Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 1: De Drakencode (Il Codice Del Drago) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 07-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085920526 Synopsis (GoodReads): When Geronimo's sister, Thea, is invited to teach a journalism class at a college on Mouse Island, she has no idea that she's going to be called on to help solve a mystery. But when a student disappears, it's up to Thea and five of her students to find out what happened. My thoughts: I saw this book at the library and decided to borrow it to see if I'd like this series. I've previously enjoyed books written by the same team of authors. I also borrowed some books from the Het Leven op Topford series and I read those first, because they were shorter. However, it turns out, this book takes place before the books in the Het Leven op Topford series. The five Thea Sisters from that series aren't all friends yet in this book and they don't yet call themselves the Thea Sisters. I hadn't really closely looked at the covers of this book series, so I was surprised to find out, after I was home and looking at the covers and starting to read the books, that the five Thea Sisters were in this book series also. The book is told from Thea's perspective. She's invited to teach journalism to students at the Topford college and then gets involved in a mystery. The mystery takes place in and near the college, the other books in this series take place in other countries (see the other reviews for that). The five characters that form the Thea Sisters, though not yet as of this point, play a big role in the story, and in the consequetive books in this series that I've read (see the next reviews for that, I'm going to write those after writing this review), they play an important role too. The books then are only somewhat about Thea and are more about the adventures of these five characters. At first I was a bit disappointed with that, because I didn't enjoy the three Het Leven of Topford books thoroughly (that I read before I started this book), but it turns out that I enjoyed this book and especially the other books that I had borrowed, from this series, more than the Het Leven op Topford books. At the end of this book, are some letters the Thea Sisters have written, to each other or people they know. In the beginning of the book there is a page on each of the five Thea Sisters, telling the reader a little bit about them. I appreciated this. This book was an enjoyble mystery story. Clues are repeated and mentioned in particular to help children solve and understand the mystery. I found some of the clues to be a bit vague personally but others were more clever and sometimes it was obvious. I enjoyed reading the first adventure where the five Thea Sisters become friends. I also liked reading about Thea Stilton. I liked the characters in the story. I liked the illustrations too. The mystery was a bit odd in places. The clues all make sense in the end, but only in a kind of wacky children's way, if that makes sense? I mean, you wouldn't read about these solutions in an adult book as easily, I think. There's nothing wrong with that though! I just found the solution to be a bit "out there", not something very obvious but unusual instead. Overall then I enjoyed reading this book. I was a little bit disappointed with the mystery aspect but I enjoyed the story otherwise. Rating: (****) (7/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 3: De Sprekende Berg (La Montagna Parlante) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085920663 Synopsis (GoodReads): Thea's friends the Thea Sisters take off for Australia to solve a mystery. A flock of sheep at Nicky's family's ranch is losing all its wool, and the ranch depends on the wool to stay afloat! Maybe the sheep's cure lies in an Aboriginal medicine containing a strange root. The five mouselings set off on a tour of the whole country to find out. It's a truly memorable outback adventure! (note: somehow the order of the books is different in Dutch, in Italian and in English. So this is book 3 in the Dutch translations, but it's book 2 for the English version according to GoodReads. The numbers I'm using are for the Dutch translations.) My thoughts: After reading book 1 in this series and enjoying it, I went on to read book 3 in this series (the library didn't have book 2 available so I couldn't borrow that one). This book takes place in Australia. At the beginning there are again a few pages with details on the five Thea Sisters. At the end of the book there is information on Australia, and letters from the Thea Sisters to people they know. I liked to read these educational bits. There weren't many educational bits in book 1 (and I didn't read book 2), so it surprised me to find it in this book (and the other ones I read in this series after this one, books 6, 7, 11 and 12). It makes sense though as some of the Geronimo Stilton books have educational information in it too. There are educational bits during the story, in seperate text boxes, and there is the information at the end. I learned some things I didn't know yet about Australia, so this was nice as I wasn't expecting that. Thea herself narrates the book but she doesn't play a huge role in the story herself, compared with the five Thea Sisters. I enjoyed reading about Nicky and her home country. The mystery I found not very difficult to solve but the story wasn't just about the mystery. I also really enjoyed the other parts of the story, such as the travel parts and the conversations between the characters. I liked the characters in this book and I liked the illustrations. I enjoyed this book more than book 1 in this series, I found it to be more interesting, the mystery made more sense to me and I felt like I was sort of finally able to remember the characters a bit better, as when I just started reading the Het Leven of Topford books, before I started with this series, I had a bit of trouble sometimes telling them apart and remembering who was who. Overall then I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and I went on with reading the rest of the books in the series that the library had available, after reading this one. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 6: Het Ijzingwekkende Geheim (Il Tesoro Di Ghiaccio) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085920915 Synopsis (me): The Thea Sisters go to Alaska to an environmental conference, but one of the guests doesn't show up. My thoughts: After reading book 3 in this series and liking it a lot, I went on to read book 6 in this series (I borrowed a couple from this series from the library). They are great read-a-thon reads. This book takes place in Alaska. It was nice to learn a bit more about Alaska (the book has educational parts in it too). I liked the characters and the focus on the environment. The mystery was nice but it was solved quite a while before the book ended. I didn't mind this though as I enjoyed the story. I liked the illustrations. I particularly liked the parts in the story about the dogs, and the illustrations of the dogs. Overall then I enjoyed reading this book. It was educational but above all a fun adventure from the Thea Sisters. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 7: Het Mysterie van de Zwarte Pop (Il Mistro Della Bamboola Nera) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085921059 Synopsis (me): The Thea Sisters go on a school exchange trip to Japan and find another mystery there in trying to help a student of the Japanese school. My thoughts: After reading book 6 in this series, I went on to read book 7, during the semi read-a-thon in March. This was an enjoyable story. It takes place largely in Japan, and I quite enjoyed this. I find Japan an interesting country and I enjoyed learning more about it and seeing the illustrations of the buildings and tress for example. The mystery was a little bit obvious but I enjoyed reading this book. There were some suspenseful bits in it and I liked reading about some of the Japanese traditions. I liked the characters too. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. It was nice it took place in Japan, and I learned some new things while reading the book. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 11: Op Zoek Naar de Blauwe Scarabee (Caccia Allo Scarabeo Blu) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085921806 Synopsis (me): The five Thea Sisters go on a trip to Egypt, to help their teacher dig up an ancient treasure. My thoughts: The next book of this series that I'd borrowed from the library was book 11, so after reading book 7 in this series, I read book 11. They are enjoyable read-a-thon reads. This story takes place in Egypt (for the most part). It was an enjoyable story, it was quite suspenseful and I liked the riddles in it. I also liked the characters and found the story enjoyable to read. I liked the illustrations too and it was nice to learn more about Egypt. Overall I enjoyed reading this book, and I was pleased to find that books 3, 6, 7 and 11 (and 12, see next review) were more enjoyable to me than book 1. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 12: Gekrakeel om een Schots Kasteel (Il Segreto Del Castello Scozzese) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Detective Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 224 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789085920007 Synopsis (GoodReads, for the English version, so the names are different than in the Dutch version, or than in the original Italian version, I think): Geronimo's sister Thea Stilton narrates this action-packed adventure! When the Thea Sisters' good friend Bridget has to return to Scotland to help her family repair their ancient castle, the five mice offer to help their friend in whatever way they can. Little do they know that Bridget will be kidnapped, and they'll have to rush to Scotland to help find her! Along the way, the Thea Sisters encounter Celtic legends, cryptic messages, and hidden treasures on a trip that's full of mysteries and surprises! My thoughts: After reading books 1, 3, 6, 7 and 11 in this series, number 12 was the last one I had borrowed from the library. This story mostly takes place in Scotland and has to do with a Scottish castle. I found the story to be enjoyable and suspenseful. I liked the characters and the mystery / riddles. I liked the illustrations too and I enjoyed learning more about Scotland and its history. I enjoyed reading this book though I do find that the books in this series share some common themes and are perhaps a bit more predictable once you've read a few. Overall though I still found the book to be enjoyable. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Francine Oomen - Hoe Overleef Ik... 12: Hoe Overleef Ik (Zonder) Dromen? Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 207 Date read: 08-03-2015 ISBN: 9789045109855 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series) My thoughts: I've previously read and enjoyed books 5-11 (except 9, I haven't read that one) in this series. When I saw book 12 and 13 at the library, I borrowed them. I was eager to see how the series would continue (12) and end (13). It took me a few pages to remember who some of the characters were and what had happened in the previous books (this is why it's best for me to read the books in a series close together, unless the books are all standalone stories), but then I got into it. The story was pretty suspenseful. I quite liked the characters. Several themes were discussed in the story and there were several unexpected plot twists. The title of this book has to do with dreams, and I did find that there were a few dreams in the book (that the characters have at night, not the life dream ones), that I feel are more obvious to have in a book, or film or such, than that that would happen in real life, I found it to be a bit less realistic, the dreams made too much sense I guess? I found on occasion I wanted to skim through these dream bits. I more enjoyed the story that was going on while the characters were awake (which is most of the time). I liked certain characters more than others though they are all interesting in their own ways. Overall then I enjoyed reading this book. The story was pretty suspenseful and I enjoyed the unexpected twists. I look forward to read book 13, the last book in the series, as I really want to find out how it all ends and how all the story lines are tied up. I would also like to read books 1-4 and 9 at some point, to fill in the "missing bits" that I didn't read about. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) For a long time I didn't need to use the 'x' anymore using Firefox, somehow that problem was solved, but Chrome seems to need it. I can't use Firefox at the moment so posting on the forum because of the stupid horizontal scrollbar issue, so when I'm on BCF I use Chrome (but for other sites, Firefox, as I don't like Chrome as much as Firefox and Chrome has its own annoying things). EDIT: I didn't need to use an 'x' in this post, hurrah! I don't know what's going on really. Ah, that's so annoying! I prefer using IE for everything, but it doesn't let me post on BCF or on my blog so I have to use Chrome for those two things but still use IE for everything else. I can't seem to get on with Firefox at all. Definitely try those other Jacqueline Wilson books I mentioned if you ever get the chance! It might be that you enjoy her older stuff more than her newer ones. ETA: Wow, you added like a billion reviews while I was composing this reply. Someone's been busy this weekend! Well done. Edited March 9, 2015 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 ETA: Wow, you added like a billion reviews while I was composing this reply. Someone's been busy this weekend! Well done. It's hard to keep up with her, isn't it? I'm glad to see that you've now read and enjoyed more of Jacqueline Wilson's books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Ah, that's so annoying! I prefer using IE for everything, but it doesn't let me post on BCF or on my blog so I have to use Chrome for those two things but still use IE for everything else. I can't seem to get on with Firefox at all. Definitely try those other Jacqueline Wilson books I mentioned if you ever get the chance! It might be that you enjoy her older stuff more than her newer ones. ETA: Wow, you added like a billion reviews while I was composing this reply. Someone's been busy this weekend! Well done. Ah, well we all like different things . Personally I can't stand IE (or at least the older versions of IE). Yeah that could well be, I'll see if I see any of them at the library . Sorry ! I made notes on Fri-Sat-Sun when I read the books, then wrote all the reviews today. I was eager to post them but yeah it is a bit of scrolling and all that, sorry about that! I seem to be reading more shorter children's books this year, so far (mainly library loans). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 It's hard to keep up with her, isn't it? I'm glad to see that you've now read and enjoyed more of Jacqueline Wilson's books. Sorry . Yes, I quite liked the last two that I read ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I seem to be reading more shorter children's books this year, so far (mainly library loans). Ya I noticed that, it will probably change soon though, when you read some of your own books? Maybe that doorstopper Sanderson and then I will read World Without End at the same time Hopefully the Sanderson will be like 1500 pages ha ha ha I think it is 1088 also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 It's hard to keep up with her, isn't it? Impossible! Sorry ! I made notes on Fri-Sat-Sun when I read the books, then wrote all the reviews today. I was eager to post them but yeah it is a bit of scrolling and all that, sorry about that! Oh, I wasn't complaining! I was just impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yeah, I've noticed that too. To be honest, I don't think I can read all the Wilson books left to read before they're due at the library (I'm not sure if I want to at the moment, either, as they're getting a bit samey). But I can always borrow them some other time if they're not loaned out. I'll have to look out for your favourite ones, see if they have them . For a long time I didn't need to use the 'x' anymore using Firefox, somehow that problem was solved, but Chrome seems to need it. I can't use Firefox at the moment so posting on the forum because of the stupid horizontal scrollbar issue, so when I'm on BCF I use Chrome (but for other sites, Firefox, as I don't like Chrome as much as Firefox and Chrome has its own annoying things). EDIT: I didn't need to use an 'x' in this post, hurrah! I don't know what's going on really. I was going to say, I saw you post about Chrome needing the "x", but I've never had that problem and always put that handy line break between the quote box and text. Hopefully it permanently works now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Ya I noticed that, it will probably change soon though, when you read some of your own books? Maybe that doorstopper Sanderson and then I will read World Without End at the same time Hopefully the Sanderson will be like 1500 pages ha ha ha I think it is 1088 also. Elantris (which is standalone so I think that might be the first Sanderson I'll read next) is I think 600+ pages, so not as long as World Without End. I don't know yet which long book I'll read first though, there are plenty to pick from . It'll depend on what I'm in the mood for. The first book I plan to read of my own books, will I think be An Unwelcome Quest which is 425 pages. I really loved the first two books in the series and am really eager to find out what happens next (or before.. ah the joys of time travel). Oh, I wasn't complaining! I was just impressed. Thanks ! I was going to say, I saw you post about Chrome needing the "x", but I've never had that problem and always put that handy line break between the quote box and text. Hopefully it permanently works now! So far it's been going okay ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Francine Oomen - Hoe Overleef Ik... 13: Hoe Overleef Ik Mijn Vader? (En Hij Mij!) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 199 Date read: 09-03-2015 <-> 10-03-2015 ISBN: 9789045111179 Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's the last book in a series) My thoughts: After finishing book 12, I really wanted to know how the series would end, so I started to read book 13 (both library loans that are due in a bit). I quite enjoyed reading this book. There were plenty of suspenseful moments, particularly in the second half of the book. I also liked the plot twists, there were quite a few unexpected ones. I liked the characters a lot too, they're all very interesting and different. One thing I missed was that Carmen wasn't much in this book and I was hoping to hear something about her at the end but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I did like the ending otherwise. After the book ends, there are a few pages with emails between the author of the books and the main characters, about the series ending now. It was quite nice to read. In this book Rosa goes on holiday in Marocco, and there were bits of this holiday that I enjoyed reading a bit less than the rest of it. I did quite like to read most of the book though. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. It ends the series nicely though the story isn't finished as the characters go on to do other things in their lives. I've really enjoyed reading this series. I still want to read books 1-4 and 9 at some point, as I haven't read those yet. It would seem more stories about these characters can be found in a magazine and in a few other books perhaps, though I don't know if the library has any of this. The library does have some magazines, but I don't know which ones nor am I entirely sure where exactly they are (but I could try to find them or ask). Either way, it's been a nice journey with these characters and reading the series has been enjoyable. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Very good reviews, Gaia. I'm glad that you have been able to give most of the books a good rating. When you've read so many, there are bound to be a few duds in the mix. You've been mostly on the plus side, so that's a good thing! I really like that you post the cover art, it's very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) Very good reviews, Gaia. I'm glad that you have been able to give most of the books a good rating. When you've read so many, there are bound to be a few duds in the mix. You've been mostly on the plus side, so that's a good thing! I really like that you post the cover art, it's very pretty. Thanks Kate . I agree, that is a good thing. Thanks, I find the cover of a book to be a bit important so I like to include it with my review. Gladly there are a lot of pretty covers, of the books I read (well, in my opinion). I'm glad you like seeing the covers . P.S. I caved and ordered myself Graeme Simsion - Don Tillman 2: The Rosie Effect. I can't wait for it to get here. Edited March 11, 2015 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Scott Meyer - Magic 2.0 3: An Unwelcome Quest Genre: Fantasy, Science-fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 425 Date read: 11-03-2015 <-> 13-03-2015 ISBN: 9781477821404 Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series) My thoughts: After finishing off my library loans (well, those I felt like reading), I wanted to read some of my own books. I pre-ordered this book, because I loved the first two books in the series (which I read a few months ago, they were a birthday gift from my boyfriend). I was very eager to read this book because I loved the first two so much, so that's why this book was the first book of my own books I decided to read. I hope it's not too spoilish to just say that for most of this book the characters spent their time locked in a computer game, without their powers. I had to get used to that this book contained therefore had slightly less 'magicks' / powers in it and such (my words), because the characters are trapped in the video game, because someone wants revenge (this is on the back of the book, so hopefully that's not really spoiling anything). Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with that, because the powers and the way it all worked was one of the things I loved about the first two books. But then I got into the story more and I found I was really enjoying it. There are a lot of thoughts in here about video games, and also about for example films and TV shows. There were some really funny jokes and parts in the book and I loved all the references. I really like the characters in this series. They've all got different personalities and ideas and they make for an interesting cast of characters to read about. Unlike the first book, this book doesn't have one main character. Martin was the main character in the first book. This book follows several of the characters and what goes on with them. Some of Martin's friends are locked up in the video game, so you read about the characters who are locked up in the game, as well as about Martin and a few other characters trying to rescue them. I really enjoyed reading about both of these groups / perspectives if you will (though it's all written in third person). There weren't any characters I disliked, I thought they were all pretty interesting to be honest. It was very interesting to see what some of the characters, being kind of nerdy types who like video games, go about actually being in the video game. I quite liked the conversations between the characters. The book has quite a few interesting plot twists that I didn't see coming. The last part of it in particular was very suspenseful (and the rest of it was too). Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book, it was perhaps a little bit different than what I thought it was going to be, but I really enjoyed reading it. I really like the characters, the world, the jokes and references, the plot twists. And the ending does make me wonder if the author will write another book or not. I do hope so! I love this series. Even less well known authors can write something really good and enjoyable. I enjoyed it at least . Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 P.S. I caved and ordered myself Graeme Simsion - Don Tillman 2: The Rosie Effect. I can't wait for it to get here. Excellent news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I have been seeing this on the Amazon lists lately and it just NOW clicked with me seeing the cover. I can't believe myself sometimes! The cover reminds me of Zelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Ooh, An Unwelcome Quest sounds fun! I watched the movie Wreck-It Ralph last night (have you seen it?) and am feeling very video gamey myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Excellent news I'm very excited to read it, hopefully it should get here by the end of this week . I have been seeing this on the Amazon lists lately and it just NOW clicked with me seeing the cover. I can't believe myself sometimes! The cover reminds me of Zelda Yeah I can see that . Ooh, An Unwelcome Quest sounds fun! I watched the movie Wreck-It Ralph last night (have you seen it?) and am feeling very video gamey myself. I love Wreck-It Ralph ! If you feel interested in reading the series, I do think it's best you start with the first one, Off to Be the Wizard. Things are explained in book 2 and 3 so they could be read on their own, but if you have the choice I think that would be the most logical place to start. The series does have elements in it of time travel though, if I'm not mistaken that was something you weren't too keen on? Not that I want to put you off or anything, book 3 doesn't feature much mind-boggling times (that was book 2), but I thought it fair to tell you. P.S. Two reviews will be posted now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Jodi Picoult - Perfect Match Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 398 (including an interview with the author and some book group questions) Date read: 13-03-2015 <-> 14-03-2015 ISBN: 9780340960530 Synopsis (back of the book): As an assistant district attorney, Nina Frost prosecutes the sort of crimes that tear families apart. But when Nina and her husband discover that their five-year-old son Nathaniel has been sexually abused, it is her own family that is devastated. The world Nina inhabits now seems different from the one she lived in yesterday: the lines between family and professional life are eraased, and answers to questions she thought she knew are no longer easy to find. Overcome by anger and desperate for vengeance, Nina ignites a battle that may cause her to lose the very thing she's fighting for. My thoughts: I started to read this book because BSchultz recommended it to me a few days ago. One of my (many) aims this year is to read more books by Jodi Picoult (because she's one of my favourite contemporary authors). After finishing my previous read and reading BSchultz's praise about the book, I decided to read it. The book was really good. There were a lot of unexpected plot twists. The story was very suspenseful. I wanted to keep on reading. I started to read it in the late afternoon of 13-03-2015 (last Friday). I read about ~75 pages. On Saturday, 14-03-2015, I read the rest of the book (so about ~325 pages). The book is told from various perspectives, though unlike some of the other Jodi Picoult books, the chapters don't designate a new viewpoint. Instead the viewpoint switches during chapters. There are two first person viewpoints (mainly from Nina, and the italic is Nathaniel). The other viewpoints are in third person. I found the characters to be quite interesting. The book is about a difficult subject, it is heavy in that sense, and serious and respectful. I enjoyed reading the legal parts too. The US system is quite different from the system in the Netherlands, but gladly I was able to follow the book relatively well. It was interesting that Nina is an assistent district attorney herself, as a job, this gave an interesting spin on events and made the story better. It is an emotional book too and it definitely makes you think. I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it to be very well written, very interesting, thought-provoking, it has great characters, it's very suspenseful and there were a lot of plot twists. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I would consider it definitely one of Jodi's best books (along with a few others, My Sister's Keeper and The Pact for example). Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Hans Magnus Enzensberger - De Telduivel: Een Hoofdkussenboek Voor Iedereen Die Bang Voor Wiskunde Is (Der Zahlenteufel) (re-read) Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Information Age-range: Children Format: Paperback Pages: 263 Date read: 15-03-2015 ISBN: 9789023439721 Synopsis (GoodReads, for the English translation): In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without. As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone - from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads - winds up marveling at what numbers can do. My thoughts: After reading the serious and emotional read that was Perfect Match (which I really enjoyed), I felt like re-reading a children's book, something a bit lighter in tone. I've re-read this book several times when I was a child and young teenager. I hadn't read the book in years though, not since I was a younger teenager at least. Re-reading this book was very enjoyable. The letters are quite big and the book has great illustrations so I was able to read it relatively quickly (it was also a re-read so that helped too). The illustrations are very nice. Most of them are related to maths and so they are an integral part of the story. The book contains twelve 'chapters', twelve nights in which Robert dreams about the telduivel (yeah he's called the Number Devil in English.. but I'm going with the Dutch here, since the original book is German and I read the Dutch translation, it wouldn't make sense to use the English name really.). Each dream Robert and the telduivel talk about mathematics and various aspects of it. It's a children's book, so you won't find stuff here of university level. I found the book very interesting. Obviously I'd read it before, so I already knew I'd find it interesting. I remembered some of the mathmathics from the book, though I have to say not all of this stuff is taught in every school, so you might learn a trick or two you didn't know yet. I'm unsure of what level mathematics people from different countries are taught. Because I did VWO, the highest secondary school education in the Netherlands, I also am not sure what mathematics teenagers who do the VMBO are taught (the education most of them have). Either way, I found the information in the book very interesting (I could remember some things of course, since I've read the book before and also since I've been in school and in university). It's all told in an interesting way, to keep children engaged. I liked the writing style of the book. I also liked the characters of the book. The book is funny in places, and I find it amazing how some of these mathematics and numbers work. One nostalgic thing for me was the following. First, I have to explain that when I first read this book, I am not sure how old I was, perhaps 10 years old or such, I saw this number in this book, it's in an illustration, and it was the longest number I had ever seen. It is an illustration of a calculator, with Robert sleeping on the giant calculator and the calculator displaying the first ~31 decimals of the square root of 2. This really impressed me as a child and I then decided to memorise this number. A few years later, when I told some of my new friends at secondary school (I was in primary school when I was 10), they just laughed at me and thought me an idiot for memorising such a long number. Since then I've not mentioned it anymore, though on occasion I wrote it in my own mathematics notes when the answer to a question was the square root of two (just to amuse myself, not in any exams or anything). My family has always been supportive of me, and me memorising this number. My father in particular thought it was pretty cool, and when my brother, who is 7 years younger than me, got older he found it cool too (and he even imitated me by memorising it too ). I believe someone did once suggest for me to memorise pi (the number) instead, and I've looked at it (or the first so many decimals of it), but I somehow never found it as nice a number as the square root of two ( sue me). Anyway, these days I don't think of the number all that much. I thought about it quite a bit when I was a teenager, and as an interesting note I'll tell you I once played it on my parents' keyboard player and later on my parents' piano, and most of those decimals that I have memorised, go great as a little song (when played at the pace at which I played it). As I said, nowadays I don't think of the number that often anymore. It's something from my past, and something I still remember, but not something I often think about, not even to check if I still remember it. I do, and I hopefully will for a long time (because that means my memory is working well, or at least that part of my memory). Overall I quite enjoyed re-reading this book. It was fun and informative, and I enjoyed re-reading the things I remembered and also the things I didn't remember as much. What's interesting is that the author isn't a mathmatician. Anyway, I really enjoyed re-reading this book, it's such a fun read. What can I say, I do like mathematics. Not all of it, and not every part of it I find as interesting, but what's discussed in this book I found very interesting. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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