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tunn300

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About tunn300

  • Birthday 08/12/1984

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    Crooked Heart - Lissa Evans
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  1. After taking a day to digest 'Our Endless Numbered Days' I feel ready to post some thoughts. I will say up front I am a bit ambivalent towards the book, I neither love it or hate it, but merely think it was ok. I thought the premise was excellent and did really enjoy the initial few chapters, however at no point did I really feel connected to any of the main characters. I feel very sorry for both Peggy and her father but not in any way that will really last. It's difficult to put a finger on exactly why that is but I just found the way they spoke and acted just not real enough. The middle portion of the book I felt just dragged with nothing really happening and if I was enjoying the characters or felt connected to them then maybe this would be ok. I have read plenty of books were nothing really happened and have just enjoyed being in the characters company. I understand the author was trying to show the monotonous 'endless' days they spent in the cabin but I don't feel I should be as bored as they are. Fuller certainly has a good sense of language and I did enjoy her writing, although giving herself such a limited setting to describe I again found it became repetitive. SPOILER (because I have forgotten how to actually hide it) End of Spoiler I know everyone has loved this book and it is getting praise left, right and centre but on this particular book I don't get it. This is why I took a day before posting my review as I felt maybe its genius would become apparent to me after reflecting on it but unfortunately not. Anyway that is my two pence worth and I am sure I am in the minority and everyone else will enjoy it, but that's what books are about, causing debate and discussion.
  2. I have just his moment finished reading Our Endless Numbered Days. I think I need some time to process it all before posting my thoughts but I think it's safe to say it wasn't the book I thought it was going to be. My next read is going to be another Waterstones book club choice - Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans
  3. I am sure you will enjoy it, it's a great book. I have certainly enjoyed the first 50 or so pages of Our Endless Numbered Days but a hectic time at work has meant my reading has ground to a halt. Hopefully I can crack on with it over this long Easter weekend.
  4. I will second that recommendation for Station Eleven. I really enjoyed reading this last year.
  5. I woke early this morning and finished the final thirty pages of 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra' by Vaseem Khan. I have managed to read the book in just a few days and that is thanks to the wonderful characters Khan has created, one of the best of which is India itself. Having never been there his writing still managed to transport me to this place of hustle and bustle. The actual crime part of the novel was not that fantastic and the inclusion of the 'very special elephant' was a little strange, but I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. It is the first book in a series with the next due in May, So I will be on the lookout for that. I am now going to begin 'Our Endless Numbered Days' By Claire Fuller, which is another Waterstones book club book and has also been receiving a lot of very good reviews on here. I am looking forward to getting started while waiting for an appointment later.
  6. For my next book I have chosen one of the current Waterstones Book Club choices, 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra' by Vaseem Khan. This is a debut novel, set in India, beginning on the day the said inspector retires from the police force and is gifted an elephant. Due to an inability to sleep last night I am now a third of the way through this novel and thoroughly enjoying it. The main characters are a delight and whilst the actual crime part of the book is not that thrilling, it can be forgiven for the wonderful picture of life in modern India it creates. My only gripe is that there a lot of Hindi terms used that I do not understand and rather than include a glossary the author directs you to his website for assistance, which isn't all that helpful!!
  7. I finished the book yesterday after reading the second half of the book in one sitting. Unfortunately, it was read in this was as I was waiting for an appointment and not because it suddenly became a book I could not put down. The book for me was a disappointment. I am not sure exactly what I expected of a book that imagines Hitler being alive and well in modern day Germany but this wasn't it. Firstly, there is never an explanation given as to exactly how Hitler suddenly wakes up one day in 2011 on a playing field in Berlin. Secondly, the book is attempting to be a comedy but for me there are very few comedic moments and all of these come from the fact that someone from the past is suddenly placed in the future and has to deal with all modern conveniences. This could have been achieved through using any character through history and the choice of Hitler almost appears to be an attempt to cause scandal and raise the profile of the book. Through the book Hitler is often portrayed as quite a likeable character with some strange views and the occasional violent outburst, which for me doesn't ring true. I understand the book shows how once again Hitler is adapting to his environment and again becoming a figure the public believe is talking sense in an age when politicians can't be trusted and in this way it does act as a warning. Overall though I did not find this book enjoyable and would not really recommend it to anyone else.
  8. Oh my mistake I was under the impression Amazon Prime got films quite a while after their DVD release. I am glad you enjoyed the book too. I watched the trailer recently and even though I have read the book I was confused as to what was going on. The worst part though was the awful Russian accents everyone was putting on, I don't understand this as they could either hire Russian actors and be authentic or simply ignore it all together. I will watch the film some day when it appears on Sky movies but I won't be paying to rent it.
  9. So I am a third of the way through 'Look Who's Back' and I really don't know how I feel about it. I certainly haven't found it "Funny, very funny" as the quote on the front proclaims, but in parts it has raised a small chuckle. I think the premise is just so ridiculous that I am struggling to suspend my disbelief and go along with the idea. I did contemplate giving up on it as I have had another couple of my requested books arrive at the library but it is very rare I quit a book and it's not that bad that this should be one that joins that very short list. I will persevere and maybe try and get a good reading session in tonight and break the back of it. Hopefully it may also become more interesting as it progresses.
  10. I finished Child 44 last week and thought it was a truly fantastic book. I hope you enjoy the rest of your books.
  11. After two long reading stints yesterday I managed to finish Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start and to finish and have no idea why I have left it sitting on my TBR pile for a fair few years. It is a testament to how good the book is in that I managed to finish it in under a week, which is very rare for a 400+ page book for me. The book was so fast paced there never seemed like a good time to stop reading as the next interesting thing was just about to happen. I love how the author has managed to recreate Stalinist Russia, I knew very little about the era but after this am intrigued to learn more. I have since learnt that there are two other books following the main characters from this story and I will get around to reading them quicker than I did to this novel. Next I am moving on to Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes. This book imagines Hitler has been in some sort of coma for the past 50 years and suddenly wakes up in modern day Germany. It has got some very positive views. I stumbled across it by mistake as I was looking at the current Waterstones book club books and this was one of the previous clubs books and it hooked me in straight away. It is a library book I had to request so I am moving on to it straight away. This is exactly why Child 44 has sat so long on my TBR pile, I am always intrigued by new books and then just can't help myself.
  12. Many happy returns for yesterday. I happened to be in the Cirencester Waterstones last week, which is the one I think you are referring to, and was also very disappointed in the new cafe layout. The new Costa across the road however is also no better. My favourite café in Ciren is Coffee number 1, as not only do they make great coffee, they also have no wifi so you don't get table clogged with people on their computers. A great place to spend a few hours reading. I hope you enjoy all your new books.
  13. The film only came out last year and hasn't even made Sky movies yet so you could be waiting a fair while for it to show up on Netflix unfortunately. I didn't realise that Child 44 was the first inspector Leo book in a series of three books. The farm is not one of those books though. I think I may have to read the rest of the series as this book is so good.
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