Athena Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Good luck with your work! I hope you have some more time to read after your deadline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Well I did manage to find time to pick up the Danny Wallace book and I have been reading it as a bit of a break from working. I am now around half way through and am really enjoying it. So far it is a real improvement over his first work of fiction that I read earlier in the year. With work for my course nearly done I hope to finish this in the next week and then catch up on some reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) The coursework is very very close to being completed and I am already looking forward to getting back to being able to read some more. I am into the final 80 or so pages of 'Who is Tom Ditto' by Danny Wallace and am thoroughly enjoying it. I think I will then start on Solo, The James Bond novel by William Boyd that I picked up from the library. Edited May 25, 2014 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) Bad Monkey - Carl Hiaasen Synopsis - Amazon When a severed arm is discovered by a couple on honeymoon in the Florida Keys, former police detective - now reluctant restaurant inspector - Andrew Yancy senses that something doesn't add up. Determined to get his badge back, he undertakes an unofficial investigation of his own. Andrew's search for the truth takes him to the Bahamas, where a local man, with the help of a very bad monkey (who allegedly worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) is doing everything in his power to prevent a developer from building a new tourist resort on the island, with deadly consequences . . . Review After reading some of Hiaasen's early work at the beginning of the year and finding it really disappointing I felt I needed to remind myself of just how good his writing is now. Bad Monkey is his most current book and finds him at his usual darkly comic best. The book is full of his usual plot twists, amusing situations and also suspense. In this story we follow currently suspended police detective Andrew Yancy as he tries to win his place on the force back investigating the death of a wealthy businessman that has been put down simply as a boating accident. The reasons for Yancy's suspension and also a sub plot about a luxury house being built next door to his own also add a comic background to accompany the story. I found this one of Hiassen's most humorous books to date, with each little section of the story highly amusing and the characters he is using fitting perfectly. This book really is Hiaasen at his best and as his books are not linked in any way a great place to start if you fancy some crime fiction with a twist of comedy. 8/10 Edited May 26, 2014 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 The Radleys - Matt Haig Synopsis - Amazon Life with the Radleys: Radio 4, dinner parties with the Bishopthorpe neighbours and self-denial. Loads of self-denial. But all hell is about to break loose. When teenage daughter Clara gets attacked on the way home from a party, she and her brother Rowan finally discover why they can't sleep, can't eat a Thai salad without fear of asphyxiation and can't go outside unless they're smothered in Factor 50. With a visit from their lethally louche uncle Will and an increasingly suspicious police force, life in Bishopthorpe is about to change. Drastically. Review This book had been on my Amazon wishlist for quite some time as I had seen it as a Richard and Judy choice a few years back. When I saw it at my local library it hooked me in and became my next read. The story follows a family of vampires that have chosen to abstain from the traditional vampire life and live a normal one in a small village. The only problem is the children of the family are not aware they are vampires until one night the daughter, when provoked, finds out herself in no uncertain terms. To begin with I really enjoyed this book and how it tried to show vampires attempting to live a normal everyday existence, following the rules set out in the abstainers handbook. However as the book continued I found I enjoyed it less and less as what was already quite an unbelievable situation got sillier and sillier. I was still just about intrigued enough to finish it but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone as an essential read. I do admire it for doing something slightly different with the bloated vampire genre to begin with but it too becomes dragged into the cliches by the end. 6/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 Who is Tom Ditto? - Danny Wallace Synopsis - Amazon We join the action just as our 'hero' Tom, (early thirties, reads the 'news' on the radio) finds out that his girlfriend has NOT left him. Tom, I have not left you. But I am gone. Please carry on as normal. Love always, Hayley Has Hayley gone or hasn't she? Is she coming back? If she has gone, but is coming back, when is she coming back? And what is he supposed to bloody do in the meantime? And what if she's never coming back?? Trying to work out what's happening to his confusing life, Tom tries to track Hayley down. In doing so, he stumbles across a strange and eccentric group of people with an irregular and highly-addictive hobby. Next, he's being followed, but he's not sure by whom. And then he also almost loses his job at the radio station in the now infamous 'Jam Nazi' episode, which of course, you know about. Above all, Tom is trying to work out who everyone is. Because who is Hayley? Who is this new girl following him around the supermarket? And who, for that matter, is TOM DITTO? Review I have read a lot of Wallace's non-fiction work and always thoroughly enjoyed it which is why I jumped at the chance of reading Charlotte Street, his first work of fiction earlier this year. As you can see from the review I was very disappointed as I felt it lacked any real humour or connection with the characters. I still decided to give his new novel a go however and I am so glad I did. This book is everything I had expected his works of fiction to be. Great characters that are interesting and amusing, a quirky story line that has just enough in it to be believable and lots f humour. It is difficult to explain the main premise of the book without ruining the surprise of what the highly-addictive hobby is that's mentioned in the synopsis. Safe to ay though this then forms the main basis of the book and the comedy that ensues. There are plenty of side stories that create terrific chapters of reading including the one where the host of the breakfast show Tom works on accidentally gives an on air rant about the 'Jam Nazis' at the station who won't allow him to keep his jam in a cupboard in the studio that then goes on to become a YouTube viral hit. All these are situations you genuinely imagine happening. I throughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it as a first foray into the world of fiction with Wallace. I now look forward to his next novel and hope he can keep this standard up. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Who is Tom Ditto sounds quite interesting, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Great reviews ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 So with my assignment finally out of the way I was expecting to be able to read much more. However a couple of things have slowed me down. One is the world cup which I have become pretty addicted too and the other is I chose 'The Memory Keepers Daughter' by Kim Edwards as my book. Although I am finding it fairly enjoyable I really can't get into that well and have no urge to read it. I really have tried but after just over 100 pages I am giving up on it for now in an attempt to rediscover my mojo. Yesterday when taking my little man to change his library books I came across the latest Dennis Lehane book, 'Live the Night' and was drawn in. Am already about 50 pages in and already really enjoying it and hooked. Hopefully this will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I hope you'll enjoy it all the way through and that your mojo will keep being good . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 I am still enjoying 'Live the Night' and am into the final 150 or so pages. It has been an excellent read so far and am eager to find out how it all turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 I managed to finish 'Live by Night' yesterday evening. A really great book and a full review will follow shortly. I have also ordered 'Moonlight Mile' from the same author as I have really enjoyed the books I have read by him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 So I requested 'Moonlight Mile' from the library and when I went to pick it up I came across Belinda Bauer's new novel in the fastback section. I managed to finish it this morning and will post a review soon. Now onto the Lehane novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) Live By Night - Dennis Lehane Synopsis - Amazon Joe Coughlin is nineteen when he meets Emma Gould. A smalltime thief in 1920s Boston, he is told to cuff her while his accomplices raid the casino she works for. But Joe falls in love with Emma - and his life changes for ever. That meeting is the beginning of Joe's journey to becoming one of the nation's most feared and respected gangsters. It is a journey beset by violence, double-crossing, drama and pain. And it is a journey into the soul of prohibition-era America... Review This is the second Lehane novel I have read, previously having read and loved Shutter Island. I saw this in the local library and was jsut drawn to reading it. I am extremely glad I did as it is a real page turner that captures the era it was written in to a T and had me hooked from page 1. The story revolves around Joe Coughlin and his rise from small time thief to a feared gangster. Joe's story is told so well that I constantly wanted to read on to find out what would happen in next and there are a fair few plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. With the book set in prohibition era America Lehane captures the mood of the nation perfectly and you can imagine what it would have been like to be around during this time. I highly recommend this book and look forward in the future to reading yet more of Lehane's work. 9/10 Edited July 28, 2014 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 I managed a really good reading session this morning and finished 'Moonlight Mile' which I really enjoyed but found it slightly more predictable than the other Lehane novels I have read. Still a great book though and a full review will follow soon. I then made a start on 'The Girl With All The Gifts' and at about 50 or so pages in I am gripped so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 I have managed to keep a steady pace of reading up over the summer and I have recently finished 'The Girl With All the Gifts' and 'Love and Sleepless Nights'. I also received gift vouchers for my birthday recently and picked up 'Love, Love Me Do', 'Blood & Beauty' and 'The Minituaris'. Ome of these will probably be my next read. I also have lots of reviews to catch up on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) Wish list: The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs The Secret History - Donna Tartt The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup One Summer: America 1927 - Bill Bryson The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty Love...From Both Sides - Nick Spalding Solo - William Boyd The Line of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd Oh what an excellent wishlist! I've loved The Eyre Affair, Running With Scissors, The Secret History, The Rosie Project (which I know you've by now read it and enjoyed!) and The Secret Life of Bees! So, not at all surprisingly, I would recommend them all The Line of Beauty was a great read, too. Not as amazing as the aforementioned, but very good in many other ways. Have you acquired any of these books so far, besides TRP? This is Life - Dan Rhodes Synopsis - Amazon In Paris, art student Aurélie Renard throws a stone and sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. Suddenly finding herself in sole charge of a stranger's baby, and with no idea how babies work, it's only thanks to the help of her adoring professor and her gun-toting heartbreaker of a best friend that Aurélie Renard is able to navigate her way through the most extraordinary and calamitous seven days of her life. Meanwhile, in a Pigalle cinema, a naked man is doing his best to show the people of Paris, Aurélie among them, what it means to be alive . . . Review I absolutely adore Dan Rhodes novel Gold, it is still one of my favourite books ever and I always pick up his books with a great sense of anticipation. Unfortunately nothing has quite lived up to that height so far, there have been some great books but never the complete package. Until I found This is Life. I am going to come right out and say it.. I think this is better than Gold!! The characters in this book are incredible and the plot is oh so ridiculous but when in the hands of Rhodes seems utterly plausible. I enjoyed every last moment, from beginning to end and to tell you even the slightest bit would spoil your enjoyment. It is full of Rhodes' trademark humour and wit and it flows so well I read it in no time at all. My only criticism is that I wanted the book to go on longer and tell us even more about these wonderful characters. For me this is a must read, especially if you enjoyed Gold. 10/10 Great review! This sounds like the kind of book I want to read, it's going on my wishlist. And it's better than Gold?!? Edited August 21, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 (edited) Well a long time since my last post. In that time I have started my new job and managed to read two books. I have completed the Nick Spalding love trilogy by reading 'Love Under Different Skies' and today I finished 'Apple Tree Yard' by Louise Doughty after reading pretty much half the book in one sitting. There are plenty of reviews to catch up on and I have also just started 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton. I finish work on Wednesday for a little while and this will hopefully allow me some time to catch up on reviews and read more. Edited October 19, 2014 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi Tunn, just catching up on your thread. A belated congrats on your new job! This is Life is better than Gold? Wow, that is high praise indeed! Maybe I should bump it up my TBR pile. Have you been doing much reading lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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