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Lucybird

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    Your Book Activity Today ~ Thread 15

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Hi , Lucybird .

    I'm about halfway now . It was his South American trilogy that introduced me to LdB and I thought they were excellent .

    Do persevere with Birds Without Wings , if nothing else it's a good history lesson !

     

    It was Captain Correli's for me and I haven't quite found anything that matches up, but I do intend to try with it again at some point

    Your Book Activity Today ~ Thread 15

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Am going quite slowly with The Piano Tuner but it seems to be picking up now I'm past the 100 page mark

     

    Have also started reading Pooh and the Psychologists

     

    Hi , new member . I am reading Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres just now , after buying it years ago and being put off after the first few pages .

     

    I still have it on my shelves after reading a good third of it a few years ago and just not having the stamina to continue. Hope you get on better with it.

    Lucy's Book Blog '11

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Darkly Dreaming Dexter- Jeff Lindsay

     

     

    Synopsis (from Amazon)

     

    Dexter Morgan isn’t exactly the kind of man you’d bring home to your mum. At heart, he’s the perfect gentleman: he has a shy girlfriend, and seems to lead a quiet, normal life bordering on the mundane. Despite the fact that he can’t stand the sight of blood, he works as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police. But Dexter also has a secret hobby: he is an accomplished serial killer. So far, he’s killed 36 people and has never been caught because he knows exactly how to hide the evidence. And while that may lead some people to assume he’s not such a nice guy, he tempers his insatiable hunger for brutality by only killing the bad guys. However, Dexter’s well-organised life is suddenly disrupted when a second, much more visible serial killer appears in Miami. Intrigued that the other killer favours a style similar to his own, Dexter soon realises that the mysterious new arrival is not simply invading his turf but offering him a direct invitation to ‘come out and play’…

     

     

    Review

     

     

    I’m sure I’ve said before that crime novels are not usually to my taste. I find them not exactly predictable but somewhat formulaic and it kind of puts me off. I can really enjoy a good crime novel though and I’d heard lots of good things about this one so I thought I would give it a go. The Dexter books sounded pretty original to me too so I wasn’t expecting anything very formulaic

     

     

    Well I can certainly say I raced through it. I can read about 100 pages a day without too much of a struggle but it doesn’t happen very often. Still I managed to finish Darkly Dreaming Dexter in just under two days which is pretty fast for me, especially when one of the days is a work day. I found the story very compelling and I really wanted to keep reading.

     

     

    I found I had a somewhat of a love hate relationship with Dexter himself. Which I think was really that I enjoyed reading him as a character but felt I shouldn’t like him because, well, he was still a murderer, even if he was one with a ‘good heart’. In some ways I think the love hate thing gave me more of an understanding of Dexter too as that seemed to be his attitude towards himself.

     

     

    I liked how the story was actually told by Dexter. It felt like you could really see how murderers tick (whether or not Lindsay had researched criminology I can’t say but it felt genuine). I think it was the psychologist in me that liked that, even though I haven’t studied criminal psychology since I was doing the a-level. In ways the book made me interested to look a bit more at criminal psychology (and I may well do that).

     

     

    The actual storyline was exciting, I could never figure out things before Dexter did- but I suppose that is because I cannot think like a murderer (thinking about that it makes the idea of meeting Lindsay a little scary!). It’s an aspect that kept me going with the story and even at the end I was still scratching my head trying to work out what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue. The major twist at the end I never expected although parts of what made it work I had considered.

     

     

    Adding the next to my wishlist right now!

     

     

    4/5

    Lucy's Book Blog '11

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Lucybird

    The Earth Hums in B Flat- Mari Strachan

     

    This book was read as part of the Take a Chance Challenge

     

     

    Synopsis (from Amazon)

     

    Gwenni Morgan is not like any other girl in this small Welsh town. Inquisitive, bookish and full of spirit, she can fly in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, and no one seems to be asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct her own investigation. She records everything she sees and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the real truth? And what will be the consequences of finding out, for Gwenni, her family and her community?

     

    Review

     

    First off I want to say yet again the blurb failed this book. I don’t know why but this seems to be occurring more and more often recently. The blurb made The Earth Hums in B Flat sound like a mystery or crime story, and while there are mysteries and crimes in the story I found it more to be a story about Gwennie and her life. She did think about the mysteries a lot, but I think the real story was in what she didn’t think but what we as readers could infer from what she thought and the goings on. I did think it was a bit too easy to guess the twist but I don’t think the twist was as important as Gwennie’s reaction to it.

     

    I think the writing was beautiful. I loved Gwennie, her voice was very genuine and innocent. I wanted so much better for her, and I wanted to give her a big hug and shout at her Mum.

     

    One thing I really liked was how Welsh everything felt. I went to uni in Wales (in Bangor actually which is right by Snowdon) and although I wouldn’t say I was actually very integrated into Welsh culture I still say enough and knew enough people who are Welsh to get a similar sense.

     

    4.5/5

    Your Book Activity Today ~ Thread 15

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    The author did ask me to review the book, so I'm not surprised he read my review, just that he responded!

     

    He basically said that it wasn't a first draft (I had said it read like a first draft) but that he had worked for 3 years on it and had numerous people read it. He said that a publisher had been interested but had wanted a literary agent (who he had to pay for) to look over it- and the agent gave him a good review. He said the only reason they hadn't published it was because they wanted him to pay, and that was too expensive. If you ask me the publisher sounds dodgy!

    Lucy's Book Blog '11

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Dragon's Pupils: The Sword Guest- Martin Chu Shui

     

    Image from Goodreads

     

    I was given a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review.

     

    Synopsis (from Amazon)

     

    The story centers on Liz, born of half Australian and of half Chinese descent. Growing up in Australia, she isn’t very interested in her father’s ancient Chinese stories. She is concerned with problems that are far more contemporary — such as environmental issues, and particularly her friend’s handsome brother who is an environmental activist. But her disinterest in Chinese culture changes when her two worlds collide, after a catastrophic accident sets thousands of ancient monsters loose near her home. Suddenly Liz must learn many new skills and call on all of her Chinese heritage if she is to prevent the monsters from destroying Earth. Helped by her twin brother and best friend, Liz sets out to discover why the monsters exist and how to stop them. When she is injured in a battle, she must travel to China to seek a cure that is spiritual as much as it is physical. But can she find the old man who can help her before the monsters catch her? How will she manage in a country that is so strange and yet so familiar? And can she learn enough about a world she has ignored to stop the monsters in time?

     

    Review

     

    I really respect the author of this self-published book, I think it must take a lot of courage to put yourself out there in the way he has by choosing to self publish. I really, really wanted to like this book because I am all for supporting new writers and self published writers.

     

    When I first read the synopsis of this book I thought it sounded a little strange but it did sound unique and so many books are just same old, same old these days. I thought the plot did sound interesting if a little hard to pull off, and if it was done well it could make a fantastic book. I'll give this to Chu Shui, the element of the book that I was most unsure about, that of the magic pen, was done pretty well. When it was first introduced I thought it could give lots of opertunity, even if it did remind me a bit of Penny Crayon! Unfortunately I don't think the magic pen idea was utilized very well, in fact the initial idea of it was barely used, and I did think it could have been used to great effect and made a unique plotline. In some way it gave me the impression that the author didn't really know what to do with the idea, or if he did that it wouldn't make enough of a story so he decided not to make it a major plot point.

     

    When it came down to it I felt that a lot of the time Chu Shui was trying to streach the story to make it into a full book. The fight scenes became very repetative which made them somewhat predictable. After a while I became bored with what should have been the most exciting parts of the book and I began to get the impression that the battles were added because the author felt that the story was getting boring. If my impression is true it's a real shame because I generally prefered the sections between the battles. I liked the way that Chu Shui used old chinese tales to link to how Liz and her friends should fight, I particully liked Liz meeting the Grandfather and finding out about the history behind her methods. I know the whole book couldn't be made of that, she needed to be able to apply what she had learnt, but I think sometimes it was cut down in favour of battle scenes.

     

    I think this book could have been so much better. The premise was good but it felt like I was reading a first draft (and not an especially good one at that). With a bit more work and editing it could have been enjoyable, but I began to wish I had another book with me by the end.

     

    But hey it didn't bring out the feelings of hatred that I have for Twilight, so if you think it sounds good download it, it's not expensive. Just don't bother spending your money on the paperback.

     

    2/5

    Lucy's Book Blog '11

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Queste- Angie Sage

     

    Queste is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series

     

    Synopsis (from Amazon)

     

    Septimus faces a perilous quest to find Nicko and Snorri, who have been trapped back in time. Everyone at the Castle is realising that Nicko and Snorri’s chances of coming back are slim. Septimus, aided by Alchemist Marcellus Pye, learns of a place where all time meets: the House of Foryx. But how does he get there? Jenna and Septimus find Nicko’s notes from the past and discover that he knows of the House of Foryx as well and has been creating a map to plot the house’s hidden location. With the help of the Questing Stone and Nicko’s faded maps, will Septimus be able to save Nicko and Snorri? Meanwhile, Simon Heap has taken on Merrin Meredith, former apprentice to DomDaniel, as his own apprentice, giving Merrin an opportunity he has been waiting years for. With the help of a frightening creature called a Thing, Merrin plans to reclaim the identity he used to have …that of Septimus Heap.

     

    Review

     

    I found I got through this Septimus Heap book much quicker than the others. It still took a while to get going but the end of the previous book (Physik) felt like much more of a cliff hanger than the previous books in the series so Queste felt like more of a sequel than just another book with the same characters. I wanted to find out what had happened after the last book so I was eager to get going. I was pretty impressed to, I’ve liked the other Septimus Heap books but the series seems to be getting better the further I get into it and I found a big difference with this book. I think this book was a bit more individual, a lot of the time I find the Septimus Heap books could just be any other book about wizards, you know it has everything you would expect from a wizarding novel but nothing that really sets it apart. I found with this novel that it was more like Sage had created another world, the forest and all its contents felt rather original, although there were still sections that were the type of things that are pretty standard to fantasy novels (not that that’s a problem, it’s just nice to have something different).

     

    There was one thing I didn’t like in this book though and that was the sections with Merrin. I can’t say I ever really liked Merrin but I had some sympathy for him and that was pretty much destroyed by this book, and it was more or less uneccersary. I think Sage could have filled his role easily some other way seeing as he was basically there to secure one small plot point. I thought using him to secure that point was actually a little unrealistic and I could think of a few other ways in which it could be introduced without using Merrin.

     

    4/5

    Lucy's Book Blog '11

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Physik- Angie Sage

     

    Synopsis (from Amazon)

     

    When Silas Heap unseals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she’s still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself ever-lasting life requires Jenna’s compliance, Septimus’s disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda’s plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then Dark adventure awaits With heart-stopping action and endless wit, Angie Sage continues the fantastical journey of Septimus Heap.

     

     

    Review

     

     

    Considering the simplicity of the Septimus Heap range of books Physik took me a long time to read, but I have been ill so I blame that factor, sometimes when I’m ill I just don’t have the attention span for reading, my new addiction to Twitter probably hasn’t helped either, but then again there is always a distraction. I do think generally speaking this series has progressed in quality of writing at least since Magyk although I have still read book which are better written (and don’t think this is me being a reading snob, I know my own quality of writing is less than stunning, and up to a point I can enjoy writing which isn’t of great quality to the same level as I can enjoy something you could describe as literary, sometimes more seeing as more complex writing requires more energy to read…I feel I am going off on a tangent). I felt as if Physik’s plot was a little more planned than the other two, and while this did give more flow to the story and allowed it to be more complex it did give a slight sense that the plot was a little artificial, I suppose you have to balance the two aspects when you choose whether to plan carefully or more write as you think (the second is what I do, I guess that is pretty obvious!). The one thing that did feel really artificial was the introduction of Snorri, I really liked her as a character, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the next book, but her introduction seemed more of a plot device and a convenience than other characters have and I didn’t really like that. At first her introduction puzzled me and I wanted to get back to the characters I knew but when I got further along I understood it and I actually thought that if her introduction had been written differently she would feel less like a plot device.

    I feel like this review has been mainly negative but actually this has been my favourite book of the series so far, it’s more complex and the plot, while being a little slow to start has been more engaging. For the first time since I started this series I am actually looking forward to reading the next book in the series rather than just wanting to read it for the sake of finishing the series.

     

     

    3.5/5

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