bobblybear Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Good to hear there's two of use who liked it BB! Definitely disturbing, I felt very odd for a while after but thought it brilliant that written words could have that effect on me!! I know what you mean about feeling odd; the ending left me very uneasy and I felt what happened was so wrong, yet it was such an effective way to end the book. I like that people are calling it disturbing! I like disturbing! Is that bad? I like disturbing too. Even if they aren't the best books, they often leave a long after-taste. Have you read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro? That's a very disturbing book, but with such subtlety. I don't know how the author did it, but you can just feel a sense of menace as you read the book, on an almost subconscious level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) I like disturbing too. Even if they aren't the best books, they often leave a long after-taste. Have you read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro? That's a very disturbing book, but with such subtlety. I don't know how the author did it, but you can just feel a sense of menace as you read the book, on an almost subconscious level. Another for the wish list then! Edited December 30, 2012 by chaliepud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I like disturbing too. Even if they aren't the best books, they often leave a long after-taste. Have you read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro? That's a very disturbing book, but with such subtlety. I don't know how the author did it, but you can just feel a sense of menace as you read the book, on an almost subconscious level. I agree - and The Unconsoled (also by Kazuo Ishiguro) is also very subtly disturbing. It's quite a bit longer, over 500 pages, but a very compelling read. It's probably about ten years since I read it, but it still makes me feel a bit unsettled when I think about it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Oooh awesome, thanks for those recommendations, guys! I have Never Let Me Go, THE one everyone hears about, but I haven't read it yet. I'll definitely look into those other two titles though, they're going on the wishlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I agree - and The Unconsoled (also by Kazuo Ishiguro) is also very subtly disturbing. It's quite a bit longer, over 500 pages, but a very compelling read. It's probably about ten years since I read it, but it still makes me feel a bit unsettled when I think about it now. Ooh, another one for the wishlist then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Good luck with your reading next year, Nollaig. I've read a few on your TBR lists but the ones I would heartily recommend are: The Crimson Petal & The White // Michael Faber The Sunday Philosophy Club // Alexander McCall Amith The Earth Hums In B-Flat // Mari Strachan Happy reading in 2013! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Thanks! I have a feeling that I picked up The Earth Hums In B-Flat from you, actually! I bought it sometime last year after seeing it mentioned on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) I have A Pale View of Hills on my list already, so I added The Unconsoled too, and Her Fearful Symmetry. Edited December 31, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I have A Pale View of Hills on my list already, so I added The Unconsoled too, and Her Fearful Symmetry. I hope you enjoy them, Devi, I have read all three and enjoyed them very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I picked it up soley because it was a cheap second hand copy and I had seen his name around the place - it looks like quite a daunting read and I doubt I'll be getting it to for quite some time! Incredibly rich read - I found it suprisingly easy to get into though - easier than some of his others which I didn't (get into) - and really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Incredibly rich read - I found it suprisingly easy to get into though - easier than some of his others which I didn't (get into) - and really enjoyed it. Oooh awesome, good to hear that! It's a little less daunting now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 First book of the year finished! (I may have cheated by starting it in December and reading the last 45 pages this morning ) The Alchemyst The Secrets Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel: Book 1 by Michael Scott Synopsis from Amazon: Nicholas Flamel is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects - the Book of Abraham the Mage. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. *** I have reservations about this book - mostly about the lacklustre writing and the fact that I didn't really warm to many of the characters - but there is definitely something very compelling about it. The more I learned about the intricate backdrop Scott devised for the story, the more I warmed to the overall concept. Rather than create his own fantastical creatures from scratch, he has woven all the myths and legends of our word, across all cultures, into a diverse but unified whole, and I really liked that about it. I also love where the story is going - the author threw me a few curveballs which I didn't see coming, but I loved them all. Hekate, and her part in the story, easily is one of my favourites as I really didn't see it coming and it genuinely moved me. I also like the title character and his foe - and the fact that even at the end of the first book I'm not entirely sure which of them I can really trust. All in all, an enjoyable read, and while nothing spectacular on the surface, it alludes to a richer depth which I'm hoping will come into its own in later books. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I made a start on this one a while ago, but didn't get very far. Do you think it's worth another try at some point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 That's genuinely tough to answer, Michelle. I can absolutely see why you didn't get very far, because even now I'm very very unsure of the writing and the characters. What caught my interest is more where it COULD go, rather than what the first book contained. It could ultimately result in a massive waste of my time, but I'm intrigued enough to continue. I think it's worth giving the full first book a chance, yes. But if you've tried once and given up, I honestly don't know if it's worth your time going back. Contender for the most unhelpful answer ever? I think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Maybe I'll wait to see if you think later books make it worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I have 10 of the same books as you on my TBR list Sophie's World The Beach Miss Similia's Feeling For Snow The Line Of Beauty The Swan Thieves Her Fearful Symmetry The English Patient Midnight's Children We Need To Talk About Kevin I really enjoyed reading The Crimson & The White, The Kite Runner & i loved all the Stieg Larsson books so hope you enjoy those too. I have to say I thought The Alchemist was awful & i didn't like The Suspicions Of Mr Wicher either but i did like one of her other books i read in the summer The Queen Of Whale Cay. Best of luck with your reading & book challenges this year Noll & i look forward to reading your reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Happy Reading in 2013 Noll! Great books. I must second (or third or fourth or whatever) Jonathan Stroud, especially his Bartimaeous books (though I did like Heroes of the Valley too) and also A Pale View of Hills, Never Let Me Go, The Earth Hums In B-Flat, The Suspicions Of Mr. Whicher, Love in the Time of Cholera and Middlesex I was really impressed by We Need To Talk About Kevin too, not normally my sort of thing but totally gripping, couldn't put it down. The Artemis Fowl books are great as well, at least the first four are, I sort of left off then though I don't know why, must put that right. Good Luck!! Look forward to hearing your thoughts on all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks Poppy and KM! It's always nice to hear people seconding recommendations anyway because it reassures me the book is going to be good, and I'm far more likely to pick it up quicker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I'll be looking forward to seeing how you get on with your YA books. I'm not familiar with William Joyce and Michael Scott but they sound up my street. Shall look forward to reviews! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks Jessi! I can already heartily recommend William Joyce, as I've read 2 of his 3 YA novels. I'm just waiting til I finish the third to write an overall review (which I already know will be glowing). Joyce's books are the companion stories to the recent Dreamworks Animation, Rise Of The Guardians. The film isn't an adaptation - it was devised to accompany the books, which are set several hundred years earlier. In other news, I got part two of a secret santa present today (it arrived before Christmas, but I had finished work by then so it was in the office over Christmas!) - Mort by Terry Pratchett! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) The Magicians (re-read) // Lev Grossman The Magician King // Lev Grossman I really enjoyed The Codex by this author and I need to borrow The Magicians from OH at some point. I take it you like it if you're going to re-read it. Emotional Geology // Linda Gillard Star Gazing // Star Gazing I enjoyed both but I think I preferred Star gazing. It was really interesting to read from a blind character's perspective. Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and The Great Debate About The Nature Of Reality // Manjit Kumar I think I may have already said how much I liked this The Beach // Alex Garland The Beach // Alex Garland - I have this on my TBR so I look forward to reading your thoughts on it if you get round to reading it in 2013. I absolutely loved this book. One of my all time favourites. I think it combines great writing with a real page-turning story as well as interesting characters. A perfect combo in my opinion. Look forward to hearing both of your thoughts. Edited January 2, 2013 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I think you first mentioned Quantum by Manjit Kumar a couple of years ago Noll. I always wanted to read this . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I like that people are calling it disturbing! I like disturbing! Is that bad? No I like disturbing too. Even if they aren't the best books, they often leave a long after-taste. Have you read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro? That's a very disturbing book, but with such subtlety. I don't know how the author did it, but you can just feel a sense of menace as you read the book, on an almost subconscious level. Oooh awesome, thanks for those recommendations, guys! I have Never Let Me Go, THE one everyone hears about, but I haven't read it yet. I'll definitely look into those other two titles though, they're going on the wishlist! I've also read A Pale View of Hills and would recommend it, too. But I'm not sure I would call it disturbing, or maybe it's a different type of 'disturbing'. If I remember correctly, Nollaig, you've read a Mo Hayder book and found it disturbing? I've not read any Mo Hayders but I have a feeling they are disturbing in a very different way from APVoH. If you guys want disturbing, read A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs or Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite. But those two are also disturbing in very different ways. Now this notion of 'disturbing' is disturbing me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 I really enjoyed The Codex by this author and I need to borrow The Magicians from OH at some point. I take it you like it if you're going to re-read it. Yep, I loved The Magicians. It's not the best book ever written, but I thoroughly enjoyed how dark and adult and generally messed-up it is. I think you first mentioned Quantum by Manjit Kumar a couple of years ago Noll. I always wanted to read this . I did, I bought it a long time ago and just have never gotten around to reading it! I'm looking forward to it too, but I think your brain needs to really be switched on for it,and mine hasn't been switched on in about 2 years. If you guys want disturbing, read A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs or Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite. But those two are also disturbing in very different ways. Now this notion of 'disturbing' is disturbing me... I will have to check these out! And the word 'disturbing' has now lost all meaning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 If you guys want disturbing, read A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs or Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite. But those two are also disturbing in very different ways. Now this notion of 'disturbing' is disturbing me... I will have to check these out! And the word 'disturbing' has now lost all meaning I think I will check these out too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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