ladymacbeth

I have read Wicked by Jilly Cooper. I thought it was okay however the style doesn't really change throughout so if you aren't enjoying it at the 200 page mark might be best to abort.

Good answer poppyshake and I thoroughly agree. CS Lewis actually has the best humour because it is so close to the truth. eg when Screwtape comments on the people in church being laughable at times. I often look at other christians who are perhaps appearing a bit dimwitted and wonder what God was thinking. But then my religion tells me it's all part of his plan. A wonderful columnist Tapu Misa, from the New Zealand Herald newspaper recently wrote "I knew I'd struggle with the injunction to love my enemies when I first became a Christian. I just didn't expect so many of them would turn out to be other Christians." She gives the example of the misguided people behind godhatesfags.com. Have gone off topic sorry but I'm glad non Christians can read CS Lewis and maybe realise what a balanced Christian viewpoint looks like rather than a fundamentalist one.

LOVE HUNT by Fiona Walker The announcement of a grand Treasure Hunt sets hearts aflutter in the Lodes Valley. The cash is only part of the appeal: a win could solve several romantic dilemmas. New arrival to the area, Liv has picked up the scent of infidelity; Pixie is in hot pursuit of a wayward lover, while Pheely is spurred into a covert affair – and Jemima, in full cry, reins in her feckless family. Teenager Faith, meanwhile, longs to run her boss to ground – and into bed. But it is unhappily married Trudy who finds the trail of clues leads her in quite a different direction, and one closer and closer to temptation. Is she chasing a rainbow, or just chasing her own tail? One treasure hunt, a host of clues…but what is the ultimate prize: a dangerous affair? a distraction from country life? a tantalising seduction? When the hunt reaches its climax, the competitors find they are fighting for the most coveted treasure of all – their own happy ending. Well this book was a huge disappointment. I used to be a Fiona Walker fan - her best books being Snap Happy and Kiss Chase. However, the last few books have all been set in Oddlode village and have become more and more confusing. Minor characters reappear from book to book but I can't keep track of them. And the plots seem to meander more and more. In this book, the only character I felt particularly sympathetic to was Trudy. But her truly awful husband made it quite difficult for me to even read about him as he seemed so unpleasant. The main theme of the book was adultery and the other women were all having affairs. Usually, I'm left with a light, happy feeling reading chick lit. The endings are expected to be happy, if obvious, and leave me believing in the power of love. But in this book the adultery theme weighed so heavily, and for me is so the opposite of light and happy, that the book dragged on and on. In reality, with around 500 pages, I think it really was far too long! I doubt I will be picking up the next Fiona Walker novel. Only 1.5 stars out of 5. Oh dear.

Glad to hear it Ben . They are so entertaining.

What a shame about Afterlife being rushed. I am planning to read it as have the rest of the series but am taking a little break from the teenage vampire books at the mo. I will be interested to see how I find it now.

A TOUCH OF DEAD by Charlaine Harris This is a collection of short stories about Sookie Stackhouse which have been compiled into one volume. They were originally written for other multi-author compilations and occur at different times in the Sookie Stackhouse stories. Unfortunately it's been awhile since I read the Sookie books so before starting I found it hard to remember the preceding and following events around each story. But this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the stories at all. Charlaine did very briefly reorient you to events around the time of each story so I didn't get lost at all. Each story was a great read. I do recommend that before this you do read the rest of Sookie's books up to at least Dead and Gone before you start this compilation as otherwise it will contain spoilers. And it won't make sense to people who aren't already Sookie fans. But I loved the book and now would like to own a copy to add to my Sookie collection. 4 out of 5 stars

THE DRUID'S SWORD by Sara Douglass This is the 4th and final book in Douglass' Troy Game series. In the first book Brutus and Genvissa begin the Troy Game in what will in future be the city of London. A magical labyrinth designed to trap evil in it's heart and protect the city and make it great. Before they can complete it however, Genvissa is murdered. The rest of the characters involved in the Troy Game are cursed to be reborn again and again until the Troy game is completed. This happens throughout the subsequent books. Each is in a new time period through London's history. Over time even the original creators realise the Troy Game itself is evil and the struggle begins to save the land from the Game. In this final book the characters have come through major arcs and are startlingly different form their originals yet are still haunted by the mistakes they made in past lives. The characters do become more likeable. Douglass is very good at taking the plot in unpredictable directions. This makes for an interesting read however it does feel as if the author is cheating a lot. Often there is no foreshadowing at all of events which may be about to take place and the author introduces new elements to the story seemingly at will to help solve problems. It leaves me feeling as if she started the books not knowing how they were going to finish and just made stuff up as she went. I personally prefer to feel as if the story is just taking part in a big world and the author knows the full background and is revealing a slice to us. So overall, the book was entertaining enough but the writing style left me feeling dissatisfied. 2 out of 5 stars

Beloved sounds really good. I had heard it was a difficult read though which makes me wonder if I'm up to it. I don't think I'm brave enough to give it a go at the moment.

Sorry guys I keep updating my book list but I have absolutely no motivation to comment on the books I have recently read. Just feeling tired and sick still. I've been avoiding the library though and am hoping to make a dent in my TBR pile instead of just getting new library books.

Thanks Vanwa. I will give them a go.

Interesting BookJumper as I would have identified The Screwtape letters as being bang-on with conventional Christian theology but Mere Christianity being quite left-field. But maybe I just never identified this book as being satire.

I hope I haven't put anyone off with my overly Christian view of the Screwtape letters - sorry, it's difficutl to disengage my relgion from this book. I do have a question to pose to everyone which I nicked off a website. What do you think of the way Lewis portrays Christians and non Christians? For instance, Wormwood's patient intially meets a group of skeptics early in the book which Wormwood is delighted about however later he meets a Christian circle of friends through his new girlfriend. I thought Lewis had good and bad things to say about both groups but will save my opinions for later. Just wondered what you guys thought?

Sounds like they have got nuclear fallout to possibly contend with as well. What a terrible combination.

I think I need to stay clear of the news for a bit. Was feeling pretty down about the Libyan situation and Gaddafi appearing to be starting to win in the conflict. Now tonight the huge earthquake and consequent tsunami has hit Japan. The television footage looks appalling - literally building floating away. I feel terrible for all the people involved and those with family and friends over there.

1. Who was your favourite character and why? Hmmm, the carniverous Screwtape or the bumbling Wormwood? Either one. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I enjoyed the last chapter when Screwtape gets hungry. There was no part that I particularly disliked. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? No, I have read Mere Christianity by the same author. I found his theological ideas quite novel even though I was reading them decades later. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? No not at all. In fact I identified very strongly with large parts of the text as things I am tempted by or do. 5. Overall, did you find it an enjoyable experience? Absolutely. I would like to take more time over it in future and reread chapters to think on them more deeply. 6. What did you think the book was about? I think this book is an instruction manual for christians. Instead of just writing a book such as "Pitfalls for Christians" CS Lewis has created an entertaining, humorous and non threatening way of conveying his very serious message. 8. Did the author seem to appear in the book? How? Why? Was the presence of the author disruptive? Or did it seem appropriate/fitting? I think the book can be interpreted two ways - as a fictional story about 2 devils in which the author does not appear at all; or with the background knowledge that this is a message from an author with some very strong ideas about Christian morals and how to avoid moral traps. In which case the authors voice is pervasive. 9. If one (or more) of the characters made a choice that had moral implications, would you have made the same decision? Why? Why not? I would like to think I would make the same choice as the young man being tempted. 10. Did the book affect you in a personal way, such as offending you or making you uncomfortable? Yes, in that it made me evaluate my own behaviour however I do think I read it too quickly to really take in all the contents. 11. Did you reassess your views on / gain a better understanding or new awareness of certain topics because of the novel? Same as above 12. If the book was written some time in the past, do you feel that it was dated well? Have things changed drastically since then? I think the book has kept it's relevance incredibly well. A few things I thought were a little dated such as some stated differences between men and women's attitudes. 13. What kind of person would you recommend this book to? Other Christians. I do find it interesting that people who are not christian enjoyed the book. I am pleased about that as it is an interesting read regardless of your beliefs. 14. If you were writing a sequel, what would you plan for the characters? I would love to hear what happens to Wormwood. Does Screwtape eat him? Is he re-deployed?

I can think of numerous appalling reality TV shows with this premise. Unfortunately usually the people on there are trying to get famous and are complete idiots.

Ooh what good questions. 1. My favourite female author (amongst many special mentions) is Sarah-Kate Lynch. I'm a little biased because she is a New Zealand author but she writes these incredible books that are part chick-lit, part mystical and always have food in them! My favourite book she has written Blessed Are the Cheesemakers is about a couple of cheesemakers who have a number of girls working on their farm. The girls always turn out to be in need of help and that's just what they get. Someone described it as being "in the spirit of Chocolat.." which it is reasonably accurate. It has that magical feel. 2. Favourite writer of women.... I will have to think on that one as I'm trying to think of some really memorable female characters. Maybe Margaret Mitchell in Gone With the Wind just because of her depictions of Scarlet and Melanie showing the two different sides of what a woman's character can be.

I have read several of the earlier Shannara novels however got stuck with the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara - The Ilse Witch. I just didn't like it. Now I would like to read The Genesis of Shannara and the High Druid of Shannara books but want to know whether I won't understand them because of skipping the Voyage books. Anyone know whether they will still make sense. Also I read the earlier 7 or so books at least 10 years ago.

I could not get into the Liveship Trader series at all which was very disappointing after enjoying the farseer trilogy .

Yeah Wizard's first rule felt mightily cliched to me as well. Not sure why I kept reading but the next few books hugely improve as there is some original thought in there. I particularly like the storyline with the chicks who torture Richard (can't remember what they were called, it's been awhile)But I agree with Vladd earlier that about 7 books in or so I just gave up on the series.

WAYLANDER by David Gemmell I've decided to make a foray into classic fantasy to break up all the chick lit and supernatural romance I have been reading. And David Gemmell fits the bill perfectly. I only started reading his books last year. Waylander is the third in his Drenai series which are all set in the nation of Drenai, generally with a war going on. Typically there will be a hero (or several)involved in the war effort, a love interest and a few battles which inevitably the Drenai win against the odds. Waylander was published in 1986 so it doesn't feel as imaginative as modern fantasy novels but I guess that's why I would term it classic fantasy. If you read it for what it is then it's very enjoyable. I found Waylander a little hard to get into. The Drenai books are not written in chronological order - in fact this book is like a prequel to the other 2 Drenai novels I have read. It just took me awhile to place out when in the history of the land the book was set. Also, I enjoyed reading Waylander but there as something lacking that stopped me from finding this a truly great read. I think the characters are not quite as well developed as I would like. Other fantasy series I have loved are are Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and Sara Douglass' Axis series. I think what makes the difference is the characterisation being so likeable and engaging. However, it's not really fair to compare as these are ongoing series with time for development whereas Gemmell has essentially written three relatively short stand-alone novels set in the same nation. The characters therefore differ in each book. But I'll keep an eye out for the next in the series. 3 out of 5 stars.

FAEFEVER by Karen Marie Moning This is the third in the Fever series by Moning. MacKayla Lane travels to Dublin to investigate the murder of her sister. Once there she discovers she is a sidhe-seer ie has the ability to see the fae. And a dark plot is afoot to free the Unseelie or dark fae from their eternal prison and release them into the world. MacKayla comes to realise that with her sidhe-seer powers she may be the only person capable of stopping this. This is definitely light entertainment and an enjoyable read. The plot is firmly in the supernatural / paranormal genre and moves along at a reasonable pace. In the past Moning has written romance novels and while this isn't a romance there's definitely a sexual element to the story. MacKayla as a character is reasonably likeable although she is occasionally whiny and obsessed with looking pretty. MacKayla really doesn't know who is an enemy or who is a friend in this book and Moning is pretty slow to release details on other characters. In particular, MacKayla's main ally Barrons. In a way this keeps the suspense running but also feels a little frustrating. Although I guess that gives you the flavour of how MacKayla feels. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. It is perfect light entertainment for me at the moment. I have decided I don't want to read anything heavy for awhile until I feel better. 3 out of 5 stars.

I have pre-ordered it.

GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry "Mother? " There was no reply. She hadn't expected one. Her mother had been dead, now, for four days, and Kira could tell that the last of the spirit was drifting away ... Now she was all alone. Left orphaned and physically flawed in a civilization that shuns and discards the weak, Kira faces a frighteningly uncertain future. Her neighbors are hostile and no one but a small boy offers to help. When she is summoned to judgement by The Council of Guardians, Kira prepares to fight for her life. But the Council, to her surprise, has plans for her. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, the young girl faces new responsibilities and a set of mysteries deep within the only world she has ever known. On her quest for truth, Kira discovers things that will change her life and world forever. A compelling examination of a future society, Gathering Blue challenges readers to think about community, creativity, and the values that they have learned to accept. Once again Lois Lowry brings readers on a provocative journey that inspires contemplation long after the last page is turned. This is another well-written, thoughtful young adult novel by Lois Lowry. It is the second in the series following The Giver which won the Newberry Medal and was my favourite read of 2010. The book is set in a future society. The community that Kira lives in is harsh, competitive and violently excludes anyone thought to be a weak member. The disabled are put out into "The Field" to be taken by beasts. Kira has a disabled leg, reading between the lines I wonder if it is a club foot. After her mother dies, other members of her community try to push her out but due to her needlework talent the leaders of the community save her. They ask her to work on restoring an ancient garment important to the community. But Kira starts to realise that although she is fed, watered and housed in comfortable accomodation, with no freedom to do her own work, she is a glorified prisoner. Having already read The Giver which is set within a different community in the same world, Gathering Blue had less impact and power than it could have, as the themes had already been churning in my mind for some time. Nevertheless it is a beautifully written book which will inspire me for some time. 4 out of 5 stars.

THORN QUEEN by Richelle Mead Oh how I love Richelle Mead. She has single-handedly restored my reading mojo. This is the second book in her Eugenie Markham series and I won't really go into detail about the plot as best to look at the first book Storm Born if you are interested. All I will say is that Richelle is an incredibly reliable author. Her books are always funny, I relate to the characters, in this one there is some fairly hot sex and the plot moves forward so that I am often surprised. I can't really ask for much more. If you like supernatural romance then get into Richelle Mead's books. Nuff said. 4 out of 5 stars.