark book, so please don't let that catch you unawares and put you off. It's well worth reading. The ending still gives me shivers, thinking about it.
I hope you enjoy your time there
!Thank you, so far so good! I went to Ross Castle on Sunday, of which there are photos on Facebook. Lovely place. Also my mum cleaned out my childhood room for relatives who are coming from England to visit, and left me tons of bags to sort through - and I found so many precious photos and notes and letters and gifts, it was amazing! Absolutely delighted to have found so much stuff.
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In my defence, Isabel's situation is not something I tune into very well, I can be remarkably like Sherlock when it comes to sensitive things. That's my excuse for ill-reading the situation and that's that!
In entirely other news, I'm two thirds of the way through the first Season of Yesterday's Gone, and I got a few new books for my weekend in Kerry, including The Guest Cat and that Ava Lavender one. I might not be on the forum much while in Kerry, I'm not sure, as I won't have my laptop, but hopefully I'll have a few new reviews to write when I get back!
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Tee hee thanks Michelle! The discussion will still be here when you get a chance to read it!
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My reading of isabel's situation was that she's a fifteen year old girl who's just been sexually assaulted and physically abused by the Father who must have been a fairly old man who relished his power over women, and as the chastity said at the end, he'd left her in a bad way. I think gaining weight was perhaps a way of showing she still had some control over her own body, or perhaps she had just lost all self respect and she used food as the only comfort she could get. Distancing herself from frieda was because if she kept the friendship going, she knew was supposed to keep her selection for the father a secret and she couldn't face frieda without wanting to tell her what had happened to her - not only because it was a secret, but because she now knew what their futures held for them after school was over and it was too horrific to reveal.
I shouldn't be allowed read books, I clearly don't get them
That makes perfect sense! -
S03E03 of Sherlock
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I am taking my wife out to dinner tonight at a nice restaurant. http://www.osteriagso.com/
Awww that's sweet - have a lovely time!
After my failed attempt at using an atm last week, I'm going to try again to get to Kerry tomorrow to visit a friend, and then my parents.
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Re your additional point:
I don't think it was too unbelievable, because it was always a precarious situation, in that she had no guarantee that Darwin would pick her, especially after she knew his father didn't want him to pick her (and maybe she did unconsciously put two and two together which his broken arm) and her lack of self esteem as a result of dropping in the ratings at the beginning of the year, she was constantly felt on a knife edge. After seemingly losing the friendship of isabel, she must have had no trust in anyone, so I don't think she ever really believed she was safe and that Darwin would choose her, even after all the Seventh Heaven(? - can't remember if that was what they called it, and I don't have the book to hand) encounters.
And yes, of course you could include our discussion! The author's website has all her contacts
Heavenly Seventy
Yeeeeaahhh but being in Megan's good books wasn't going to change anything. The ratings were irrelevant, Darwin was literally her own hope. Sure, he wasn't a huge hope, but a better horse to bet on than Megan. I can actually understand her pleading with him, and thinking about it - that still would have brought about the same ending so betraying him to Megan didn't seem to do anything except make Freida less likeable. I dunno, it just felt a bit forced to me. Also why did Isabel gain all that weight? Was she trying to stop herself being selected for the Father? And did she then distance herself from Freida as a result of that to avoid bringing down Frieda's reputation? That was what I took from it, but wasn't entirely sure I was getting it right And yuss, I got her email, I must just check with Michelle that she's okay with me doing it in the name of the BCF again, will sort it out over the weekend
Noll's 2015 Book Blog
in Past Book Logs
Posted
Yeahhh sure if I get through two of em, might as well give the third a bash. I think my focus just drifted a little too far, and I'm finding it tough to get back into it. Penryn is trying to run the rescue mission at the moment, about 3/4 of the way through. I love the stuff with her sister, but I want more Raffe!