bobblybear

The Uninvited - Liz Jensen The book opens with a 7 year old girl taking a nailgun to her grandparents – killing one and blinding the other. At first this seems like a one off case of this type of violence, but this is not to be. Hesketh Lock is the narrator. His job is to investigate cases of corporate sabotage and interview any whistleblowers. He provides a very unique perspective; he has Aspergers Syndrome, which is beneficial to his job as it enables to see any underlying patterns of behaviour in an objective manner. However, the Aspergers has been a detriment to his personal relationships (his ex-wife referred to him as “a robot made of meat” ), although he still remains close to his stepson, Freddy. While investigating two separate cases in Taiwan and Sweden, more instances of children turning against their parents start to occur. Hesketh begins to see patterns in these events and also some strong connections to the corporate sabotage cases he is currently investigating. Soon Freddy starts acting strangely and Hesketh must dig even deeper, to find what is causing these behavioural changes in order protect himself and his son. Hesketh is an interesting and likeable narrator, and I don't think that the book would have worked half as well had he not been the one telling the story. He provides an unusual viewpoint, and his personality is quirky and appealing. There’s a very menacing feel throughout– you can feel the suspense building but it’s not overt. Rather it's hidden away, but due to how the story is told, you can feel the bleakness and hopelessness of it. It's not a thriller by any means, because due to Hesketh's narration it's told in an almost dispassionate manner, but it works to make it more creepy. I really enjoyed reading this – in fact it may be the best of the year so far. I’ve never read any Liz Jensen before, but will most definitely be keeping an eye out for any others by her. 6/6

Just had poached egg on a slice of Coburg Cob. Well, it was so yummy I had two lots of it.

I think we're having Cornish Pasties tonight. Yummy!

Hello Nicolò! Welcome to the forum.

Hi Jones! Love the name and the story behind it! Welcome to the forum.

Hi Elizabeth. Welcome to the forum.

Hi BookGeek - a belated welcome back to the forum.

Sorry, just seen this! I can't think of anyone to compare him to. Not Jodi Picoult, as his books are more multi-layered and not just based on one event (which I find the Picoult books I have read to be). I can't say whether he is like John Irving as I haven't read any of his books - though I have some on my bookshelf. Sorry, I'm not being much help.

Gattaca is a novel? I can't find any sign of it in Amazon UK.

They are all very good, and also pretty diverse. I'm sure you'll enjoy them all.

Hate to say it, but I do think it's inevitable that we will ruin wherever we go.

I know - I'm terrible at writing reviews promptly. Then I go back to it, realise I have forgotten so many of the details, which puts me off even longer. I have a few days off work, so I'm hoping I can catch up on some. Cheeky! It's always obvious when I'm struggling with a book - I seem to read it forever. Yeah, there's no horror at all in this one, but I wouldn't say it's the best of his work. I still prefer a lot of his earlier books, but unfortunately they are more horror-based. Thanks, Pontalba. Thanks Athena - I think there are better Stephen King books out there. I wouldn't choose this one as being indicative of his work. Which other ones would you prefer to read? Thanks, Alexi. I would recommend starting with The Stand or IT. They are two of his favorites (not only mine, but many of his readers). Ok, I've added last month's purchases to my thread....they certainly do add up, don't they! Sycamore Row - John Grisham The Legacy of Heorot - Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes Columbine - Dave Cullen Dyatlov Pass - Alan K Baker Lucky Planet: Why Earth is Exceptional - And What that Means for Life in the Universe - David Waltham Stealing Phoenix - Joss Stirling The Knot - Mark Watson A Day At The Office - Matt Dunn Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s - Alwyn Turner

Thanks, Athena. But not to worry - I have many more books on my TBR that I'm sure I will find more enjoyable.

How about Gone With The Wind? That was set during the Civil War period and a fantastic read. An earlier historical fiction novel is The Pillars of the Earth; that's a brilliant read (if you've not read it before). Oh, and I just thought of another great book - The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber - set in London in the early 19th Century (if memory serves right).

I've had to put aside A Discovery of Witches, and doubt I will pick it up again. It's the constant over the top romantic cliches that just do my head in! I'm so sick of reading how constantly the vampire growls whenever he thinks his beloved is threatened, or how much she quivers and blushes when he looks her way. He's constantly holding her in his extremely manly arms while she quivers with excitement, and I just can't bear any more of it. Seriously this book could be half the length with all that romantic rubbish removed. I'm going to start on another 2012 purchase - Mr China by Tim Clissold. I can't figure out if it's fiction or non-fiction, and I'm a bit puzzled why I bought it, but I do fancy reading something a little more serious after the rubbish I've just wasted my time on so hopefully this will fit the bill!

Mr Mercedes - Stephen King Bill Hodges is a recently retired detective who is struggling to adjust to his newly acquired free time. He is slowly getting addicted to booze and daytime TV, and is toying with the idea of suicide to escape it all. Whilst wallowing in his misery, he receives a taunting letter claiming to be from the killer in an unsolved case. The case involved a Mercedes being driven into a crowd of people lining up outside a job centre, killing several and injuring more. The letter piques his interest, and he begins an independent investigation into identifying the killer and preventing the possibility of more casualties. From the start, we know who the killer is, so this isn’t a mystery novel, but rather a detective novel. The chapters change between the detective and the killers point of view, so we get familiar with both their lives, and their backgrounds. It started off brilliantly and for the most part it managed to keep the pace but it lacked something. It was definitely readable (I finished it in a weekend), but there wasn't a huge amount of excitement to it. I've read recently that it's to be the first of a trilogy. I shall reading the sequels, but probably won't rush to buy them as soon as they come out. 4/6

Thanks Pontalba and Athena. The quickest way to put me off a topic is to get all preachy about it, so thank goodness he wasn't like that!

Great reviews. I've read a few Jodi Picoult books and enjoyed them all. I do find they can be a bit overwhelming though, so I kind of have to prepare myself before starting.

I bought this one for my Kindle, because I'd heard so much about the movie. I have yet to read it though (like so many others ).

I can relate. Nice reviews, too!

So far behind in reviews......trying to catch up! The World Without Us - Alan Weisman What would happen to our world if humans vanished? As in, not killed off by something which would also affect other organisms, but if we all just disappeared in the blink of an eye? I was expecting a very broad brush approach, with a lot of talk about how the greenery would fight back and cover everything before long, but instead it focused on some very specific areas and scenarios. Among things discussed are how (obviously) nature would start to claim back the infrastructure of cities, etc, and how so much of the infrastructure is reliant on constant human intervention. For example, water would overrun underground trainlines in a matter of hours without people there to monitor and control pumps etc. Would our disappearance would have a strong impact on evolution, and could formerly extinct animals return in our absence? With no humans there would be no war - what impact would this have? A lot is covered about the impact people have had on the planet as we have evolved and developed. What about all the plastic we have left behind in the ocean which will be there many centuries after we are gone, or petrochemical and nuclear plants – if we just vanished, what would happen to the surviving animals and would it take evolution or mutation of the remaining species to survive it? All in all a very interesting read, and one I would like to refer back to at some point. There was simply too much detail to absorb all at once, but it's very clear that the author has done a lot of research. He did go off on some tangents which weren't initally straightforward to connect to the core topic, but I really liked the uniqueness of subjects covered. It can come across quite stern about what damage we are doing. However, it is told in a relatively non-preachy manner, which made it more enjoyable to read. 5/6

Thanks for your comments, Kay. It certainly was eye-opening, wasn't it? I think everyone knows that humans pollute the environment with so much of what we do, but when it is studied and examined in detail it makes it so clear just how much damage we do and how it will last for centuries and centuries. I never thought about all the plastic in the oceans, especially that when it breaks down it is still there and just as damaging, but in smaller pieces. I try to be conscious about packaging etc., but there is only so much you can do as plastics and other non-biodegradables are everywhere, and we can't always be making a conscious decision about what we do and buy, as most people just don't have the time, or it's not the kind of thing always on their mind. I read a news article very recently about a newish store which has no packaging. Can't find the actual article, but this is a description of it. I really like the idea of having to bring your own tupperware to fill, but I can't see it catching on mainstream. A big problem is that people can't see that their own small change will make such a difference, so it's easier not to bother. I'm guilty of this as well. Mother Nature will fight back at some point, and by then it may be too late for us.

I love that zipper bookmark. I usually read Kindle books so no need for bookmarks. But when I do read paperbooks, then I either use just a spare bit of paper, or a metal bookmark that I have. The problem I have is that I tend to mark each line as I'm reading with the bookmark, but the metal bookmark is a bit too heavy to do that. I try to get out of the habit, but I still do it every now and then.

I loved Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It's just the right mix of quirky, humor and seriousness. I'm about a quarter of the way through The Discovery of Witches. I'm trying to figure out where the story is heading, as not much is happening at the moment. That doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it, but I sense there's a lot more to come.

Nice review of TimeBomb, and another one to add to my wishlist. I prefer your edition to the one used in your review.