bobblybear
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Posts posted by bobblybear
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Looking for Alaska - John Green
It's so difficult to write reviews of books that I read months ago. I think I finished this one 5 months ago, so I can only go by the sketchy notes I made at the time.
Miles has opted to go to boarding school for his last two years of school. He moves to Alabama, and soon becomes fast friends with Chip, Alaska and Takumi. The story centres around Mile's and Alaska's friendship, and his desire to find out what makes her tick.
Not usually a big fan of Young Adult but this one was ok. I can't recall much about it unfortunately, but I didn't have strong feelings about it either way. Some people go mad for John Green books but I'm not one of them.
3/6
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Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig
I enjoyed Matt Haig's fiction books and was intrigued by this topic. I wouldn't say I've ever suffered from depression but I do like to read things that motivate my mood and I thought this might help.
It was told in short snappy chapters, about his experiences of depression. From when it first hit him and how he has eventually come to terms with it. There was a lot of insight into depression and how it made him feel, but no specific details as to what cured him. Some chapters were just thoughts he had, like lists of things that made him happy.
I know there was a lot of controversy that came out after this book was published, that he was anti-drug or something along those lines?? I don't actually recall reading anything specific about that in this book, but it has been several months since I read it, so it could be that I simply don't recall.
Interesting reading, but I don't know if it would necessarily 'help' someone who suffers with depression.
3/6
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Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons
This one is about 'mind-vampires' who have the “Ability” - this means they can control other people, usually to make them commit murders. Saul's first experience with this was in a concentration camp in WW2. He managed to escape and has spent his whole life intent on proving this and hunting down the mind-vampire who controlled him in Germany.
The present time is 1980, and three mind-vampires have engaged in a competition to outdo each other with murders they commit using their abilities. However this competitions spills over into a jealous fight and they go their separate ways, intending to use their powers on each other.
I'm just going to have to give up on Dan Simmons. All of his books start off so interesting but around the 50% mark I just get fed up. They are not interesting enough to be so long, and I get worn out and end up skimming through to the end. This would have been far better I'm sure if he'd condensed it down to half the size.
2/6
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I've started re-reading Christine by Stephen King. Good so far; I was a bit worried reading it again that I may not enjoy it so much this time around but it's all ok at the moment.
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11 hours ago, frankie said:
It was really, really good, wasn't it?!?! Oh man I loved it 😊
It was brilliant....one of the best I've read this year! Have you seen the series?
7 hours ago, More reading time required said:I saw the recent tv series on Sky which I enjoyed. I didn't realise until now that it was based on a book though!
I finally finished A Short History of Everything by Bill Bryson yesterday. It only took me 7 months.
Still, this was based on very inconsistent lunchtime reading. I wasn't expecting to finish it quite so soon though, as I was only 75% through it, but the last 25% was just references, bibliography and the index!
I'm hoping the series will appear on Netflix or Freeview as I'm dying to see it!!
I love A Short History of Nearly Everything. I've read it a couple of times, and like you it takes me months to read. It's the perfect book to dip in and out of.
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I enjoyed Before I Go To Sleep as well. I hope you like IT - it's my second favourite King book.
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On 25/09/2017 at 3:06 PM, shirley said:
My book reading for this week is:
JoJo Moyes - After you
I read this recently. Thought it was ok, but not as good as it's prequel.
On 29/09/2017 at 12:04 PM, Onion Budgie said:Now on to Murder On the Orient Express, which is (of course) another Poirot. I already know the twist in this one, but never mind! It's still going to be a fun ride.
I have this on my Kindle waiting to be read. I've never read an Agatha Christie book, but I hope to get to this one this year.
I'm so far behind on reviews. I haven't even updated my Reading List with books I have read, so I will have to get onto that soon! I've been in a slump in the last few months, and somehow failed to notice that it was being in my new job that was wearing me down.
Anyway, it all ended in tears (literally - I was so embarrassed ) a couple of weeks ago and I have now moved back to my old office and feeling much better! So, hopefully I can catch up on my reviews, if I remember what the books were about. I've just finished Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity last night, and it was so, so good. I thought it would be a light and fluffy chick-lit book, but there was actually a lot of depth there. It was so good that it's kind of put me off choosing another book to read as I'm still thinking about it!!
Toying with the idea of buying Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King, but the premise hasn't grabbed me, so I'm still hesitating. Decisions, decisions.....
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On 19/09/2017 at 9:36 PM, More reading time required said:
I finished Wizard & Glass the other day which I enjoyed.
That's my favourite book of The Dark Tower series.
Last night I finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I really shouldn't fall for the subtitled blurb: "The Most Exciting and Mind-Blowing Thriller You'll Read This Year".
Thought it was silly and pretty poorly written. Now I'm reading What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro, which is about body-language. I'm still trying to decide on my next fiction read.
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On 16/09/2017 at 9:57 AM, willoyd said:
Wow - I just love that. For me that's very Austenesque (can't pay a better compliment!), and so makes me want to keep reading.
The whole book was very good. I finished it yesterday and it was one of the highlights of the year for me.
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine has gone onto my wishlist. I'm not a great socialiser either, so maybe I can relate to it as well.
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Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greenness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of a smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew well had all smelled distinctly.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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I have owned Foucault's Pendulum for probably close to 20 years but have always been too daunted by it's size and reputation to pick it up. After your review, I'm still not sure if I should read it anytime soon.
Sounds a bit heavy going. -
The three books in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman are £0.99 each today on Kindle. I've bought them, as I've been waiting for the price to come down for a while now.
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Sometimes 250 pages can seem like Mount Everest these days.
Guns, Germs and Steel is a very good read. Unfortunately, I never ended up finishing it. I read about 3/4's (maybe more), put it aside to read a fiction book, and just couldn't remember what I'd read when I picked it up again.
I think I preferred The Rise and Fall of The Third Chimpanzee which I intend to re-read in the near future.
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September already.....the months are just flying by!
I finished The Catcher in the Rye. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say I loved it.
Now reading The Whites by Richard Price which is pretty gritty and harsh. Good though!!
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Hi Eds....welcome to the forum.
I read American Psycho many many years ago but didn't enjoy it. However, I bought it a couple of months ago as it was only £0.99 for Kindle. I've yet to read it again....not sure if my opinion will have changed though!
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5 hours ago, Anna Begins said:
I'll have to look up the footage- I am obsessed with mountain climbing now. Into Thin Air is a really good book. Have you read anything else by Krakauer?
No, but I also have Into The Wild on my Kindle, and I've seen the movie that was based on the book. Very good film....I just need to find the time to read the book!
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On 26/08/2017 at 11:45 PM, Little Pixie said:
I'm up to page 174 of The Goldfinch by Donna Tarry. It's great so far, but I'm still feeling the loss of my reading mono. Hopefully reading something so good will restart my reading engine.
I loved The Goldfinch...glad to hear you are enjoying it, and I hope your mojo returns full force soon!
On 28/08/2017 at 9:05 AM, Nollaig said:I finished Harbour. While there was a lot I loved about it (the writing, characters, setting, concept), it was reeeeeeally drawn out and kept jumping from present day to the past to fill in the gaps about what's happening in the community. It seemed to take a very lot time to tell, essentially, quite a simple story. And it was enjoyable, but not very rewarding, ultimately. So I only gave it 3 stars. (@bobblybear)
Thanks for letting me know. I won't rush to read it then, given that I have so many others to read!
1 hour ago, Anna Begins said:Some new ones I enjoyed were Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which I read as an Immersion Reading book. That got me interested in mountain climbing books- this is totally NOT me at all lol- and I also enjoyed K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles Houston and Robert Bates. One of my next reads will also be about a K2 climb (one of the worlds 14, 8,000 meter mountains (28,000 feet). They are the highest in the world- topped by Everest- but K2 is more deadly. It is in Pakistan).
Welcome back, Anna!
I have Into Thin Air on my Kindle, waiting to be read. Have you read about all the bodies that have been left on Everest? Also, there is footage on YouTube of the moment they found George Mallory's body....that was pretty eerie. I'm reading The Lost City of Z at the moment, which is so fascinating. It's about the British explorer Percy Fawcett, who went missing in the Amazon jungle while looking for evidence of an ancient civilisation. Brilliant stuff.
I went to the library today and borrowed the following:
The Catcher In The Rye - JD Salinger
The Whites - Richard Price
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Corner - David Simon and Ed Burns
I've discovered the Top Ten series of articles on The Guardian and have been going through all the comments and adding book after book to my wishlist (hence the trip to the library). Well worth a look if you want to add to your TBR pile.
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3 hours ago, Nollaig said:
So, I'm reading Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist which so far I'm enjoying a lot.
I keep seeing this at the library and can't decide whether to give it a go!
I'm now reading We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. I'm intrigued so far.
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Three Karin Slaughter books are the Kindle Daily Deal for £0.99 each.
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I'm reading two books at the moment. The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett which falls under neuropsychology. And for a lighter touch, I'm also reading After You by Jojo Moyes. I'm still drastically behind on reviews...I have no idea what is going on but I just find it hard to motivate myself to write them.
I'm still reading though, so that's the main thing I guess! -
Oh brilliant! I've checked, and I already have about 4 of them, so have bought the ones I didn't have. Such a bargain considering how big those books are!
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Added it to my wishlist, as I've mostly enjoyed his books.
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On 02/08/2017 at 7:02 PM, ian said:
My Thoughts
Am I allowed to say that I'm a little disappointed? And here's the thing: it's because there's a supernatural element to this. I remember when the first book came out, and it was billed as the first book in a "straight" trilogy. Well, he managed two, but I guess he couldn't help himself. But, that aside, this is a thrilling read. I've got a lot going on at the moment, and it's taken a really good book like this to keep me interested, as I think otherwise, reading would have taken a back seat. As an end of a trilogy, it's got everything you want (except maybe just a little bit more!) 4/5
My feelings exactly. I finished this one last month, and it was my least favourite of the three, largely because of the supernatural element.
Bobblybear's Book List - 2017
in Past Book Logs
Posted
All I Ever Wanted - Kristan Higgins
I have no idea why I bought this. No idea! It's a Mills and Boon book for goodness sakes, and I've never been remotely interested in those books at all.
However, having said that, I did manage to read it through to the end.
Callie has been in love with her boss for a long time. They were school friends, and were involved romantically for a couple of months, until Mark ended things. Now Mark is engaged to someone else, Callie is devastated, but of course a new man has arrived in town.....etc. You can guess what happens next.
It was ok, but very predictable and not my usual read. If you are into romances, you'll probably love it.
3/6