poppyshake Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'm currently reading Nick Hornby - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree, it's quite good so far (although I haven't read most of the books mentioned so far). I really enjoyed it too but have only read a tiny amount of the books he listed. It doesn't matter though .. it's just great to read about someone else's reading habits (especially an authors) I thought he'd be far more organized than the rest of us but no .. he did the same amount of buying books and not reading them that I do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 I thought so too! It's great to read that though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 As mentioned a week ago, the Humble Indie Ebook Bundle II has added some books to their bundle: Ryan North - Machine of Death Holly Black - The Poison Eaters and Other Stories They also added a third one but I already have this one from the previous Humble Ebook Bundle. I don't know much about these books, but GoodReads tells me that Machine of Death is a short story collection and one of the stories is written by an author I really like, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. I loved his two books so I particularly look forward to read his short story. I've heard good things about Holly Black so will have to see if I like her writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 Nagaru Tanigawa - The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan Vol. 4 Genre: Manga Format: Paperback Pages: 180 Synopsis (GoodReads): (volume four in a series so no synopsis to avoid spoilers) My thoughts: My boyfriend introduced me to this series (and to manga in general), he recently picked up Volume Four so thought I'd give it a go. Nick Hornby - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree isn't fiction so I thought it'd be nice to read some fiction on the side. I quite liked this book. There was a bit in the middle that I particularly enjoyed, but I don't want to spoil the story. I enjoyed most of the story, though I do think it's best not to put too much time in between reading each volume. I don't know how many there'll be in total though and I guess rereading is always possible. I could follow it relatively easily though, I read the other three volumes earlier this year so it's not been too long ago. I quite like the character of Yuki(chan). She's so sweet. Note: this series is an alternative version of the story of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I haven't read those manga but I have seen the TV series, mini series and film. I liked it, particularly the film. This alternative version of that 'world' is quite good, I quite enjoy reading it! Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter Companion Books 3: The Tales of Beedle the Bard Genre: Fantasy Format: Hardcover Pages: 105 Synopsis (GoodReads): The Tales of Beedle the Bard contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, that will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril. Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts. A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J.K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come. My thoughts: The boxset of the first three books in this series are on my wishlist, however so far I've found it to be pretty expensive so I haven't bought it yet. However, my brother's girlfriend had this third book and she's let me borrow it, so I could read it. The book didn't disappoint! While it's relatively short, just over 100 pages, it's very entertaining. There are five stories, after each of which follow notes from Albus Dumbledore. The fifth story was familiar to me, as I remember it being in one of the films (it may also have been in one of the books, but it's been longer since I've read those so I don't remember). The other stories I didn't know. It was great to read all of them, as well as the notes. There are illustrations in the book now and then which is nice. Rating: ***** (9/10) The book has inspired me to reread the Harry Potter books, which I planned to do sometime anyway. I recently bought a boxset with all of them in English. Previously, I've read most of them in Dutch and only two of them in English. So I look forward to read them all in English, that should be good I hope (and also to read them with not too much time in between, that might make it easier as well). First though I'll read A Clash of Kings, the second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, so we can watch the second season of Game of Thrones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 (edited) Dr. Matt - Just Stop Having Problems, Stupid!Genre: Information (humour)Format: KindlePages: 64Synopsis (GoodReads): Are you tired of having problems? Want them to stop? Wish you could transform yourself as a person with just two trips to the bathroom?With advice like this, Just Stop Having Problems, Stupid! brilliantly satirizes self-help books in the wise and weird voice of "Dr. Matt", the self-proclaimed "most famous fake doctor of our time".In what fans are calling "the best self-help book ever", Dr. Matt delivers the same witty personality that fans have come to know from his blog and podcast, and examines the nature of personal problems and the self-help books that attempt to solve them. Yet, somehow, Just Stop Having Problems, Stupid! manages to contain actual wisdom. It's hilarious and clever, both at the same time.My thoughts: I was flicking through the books on my Kindle and settled on this one, it's not very long and a light read.I wasn't 100% sure what to expect from this book, but it's pretty funny. It was well written, though I spotted three spelling errors of its spelled as it's (but that's not a lot really is it?). I loved the humour in it and it actually did contain a few useful tips as well. It's written as kind of a spoof on self-help books and it's funny.Rating: ***** (9/10) Edited July 12, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 I went to the charity shop in town (while we were getting a few other things in other shops) and found some books! The shop was having a 50% off sale on all books. I got 5 books for 2 euros! That's excellent . George Orwell - Animal Farm John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot 17: Death on the Nile Eric Flint, David Drake - Belisarius 2: Storm at Noontide Eric Flint, David Drake - Belisarius 3: The Flames of Sunset I've been wanting to buy Animal Farm for a while now, but it was always quite pricey (especially for a short book). I've heard good things about Of Mice and Men and when I saw it cheap I couldn't resist. I've been meaning to buy an Agatha Christie book since people say they're so good, so now I have one! The first three books on the list didn't have prices in them in the shop, but the lady behind the counter decided all three of them together for 1 euro! I thought that was quite good. The other two books were 1 euro each, with 50% off making them 1 euro in total for both of them. I don't know the series but I have other books by David Drake (I haven't read them yet though XD). All in all this was quite awesome, imo . I've been reading Tracy Packiam Alloway - Training Your Brain for Dummies on Kindle, which doesn't have great reviews on GoodReads. So far it's allright, nothing brilliant really. Maybe it'll change, though, who knows. I'm also reading Nick Hornby - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree which is quite good but I find the parts about sports and books about sports not interesting. I admit I skim them sometimes rather than reading them completely. I did love the author's column about Dickens' David Copperfield. I'm thinking of starting George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire 2: A Clash of Kings as my fiction read (since the above two are non-fiction). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 I went to the charity shop in town (while we were getting a few other things in other shops) and found some books! The shop was having a 50% off sale on all books. I got 5 books for 2 euros! That's excellent . George Orwell - Animal Farm John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot 17: Death on the Nile Eric Flint, David Drake - Belisarius 2: Storm at Noontide Eric Flint, David Drake - Belisarius 3: The Flames of Sunset Bargainous ! I don`t know David Drake but I`d recommend the others, though it`s years since I read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 (edited) Thanks, I'm glad to hear it . Nick Hornby - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree Genre: Biography Format: Paperback Pages: 273 Synopsis (GoodReads): In his monthly accounts of what he's read; along with what he may one day read – Nick Hornby brilliantly explores everything from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, sports books and other kinds of non-fiction. If he occasionally implores a biographer for brevity, or abandons a literary work in favour of an Arsenal match, then all is not lost. His writing, full of all the joy and surprise and despair that books bring him, reveals why we still read, even when there's football on TV, a pram in the hall or a good band playing at our local pub. My thoughts: This is Nick Hornby's biography about books, what he's read and bought over the course of several years. I haven't read any novels by him, though a few are on my wishlist (I hope to be buying them sometime). I liked this book and the writing was good. What I liked less was that I didn't know most of the books he talked about, or rather, a lot of the books he read didn't interest me. My favourite part was about David Copperfield, I haven't read that yet but it's on my shelf and I loved to read what he thought of the book. I have to admit I sometimes skimmed through the sections about sports and sports books, because I have no interest in it. All in all it was an entertaining read but I hoped for more writing about books that I know or would be interested in. He read a lot of non-fiction or literary fiction dealing with subjects I'm not so interested in. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Don't get me wrong, it just wasn't as interesting to read as it perhaps would've been if there had been more books that I might've liked. I did add a few books to the wishlist. The book is well written though and I liked the angle of him being an author. During the book he refers to the people at the Believer, for which he writes these columns (the book is made up of these columns), with different numbers and different ways. I could appreciate this humouristic element of the book. Rating: *** (6/10) I've started George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire 2: A Clash of Kings, which started off a bit vague but is now being more interesting. I don't like that the font is quite small in this edition, it's smaller than the font of A Game of Thrones while they're from the same type of paperback, matching covers etc., so I'm not sure why this is (I bought them at the same time). I haven't yet looked in the other books in the series to see which font size they have. But other than that, I like the story so far, though I'm not that far into it yet. I'm also reading Training Your Brain for Dummies on the Kindle, it started off okish but is now being allright and an easy read, which can be nice when I'm a bit tired etc. Edited July 14, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Tracy Packiam Alloway - Training Your Brain for Dummies Genre: Information Format: Kindle Pages: 280 Synopsis (GoodReads): Mastering the latest fitness craze-keeping your brain healthy at any ageJudging from the worldwide popularity of the brain game, Nintendo DS, and such mind-bending puzzles as SuDoku and KenKen®, keeping one's mind as limber as an Olympic athlete is an international obsession. With forecasters predicting over a million people with dementia by 2025, today's young and senior population have a vested interest in keeping their grey matter in the pink for as long as possible. "Training Your Brain For Dummies" is an indispensable guide to every aspect of brain fitness-and keeping your mind as sharp, agile, and creative for as long as you can. Whether you want to hone your memory, manage stress and anxiety, or simply eat brain healthy food, this guide will help you build brain health into your everyday life.Includes verbal, numerical and memory games, brain games to play on the move, tips on the best day-to-day habits, and long-term mental fitness techniquesOffers ten key brain training basics, tips on brain training through one's lifetime, and improving long- and short-term memoryIncludes advice on improving creativity, developing a positive mindset, and reaping the rewards of peace and quiet With tips on mind/body fitness, "Training Your Brain For Dummies" is a must-have guide for anyone, at any age, for keeping one's mind-and quality of life-in peak condition. My thoughts: This book was allright. There are a couple of chapters with (English) puzzles which I think are quite nice. There was also information on how the brain works, which was nice. Overall it was nice but not brilliant, I would've liked some more tips. At least though I know that the puzzles I plan on doing will be useful! Overall it was an allright read for me but not brilliant. I was expecting a bit more when I bought it. Rating: *** (6/10) I'm reading A Clash of Kings (paper book) still which is really enjoyable. I'm not sure yet what my next Kindle read will be. Edited July 18, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I have The Complete Polysyllabic Spree on my wishlist Though I fear it will end up with me buying way too many books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 That's always the risk with such books! I hope you have fun reading the book, if/when you buy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'm sure I will...I think I need to put it higher on the TBR list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Animal Farm & Of Mice and Men are two of my favourites - both easy reads and short enough to read in a weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 We went shopping yesterday and, unexpectedly, I bought some books (most in the charity shop, two in a book shop with a clearance sale)! I also ordered some but it'll take a few days for those to get here, I'll list them when they arrive. Fay Weldon - The Life & Loves of a She-Devil Ira Levin - A Kiss Before Dying Chaim Potok - The Chosen Martha Grimes - The End of the Pier Mary Higgins Clark - A Cry in the Night Mary Higgins Clark - The Cradle Will Fall Simon Brett - Mrs Pargeter 2: Mrs, Presumed Dead Antonia Fraser - Jemima Shore 1: Quiet As A Nun McBain - 87th Precinct 34: Ghosts Ross MacDonald - Lew Archer 4: The Ivory Grin Stéphane Dupré - Lekker Slank (heerlijk gezond eten) Mega 10 strips (10 comics in a book) I don't know most of these authors, but the synopses sounded interesting and most of the books were 0.25€ / 2 in the charity shop, I couldn't resist . They aren't in the best condition if I'm honest but for that price I can't complain. I'm also looking forward to the books I ordered online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Animal Farm & Of Mice and Men are two of my favourites - both easy reads and short enough to read in a weekend.x Sorry I missed this post. Sounds nice, I'm glad to hear you like them a lot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Ira Levin - A Kiss Before Dying I read this one last year (or the year before) and thought it was a decent read. Have you seen the movie (with Matt Dillon)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 I'm glad to hear you thought it's a decent read. For the money I spent, a decent read sounds quite nice. No, I haven't seen the movie, didn't know there was one to be honest . Is it good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I`ve got other books by some of those authors ( I might have Quiet as a Nun, too ) - looks like a good selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I'm glad to hear you thought it's a decent read. For the money I spent, a decent read sounds quite nice. No, I haven't seen the movie, didn't know there was one to be honest . Is it good? It's a reasonably old movie (well, it came out in the early 90's I think), and I enjoyed it at the time. I may not like it now as my tastes have probably changed, but at the time it was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 I`ve got other books by some of those authors ( I might have Quiet as a Nun, too ) - looks like a good selection. x I'm glad to hear it . It's a reasonably old movie (well, it came out in the early 90's I think), and I enjoyed it at the time. I may not like it now as my tastes have probably changed, but at the time it was good. x Ah, I might have to look into it then, thanks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 John B. Arden - Improving Your Memory for Dummies Genre: Information Format: Kindle Pages: 336 Synopsis (GoodReads): Practical tips and techniques make remembering a snap Jog your memory with exercises to help you at home, at work, anywhere! Whether you are cramming for an exam, have trouble remembering names, or you just want to give your overall memory power a boost, this plain-English guide offers clever tricks to help you remember what you want to remember. You'll discover how your memory works and how to enhance it in all types of situations. My thoughts: After the previous Kindle read, Training Your Brain for Dummies, that I considered average, I was very pleased to find out this book was a lot better! It contains many useful tips for improving your memory, as well as explanations of how things work in your brain. I really liked it. Admittedly, my memory is usually pretty good (when I'm not too stressed at least), so maybe this book isn't really necessary XD, but it was interesting to read none-the-less. The language was easy to follow, the writing was very good. I quite enjoyed reading this book. Rating: ***** (9/10) 200 more pages to go in A Clash of Kings! I'm really enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 A few days ago I downloaded a Kindle free ebook: Amanda Hocking - The Hollows 1: Hollowland I bought some books: Anna Sewell - Black Beauty Terry Pratchet & Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth 1: The Long Earth Santa Montefiore - The Summer House Veronica Henry - A Night on the Orient Express Abby Clements - Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop Jill Mansell - Don't Want to Miss a Thing Lauren Weisberger - The Devil Wears Prada 2: Revenge Wears Prada - The Devil Returns Julia Williams - Midsummer Magic Lindsey Kelk - I Heart 1: I Heart New York John Green - Paper Towns Michael Grant - Gone 1: Gone Deborah Harkness - All Souls Trilogy 2: Shadow of Night Cassandra Clare - The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones Cassandra Clare - The Mortal Instruments 3: City of Glass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Great selection of books you've got there, Athena! I haven't read Black Beauty since I was about 8 years old, but to be honest, I wasn't much of a horsey girl, in fact, the one time I tried riding, I was so scared I had to get off after 5 minutes! I'm going to try the follow up to The Devil Wears Prada at some point, as I enjoyed the first one, although I didn't like either her second or third books, but I'm prepared to give a second Prada book a chance. I read the third of the I Heart books - I Heart Paris and it was good, but a bit too young for me, perhaps. I think I liked it more at the time, but now I'm too old for the original style of romcoms, and a bit too girly for me, and I haven't read any of the others. A Discovery of Witches was a great read, but I think I've left it too long between reading it and getting the second one, as I was dead keen initially to read it, but now I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about whether to bother with it. I've seen a few reviews around, but I'll be interested to see what you think of it too. I hope you enjoy the Cassandra Clare books - I think they're pretty good for that genre. I've read the first four in that series, and have been meaning to get the fifth. I'm sure I'll find time for it at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) I'm not a horsey person either, tests proved I'm very allergic to them so I've actually never been near them very much. I think I'd be too afraid to ride though. My mum likes horses and rode them when she was younger. She stopped after the father of her best friend had a riding accident. I hope the book is fun! I also enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, sorry to hear you didn't enjoy her other books though. I hope the second book in the series will be good! I've read I Heart Vegas and liked it enough to buy the first in the series when I saw it for cheap. I do agree that they are a bit young, when I read it at the time I liked it but it wasn't brilliant. I plan to wait with reading the All Souls Trilogy until all three (I presume it will be three books?) will be out and on my shelves. That's what I usually do with series, because otherwise I forget a bit what it's about. I don't want to be reading too many series at once. I'm glad you liked the first book though, I hope you like the second book if you read it. I might start the series sooner than when the third book is out, will have to see how I feel . Thanks, I hope to enjoy the Cassandra Clare books! I've heard many good things about them. Book five doesn't seem to be out in paperback in the same size as the other ones, so I'm waiting a bit until it's out. I found out there's a sixth book on the way, or that's what GoodReads says, so will keep an eye out for that too. Cassandra Clare has also written another series, I'm also thinking of buying those books sometime. I've downloaded a Kindle free ebook: Nancy Radke - The Sisters of Spirit #1-4, Boxed Set with 2 bonus short stories (Sisters of Spirit 1-4) I'm not really sure what it's about but wanted to have a few books to pick from for the holidays etc. I'll probably not read this but XD. I also downloaded this free Kindle book a few days ago: Edith Warton - Summer In case I want to read it for the Reading Circle in August. Edited July 25, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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