Athena Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Marie Lu - Legend 2: Prodigy Genre: Science-fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 356 Date read: 18-05-2015 <-> 19-05-2015 ISBN: 9780141339573 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing Legend 1: Legend I then started the second book in this series. I was eager to find out how the story would continue, and my friend Anna, who's also reading the series, had already started this second book, so I wanted to start it too. I didn't expect to finish it this quickly but I've been reading a lot. This second book took a little bit of time to get going. Most of the chapters are longer than the ones in the first book, so it feels a bit more slower paced at first. After a little while, I was getting more into the story and it became a lot more suspenseful. The book is generally fast paced and contains a lot of action scenes (as well as more slower scenes, in which the characters talk). I liked the writing style and most of the plot twists. There were some I saw coming, others I didn't see coming. I really like some of the twists (obviously due to spoilers I won't be saying more). I'm giving this book a slightly lower rating because it didn't hold my attention as much at first and it took me a bit of time to get into it. I did enjoy it a lot though. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book, though not as much as the first one. The beginning is a bit slower, but some plot twists were really good and the book was pretty suspenseful in the end. I'll be starting book three soon and find out how it all ends. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Oh, ok, it sounds better now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Oh, ok, it sounds better now I'm glad to hear that, I hope you will like it better soon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 Yesterday we went to Den Bosch and we found a Terre des Hommes charity shop, so I bought some books: Joanne Harris - Bramenwijn (Blackberry Wine) Jill Mansell - Solo (Dutch) Jill Mansell - De Prins op het Verkeerde Paard (Falling for You) Cathy Kelly - Blijf Bij Me (Lessons in Heartbreak) Adele Parks - Love Lies Khaled Hosseini - Duizend Schitterende Zonnen (A Thousand Splendid Suns) Khaled Hosseini - De Vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) Henning Mankell - Kurt Wallander 2: Honden van Riga (Hundarna i Riga) Stephenie Meyer - The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn (I've already read this but I didn't own any of the four main books) Below is a photo of my books and of the DVDs we bought in the shop (I personally quite like how that flash turned out, unexpected.): My boyfriend bought a book in comic book shop (I hardly ever see those in the Netherlands), the book is called The Art of The Wind Rises. It's interesting how my boyfriend's one book cost more than twice as much as my nine books. But he's very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 (edited) My boyfriend bought a book in comic book shop (I hardly ever see those in the Netherlands), the book is called The Art of The Wind Rises. It's interesting how my boyfriend's one book cost more than twice as much as my nine books. But he's very happy with it. It must be a really cool book, the film is filled with amazing images. Well, it's an amazing film. Edited May 21, 2015 by Sousa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Khaled Hosseini's I hope you like And the Mountains Echoed here is my (short) review http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12425-annas-books-for-2014/?p=387182 I liked The Kite Runner like I said, but it is a little harsh. Only 125 pages of Prodigy left... kill me now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 It must be a really cool book, the film is filled with amazing images. Well, it's an amazing film. I agree, the film is really good. The book has some great images too, and some text (but I haven't read it, just seen some of the images). My boyfriend owns all the other 'The Art of Studio Ghibli Films' books, as far as I know. Khaled Hosseini's I hope you like And the Mountains Echoed here is my (short) review http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12425-annas-books-for-2014/?p=387182 I liked The Kite Runner like I said, but it is a little harsh. Only 125 pages of Prodigy left... kill me now Thanks for that ! I hope you will enjoy your next read more . P.S. I will be posting two reviews now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Marie Lu - Legend 3: Champion Genre: Science-fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 357 Date read: 19-05-2015 <-> 21-05-2015 ISBN: 9780141339627 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing book 2 in this series, I went on to read book 3, because I wanted to find out how the story would end. This book was pretty suspenseful. It does have slower moments too. I enjoyed this one more than Prodigy, more things happened and things were a bit more tense. I liked the writing style and the characters. If you liked the first and second book, you will like this one too I think. There were quite a few unexpected plot twists. I was totally not expecting some of these to happen. Some of them were really good. I'm not quite sure what to make of this review, that I haven't said in the reviews for the other two books. I'm also quite tired at the moment from being out yesterday, so I struggle to write much. I can however say that I thought this was a good conclusion to the series. It's a shame the middle book was less good than the other two, though personally I quite enjoyed the whole trilogy overall. It is suspenseful and the world in the books is very interesting. Overall then I quite enjoyed this third and final book. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 3: The Icebound Land Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 307 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 21-05-2015 <-> 22-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440867401 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After loving book 1 in this series, which was recommended to me by my sister, I looked at the library for book 2. Unfortunately they didn't have book 2 available, but they did have book 3 and some of the later books. Since my sister had said they could often be read as standalone stories (connected by a greater storyline), I decided to borrow the ones the library had. My other library loans are all suited as read-a-thon material, so I decided to read book 3 of this series (and after that, probably the other books in the series that I borrowed) before reading any of the other loans. Obviously I missed out on a part of the story by not reading book 2. I was however able to follow the story quite easily, and the overall storyline is briefly explained in snippets. I enjoyed reading this book, though not as much as I enjoyed book 1. I really wish I had all of the books to read, because the story doesn't quite end here in this book. I did really enjoy the story, the world and the characters. The story has several unexpected plot twists and I really enjoyed reading it. It was interesting to learn more about the world and to meet some new characters. I also liked the familiar ones of course. I'll definitely read the other books in the series that I've borrowed from the library, and I'll be on the lookout for the ones I haven't read yet, when I'm at the library next. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 7: Erak's Ransom Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 443 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 22-05-2015 <-> 23-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440869733 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing book 3, the next book in this series to read that I've borrowed from the library, was book 7. So shortly after finishing book 3, I went on to read book 7. This book takes place between books 4 and 5. In the author's notes it says he had the next couple of books being published, and then realised there was something he didn't write about, so he wrote this book. I didn't mention it before, but originally the author told wrote about twenty short stories for his son, to get him to read more. They later on turned into this book series. The author is currently writing a second series, I'd be happy to read those too some time. Because I didn't read book 4, I missed some bits of the story. However, I was easily able to follow the book and some things are briefly explained (in a non-intrusive way). This book is a standalone story. I quite enjoyed reading this book, more than book 3 (and like book 1). It was pretty suspenseful, with quite a few unexpected plot twists. The book is longer than books 1 and 3 (I don't know about books 2 and 4). It looks like the later books are longer, as the other later ones I have borrowed from the library, look bigger than book 3 too. I really liked the characters and the world. I liked the ending too. Overall then I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue to read the library loans of this series. I have books 8, 9, 11 and 12 on loan so I will be reading them soon. Normally I don't read books of one series this close together, if I own them all, because sometimes it can get a bit samey that way. However, since these are library loans, they are due in a little while and so I want to finish them before then. I could've borrowed less of them, but if I borrow only a few at a time, it will be a while before I can read them all based on what is available and which ones I have left to read, so I just borrowed the ones I saw at the library. Anyway, I look forward to read the remaining ones I've loaned, and I'll be on the lookout at the library to read the missing ones. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 You really make me want to read Champion. Maybe I will start that today and see how far I get. I want to hold on to my reading plan for the trip though, so now I am caught Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Ha , sorry . I hope you enjoy your reading during your trip . You could always read it when you're back, though you might feel less inclined then.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Ya I know, I am afraid I won't want to come back to it. Maybe reading the sample will help. But geez Prodigy has been hard to get through. It seems I have struggled every page. It is a little interesting about 70% in When they are getting away from the Patriots and figuring out the Patriots were working for the Republic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 (edited) I agree about the spoiler . Well it's up to you, you could always give the sample a go as it doesn't cost anything. But if you think you won't like it, then you could not read it. At least finish Prodigy though (if you want to). Edited May 23, 2015 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 I can't not finish the last 25- 30 pages I will try the sample, but you might have to fill me in when we meet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 I can do that, sure ! I hope you enjoy the last 25-30 pages . If not, you have the rest of the day to maybe read something else that you'll maybe like more . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 8: The Kings of Clonmel Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 405 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 23-05-2015 <-> 24-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440869825 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: I've read books 1, 3 and 7 in this series (all library loans). The next one I had borrowed from the library was book 8, so I went on to read book 8. I have books 9, 11 and 12 left to read of the ones I borrowed from the library. By not reading books 2, 4, 5 and 6 I missed out on some bits, but as usual that isn't a problem as things are explained and each book can sort of be read on its own. I saw sort of, because books 3 and 4 are connected, as are books 8 and 9. Book 8, this one, does have an ending, but the story isn't totally over yet. In this story we learn more about the past of one of the characters, and I quite enjoyed that. I liked the characters and the story was suspenseful. A few twists I guessed, but most I didn't. I quite enjoyed reading this book. I will continue on with book 9 , as I'm of course quite curious what will happen next in the story. The next time I'm at the library, handing these books in, I hope to some time borrow the ones I haven't seen yet, books 2, 4, 5, 6 and 10. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 9: Halt's Peril Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 442 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 24-05-2015 <-> 25-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440869832 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing book 8 in this series, I went on to read book 9. Book 8 didn't tie up all loose ends, so I was curious to see how the story would continue. This book continues the story of book 8. Most of the books are standalone stories but these two are connected (though they can also be read on their own). The book was suspenseful and I enjoyed reading more about these characters. I guessed a few twists, but not all of them. I really like the characters in these books. I do wish the female characters were more important to the story, as most of the books are mainly about the male characters. That said, they are very good male characters. I quite enjoyed reading this book. I have two books left to read, of the ones I borrowed from the library, books 11 and 12. 11 contains some short stories and legends I believe, and book 12 takes place quite a bit of time after the other books (or so I think at least). Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 You are really tearing along with your reading! Very happifying. . I love reading series too. It's like re-visiting old friends in a new(ish) setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) You are really tearing along with your reading! Very happifying. . I love reading series too. It's like re-visiting old friends in a new(ish) setting. Thanks , I am. I would've spaced the books out a bit more had I owned them, but I do have to hand these books in at the library soon so . Thanks, me too, it is like that ! Edited May 26, 2015 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 11: The Lost Stories Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 481 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 25-05-2015 <-> 26-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440869931 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing book 9, I went on to read book 11 (the library didn't have book 10 available). It is longer than the other books in the series (that I've read so far). The book consists of 11 short stories, well, really 9 and a beginning and an ending. I will explain something about each of the stories below, along with a rating of how much I enjoyed reading them. Foreword This is a story about a professor MacFarlane who finds the lost stories of Araluen. It's a great way of introducting the stories about the characters, by setting this one many centuries later. I thought it was pretty creative. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Death of a Hero This is the story of what happened with Will's parents. It's a story in a story, as Halt tells Will this story. I really enjoyed reading this and learning more about what happened in the past. Rating: (*****) (10/10) The Inkwell and the Dagger This is a short storyabout what happens with Gilan in book 3, The Icebound Land, while the other characters do the things that I read about in book 3. I really enjoyed reading this short story. It was suspenseful and there was a great unexpected plot twist in it. It was very enjoyable to read. Rating: (*****) (10/10) The Roamers This was a very enjoyable story about Will getting back a stolen dog. The story features Alyss too and it was nice to read a bit more about her as she didn't play a huge role in any of the books I've read so far in this series (I think she might play a big role in one of the books I didn't yet read). The story is suspenseful and I enjoyed reading it. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Purple Prose This story is about Will and a speech he has to give and an adventure with a certain group of criminals. An event in the short story The Roamers is mentioned. The story was suspenseful and I enjoyed reading it. It was funny in places too. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Dinner for Five This was an enjoyable story featuring Jenny. It was nice to read about her as she doesn't play a huge role in the books I've read so far in this series. The story was suspenseful and enjoyable to read. Rating: (*****) (10/10) The Bridal Dance This was an enjoyable story about Will and a series of accidents around the castle. I really enjoyed reading it, it was pretty suspenseful and it features quite a few familiar characters. Rating: (*****) (10/10) The Hibernian This story is about Halt's past and how he met Crowley. It was enjoyable and suspenseful. Rating: (*****) (9/10) The Wolf This is a story about Will and a wolf. It was very enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed the second half of the story. It was a bit emotional in places. Rating: (*****) (10/10) And About Time Too... I can't say what this story is about without spoiling some events of the other books. It was a short and enjoyable story to read. Rating: (*****) (9/10) The Fragment This is a story that goes back to the Foreword story featuring the professor, and concludes the book with a tiny teaser for another series by the author that takes place in the same world as this one. After the story there follows an excerpt of the first book in that series, Brotherband 1: The Outcasts. I didn't read the excerpt, I don't normally read them, except online if I think about buying a certain book or if I'm thinking about downloading a free one. Rating: (*****) (9/10) This book was a very enjoyable read, I really enjoyed reading the stories. Foreword and The Fragment were a nice way of introducing the rest of the stories as well as the new series. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to read book 12 in this series, which I plan to start soon. I also look forward to read the ones I haven't read yet in this series, once I find them at the library. I would also like to read this new series, Brotherband some time. Overall Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 I've been culling the books in the shelves near my desk in the bakery, I removed about half the books from there (and put them back in my old room / library). It looks a lot cleaner now and I can see better the ones I might want to read soon . (Before this I did a lot of cleaning in the house and after I did a lot of cooking, so today I plan to rest a bit more ). As a result, I rewarded myself with a book, when I saw that Jodi Picoult - Leaving Time is now out in paperback and BookDepository was selling it quite cheaply so I'm really excited to read this as Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite contemporary fiction authors. I have also ordered a book by Jenny Colgan, Operation Sunshine, because it was pretty cheap as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 John Flanagan - Ranger's Apprentice 12: The Royal Ranger (the cover has a grey border around it on my library copy) Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 473 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 27-05-2015 <-> 28-05-2015 ISBN: 9780440869948 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: After finishing book 11, I went on to read book 12 in this series, the last one I have borrowed from the library (it is also the last book in the series, currently at least, as far as I know). This book takes place quite a few years after the other books. It features some familiar characters but also some new ones. I really liked reading this book. It was nice to read what the characters' lives were like many years later and what they had been up to. It was also really nice to meet these new characters. The story was suspenseful and there were plenty of plot twists. It was also nice because the book was a bit reminiscent of book 1 (if you've read both synopses you'll know why), which was nice. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. I've now read 7 books out of the 12 in the series, and hopefully I can find the remaining ones at the library some time as I really enjoyed reading this series. The author has also written another series, Brotherband, which I'm interested in too so I'll have to have a look around and see if the library has those. It was fortunate that the library had these books in English (as well as Dutch), I don't know about the new series but I could always try the Dutch translation. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Brian Azzarello, Jim Lee and Scott Williams - Superman: For Tomorrow 1-2: Absolute Superman For Tomorrow (204-2015) (Dutch) Genre: Science-fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 338 Date read: 29-05-2015 ISBN: 9788866916093 Synopsis (GoodReads): The complete 12-part saga from SUPERMAN #'s 204-215 written by Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS) with sensational art by comics' hottest artist Jim Lee (BATMAN: HUSH, ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER, Uncanny X-Men) collected together for the first time in the oversized Absolute format! A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected -- not even Superman! But after a year, Superman is left with many questions. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: Just how far is Superman willing to go "For Tomorrow?" This Absolute edition includes an all-new cover by Lee, a Jim Lee Sketchbook, and other bonus features. My thoughts: I decided to take a look at the comic book section of the library (it was near the children's section, I haven't seen one near the adults section). I found this book about Superman. It's a bindup of comic books 204-215 and as extras there are some sketches. I've never read a Superman comic before. I have seen various film and tv adaptations of Superman. I thought it'd be nice to read a book with the character in it. This book was a bit confusing. The story went back and forth in time a lot, with a lot of flash backs. Sometimes in a conversation the two characters know what the other is going to say, so the talker's incomplete sentence ends with '...' while the other interrupts them. While the characters may be able to guess what the other person is saying, I didn't usually understand what they meant. There was a nice twist in the story that I didn't see coming. I liked the art style well enough. Overall I liked reading this bindup, and it was nice to have read a book about Superman, but it was quite confusing with its jumping around in time. I liked to read it for one time, but was kind of confused during some of the book. The translation was allright but it was odd for me to have these famous characters speak Dutch. I did like seeing osme of the Justice League members in the book. Rating: (***) (6/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Geronimo Stilton - Ridders van Fantasia 2: Het Kristallen Zwaard (La Spada Del Destino) Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 319 Date read: 29-05-2015 ISBN: 9789085922582 Synopsis (me): A young knight tries to find clues about his heritage. My thoughts: I saw this book at the library. I may have seen ooks in this series before, but I wasn't sure if they could be read on their own. So far there had been other Stilton books available for me to loan. Now however, there weren't that many, so I decided to give this book a try. This book is part of the Ridders van Fantasia series (series title in Dutch, the original books are Italian). I have read several books in the Fantasia series and I really enjoyed those. This story takes place in Fantasia and is about a knight who's looking for clues on his mother. It is an adventurous tale. The book consists of three parts. In the beginning I missed the illustrations a bit that accompany most of the Stilton books, but once I read a bit more I got more into the story. There are some illustrations in the book but not that many. In the middle of the book there are a couple of full coloured pages with some information about the main character, his dragon, his equipment and his life being a knight. The book has a dark blue font and the illustrations that are in the book (other than the full colour pages in the middle) are in the same dark blue colour. I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the characters though I wish the female ones were a bit stronger (interpret that however you wish). I did like the characters though. Events from the first book are briefly referred to on occasion. The story stands nicely on its own. I don't know what happens in the next books and there is certainly room for more of them (I'm not sure how many there are). Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book, and I'll definitely borrow more of these books if / when the library has them available. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.