poppyshake Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 I'm glad you liked your books Claire I hope they're good Thank you in advance for my prezzies .. tomorrow will be very exciting It was so lovely to see you today .. the time flew by as usual xx Quote
Kylie Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Great selection, Kay! That's a lovely haul, Claire. I have Incorrigible Children on my TBR pile. I only recently found out about those new black editions from Penguin. I haven't seen any 'in real life' yet. Happy reading! Quote
chesilbeach Posted February 25, 2015 Author Posted February 25, 2015 Thanks Kylie I'd not seen Incorrigible Children before, and it seems to be a US import copy as it's not a UK publisher and only has US and Canadian prices on the back … curious. Quote
poppyshake Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks Kylie I'd not seen Incorrigible Children before, and it seems to be a US import copy as it's not a UK publisher and only has US and Canadian prices on the back … curious. Hmm .. interesting. I heard it read and loved it but because the narrator was British I took it for a British book Now I look it up I see the author is American. I would have noticed this from the spelling if I'd read it but the setting and the subject felt British .. not that it matters .. but perhaps I took my cue from the British accent. It began well for me .. one of the first things Penelope (lead character) said was 'clearly, being anxious is a full time and exhausting occupation' .. this came not long after a toast quote and not long before a cake quote so I was hooked straight away Quote
chesilbeach Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 Hmm .. interesting. I heard it read and loved it but because the narrator was British I took it for a British book Now I look it up I see the author is American. I would have noticed this from the spelling if I'd read it but the setting and the subject felt British .. not that it matters .. but perhaps I took my cue from the British accent. It began well for me .. one of the first things Penelope (lead character) said was 'clearly, being anxious is a full time and exhausting occupation' .. this came not long after a toast quote and not long before a cake quote so I was hooked straight away Well, how can I not love it then???? Think I'll be reading this one soon Quote
chesilbeach Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald Synopsis (from waterstones.com): Oscar Dunleavy, who used to make the world's most perfect apple tarts, is missing, presumed dead. No-one seems too surprised, except for Meg, his best friend, and his little brother Stevie. Surrounded by grief and confusion, Meg and Stevie are determined to find out what happened to Oscar, and together they learn about loyalty and friendship and the power of never giving up hope. The second sensational novel from Irish author, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, following her debut, BACK TO BLACKBRICK, perfect for fans of Annabel Pitcher and Siobhan Dowd. Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for Teens category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: What a great book to start my reading of the Teen category with. The story starts in the middle at a memorial service, then with alternating narrative from Meg and Oscar, we find out how it all started and led to the memorial service, and what happens afterwards. It deals with a whole range of things that teenagers might experience, including bereavement and bullying, along with growing up and figuring out who you are. One of the highlights for me, where the scenes near the sea, with a real feeing of what growing up in a seaside town can mean, and how the sea can work its way into your psyche and become part of you. If I had one tiny criticism, it's that maybe it's a bit too lightweight for the subject matter, almost lacking a touch of reality, but I'm really nitpicking here, and I did love reading it. Quote
chesilbeach Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton Synopsis (from waterstones.com): Foolish love appears to be a Roux family birthright. And for Ava Lavender, a girl born with the wings of a bird, it is an ominous thing to inherit. In her quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to join her peers, Ava ventures into the wider world. But it is a dangerous world for a naive girl - a world which may view her as girl or angel. On the night of the summer solstice celebration, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air and Ava's journey and her family's saga reaches a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human. Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for Teens category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: This book is so much more than the synopsis tells you. More than just Ava's story, this is the story of her grandmothers family, how love affected them, shaped their lives and their deaths, and the impact it will have on the future generations. It then follows Ava's mothers life, and again, how love shapes her life, and finally onto Ava's own life. But we're not talking about happy, comforting love … this family is doomed by their love, almost as if their lives have been predetermined, and that they are not destined for happiness and love to comfort their lives. There's a feeling of mythology to the story, almost fable like, but with the brutality and harshness of real life grounding it. There's a wistfulness about the story and the writing, and you think you know where you are, then it pierces you with something very real and physical. Definitely one for older teenagers, with some brief sex and violence. I've only just finished reading it, so I maybe a bit close to it still, but I think the story is one that will haunt me for a while. Quote
Nollaig Posted February 27, 2015 Posted February 27, 2015 Great reviews Claire, I like the sound of both of those. Might stick em on the aul wishlist. Quote
chesilbeach Posted February 27, 2015 Author Posted February 27, 2015 Thanks, Noll. It's the second year I've read some of the books from the Waterstone's shortlist, and this year I've liked all the ones I've read so far. Last year, one I read was just ok, and the were a few I wasn't interested in, but I'm enjoying this year a lot. It's sort of nice to read a list someone else has come up with, and be able to judge which I think is the best book. Quote
Nollaig Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 I loved reading from lists too - there's an Irish DJ here who has started a review blog, and his reviews aren't particularly amazing but he seems to have a knack for picking great reads, particularly from Irish authors I've never heard of, so I've been making my way through his reviews and making a list of titles-endorsed-by-Rick that I like the look of That's where a lot of my reads this year have come from, actually. Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 The only trouble with reading from a list, is that I feel compelled to read the whole list! It's certainly given me a focus for the last couple of weeks, but also means I've bought more books than I intended. I think next year, I'll have to plan for it, and save a bit of money before hand so I can splurge in one go and get the shortlisted books all together. Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 Violet and the Pearl of the Orient by Harriet Whitehorn, illustrated by Becka Moor Synopsis (from waterstones.com): Meet Violet Remy-Robinson, an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making... When a new family move in next door, Violet is sure there's something strange about them. Then her eccentric, but lovely neighbour, Dee Dee Derota, has a precious jewel stolen. Could the new family be to blame? Violet is on the case to uncover the truth… Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for 5-12's category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: I have to say, while I bought this because it was on the shortlist, when I picked it up, I read the back and liked the look of it, but didn't look inside. If I had, I'm not sure I'd have bothered, as there's not much to it, and it's very simple and easy reading, so I'm guessing it's aimed at the 8-9 year olds, rather than the 10-12's. Despite that, it's a good fun book, the illustrations are lovely, and a good crime novel to wean younger children on. Perhaps if I'd read books like this when I was little, I'd have more of a taste for crime novels myself now! Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 Half Bad by Sally Green Synopsis (from waterstones.com): You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch. You get sick if you stay indoors after dark. You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one. You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen. All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday. Easy. Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for Teens category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: I loved this book. Witches live among us, but keep their gifts hidden from normal society. They are White witches who are the good, pure witches, who only use their gifts for good, and the Black witches who are bad, often violent (even murderous). The story follows Nathan and other than than his name, I'm not going to tell you anything more about him. What I will say, is that is was refreshing to read this sort of story from a boy's perspective, and I loved that while this was about witches, they were very much an ordinary lifestyle that we would know, and it felt very rooted in reality. There are themes of familial bonds, friends and peer pressure, finding out who you are and what you want to be. There are brutal scenes, and Nathan suffers physical abuse, but his spirit and determination keep him going. I loved the writing. Sometimes there are short chapters with spurts of text, just giving you a glimpse of the story, and then there are longer chapters where the plot and characters are fleshed out. At times, you'll be engrossed in learning about the witches, and then you'll suddenly find the pace has dramatically changed and Nathan will be on a knife edge and there's a heartstopping moment of life-threatening peril. I'm finding it difficult to choose between this and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender as my favourite in the teen category at the moment, but for two fantasy novels, both grounded in reality, they are two completely different books. A few days after reading it, it's put a little worm in my brain, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel, Half Wild due out later this month. Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens Synopsis (from waterstones.com): Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious. Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill - and everything points to poison. With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem - and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth . . . no matter the consequences. Review: Book two confirmed it. Daisy and Hazel are my new favourite detectives! I loved the boarding school setting of the first book, and the move to Daisy's home, a large country house, was just as good. Hazel's insecurities about herself, and her honest reading of Daisy, who isn't as perfect as the image she projects of herself, make the girls genuine and real. It's set in 1935, so there's the division of the classes with humour aplenty and an exciting murder mystery that'll keep you guessing until the end, exactly the sort of gentile crime novels I love. The next instalment, First Class Murder, is out in July and is set on the Orient Express! Can't wait. Quote
poppyshake Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) What a pity that Violet & the Pearl of the Orient was a bit too young .. it's such an appealing looking book. Great reviews Claire .. on the whole it sounds like these YA/children's books from Waterstone's shortlist have been outstanding. Half Bad sounds great and though I only half squinted at your review for Arsenic For Tea (though I know you never plot spoil) I was glad to see the big smiley face at the end denoting you loved it Edited March 4, 2015 by poppyshake Quote
Nollaig Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 The only trouble with reading from a list, is that I feel compelled to read the whole list! It's certainly given me a focus for the last couple of weeks, but also means I've bought more books than I intended. I think next year, I'll have to plan for it, and save a bit of money before hand so I can splurge in one go and get the shortlisted books all together. Haha I can understand that - I guess I'm fortunate in that I'm content to take only what sounds interesting from a list. (I do try to be fairly open minded though, my criteria for selection are quite forgiving ) Great reviews as usual. I like the sound of Half Bad. I'm pretty sure you contribute more to my Wishlist than any other one person on this forum! Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 4, 2015 Author Posted March 4, 2015 What a pity that Violet & the Pearl of the Orient was a bit too young .. it's such an appealing looking book. Great reviews Claire .. on the whole it sounds like these YA/children's books from Waterstone's shortlist have been outstanding. Half Bad sounds great and though I only half squinted at your review for Arsenic For Tea (though I know you never plot spoil) I was glad to see the big smiley face at the end denoting you loved it It was such an easy read, I think I read the whole of it in about an hour. It was fine, and for younger children, I'm sure they would absolutely love it. Great reviews Claire .. on the whole it sounds like these YA/children's books from Waterstone's shortlist have been outstanding. Half Bad sounds great and though I only half squinted at your review for Arsenic For Tea (though I know you never plot spoil) I was glad to see the big smiley face at the end denoting you loved it Thanks Kay. I did love it, but then even if it was only half as good as the first one, how could I not?! Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 4, 2015 Author Posted March 4, 2015 Haha I can understand that - I guess I'm fortunate in that I'm content to take only what sounds interesting from a list. (I do try to be fairly open minded though, my criteria for selection are quite forgiving ) Great reviews as usual. I like the sound of Half Bad. I'm pretty sure you contribute more to my Wishlist than any other one person on this forum! Thanks Noll, although now I'm feeling the pressure to deliver the goods! Hope you enjoy at least some of the books I recommend! Quote
Nollaig Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Not at all, I don't expect to like all of them, we're different people so of course we won't always agree. And I honestly forget where the recommendations come from by the time I actually get round to reading them, so I won't even know if I dislike something you recommended Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 4, 2015 Author Posted March 4, 2015 That's alright then, no pressure. Phew! Quote
chesilbeach Posted March 5, 2015 Author Posted March 5, 2015 Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill Synopsis (from waterstones.com): freida and isabel have been best friends their whole lives. Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate. But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril. And then, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride. freida must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known... Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for Teens category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: If you're looking for dystopian, this is it, and blimey, is it bleak. The book is set at the School, and freida the main character is sixteen and in her final year. But this is not an ordinary school. In a world where girls are no longer conceived and born, females a genetically engineered and then raised by the "chastities" in the school, where they are required to aspire to perfection, and their weight and condition is constantly monitored, and the outside world ranks them according to attractiveness. Sound bleak enough yet? Wait … it gets worse. At the end of their final year, the girls will either be chosen by a boy to be married in order to produce male heirs, or become a concubine or a chastity. Their names start with a lower case letter as they are lesser than men. Their lifespan is forty years, when they go on the pyre. As you follow freida's story, you see the parallels between how girls today face the constant pressure about their image, bombarded with photoshopped pictures of unachievable perfection. As the story unfolds, the oppression of the women gets more and more suffocating, and it gets bleaker and bleaker. And I know I've used that word before, but it's really the only word that can describe this book. That's not to say it's not compelling - I found it difficult to put down - but it's so awful to read what's happening, and the little details (like the uncapitalised names) that aren't necessarily explained, add to the oppression of the women in this society, and which as a reader you can see but the characters in their sheltered lives have no idea about. Having said all that, there is so much about the issue of food and weight, but nothing to explain why it's wrong for that to be the focus of your life, and no alternative for the reader to consider. But it's still such a fascinating read, I wouldn't stop me recommending it. A very dark read, and left me with a desperate hope that all girls today have someone in their lives to tell them their worth is not based on their looks. Quote
Athena Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 The premise of this book sounds quite interesting, I might have to see if my library has it. Great review ! Quote
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Your reading log is dangerous to my wishlist I've been reading through the pages and the following titles will end up on my wishlist: All Our Worldly Goods, Misty Falls (or rather the first novel in the series), and All Fall Down. And here's the reason I wasn't allowed to go bookshopping! NewBooks.jpg Oooh, what a great haul! Same as Kylie, I have the Incorrigible book on my wishlist already. The cover is gorgeous Quote
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