Athena Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) So far the pile is getting bigger and bigger . I plan to get rid of some books when there is a good opportunity, mainly though double copies or books I was given for free but don't want to read (also some Dutch translated books of which I also bought the English copy). Once I move into the bakery and create more book space I plan on going through my collection and see if there's anything I might want to get rid of, though I find it hard to part with a book. If I quite liked the book I read I don't want to read rid of it, I want to keep it and re-read it some time in the future. I like a lot of the books I read so this makes it difficult . Edited March 2, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Nice review for 'The Storyteller' Athena, I received a copy recently from a Goodreads giveaway. I've only read one of her books which I thought was ok (My Sisters Keeper) but this subject matter sounds more up my street so I'll get around to it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Nice review. I have added it to my wishlist, even though I plan on reading all of Jodi Picoult's books eventually. I've yet to read one I didn't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks, Chalie and BB . I hope you both like the book ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Athena Wow, you have a nice sized pile of books there ! You are a speedy reader so it will give you plenty of books to choose from . Thanks for the Picoult review. I have yet to read a book by her . Not sure why because I think I'd like her books. I guess I'll give one a try sometime ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks Julie ! I hope you get one of hers eventually, in my opinion she's a great writer. If you do, I hope you enjoy the book . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 I have preordered a new game (Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remake) and (pre)ordered some books. Some are used cheap copies, since new copies weren't available (1 penny for the book and then delivery). Where available I bought a new copy. It's kind of all the fault of the game, it was one pound short of free delivery and so I started adding stuff.. Most of these books are books I planned to buy for a while now, but I restrained myself and waited until it was March. We also ordered a few films that have gone down in price that my boyfriend wanted or that I wanted to see. I'm totally excited for the game as well as my new books and films. I love the original games that it's based on so I'm really excited to have found out it's coming out in a few weeks (I hardly play any games any more so it should be great). I'm currently reading Joe Vitale - Handleiding voor het Leven (Life's Missing Instruction Manual) but it's not very good so far. There are several main messages that are important but the rest just seems a rehash of those core ideas. I'm quite excited about the read-a-thon and so didn't want to read too much before then lest my mojo disappears, so I suppose I'm doing allright. It's hard not to read much though when you want to . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Joe Vitale - Handleiding voor het Leven (De gebruiksaanwijzing die je bij je geboorte had willen krijgen) (Life's Missing Instruction Manual) Genre: Information Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 175 Synopsis (GoodReads):Bestselling author and marketing guru Joe Vitale offers insights and life lessons for achieving success In the simple, straightforward tone of an instructional manual, this little book offers big wisdom and little-known secrets for living a better life. Packed with life lessons most people will wish they'd learned earlier, Life's Missing Instruction Manual uses humor and anecdote to present practical steps readers can use to take control of their lives, overcome any obstacle, and find fulfillment. Each simple lesson is explained and brought into focus with real-life examples and includes practical steps on putting those lessons to work every day. Full of uncommon wisdom and lighthearted humor, this book will help readers develop confidence, create a plan for success, get ahead at work, build rapport with others, develop time-management skills, and find wealth and happiness. Readers will learn how to live life to the fullest when they discover how to: * Take chances that lead to success * Get through the tough times * Be themselves and like it * Find their purpose * Work as a team * Create their own blueprint for success * Believe in themselves * Lead a good and moral life * Accept their mistakes and move on * Define success for themselves My thoughts: I thought I'd read something quick, in Dutch and an information book. I felt like reading something quick, because the read-a-thon is coming up next weekend and I don't want to read too much in the days leading up to it. I felt like reading an information book, since I haven't read many of them lately, and the same for Dutch, I haven't read a lot of Dutch books lately. I did not really enjoy reading this book. There are some good core ideas, basically saying that your thinking is very important and if you think you can do something, you can and if you think you can't, you can't. I don't necessarily agree with this core concept, I don't believe I can just "think away" my input problems. Most of the book is more about how this concept applies to various subjects, such as fear, success in job, etc. There are other core concepts too, such as that you need people around you to support you. The thing what disappointed me about this book was that most of it was just a rehash of these core concepts. I felt like once I had read the first bit, I had read it all. There are individual pieces written by individual authors that the author knows, telling their own story relating to these core concepts. I did not find the writing style engaging at all. It could have to do with the translation, I'm not sure, but the Dutch translated version I read, the language use didn't feel right. Maybe it's due to me or my mood, but I felt the writing was trying to be a bit snobby and all knowing. Someone who think they know best and they think they know you (the reader). I don't know, it's hard to explain but I didn't like ther writing style. I also didn't know beforehand (as it didn't mention this on the Dutch synopsis of the book) that the book was going to be spiritual. There's talk of God and life powers etc. This wasn't really what I was expecting as the synopsis on the back of the (Dutch) book made no reference to these things. I don't believe in the same things the author believes in. I don't mean to say he's really pushing his beliefs, because that isn't true. But it did irritate me a bit, that beliefs had to come into it, to be honest. Overall then I didn't enjoy reading this book. I'm glad I bought it at a bargain price. I didn't like it much. I'll give a few points for the core concepts. Rating: ** (3/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hey Gaia, did my christmas card to you ever turn up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 No , it must've got lost in the post. I appreciate the thought though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 No , it must've got lost in the post. I appreciate the thought though . I'm sorry it never showed. I will send two this year! One as a back up just in case the other doesn't arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 I'm sorry it never showed. I will send two this year! One as a back up just in case the other doesn't arrive. x That's very sweet of you , though I would hope the post will work better. I'll be sure to send mine earlier so it will arrive sooner rather than just after Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult is £0.99 on Kindle. Great bargain, and lucky for me as I only added it to my wishlist a couple of days ago after reading your review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 That's a great bargain! I hope you enjoy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Joanna Trollope - The Book Boy (Quickreads) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 94 Synopsis (GoodReads):Alice is 38 and has a house, a husband, two teenage children and a part-time job. She thinks she ought to be happy, but he isn't. Instead she feels that she has vanished, that she is like something lost down the back of the sofa. Because Alice has a secret that is never spoken of in the family: she can't read. Now timid, quiet Alice must start out on her own brave journey, and for it she chooses the strangest companion. For the first time in her life, she knows what she wants and she is going to get it. With the help of the book boy. My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon so I read the last QuickReads book I've got (two more I've ordered though). I have one other book by this author but I haven't read it yet. The book is interesting and has some good characters. I liked the main character and her children but I didn't like her husband at all (he seemed old-fashioned and unsupportive towards his wife). I wish there was more about books and reading in the story, as it is, it's part of the story but only part. It takes a while to get to it too. I did enjoy reading about the main character's life though. One of the questions I had while reading the book, was, when does the story take place. Not everyone has a computer in the story and the value of money seems to be different than nowadays. The book was written in 2006 but even then lots of people had computers. I think it takes place in an earlier time period (especially also since the author writes a lot of historical fiction) but wasn't exactly sure when, it's a shame it was not mentioned, though only a minor complaint as I could understand the story just fine. Overall I liked the story and most of the characters. I wish there was more of the story, particularly about books and reading and what happens after the ending (though it is a satisfying ending). There were a few minor things I didn't like, but overall I quite liked it. I'm glad I bought the book and read it. Rating: **** (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Roald Dahl - Esio Trot Genre: Historical Fiction Age-range: Children's Format: Paperback Pages: 57 Synopsis (GoodReads):Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver, but her heart belongs to Alfie, her pet tortoise. Mr. Hoppy is too shy to approach Mrs. Silver, until one day he comes up with a brilliant idea to win her heart. If Mr. Hoppy's plan works, Mrs. Silver will certainly fall in love with him. But it's going to take one hundred and forty tortoises, an ancient spell, and a little bit of magic. My thoughts: Another read-a-thon so another Roald Dahl book. This was at the top of the pile of the short Roald Dahl books I had on my TBR and it sounded interesting so I picked this one. I don't think I've read this book before, but I could be wrong. I liked the story and its illustrations (Quentin Blake is a great illustrator in my opinion). I thought the plan of Mr. Hoppy was nice but I feel a bit sad for all the tortoises and for Mrs. Silver who is being lied to. I think a good relationship should have honesty in it. That's probably taking the book too serious though, it is written for children and therefore likely going to be simplistic perhaps. The love in the book comes a bit quick, it's not explained anywhere what it is about Mrs. Silver that Mr. Hoppy loves or: vice versa. Mrs. Silver falls for him when the plan works which seemed a bit unrealistic to me. Overall I liked the book but it's not Roald Dahl's best in my opinion. It's nice to have read it though and the illustrations make the story more fun to read. Rating: **** (7/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Ann M. Martin - The BabySitter's Club 10: Logan Likes Mary-Anne! (re-read) Genre: Chick-lit Age-range: Children / Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 132 Synopsis (GoodReads):Mary Anne's budding new relationship with adorable boy baby-sitter Logan is complicated when she recommends him to the other members of the Baby-sitters club for extraneous jobs. My thoughts: Another read-a-thon so another BSC book. This one was next. I already know the story though this is one of the books that's less memorable to me. I didn't read it as often as some of the ones from the beginning because I didn't buy or was gifted this book until a bit later on (in the meantime I'd read the few ones I've got several times). This story was quite a bit about boys, and the girls liking the boys. I think it's very much how it is for most people, from what I've heard and read, how things go and when you first have a crush and so on. But for me it didn't work that way. I wasn't interested in boys at the age of the main characters. I didn't go squealing when a boy appeared when other girls did. I was never shallow in the sense that I'd be excited by someone others might consider handsome without knowing him. For me the inside was and is very important, I can't be interested in someone who's a jerk. Anyway.. when I first read this book this difference didn't bother me so much yet. I have to say this time around I enjoyed the babysitting bits the best. I also enjoyed the conversations all the characters had. Overall this is still a great book if not my favourite from the series (but then it never was). I do like Mary Anne (or Inge as her name in Dutch is) a lot, she's my favourite character from the main characters in this book if I were pressed to pick one. I think it's because I also used to be shy so I've always identified with her for that reason. That said, I think in all the characters there is something one could identify with. I look forward to continue reading the books as I do love this series and lots of memories come back when I read the books. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Baantjer, Peter Ro"mer - Baantjer 72: De Cock en de Moord in het Circus Genre: Detective Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 142 Synopsis (me):In a circus a famous clown gets murdered. My thoughts: Another read-a-thon, another detective. I recently bought this Baantjer book and felt like reading it. This book is not written by A. C. Baantjer the author, but it's written by the people who wrote the episode of the TV series. I don't remember seeing this particular episode the book is based on (that said, I think I've only seen some episodes, not all of it). The writing style of the book was a bit different than A. C. Baantjer's style, but I like both so this was not a problem, just something I noticed. The story was quite suspenseful, I wanted to keep on reading to find out who did it etc. I thought the characters were great, and not so many it was hard to keep track (a problem I've had with an other Baantjer book in the past). I liked to read about the circus, while I'm not a big fan it's nice to read about how things work there. I liked the characters of De Cock and Vledder (his assistant), as usual. I did notice they seem to have grown in comparison to the first few Baantjer books, which is a good thing. Overall the book was quite suspenseful and great to read. Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Charles den Tex - Onmacht Genre: Thriller, Literature Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 92 Synopsis (me):Ellen and Victor have a relationship, but they're arguing a lot. Something goes wrong... My thoughts: This book was next on the pile of shorter books I bought at the charity shop, since it was another read-a-thon, I picked the one from the top of this pile. I've read one other (short) book by this author (Spijt) which I also liked. The story was quite good. It's told from various perspectives, from multiple characters. I thought the characters and story were interesting and I liked the writing style. The story was suspenseful, I wanted to keep on reading. It's about a family with problems (the mother has a son from a previous partner, I can't quite remember what happened to him but it wasn't important in the story). It was quite interesting to see what those three characters thought about the situation. There are a few plot twists, which I didn't see coming. Overall I really liked this book. The characters were interesting, the pace was good and I quite liked the writing style. Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Jonny Zucker - Tina Topper 79: Evi - Stuntmeid! Genre: Thriller, Chick-lit Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 126 Synopsis (me):Evi's dream is to go on stunts camp with her grandfather Dennis (who runs the camp). But when she's at the camp, there's one boy whose behaviour is weird. Evi starts to investigate.. My thoughts: Another read-a-thon, so another short 'girly' book for young teenagers I bought at the charity shop. I used to read a lot of Tina Toppers. They're written by both Dutch authors as well as foreign authors (such as authors from the US, like Jonny Zucker). They're usually pretty good books (back in the day at least, when I read them) about friendship and teenage love. I hadn't read this one before. This book was different than most of the Tina Toppers I've read. There was a lot more action. As usually with books like this, I wish Evi told someone about her investigations sooner rather than getting herself in danger. But then, perhaps there wouldn't be much story otherwise . There was a lot of tense action which I quite enjoyed reading about. I liked the characters and it's different to read a book about a group of people who want to be a stuntsperson in films later on. Dennis (Evi's grandfather) (though his name might be different in the English version of the book) works in the film industry but also runs these camps. He sounded like a cool grandpa to have. One tiny bit I didn't like was that the story is set up for a sequel. You can easily ignore this little bit of information though that is presented at the ending and instead think of it as if it didn't happen, but still.. I did find out there is another book in this 'series', about Evi, that continues the story, so perhaps that explains it. I'd like to read the next one. The book's writing style was nice, though you could tell the book was written for young teenagers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I would've liked to hear even more about the stunt camp and what Evi learns there. Some events are mentioned in the book, I was just really enjoying those parts so would've liked more of it. The suspenseful bits of action to do with the strangely acting boy are good too. I wasn't expecting beforehand for the book to have this action, because most of the Tina Toppers I've read (earlier ones) are more chick-lit type stories. Overall I really liked reading this book. Rating: ***** (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Rinze Terluin - Happy Habits Genre: Information Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 111 Synopsis (me):This book is about happiness and what you can do to be more happy. My thoughts: I recently bought this book at the book fair (it's Dutch btw despite the title) and since it's short and has quite a few illustrations I thought it was something quick to read for the read-a-thon. This book is written for teenagers (12-16). This was evident, because the book talked about school, teachers, classmates, what to study after school. I didn't mind that much, but I definitely feel grown up since for me it's been quite some time since I was on secondary school. I loved the layout of this book, the fonts used and the colours and the beautiful illustrations. One thing I liked less was that a few chapters were a bit spiritual, which is not what the back of the book was about to me. It wasn't based on a specific belief as far as I know, but it bothered me a little bit (since I'm not sure I agree with some of the statements). I didn't agree with one example that was given. The core idea was that what you project you attract (in my words). While I think it is an interesting core idea, the example of bullying didn't ring true with me. Just because someone is being bullied does not mean they asked for it or that they projected that, in my opinion. Bullies bully people to feel better about themselves, because of their own problems, not because the bullied person is somehow asking for it, in my view. To me bullying is something that happens to someone, not something that the bullied person causes. Just like you can't control if someone in a car accidentally hits you or something. That said, the book contained some interesting tips. I've read most of them before in other books (for adults), but it's the first book for teenagers I've read that has these kind of tips. The writing style was quite nice and the book was easy to read (for me at least). The tips didn't have a lot of depth to them. The core concepts were certainly explained but I felt sometimes there could've been more examples or practical concrete help as well (but then this is a book for teenagers and not adults so it's bound to be a bit more simplified I suppose). Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It had some good tips and a great writing style and layout. Even though I'm not the target audience it's still a nice book to read. Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Yup, I can certainly agree with that LP. It's a shame. But the cats really are great. Have you read the short stories LJB wrote that started the whole thing? The Cat Who Had 14 Tales is a great collection. FYI....... http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Who-Had-14-Tales/dp/0515094978/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393171105&sr=1-1&keywords=Fourteen+tales No, I managed to miss those ; I`m guessing I`d given up by that stage. Thanks so much for the heads-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Great bookshelves, Gaia ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks, Sarah ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series) My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon, so I read the next book in the Harry Potter series (I got halfway during the read-a-thon). I'm not sure if I've read book six and seven before, I can't quite remember it. I did see the films so I knew bits of what was going to happen. While I knew bits of what was going to happen, I'd forgot a lot of the details. The book has much more detail than the film, and I really enjoyed reading these details (I watched the film again yesterday evening after I'd finished the book). While there isn't as much action in the first half of the book compared with previous books, I quite enjoyed the change of pace and found the conversations between various characters quite thrilling to read and to find out more about the world the books take place in. It was written quite suspensefully, I really wanted to find out what would happen next. Some new characters are introduced and many old(er) ones are in the book too. I quite enjoyed reading about all of the characters. Certain things revealed earlier on in the film aren't revealed in the book until much later. The book has quite a few plot twists, some of which I didn't see coming (and didn't remember exactly from the film). There are some funny bits in the book too (some of which didn't make it into the film), which I quite liked. I really enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to read the last book in the series. You can feel this book is leading up to the final book, personally this didn't bother me so much as I really enjoy the story but other people might not like it. Overall I really liked this book and am glad I read it. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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