lauraloves Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 #8 -The Borrowers Afloat - Mary Norton Started - 1/2/13 Finished - 6/2/13 Format - Paperback book Synopsis - The Borrowers are homeless again. The gamekeeper's cottage, their latest refuge, is being closed up. Luckily their friend Spiller comes to the rescue and introduces them to a new home by the river, in a kettle! Once more the Borrowers find themselves in the middle of a huge adventure. My Thoughts - I am currently working my way through the whole series of The Borrowers and this is the third out of five books. In this book Arrietty and her family are living with Aunt Lupy and her family in a gamekeepers cottage. However the family dont really like this arrangement and then the humans decide to move out so it could be fatal for all the borrowers with all those mouths to feed. So the three borrowers leave in the middle of the night with there friend Spiller who always turns up at the right moment. in this book they end up floating down the river in Spillers kettle, hence the picture on the front of the book. I did like this book however it was a little bit predictable for my liking. I know that its a childrens book and its going to be easy reading but i did think it is a bit too simular to the second book for my liking. still it is a good book and i think that children will enjoy it a lot. Rating - 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 #9 - The Borrowers Aloft - Mary Norton Started - 6/2/13 Finished 10/2/13 Format - Paperback book Synopsis - The Borrowers have found the perfect place to live - a complete model village! But their life is disturbed once again when Mr Platter, who has a rival scheme, decides he wants some live inhabitants for his village. The ingenious Borrowers thwart Mr Platter's plans and escape from hisgrasp... My Thoughts - This is the fourth book out of five in the borrowers series. In this book Arrietty and her family finally reach the village of Little Fordham a model village where they settle. However there is a simular village nearby where the owners kidnap the borrowers and lock them in an attic for the winter. I did like this book more than i did the previous two. I did enjoy the story between the two villages and how they were trying to always better each other. I enjoyed this too as the storyline had a bit more of the convential borrowing as described in the first book. Overall a good story and one i think children will like. Rating - 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 #10 - The Borrowers Avenged - Mary Norton Started - 10/2/13 Finshed 12/2/13 Format - Paperback book Synopsis - The Borrowers are back - Pod, Homily and Arrietty have managed to escape from the fiendish Potters, though only by the skin of their teeth - or, more precisely, with the help of Spiller who navigated them downriver in an old knifebox. This is the fifth Borrowers story. My Thoughts - This is the final installment of The Borrowers series and i have to say this one here has really brought the series round for me in a good way. In this book Arrietty and her family are finally able to borrow again in a house. They meet another Borrower along the way, Peagren, which if my memory serves correctly in the movie version Peagren is actually Arriettys brother and played by Tom Felton. There is also the ending of the long running story between the humans, the Potters especially and i really liked how this was explained. As it was a childrens book it is fairly obvious that good will triumph over bad and things like that but all in all a good story. At the end of the book we are finally given a taste as to when the book series is set and its actually set before the first world war which i didnt expect i thought it was later on than that. I have really enjoyed reading this series of books and I'm going to buy my younger cousin a set for her birthday this year, she will be seven so i hope its a book series she will like. Rating - 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 What lovely covers Laura....!!! I bought The Borrowers for my daughter but we haven't got round to reading it yet but i loved the stories when i was younger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 What lovely covers Laura....!!! I bought The Borrowers for my daughter but we haven't got round to reading it yet but i loved the stories when i was younger I loved the covers so much they are so pretty I hope you and your daughter enjoy it when you get around to reading it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Oops! I'd done really well not buying books but yesterday i had a bit of a book buying day. We went into Waterstones yesterday and my lovely fiance brought me two books! I got Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop and also At Home by Bill Bryson both of these sound very good! When i got home I downloaded British History Dummies by Sean Lang and I also downloaded next months reading circle book, Dangeous Liaisons by Pierre de Laclos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 #11 - In The Company of Ghosts - Stephen A. Hunt Started - 12/2/13 Finished - 16/2/13 Format - Kindle e-book Synopsis - Agatha Witchley used to be a spy in the Cold War, but now she's locked up in the UK's premier maximum-security mental institution. She believes that the ghosts of the celebrity dead visit her padded cell and whisper the world's secrets in her ears. Which is a big problem for the Britishgovernment, because she's the only one who can help them when an American billionaire is murdered in London in one of the strangest killings yet.The Home Secretary needs the case locked down and solved before the entrepreneur’s death becomes public knowledge and economic chaos ensures.The woman he has in mind for the job might be paranoid, she might be lethal, she might half-insane and drawing a pension, but it's amazing how you can forgive that in a genius when it's a genius's help you need.Yes, the security forces need Agatha Witchley again. It's just the ghosts of Churchill, Elvis andGroucho Marx they could do without. My Thoughts - I downloaded this book when i first had my kindle as the synopsis sounded quite good. Spying, ghosts, cold war, famous peoples ghosts whats not to love? This book is about Agatha Witchley, an elderly lady who can see the ghosts of famous people awho is recruited to try and help to solve the particually strange murder of a buisnessman. However, this is really all i can tell you about the book. It seemed to have two very different plot lines to it, the murder and that part and the ghost part. They didnt really seem to interact with each other at all and i couldnt really understand or follow what was going on. This is the first book in a series of books and maybe this is why i didnt understand it much but i dont think ill be in a rush to read anymore i really did not enjoy this book at all. Rating - 1/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I got Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop and also At Home by Bill Bryson both of these sound very good! At Home is a great read, I read it last year. Hopefully you will enjoy it - it's full of fascinating little facts (none of which I remember, unfortunately! ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I'll second the At Home book .Terrific read with lots fo interesting tidbits ,just about pretty much ANYTHING found in or on a house ,when and who invented it,etc . The main part I found interesting,which is gonna sound pretty strange ,are the sections on OUTHOUSES . My Grandma had an outhouse that was a 2 seater,and the place we had our family reunion when I was younger had a THREE -Seater . The outhouses didnt have partitions up ,like a public bathroom does, they just had a board with the cutouts where you sit ---and it always made me curious as to why someone would want to go sit in the restroom with someone else sitting right there next to them . I honestly can't think of anyone I'd want to do that with. Anyhow ,in the book, he goes into quite a lot of detail about outhouses,and that some of the huge manner houses,before indoor plumbing,the rich people would try to outdo each other and build bigger -seater outhouses than the other people. I think the biggest one he mention had seating for 24 or 32 ? Can't remember which,but apparently they thought nothing of it back in the day ..the men would all go out there after dinner and have a SEAT and talk amongst themselves .. Very strange . Anyhow ,that's the main part that sticks with me ,since I have always wondered about the multi-seater toliets . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I think I will add At Home by Bill Bryson to my wish list! I love reading books like these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 thanks everyone for your comments on At Home i really cant wait to start this book now as everyone says such good things about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thank you I'm surprised that I didn't find it creepy too as I normally do find that sort of thing scary I have Howard's End is on the Landing on my TBR and I want to read others too And normally I don't think I'm easily creeped but this book did it for me I guess we balanced each other out! I also have a copy of Howards End in the bookcase, in a way I think it ought to make a great guideline for us, it ought to encourage us to go through our TBR list! But then again, some of the titles Hill's reading and mentioning in the book might be books we don't own and might get interested in.... So it can also be a bad thing to read the book Oops! I'd done really well not buying books but yesterday i had a bit of a book buying day. We went into Waterstones yesterday and my lovely fiance brought me two books! I got Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop and also At Home by Bill Bryson both of these sound very good! When i got home I downloaded British History Dummies by Sean Lang and I also downloaded next months reading circle book, Dangeous Liaisons by Pierre de Laclos. I haven't read any Bryson yet but I do like the sound of all his books so I think you couldn't really go in the shop and not buy the book, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I keep thinking of getting Howard's End is on the Landing too, I enjoy Susan Hill's style of writing and would love to read about her books - but like frankie I am very afraid that I might have to go on a huge buying spree afterwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 Oopps missed your posts i havent been on here much this week! And normally I don't think I'm easily creeped but this book did it for me I guess we balanced each other out! I also have a copy of Howards End in the bookcase, in a way I think it ought to make a great guideline for us, it ought to encourage us to go through our TBR list! But then again, some of the titles Hill's reading and mentioning in the book might be books we don't own and might get interested in.... So it can also be a bad thing to read the book I haven't read any Bryson yet but I do like the sound of all his books so I think you couldn't really go in the shop and not buy the book, right? hehe a nice balance on The Woman in Black then! I have it but think ill wait until im under the 300 mark until i read it incase it sends me book buying mad I really loved the last book i read by him and thought that it was brilliant so hopefully ill enjoy this one as much! I keep thinking of getting Howard's End is on the Landing too, I enjoy Susan Hill's style of writing and would love to read about her books - but like frankie I am very afraid that I might have to go on a huge buying spree afterwards! I really want to read Howards End but i think ill wait a little while incase i buy a lot of books because of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 (edited) #12 - Life of Pi - Yann Martel Started - 16/2/13 Finished - 4/3/13 Format - Paperback Book Challenges - Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge 1001 Books You Must Read Ultimate Teen Book Guide Reading Challenge 501 Must Read Books World Book Night Reading Challenge Synopsis - One boy, one boat, one tiger ...After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and best-loved works of fiction in recent years. My Thoughts - I brought this book back in 2010 way before the movie was out and I wanted to read this as it was such a high profile book. Now I did really enjoy the story especially the ending part where Pi spoke to the officals and the whole story became clear. This book is about Pi Patel who lives in a zoo in India. I really enjoyed his descriptions of the zoo and the animals especially. His family decide to move away to Canada and sell the zoo and some of the animals. The ship that they are travelling on sinks and Pi is a survivor along with a few animals who are injured, this includes the Begal Tiger, Richard Parker. He is adrift from everyone for months and lives with the tiger in a small space. The only part i didnt really understand was when they found an island, i didnt really understand the significance of that. This book is quite religious too, three different religions howevr i didnt find that this was too heavy or forced upon the reader. I do want to see the film but I'm not sure if this will live up to such a good book. I really enjoyed the story and i can see why its on so many reading challenge lists. Rating - 4/5 Edited March 5, 2013 by lauraloves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 I loved both the book and the film of Life of Pi, the film is actually pretty faithful to the book, although it had been several years since I read the book when I saw the film. As for the island When I first read Life of Pi I thought the island showed that actually the first story was true, just unbelieveable. Now I think maybe it's there for hope. It makes it easier to believe the 'nice' story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 This book is quite religious too, three different religions howevr i didnt find that this was too heavy or forced upon the reader. This is great to hear , I was reluctant to read it because I don't like it when a religion is forced upon me. My mum was given the book as a gift (in English), she doesn't read English books for fun though and I do, so she gave it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 I loved both the book and the film of Life of Pi, the film is actually pretty faithful to the book, although it had been several years since I read the book when I saw the film. ] Ah thanks for explaining the island part to me, makes a lot more sense to me now! And I think I'm going to go and see the film if its pretty similar to the book too! This is great to hear , I was reluctant to read it because I don't like it when a religion is forced upon me. My mum was given the book as a gift (in English), she doesn't read English books for fun though and I do, so she gave it to me. I'm not a religious person at all and I'm not a massive fan of being forced religion on but this book is ok. I mean its in there but it's not forced on at all! Give it a go I really enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Ok so it was my birthday on Saturday and i got a lot of books from my wonderful boyfriend who loves buying me books (bonus!) I got the entire James Bond books by Ian Fleming all 14 books in a lovely box set and its also a collectors set. There were only 200 made and i have one them! He also brought me the entire Moral Instruments series by Cassandra Clare too. I think my reducing the TBR mission has kind of gone of track but these were seriously brilliant presents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Wow, two great presents! A belated happy birthday to you, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Nice presents!! Happy belated birthday ! I hope you had a fun day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 A Belated Happy birthday Laura -- Sounds as if you have a wonderful boyfriend. nice presents ! He's a Keeper . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I got the entire James Bond books by Ian Fleming all 14 books in a lovely box set and its also a collectors set. There were only 200 made and i have one them! That's some present Laura what a lovely boyfriend you have Happy Belated birthday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Wow, two great presents! A belated happy birthday to you, Laura Nice presents!! Happy belated birthday ! I hope you had a fun day. That's some present Laura what a lovely boyfriend you have Happy Belated birthday A Belated Happy birthday Laura -- Sounds as if you have a wonderful boyfriend. nice presents ! He's a Keeper . Thank you everyone We are looking at building a house together and he has already said he will build me a library Definitaly one to keep hold of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 That sounds amazing, Laura . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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