Michelle's Reading in 2013

[Athena]

That is a very pretty cover.. I hope you enjoy your books .

[Devi]

Rags and bones looks like it could be a good read! Looking forward to hearing what you think.

[poppyshake]

Lovely cover and Neil Gaiman amongst others contributing so should be good. Hope you enjoy it Michelle

[Michelle]

I've read 2 and a 1/2 of the stories, including the Neil Gaiman one, and they're rather good!

[Michelle]

I'm doing well with Rags and Bones, and there are some really good short stories in there. I also find these kinds of books a good way to try out various authors, so I'm getting a good idea who to look out for, and who to avoid.

 

Last night and this morning I read ZomB by Darren Shan - it was 99p on kindle and I wondered how he would approach zombies for kids! It was an easy read, with such an obvious storyline that it hits you over the head, but at the same time, the zombie descriptions are very gory and would scare quite a few younger readers. He sells well, so there must be an audience just right for him. 

 

I'm about halfway through The Troop, and not sure whether to continue (it's a review book) - it reminds me of the likes of John Saul (experiments gone wrong) and Richard Laymon (descriptions leaving nothing to the imagination). There's something a bit addictive to it, but I'm avoiding the descriptions of torturing and killing animals, and I can only see it getting worse. Hmm.. I think I've just made my mind for me about giving up! lol

 

Audio-wise, I've was listening to The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, but I'm a bit disappointed that some of the stories are also on Bradbury 13, which I've just finished. I then fell asleep a couple of times whilst listening (which is unlike me, maybe it's the narrator's voice?!) and have lost my place. I must get back soon.

 

I then started listening to X Minus 1, which is a large collection of SF radio plays from the 50's. A few I've fast forwarded few, but most are great.

[Michelle]

I've just finished a YA book called Vivian Versus the Apocalypse. It was one of those which I ordered, then decided I wasn't sure about it. I picked it up, and ended up really liking it. America is in the grips of The Church of America, a sinister cult which has predicted The Rapture. When people actually do disappear, including Vivian's parent's, she sets off to try to find some answers.

 

There is a romance, but it's a gentle one, which is just a small part of the story, and Vivian's friendship with Harp is shown as more important - which was refreshing in YA.

 

Audio is Allegiant - I am really loving being back in the Divergent world, but there's a lot to take in, and at the midway mark I'm a little disappointed in the way it seems to be going, but I really want to see how she wraps it all up. 

[chaliepud]

Let me know when you finish 'Allegiant" Michelle, we can compare notes, I finished yesterday!

[Michelle]

Ok.. I've now reached 60 books read or listened to, with quite a few still being read and some deserted. My last kindle read was Girl, Stolen, which I'm afraid was only ok, it just didn't stand out for me. Audio has been drifting between various SF listens, including some Ray Bradbury short stories, and 50s radio plays. I then chose The Martian, which was a bit of a surprise hit...

 

I'm pretty much f**ked. 
That's my considered opinion. 
F**ked. 
Six days in to what should be the greatest two months of my life, and it's turned in to a 
nightmare. I don't even know who'll read this. I guess someone will find it eventually.
Maybe a hundred years from now. 
For the record... I didn't die on Sol 6. Certainly the rest of the crew thought I did, and I 
can't blame them. Maybe there'll be a day of national mourning for me, and my 
Wikipedia page will say "Mark Watney is the only human being to have died on Mars."
And it'll be right, probably. Cause I'll surely die here. Just not on Sol 6 when everyone
thinks I did.
Let's see... where do I begin?

The story flicks between Mark's journal entries, and what's going on back on earth to try to save him. It's receiving split reviews.. there are quite a few technical details as he tries to survive, but they didn't bother me too much, and some have complained about the language.. but there's not that much, and it seems relevant to the story and his stress levels! lol It has the feel of a hit film, and I stayed up late waiting to find out if he survived. 

 

Paper book: I'm now into The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, so hopefully I'll continue to enjoy it. I have a few others I've had trouble with, and have put down.

Kindle: Despite trying not to take on review books, I do have 5 on my kindle. I'm enjoying Shadowplay by Laura Lam the most, so will probably stick with that one.

Audio: I'm listening to Pride and Prejudice. Beth has it for her GCSE book, so I promised to read it so I could help her. I prefer the audio, and thanks to Claire I have a good narrator. When I'm not in the mood for that I have another Holly Black, White Cat, Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) and the SF short stories to go back to!

[Kidsmum]

I like the sound of The Martian & i think it's something my teenage son will like as well, i'm always looking for books to lure him away from the games console, but i think i'll wait till it comes out in paperback 

[Athena]

60 books, congrats !

[Kylie]

How's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown going, Michelle? I like the sound of this one.

[Michelle]

Yep, it's been pretty good so far. I enjoy Holly Black's writing, so that helps.

[Michelle]

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was finished last night, and I really liked it. It is supposedly YA, but it's certainly for older teens, and it doesn't have a lightweight feel to it. The vampires in it are quite a good balance - they're very seductive but it also shows the bad side. I don't have time to explain more right now, but it's one of the better vampire books.

[Michelle]

I like the sound of The Martian & i think it's something my teenage son will like as well, i'm always looking for books to lure him away from the games console, but i think i'll wait till it comes out in paperback 

Sorry, I missed this. I think it was originally a kindle freebie, but then it became popular, and jumped up in price.  Keep your eye out for the paperback, or for cheaper copies.

[Kidsmum]

Sorry, I missed this. I think it was originally a kindle freebie, but then it became popular, and jumped up in price.  Keep your eye out for the paperback, or for cheaper copies.

 

I checked it out on the library website & they have it on order so i reserved it & i'm first in the queue so thanks to you i beat the rush 

[Michelle]

I should have my current book and audiobook finished by the end of the year, so that'll make 68, a few more than the past 2 years.

 

The following are the ones which stood out, for various reasons:

 

The Phenomenals: A Tangle of Traitors by FE Higgins
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M Valente
Fractured by Terry Teri
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones
What's Up With Jody Barton by Hayley Long
Dead Silence by Kimberley Derting
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Inverted World by Christopher Priest
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
The Space Machine by Christopher Priest (audio)
Linked by Imogen Howson
Across the Universe / A Million Suns / Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Stray by Monica Hesse

More Than This by Patrick Ness
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard

Rags and Bones by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt

Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary

The Martian by Andy Weir

White Cat / Red Glove / Black Heart by Holly Black 

[Athena]

68 is a great total! I'm glad you had a good reading year .

[Michelle]

Review of Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary

 

After reading a lot of crime novels a few years ago, it became something I tended to avoid. Occasionally though, a review copy arrives which captures my attention, and I discover a book which offers something more. Someone Else’s Skin was one of those books.

 

The main character is Marnie Rome, a detective whose own parents were murdered. There’s something compelling about Marnie, a character you can’t quite make out – she is of course struggling with her parent’s death, and she can be quite harsh to her colleagues, and yet there’s something very likeable about her as well. I’m really hoping that Sarah is given the chance to write more in this series, as I feel there’s a lot more to come.

 

The initial crime happens whilst Marnie is investigating another – as she and her partner arrive to interview the resident of a woman’s shelter, they discover another woman’s husband lying stabbed on the floor. The setting of a woman’s shelter is an interesting one, and allows Sarah to explore to feelings and actions of all involved, and it’s this which adds depth to this story.

 

This is a well written, polished debut, combining good story telling with characters which grab hold.  Published in Feb 2014, this is one to look out for!

[Michelle]

I managed to squeeze in one more book, Torn by Cat Clarke. This is the second book I've read of hers, and it won't be the last, she's a very interesting YA writer.

[Michelle]

Ok, let's see if I can get this down to a top 10 of 2013...

 

Fractured by Terry Teri
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Inverted World by Christopher Priest
Across the Universe / A Million Suns / Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
More Than This by Patrick Ness

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
The Martian by Andy Weir

White Cat / Red Glove / Black Heart by Holly Black 

 

Even cheating by including trilogies as one, that was HARD! 

[chaliepud]

I have Fractured and The 5th Wave on my TBR and More Than This on my wish list so looks like I have some good reads to look forward to.  I've also read Torn by Cat Clarke and really enjoyed (if thats the word considering the subject matter!) it, what else has she written Michelle? 

[Michelle]

If you liked Slated, you should like Fractured, I thought it was better, and am looking forward to the final book in March. The 5th Wave was a surprise hit, which pulled me out of a reading slump. More Than This was brilliant, I love his writing.  Cat Clarke has also written Entangled, which I'm yet to read, and Undone, which I also 'enjoyed'. I like her style, she mixes general 'light' YA themes with deeper ones, they're highly readable, but offer something more. 

[chaliepud]

I've not read Slated but I'm presuming now that it is a trilogy so I will pop it on my wish list! I will look up the other Cat Clarke's too.

[Michelle]

Ah, yes - Fractured is book 2. I was annoyed with the way Slated ended, because I had to wait for Fractured, so you'll do better having them both ready.

[chaliepud]

Ah, yes - Fractured is book 2. I was annoyed with the way Slated ended, because I had to wait for Fractured, so you'll do better having them both ready.

 

Ah, but then I'll have to wait for Book 3!