karen.d

I also thought that Bo might win this, but Leanne definitely came out fighting last night...what a voice!

Like you, I'm new to 'Game of Thrones' and having only watched the first episode, I already think that this is going to be really good. I hope you enjoy it!

The Voice, I can't work out which one will win!!

I think that Jedward's singing has improved a little.....although judging what they were like before, that's not saying much. Also I think that one of the problems with Hump's song was that although lovely, it was very old fashioned.

Great review! I loved this book too and am looking forward to reading the other novels in the series.

'Sunday Snippet' Apologises for not having done a 'Sunday Snippet' for a while. We have had visitors for the last month and so I have been very busy. I have had enough time to make progress with 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin and I'm glad that I have persisted with it. I can't say that it is the best book that I have read, I find that it has peaks and troughs when it come to exciting storyline and dialogue, but it's turning out to be more interesting than I had anticipated. Whilst reading this novel, I have found myself wondering whether or not this book would translate better on screen rather on the page. I don't do this with a lot of novels, in fact 99% of the time I think that film adaptations to books are never as good as it's original text. However with 'The Passage' I think the story/action would be better shown rather than told. What do you think? Have you ever seen a film adaptation of a novel, which was better than the original text? Here's a 'snippet': Page 497: 'The approached the station from the rear. Inside its fenced compund they detected no sign of movement. "You hear that?" Alicia said. Peter stopped to listen. "I don't hear anything." "That's because the fence if off." 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin

I'm so glad that I have kept going with this because it has turned out a great read. I'm not saying that it has its flaws (some parts remind me of a family melodrama, but the part that I have come to is turning into the most gripping part. I hope that it doesn't build up, get to a really exciting, gripping part and then finish so that I have to wait for the next book, to find out what happens next!

I watched Eurovision last night and I can't say that I was surprised that the U.K came so low in points, because it's all politics these days. I did think that the Russian grannies were hilarious and I hate to admit it, but I thought Jedward's song was rather catchy . I'm not very well at the moment, so it must be the Strepsils talking.

I've read nearly 300 pages of 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin and I'm really not sure what to make of this book at all. I found this book very slow and difficult to get into,but after about 150-200 pages I was really getting into it. Now the story has switched completely and I feel it's like 2/3 genres of books rolled into one. It seems to be a book with an identity crisis. Is it just me or has anyone else found that with this book?

I agree with you on this. At times, I felt that she was very immature, so I found it difficult to pinpoint the age of Cassandra. Possibly at the time of the novel, teenagers were less mature than they are nowadays, but I felt like her immaturity wasn't realistic.

I think image with the girl drew me into reading this novel. I had no idea of what this book was about, but the darkness and atmosphere that one image projects, made me want to find out more.

That's really sweet! No my copy has a different cover. It's the one on one of the posts above this one.

Having posted this I have since read on a little and you're right it is getting better Do you have the hardback or paperback version of this? I was luck enough to find the hardback version at a really cheap price when out shopping in a supermarket one day.

I feel a little deceived by 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin. For anyone that doesn't know, the front cover looks like this: Looking at this I assumed that this is going to be rather dark and mysterious. Ok I have only read 82 pages of this, but so far I'm finding it be slow and mediocre. I will still keep reading this, but have you ever had certain expectations of a novel just by looking at the cover? Did the content within fulfill that expectation, or were you left disappointed? Here's a 'snippet': Page 82: 'In his office on L2, Richards was sitting at his terminal, his mind deep inside a game of free cell.' 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin.

I have made some progress with 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin this afternoon. So far I'm a little disappointed, it's a very slow read.

This book sounds really interesting. I may have to put this on my TBR list! Great review

'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins Publisher: Scholastic Length: 454 Pages Opening Line: 'When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.' What's good about this novel? Being in my 30's I was a bit unsure whether or not I was going to enjoy this novel. However, something intrigued me enough to give this a go. I thought that this novel is very well written. Suzanne Collins' writing has maturity and is able to convey a lot of information and back story of the characters, within losing the pace of the novel. The characters in this are very believeable. I also liked the way that the main protagonist of this novel Katniss, is a strong female character, who doesn't pine over boys and is generally silly. The story itself is rather disturbing at times, there is a lot of violence, but the suspense that's in this novel, meant that I couldn't put this book down. The ending leaves with a cliff hanger, that makes me really want to read the rest of this trilogy. What's wrong with this novel? Due to the violent/mature nature of this novel, I'm unsure whether this should be for Young Adults at all. An adult could easily read this novel and still find it uncomfortable reading at times. On the other hand, it's refreshing to see a YA author not talk down or dumb down their work. Is this worth a read? I think that 'The Hunger Games' is worth a read. However if you're easily offended/disturbed, you maybe want to avoid this novel.

'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith Publisher: Random House Length: 408 Pages Opening Line: 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.' What's good about this novel? I thought that the writing in this novel was very good. The descriptions of the castle and the surrounding landscape were beautiful and vivid. I felt that I was being transported to the tranquil peace of the countryside and, in the section where Cassandra travels to London, to the hustle and bustle of the city. I also liked the fact that this novel is written as diary entries. Not only does make the book more realistic, but it also draws the reader into the story. The characters are well formed and believeable. I could identify with a few of the characters, they reminded me of people I know in real life. However, in the case of Topaz, there is a unique quality to her. What's wrong with this novel? I found a few things difficult with this novel. The fact that Cassandra's sister Rose was marrying for money and believing in silly superstitions, perceived her as a weak character. In fact, I thought that this was a weak plot in the story. I also found it a little strange that Cassandra helps Rose, then suddenly changes her behaviour rather abruptly, to then pine over the man in question. I thought that this was a little feeble and in some parts, rather over dramatic. Is this worth a read? Yes I do think this is worth a read. The landscape depicted is beautiful and most of the characters, very well rounded. There are elements within the story which let this book down in my opinion, but overall this is a very good read.

Chick lit seems to be the same story, but different every time. Once I read a few, I spotted the pattern and got bored after that. Chick Lit may be great for the beach but like you, I prefer something meatier.

I saw this the other day and thought it was very good. It's not as good as the book in my opinion, but it's a faithful adaptation.

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

1. Which story was your favourite, and why? I enjoyed the plot line which followed Cassandra's father regaining the confidence and inspiration to come out of his depression and begin writing again. I can relate to this character, as Cassandra's father is similar to someone I actually know. 2. Who was your favourite character (from one story or from each story), and why? I think Topaz is my favourite character within the novel. She is not only elegant and eccentric, but also kind and caring towards her step children. In most novels, the step parents is portrayed as unpleasant and aloof, so it was a nice change to have a reasonably positive portrayal of a step parent. 3. Was there a particular part that you enjoyed or disliked more than the rest? The part I enjoyed best was when Cassandra and Rose travel to London to retrieve the fur coats. The descriptions of the landscape was full of energy and I could feel the connection that the two sisters had with each other. I also enjoyed the part when Cassandra is performing the Midsummer ritual, purely for its description. The part I disliked, was the plunge into depression that Cassandra felt, after kissing Simon. I felt that her reaction to this and the subsequent distance from Simon, was over dramatic and annoying, considering that she helped Rose to get together with Simon in the first place. 4. Was this the first book you've read in this genre, or by this author? Has it encouraged you to read more? Yes 'I Capture the Castle' was the first novel I have read by Dodie Smith and judging by the beautiful descriptions within this novel, I would definitely read more of Smith's novels. 5. Were there any parts or ideas you struggled with? The elements I struggled with, were the plotting Cassandra and Rose made, for Rose to marry a rich man. I also found it particularly difficult to deal with the part when Rose kisses the angel/devil in the house in order to capture a man. I thought this portrayed them as weak females characters. 6. How did you find the experience of reading a collection of short stories? Were you able to engage with the characters in the same way? I would disagree that 'I Capture the Castle' is a collection of short stories. For me, a collection of short stories are unique, self contained stories put together, whereas 'I Capture the Castle' is a complete story, told in diary entries. 7. Overall, did you find it an enjoyable experience? Yes I enjoyed 'I Capture the Castle'. It's extremely well written and has believable, well formed characters.

Having now seen the film I can comment more on this. I thought that the way in which the director shot the violence within this film was clever, because the quick flashes of brutality made it so that you saw details but it took a second for me to register what happened. I did feel at times that form of camera work, was a little disorientating though. Overall I think that the film version is very true to the original text (some minor details missed out), but did rush things a little. I prefer the book, but the director has done quite a good job of the film adaptation.