Weave Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 I'm glad you enjoyed this one better ! Great review. Thanks Althena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 American Gods by Neil Gaiman ~ Started: 12.07.14 ~ Finished: 01.08.14 Title of Book: American Gods Name of Author: Neil Gaiman Edition: Kindle ISBN-10: B005NACYQU Number of Pages: 612 pages Synopsis ~ After three years in prison, Shadow has done his time. But as the time until his release ticks away, he can feel a storm brewing. Two days before he gets out, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr Wednesday claiming to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a very strange journey across the States, along the way solving the murders which have occurred every winter in one small American town. But the storm is about to break... Disturbing, gripping and profoundly strange, Gaiman's epic novel sees him on the road to the heart of America. Includes extra material exclusive to this Headline Review edition What I thought of 'American Gods' ~ This is the first time I have not enjoyed a Neil Gaiman as much as his other books which did surprise me. The story was great, well written, the characters were wonderful and Shadow was my favourite character. It was just too long, the version I read was the 10th anniversary edition which now has the full manuscript and as I said it was too long. I felt that most parts seemed to ramble on and it did not bring anything to the story. It was interesting read and I enjoyed parts of it but I do not think I will read it again. Rating: 3/5 I agree completely, it overstayed its welcome by quite some margin (and I ended up really disliking it). Great review, Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) I agree completely, it overstayed its welcome by quite some margin (and I ended up really disliking it). Great review, Weave Thanks Karsa, it definitely did overstay its welcome, so much so, I almost forgot about a minor plot line because I was so caught up with the rambling! Edited August 6, 2014 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Henry Farrell ~ Started: 04.08.14 ~ Finished: 08.08.14 Title of Book: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Name of Author: Henry Farrell Edition: Kindle ISBN-10: B00BFSM8UG Number of Pages: 304 pages Synopsis ~ Baby Jane, a child star of early vaudeville, resented having to grow up in the shadow of her prettier sister Blanche Hudson, who became Hollywood's reigning love goddess. Now, some fifty years later, they are together and alone. And reality has toppled crazily into eerie fantasy. Blanche now finds she is growing old in the shadow cast by Baby Jane -- and a very sinister shadow it is. What I thought of 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' ~ 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane' is the story of Jane and Blanche Hudson. Jane known as 'Baby Jane' was a child star while Blanche was kept in the sidelines. Baby Jane's fame began to wane as she got older and Blanche became a star in her own right. Following a tragic accident, Blanche is confided to a wheelchair and is taken care of by Jane, over the years Jane has grown to hate Blanche while Blanche defends Jane's actions and hides herself from the world, how long can the sisters live with each other and the ghosts of their pasts? I enjoyed 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane' from start to finish, the sisters are well written and realistic. As Jane descends into insanity, you experience her volatile personality and how she treats Blanche is hard to read. Blanche's weakness and acceptance of her situation is hard to read too, her isolation and loneliness is tragic. The biggest tragedy of all is what the sisters have lost, their relationship suffers because of their father's eagerness to make Jane famous which leads to Jane as an adult unable to cope with not being famous. The sisters never married, never had children, all they have left is each other with no sign of their relationship changing for the better. I felt sympathy for both of the characters, despite Jane's actions and how cruel she is to Blanche, as she clings to the life she once had, desperate to be noticed, to be famous again. Blanche is so lonely and mourns for the relationship she wished she had with her sister, she also mourns her former life. The sisters are so different from each other, at times Blanche seems weak but she is the strongest of the two, Blanche protects her sister as much as she can and also lives with Jane's volatile personality with a quiet dignity. The book ends with one of the most memorable sentence I have read in a book, it left me with me so many questions. I have never seen the film adaptation of 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane' but I had read about the legendary animosity between the stars of the film, Bette Davis & Joan Crawford which did make for interesting reading. Rating: 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ~ Started: 08.08.14 ~ Finished: 11.08.14 Title of Book: An Abundance of Katherines Name of Author: John Green Edition: Kindle ASIN: B008BSOAPE Number of Pages: 259 pages Synopsis ~ When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself. What I thought of 'An Abundance of Katherines' ~ 'An Abundance of Katherines' is the story of Colin Singleton, former child prodigy who loves anagrams and has been dumped 19 times by girls called Katherines. Colin begins to develop a theorem, 'The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability' which he hopes will predict the future relationships he may have. Following his recent break up with Katherine 19, Colin and his best friend, Hassan, a direct-less genius who is quite happy to stay at home and watch 'Judge Judy' (who he may or may not have a crush on) decide to go on a road trip where they find adventure and a chance to meet the right girl for Colin. Colin and Hassan have a great friendship and for two boys they were surprisingly honest with each other which I enjoyed reading. Colin is a complicated character because he was obsessed with discovering why his relationships never worked which frustrated me because I felt that he was missing so many good things. Colin constantly tries to define himself and is scared of never finding his place in the world, maybe because of my age, I just felt that he had time to find himself but I remember feeling the same when I was teenager. I enjoyed 'An Abundance of Katherines' from start to finish, as always John Green writes brilliant and likeable characters. Rating: 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami ~ Started: 11.08.14 ~ Finished: 14.08.14 Title of Book: Strange Weather in Tokyo Name of Author: Hiromi Kawakami Edition: Kindle ASIN: B00C7H14A4 Number of Pages: 192 pages Synopsis ~ Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Perfectly constructed, funny, and moving, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance. What I thought of 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' ~ 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' was a easy read and I did enjoy it but at times I felt it rambled on. The relationship between Tsukiko and 'Sensei' was nice to read, two lonely people finding each other at a time in their lives when they need someone. I did not dislike the book but its definitely not a favourite. Rating: 2/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I have An Abundance of Katherines on my TBR, I'm glad you liked it . Great reviews! Shame about the Murakami, I've heard good things about some of his other books (I have two on my TBR). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 I have An Abundance of Katherines on my TBR, I'm glad you liked it . Great reviews! Shame about the Murakami, I've heard good things about some of his other books (I have two on my TBR). Thanks Athena, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did It was Hiromi Kawakami not Haruki Murakami I hope you enjoy the Murakami books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Thanks Athena, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did It was Hiromi Kawakami not Haruki Murakami I hope you enjoy the Murakami books. Whoops . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I too have the John Green book on my TBR list- for this year, I believe. Glad to see it got a 5/5 from you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Great reviews, Weave. I'm sorry you didn't care much for American Gods...I didn't much the first time, but then recently I reread it for a discussion elsewhere and really enjoyed it. For me, the second time was the charm. Haven't read Anansi Boys yet, it's on the stack. And.....I didn't know What Ever Happened to Baby Jane was a book! Saw the movie years ago....gotta look that one up. Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 'The Entity' was scary, the psychiatrist was really frustrating because all he seemed to care about was his feelings and Carlotta is dealing with the horrible attacks! Sounds like a very professional psychiatrist...! Not!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Whoops . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 I too have the John Green book on my TBR list- for this year, I believe. Glad to see it got a 5/5 from you! It was a great read Anna, I am fast becoming a John Green fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Great reviews, Weave. I'm sorry you didn't care much for American Gods...I didn't much the first time, but then recently I reread it for a discussion elsewhere and really enjoyed it. For me, the second time was the charm. Haven't read Anansi Boys yet, it's on the stack. And.....I didn't know What Ever Happened to Baby Jane was a book! Saw the movie years ago....gotta look that one up. Yikes! I was disappointed too about 'American Gods' pontalba', I hope you enjoy 'Anansi Boys' I really need to see the movie of 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' Edited August 20, 2014 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Sounds like a very professional psychiatrist...! Not!! He was truly awful! I was sitting there thinking 'you moron! Its pretty clear that its not in her imagination since she's covered in bruises and just survived a car crash that she didn't cause!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill ~ Started: 14.08.14 ~ Finished: 20.08.14 Title of Book: Heart Shaped Box Name of Author: Joe Hill Edition: Kindle ASIN: B003TO5AJ0 Number of Pages: 420 pages Synopsis ~ Buy my stepfather's ghost' read the e-mail. So Jude did. He bought it, in the shape of the dead man's suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it: because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books and all the rest of the paraphernalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock. But the rest of his collection doesn't make the house feel cold. The bones don't make the dogs bark; the movie doesn't make Jude feel as if he's being watched. And none of the artefacts bring a vengeful old ghost with black scribbles over his eyes out of the shadows to chase Jude out of his home, and make him run for his life . . . What I thought of 'Heart Shaped Box' ~ I enjoyed 'Heart-Shaped Box' from start to finish, it was well written, intense and at time, just plain scary! Jude, the main character is well written, the quintessential rock star, jaded, looking out for his next conquest. Jude has a sad past and has worked hard to forget his past and become the person he is but he in a lot of ways, he is that same boy, lost and trying to find his way, so to protect himself he hides his feelings and uses people but he does feel guilty about it. Jude finds out what happens when he hurts the wrong person and finds himself confronted with a ghost, a vengeful one who will stop at nothing to take Jude down the dead road. Joe Hill is an excellent writer and writes horror well, there is genuinely scary moments in the book which I enjoyed, I liked Jude, despite his flaws, what you see, is was what you got. Looking forward to reading more by Joe Hill. Rating: 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Wool ~ The Graphic Novel by Hugh Howey, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Jimmy Broxton ~ Started: 20.08.14 ~ Finished: 20.08.14 Title of Book: Wool ~ The Graphic Novel Name of Author: Hugh Howey, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Jimmy Broxton Edition: Kindle ASIN: B00DL6CY4K Number of Pages: 160 pages Synopsis ~ Wool as you’ve never read it before: The New York Times bestselling novel is now told in graphic novel format. This contemporary dystopian classic—hailed by Justin Cronin, New York Times bestselling author of The Passage, as “an epic feat of imagination”—will captivate readers both familiar and new. This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside. What I thought of 'Wool ~ The Graphic Novel' ~ The 'Wool' trilogy is one of the best trilogies I have read in recent years, the story is well written and I loved all the characters, the imagery was excellent, you saw yourself in the silo, so I was very pleased to hear that there was going to a graphic novel of the series. 'Wool' is the first book in the series and it sets up the story of the silo where people live, work and die within, never experiencing outside because it has been ravaged by war and cannot sustain life, their only viewpoint is a screen which shows outside, the only way you can get outside is by committing a crime. 'Wool' introduces you to various characters as they find out the truth of the silo and what the future may hold. I enjoyed the graphic novel, the illustrations were vivid and drew you into the story which I enjoyed. I am looking forward to the next part which is called 'Shift'. Rating: 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 He was truly awful! I was sitting there thinking 'you moron! Its pretty clear that its not in her imagination since she's covered in bruises and just survived a car crash that she didn't cause!' Seems like he was in some dire need of a head check-up himself Wool ~ The Graphic Novel by Hugh Howey, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Jimmy Broxton ~ Started: 20.08.14 ~ Finished: 20.08.14 Rating: 4/5 This one's on my wishlist, but I haven't read any reviews of it before, yours is the first one Glad you liked it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Seems like he was in some dire need of a head check-up himself This one's on my wishlist, but I haven't read any reviews of it before, yours is the first one Glad you liked it! Dire need. I liked seeing the silo Frankie, its weird when I read 'Wool' I imagined it being more darker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Dire need. I liked seeing the silo Frankie, its weird when I read 'Wool' I imagined it being more darker. Wool is an interesting word for it, and I don't think I would have the slightest idea what it all would look like. Is it anything you imagined yourself? I think the visual aids would help me a lot But it's also nice that you got to compare your own image with the ones in the graphic novel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) If you liked Heart Shaped Box, you are in for a treat with Horns and NOS4A2! Joe Hill is probably in my top 5 favorite authors right now and has been since I read Heart Shaped Box and Horns (Horns really did it for me). He has a host of Kindle Shorts too, some with his dad, too. I have Wool in my Kindle Sample pile- Amazon is always on me for it...so I'm just skimming the Graphic Novel review. Good jobs (My review for NOS4A2 is here, a 5/5 for me http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12425-annas-books-for-2014/page-5?hl= anna nos4a2 ) Edited August 20, 2014 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Great reviews ! I own Heart-Shaped Box and the Wool series (the novels) on my Kindle (hope to buy paperback versions at some point), haven't read them yet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I just got the Wool Graphic novel recommended to me by Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Wool is an interesting word for it, and I don't think I would have the slightest idea what it all would look like. Is it anything you imagined yourself? I think the visual aids would help me a lot But it's also nice that you got to compare your own image with the ones in the graphic novel Well 'Wool' come from the cleaning tool that is used to clean the screen once you have left the silo for good. I have a vague idea of what a silo would look like inside (I honestly don't where from), it always seemed darker in the stairs, in the graphic novel, engineering is exactly how I imagined it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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