Kidsmum Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Henry James is not the author to read if you've got a wobbly mojo, imo he's too much like hard work I'll be interested to hear what you think of the Invisible Man as i have it on my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I hope your mojo comes back soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 The Invisible Man by H.G.Wells H. G. Wells's "The Invisible Man" is considered to be one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. It is the story of the scientist Griffen who discovers a serum that will turn his entire body invisible. The initial excitement over the possibilities quickly dissipates when Griffen, who uses the formula on himself, is unable to turn himself visible again. "The Invisible Man" is a cautionary tale about tampering with the laws of the universe. It is the story of how one scientist's great discovery leads him into a state of madness. My Thoughts This is just the kind of book that my jaded reading mojo needed. Easy to read, straight into the action. Previously, I've only read The Time Machine, War of the Worlds & The island of Doctor Moreau. All very serious books as I remember, so I was surprise to find that the first half of this book was almost comic in the way the residents of Iping (The village that the Invisible Man first "appears") are depicted. Eventually, the narrative takes a more serious turn, as Griffen's madness takes full hold. I really enjoyed this book. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it . I've only read The Time Machine, which I liked, some of H. G. Wells' other novels are on my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Hostage by Robert Crais When a convenience store robbery goes horribly wrong the three young men who perpetrated the crime make a run for it. Hotly pursued by the police they crash into the suburban home of an accountant and take the family hostage, and before they know it, an armed siege ensues. This is the last thing the local sheriff wanted - after all, he left the force in L.A. because of the stress, and this is about as stressful as it gets. To make matters worse, the gang have chosen the wrong accountant to hold hostage. He works for the Mafia and he holds all the local family's financial records. Soon the mob are on the scene and a nightmarish, high-tension three way stand off develops. My Thoughts Another excellent read. The narrative goes along at a good pace without ever losing dumbing down. The plot is good with enough twists I didn't see coming to keep me interested. There was one major plot twist I saw coming a mile off, which is why I knocked it down a point, but really I'm being super-critical. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 2013: The tale of the tape. A bit early I realsie, but I tend to organise my reading from Christmas to Christmas rather than New Year, so the book I'm reading now will have to count towards 2014 as I won't finish it till after Christmas day at this rate. Confused? Me too! So.... Number of books read in 2013: 48 Average score: 3.92 out of 5 Did not finish: 4 Scored 1/5 = 0 Scored 2/5 = 4 Scored 3/5 = 6 Scored 4/5 = 28 Scored 5/5 = 10 Worst book of the year - The Tales of the Arter Gems - Episode III: The chosen one. One of the DNF books, but I read enough to know that this book really was absolute rubbish Best book of the year: Of my ten top scoring books, I would have to pick Hyperion by Dan Simmonds, simple for the fact that it stayed with me so long after reading it. All in all, I've had a good years reading. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on 2014's books, which will hopefully be under the tree Christmas day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Great stats for the year Ian .. I hope Santa brings you a sleigh full of new books for the coming year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on 2014's books, which will hopefully be under the tree Christmas day! Well now, that all depends if you've been good or bad this year Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 It sounds like you had a nice reading year, Ian! I love Hyperion too. I plan to re-read it (in English for the first time) in a while, I just need to get in the mood (the omnibus edition is big and heavy..). I hope your next reading year will be good too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 Great stats for the year Ian .. I hope Santa brings you a sleigh full of new books for the coming year . I've certainly dropped enough hints! Well now, that all depends if you've been good or bad this year Ian I asked my daughter - she said I've been naughty and won't be getting anything! It sounds like you had a nice reading year, Ian! I love Hyperion too. I plan to re-read it (in English for the first time) in a while, I just need to get in the mood (the omnibus edition is big and heavy..). I hope your next reading year will be good too . I really must get around to reading the follow up books as well. There were so many unanswered questions!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I really must get around to reading the follow up books as well. There were so many unanswered questions!!x I agree! I have the Endymion Omnibus too (huge again!) and should really read it to find out what happens. I hope you enjoy the follow up books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 I have to put in one more book, that I managed to finish before Christmas - Notwithstanding by Louis de Bernieres. This is actually a book of short stories which are all set in the fictional village of Notwithstanding. It became obvious fairly early on that these stories are based on the author's actual childhood in part. The stories manage to convey the essence of growing up in a small village, where everyone knows everyone else, without slipping into some sort of rose-tinted nostalgia. Actually, I'd seen this book on the shelf at work in the coffee room for ages, but I had been reluctant to pick it up as I thought it might be a bit middle-class (not helped by the sticker on the front saying that the Daily Mail called it "Delightful"). In fact it pretty mercilessly picks apart the class snobbery that exists at all levels of British society. The book is in part funny, part tragic. I enjoyed it tremendously 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I've really enjoyed all the de Bernieres' books I've read so far but haven't read nearly enough of them yet. I love the sound of this one .. great review Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 I've really enjoyed all the de Bernieres' books I've read so far but haven't read nearly enough of them yet. I love the sound of this one .. great review Ian I've actually read nothing by him before - I'd never fancied trying anything before. As usual, my preconceptions have, on the basis of this book at least, meant that I've been missing out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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