Athena Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Jeremy Strong - The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour-Dog 4: Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour-Dog Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Copy) Pages: 137 Date read: 08-08-2015 ISBN: 9780141323251 Synopsis (GoodReads): Streaker the dog is lost. And not just a bit lost, but really lost. It wasn't even her fault! She wanted to protect some pies from the PIE ROBBER and suddenly she's miles from home and two-legged Trevor AND she has to make friends with a cat. A CAT! But it gets a lot HAIRIER when they find themselves face-to-face wtih a baboon... Will Streaker ever see her beloved pups again? And more importantly, will she ever eat another DONUT again? My thoughts: I found this book, and another book by the author at the library. They looked like fun, short reads. This story was about a dog, Streaker, who gets lost. The story is told in first person, from Streaker's perspective. She's trying to get home, to her pups and the Two-Legs. I liked the book and the story was funny on occasion, though I would say it's not as funny as advertised on the cover (maybe to children?). I think reading quite a bit lately has tired me though as I don't feel like reading as much anymore (I'm too tired to do much else, though). The story was nice, it was a fun adventure. I wasn't overly keen on the writing style. I liked the illustrations. I have another book by the author borrowed from the library. After-note: The other book, Jeremy Strong - Cows, Chickens, Aliens And ... Orang-utans?! 3: Batpants!, I decided not to read, because the library copy is falling apart and I didn't want to make it worse. Rating: (****) (7/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Meg Cabot - Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls 1: Moving Day (note: for some reason the bottom part of the cover is cut off in this picture) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Children Format: Hardback (Library Copy) Pages: 198 Date read: 09-08-2015 ISBN: 9780230700123 Synopsis (GoodReads): Allie Finkle is ten years old. She's got two annoying little brothers, a best friend who cries a lot - and a dog called Marvin. She's also got a bunch of rules - most of them, like" Don't get a pet that poops in your hand" - only having been discovered through bitter experience. In this funny, fast-moving series, Allie makes (and breaks) rules all over the place as she deals with everything that life can throw at her. In MOVING DAY Allie's parents announce that the family's moving - to a creepy old house in town. With a room she's half scared to go into, the burden of being 'the new girl', and her old friends a car ride away, how will Allie ever learn to fit in? My thoughts: I found this book at the library, it looked like a short, fun read. I have a few books by the uathor on my shelves, unread, but they are for young-adults, not for children. The chapters are named ie. Rule #1 and the chapter title is a rule that has something to do with the chapter. That was nicely done. This was an enjoyable book. I liked the writing style, for the most part. The book was funny in places. I liked the rules part of the book, how Allie makes her book of rules. I liked the characters and overall quite enjoyed reading this story. It reminded me of when I had to move house. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 WOW, that's a lot of books! Sounds like you had an awesome read-a-thon, well done! The illustration on the cover of the Wings & Co book is adorable. I like how you said in your BSC review about how you're not really at ease with young children. I totally sympathise! It seems like every other female my age loves them, and wants one of their own. But I'm the opposite. When you go to visit a family member with a new baby and everyone passes the baby around to hold (like a game of pass the parcel) I'm like, "whoa, get it away from me!" Also, I have quite a lot of young nieces and nephews, and going to visit that side of the family really is exhausting! Although I do like them, I'm always glad to come home to peace and quiet with just me, Daniel and the cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Congrats on all your reading ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 WOW, that's a lot of books! Sounds like you had an awesome read-a-thon, well done! Thank you ! The illustration on the cover of the Wings & Co book is adorable. I agree, it's one of the things that made me pick up the book . I like how you said in your BSC review about how you're not really at ease with young children. I totally sympathise! It seems like every other female my age loves them, and wants one of their own. But I'm the opposite. When you go to visit a family member with a new baby and everyone passes the baby around to hold (like a game of pass the parcel) I'm like, "whoa, get it away from me!" Also, I have quite a lot of young nieces and nephews, and going to visit that side of the family really is exhausting! Although I do like them, I'm always glad to come home to peace and quiet with just me, Daniel and the cats. that makes a lot of sense to me! My dad's side of the family, there are 5 young children in it (3 of my aunt and uncle and from 2 of my cousin who get pregnant at an early age) and I find it so exhausting. It's so nice to hear I'm not alone in feeling like this . The one thing that really upset me, was that once, when we were visiting my cousin and her first baby for the first time (she stopped her history studies because of accidentally getting pregnant), my aunt (my cousin's mother and my dad's sister) said something to me like "you're next" (I was studying chemistry at the time). That really pissed me off. That will be my (and my partner's) choice alone thank you very much. My aunt might believe the only reason we're on this planet is to procreate (I think that's what she thinks), but I do not believe that. She never mentioned it again though, gladly, and after two failed marriages with three children in total, my aunt has since a few years figured out she's happier being with a woman, she is in a relationship with a woman now. I feel I get along better with her than I used to, back then. Not that I see her often, I see my mum's side of the family more often. Congrats on all your reading ! Thank you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 The one thing that really upset me, was that once, when we were visiting my cousin and her first baby for the first time (she stopped her history studies because of accidentally getting pregnant), my aunt (my cousin's mother and my dad's sister) said something to me like "you're next" (I was studying chemistry at the time). That really pissed me off. That will be my (and my partner's) choice alone thank you very much. My aunt might believe the only reason we're on this planet is to procreate (I think that's what she thinks), but I do not believe that. She never mentioned it again though, gladly, and after two failed marriages with three children in total, my aunt has since a few years figured out she's happier being with a woman, she is in a relationship with a woman now. I feel I get along better with her than I used to, back then. Not that I see her often, I see my mum's side of the family more often. I TOTALLY understand! I get this ALL the time and it drives me crazy. I hate how so many people (mostly women, which is extremely annoying) just assume that in order to have a 'proper' life you have to have, or be planning to have, children. Everyone always acts shocked when I say I'm married but have no plans to have kids. Or they get this really smug look on their face and say "you'll change your mind in a few years". It's nothing to do with them!!! Also, a lot of family members I know who have kids aren't actually happy. They're always arguing with their partners and getting stressed about everything. I just don't want that in my life. There are loads of kids on Dan's side of the family. His sister has 2, his brother has 3, his other brother has 4, and his parents are currently fostering 4 as well. All the kids are aged between 1 and 15, and family parties are exhausting to say the least! I can't cope with all the noise and the shouting and the chaos. </rant> I'm so glad you understand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Wow, that's a lot of children on Dan's side of the family! That would drive me crazy too. That is so annoying, isn't it, when they say those things . I'm always happy to have rants in my thread . I'm so glad you understand too, high five ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 High five!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 All those gut feelings, right or wrong, that had kept the breed alive on the Pleistocene savanna - and they were wrong, so much of the time. False negatives, false positives, the moral algebra of fat men pushed in front of onrushing trolleys. The strident emotional belief that children made you happy, even when all the data pointed to misery. The high-amplitude fear of sharks and dark-skinned snipers who would never kill you; indifference to all the toxins and pesticides that could. The mind was so rotten with misrepresentation that in some cases it literally had to be damaged before it could make a truly rational decision. [ . . . ] Hell, rationality itself - the exalted Human ability to reason - hadn't evolved in the pursuit of truth but simply to win arguments, to gain control: to bend others, by means logical or sophistic, to your will. Truth had never been a priority. If believing a lie kept the genes proliferating, the system would believe that lie with all its heart. -- from Echopraxia. Just read that bit this morning, then read this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 That's a great quote, and appropriate !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 WOW, that's a lot of books! Sounds like you had an awesome read-a-thon, well done! The illustration on the cover of the Wings & Co book is adorable. I like how you said in your BSC review about how you're not really at ease with young children. I totally sympathise! It seems like every other female my age loves them, and wants one of their own. But I'm the opposite. When you go to visit a family member with a new baby and everyone passes the baby around to hold (like a game of pass the parcel) I'm like, "whoa, get it away from me!" Also, I have quite a lot of young nieces and nephews, and going to visit that side of the family really is exhausting! Although I do like them, I'm always glad to come home to peace and quiet with just me, Daniel and the cats. Thank you ! I agree, it's one of the things that made me pick up the book . that makes a lot of sense to me! My dad's side of the family, there are 5 young children in it (3 of my aunt and uncle and from 2 of my cousin who get pregnant at an early age) and I find it so exhausting. It's so nice to hear I'm not alone in feeling like this . The one thing that really upset me, was that once, when we were visiting my cousin and her first baby for the first time (she stopped her history studies because of accidentally getting pregnant), my aunt (my cousin's mother and my dad's sister) said something to me like "you're next" (I was studying chemistry at the time). That really pissed me off. That will be my (and my partner's) choice alone thank you very much. My aunt might believe the only reason we're on this planet is to procreate (I think that's what she thinks), but I do not believe that. She never mentioned it again though, gladly, and after two failed marriages with three children in total, my aunt has since a few years figured out she's happier being with a woman, she is in a relationship with a woman now. I feel I get along better with her than I used to, back then. Not that I see her often, I see my mum's side of the family more often. Thank you ! Great reviews, Gaia. Re childbearing. Never let anyone dictate what you do with your uterus. I know you know that, but positive reinforcement never hurts. I hated it when all these other women in the offices I worked in would go on and on, and on, and on, and on.....ad nauseam about their pregnancies, babies, toddlers etc. Who threw up what, when. And how much. I still get funny looks when I say I didn't have children, or grandchildren. Pox on 'em. I'm not saying anything against those that procreate like mad, if that's what they have wanted out of life, that is their prerogative. Just don't try to push it down my throat, thereby dismissing what I have done, and wanted out of life. /rant over/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 All those gut feelings, right or wrong, that had kept the breed alive on the Pleistocene savanna - and they were wrong, so much of the time. False negatives, false positives, the moral algebra of fat men pushed in front of onrushing trolleys. The strident emotional belief that children made you happy, even when all the data pointed to misery. The high-amplitude fear of sharks and dark-skinned snipers who would never kill you; indifference to all the toxins and pesticides that could. The mind was so rotten with misrepresentation that in some cases it literally had to be damaged before it could make a truly rational decision. [ . . . ] Hell, rationality itself - the exalted Human ability to reason - hadn't evolved in the pursuit of truth but simply to win arguments, to gain control: to bend others, by means logical or sophistic, to your will. Truth had never been a priority. If believing a lie kept the genes proliferating, the system would believe that lie with all its heart. -- from Echopraxia. Just read that bit this morning, then read this thread Very apt indeed! When my cousins and sisters-in-law are popping out babies every year and then complaining about how tired they are and how they don't get any time to themselves . . . I feel like I'm the only rational mind around for miles! Re childbearing. Never let anyone dictate what you do with your uterus. I know you know that, but positive reinforcement never hurts. I hated it when all these other women in the offices I worked in would go on and on, and on, and on, and on.....ad nauseam about their pregnancies, babies, toddlers etc. Who threw up what, when. And how much. I still get funny looks when I say I didn't have children, or grandchildren. Pox on 'em. I'm not saying anything against those that procreate like mad, if that's what they have wanted out of life, that is their prerogative. Just don't try to push it down my throat, thereby dismissing what I have done, and wanted out of life. /rant over/ Ha! Well said! Yeah, I have nothing against childbearing in general (that would just be daft!), I just know it's not for me and wish others would accept that. Another thing people always say is that if I don't have kids now then I'll regret it when I'm older. Sorry, but I don't think "I might regret not doing this one day" is a good enough reason to force myself into such a life-altering decision! Thanks for the positive reinforcement, Cate. It gets very frustrating being in a minority of one amongst friends and family - it's VERY comforting to know that you guys feel the same way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Great reviews, Gaia. Re childbearing. Never let anyone dictate what you do with your uterus. I know you know that, but positive reinforcement never hurts. I hated it when all these other women in the offices I worked in would go on and on, and on, and on, and on.....ad nauseam about their pregnancies, babies, toddlers etc. Who threw up what, when. And how much. I still get funny looks when I say I didn't have children, or grandchildren. Pox on 'em. I'm not saying anything against those that procreate like mad, if that's what they have wanted out of life, that is their prerogative. Just don't try to push it down my throat, thereby dismissing what I have done, and wanted out of life. /rant over/ Thanks Kate ! Thanks so much for weighing in, it means a lot to me that you understand and feel the same way . Ha! Well said! Yeah, I have nothing against childbearing in general (that would just be daft!), I just know it's not for me and wish others would accept that. Another thing people always say is that if I don't have kids now then I'll regret it when I'm older. Sorry, but I don't think "I might regret not doing this one day" is a good enough reason to force myself into such a life-altering decision! Thanks for the positive reinforcement, Cate. It gets very frustrating being in a minority of one amongst friends and family - it's VERY comforting to know that you guys feel the same way! I agree, it's very comforting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 Brandon Sanderson - The Mistborn Trilogy 1: The Final Empire Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 647 (excluding excerpt of the third book, strangely enough) Date read: 09-08-2015 <-> 14-08-2015 ISBN: 9780765350381 Synopsis (back of the book): The Mists rule the night. The Lord Ruler owns the world. Once, a hero arose to save the world. A young man with a mysterious heritage couragiously challenged the darkness that strangled the land. He failed. For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist rules by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably. Yet somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and even the Lord Ruler himself. A new kind of uprising is being planned, one built around the ultimate caper, one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroin, a street urchin who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn. My thoughts: I recently saw this series mentioned, and it made me really want to read this series. I've been meaning to do so for quite some time, I've had the boxset with the three books on my shelf for some years (it still had a new book smell when I opened it just after I decided to read this series now). I've loved other books by Brandon Sanderson, so I had high hopes I would like this series too. I do own a fourth book that's the start of a new trilogy set in the same world, but I'll probably wait until all three of them are out before reading that one. After reading a lot of short children's books for the read-a-thon (which was technically still going on when I started to read this book), I felt in the mood for a long, epic, adult book. The book consists of five parts. Each chapter has a little logo associated with it, standing for one of the metals (I believe). At the back of the book is the 'ars arcanum' which explains the eight metals and their usage. Each chapter starts with a short paragraph (or such) written by someone (I can't tell you how it ties into the story, you find out in the book). I really liked this book. We mainly have two main characters (as said by the back of the book), called Vin (the girl) and Kelsier (the man). I really liked the characters, they were quite interesting people. The magic system in the book is very interesting. It took me a little bit of time to wrap my head around, but it's quite well thought of, I thought. I really enjoyed reading the sections where the magic played a big role. The book is also quite a bit political, politics play a role in the story. This was quite interesting and well done too (it reminded me a little bit of Elantris, another book by the author where both magic and politics also play a role). The book has quite a few unexpected plot twists. A few things I suspected, most of the twists were new to me. I did think there were a few bits that were a little bit slow on action (they contained more talking than action), but it didn't overly bother me to be honest as I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The book does have an ending, but the story isn't over yet. Some questions remain unanswered (others are answered though!). I'm eager to read the next two books to find out more. I don't know yet if I'll be continuing on straight away or whether I'll let the story rest a bit in my head first, and read one or multiple other books in between reading this trilogy. Either way, I really enjoyed reading this book. The magic system isn't like most other magic systems I've come across in books, and I like it a lot. I liked the characters and the plot twists, I liked the writing style and the political part of the story was well done too. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Great review Gaia! I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. Remember, it's not truly an epic fantasy book if it doesn't contain lots of slow talking sections. I'm really curious to give this a go now, especially after hearing that it has unique magic and interesting politics. Like you said, though, it's very strange that it has an extract from the third book rather than the second! As if readers are going to be so excited to finish the trilogy that they'll want to skip book 2 completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Great review, I am so glad you liked it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Great review Gaia! I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. Remember, it's not truly an epic fantasy book if it doesn't contain lots of slow talking sections. I'm really curious to give this a go now, especially after hearing that it has unique magic and interesting politics. Like you said, though, it's very strange that it has an extract from the third book rather than the second! As if readers are going to be so excited to finish the trilogy that they'll want to skip book 2 completely. Thanks, Laura ! Haha, I suppose that's true . I hope you'll give it a go and that you like it . It is very strange ! I think that I'll start on book 2 after finishing my current read . Great review, I am so glad you liked it! Thanks, Anna ! I went to the library this weekend. It was the last day of the extended sale, so naturally I had to have a look. There were some different books than on the very first day of the sale (I think they don't lay out everything in one go), so I found some nice books. Since it was 8 items for 5 euros, or 1 euro per item otherwise, naturally.. I bought 16 books (for 10 euros). Virginia Andrews - Gemini 3: Child of Darkness (I haven't read any of the more recent books, but I've read quite a few of this author's earlier books) Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca (I've heard a lot of good things about this book) Michael Palmer - Wondermiddel (Miracle Cure) (I own another book by the author, but I haven't read it yet. They are similar to Robin Cook's books, which I like) Eoin Colfer - De Artemis Fowl Files (The Artemis Fowl Files) (I own two books of the actual series but I haven't read them yet. They've been recommended to me by people, I mainly picked up this book though to get to 8 items) Bies van Ede - Het Babymysterie (I read this when I was a child but didn't have my own copy) Jan Terlouw - Gevangenis met een Open Deur (I read this when I was a teenager and liked it, but I didn't own the book) Jan Terlouw - Katoren 2: Zoektocht in Katoren (I read book 1 when I was a child, our teacher read it to us actually, I didn't know there existed a sequel. I really liked the first book and hopefully this second book will be good too. I hope to find a copy of the first book some time) Ally Condie - Matched 2: Crossed (Dutch) (I own book 1 so I thought it'd be nice to buy this book) Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams - Tunnels 2: Dieper (Deeper) (I've heard good things about this series and I saw them for sale at the book fair but I didn't buy them then. Now though, for the price of about 63 cents, I'll have it!) Meg Cabot - Queen of Babble 1: Gossip (Dutch; Queen of Babble 1: Queen of Babble) (I mainly got this book to make it 8 items, but I've recently read a children's book by this author and I liked that one. This is a book for adults though.) Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go (I've heard some people say good things about this book) Cathy Kelly - Het Huis Aan Het Plein (Homecoming) (I have a few other books by the author on my TBR, all bought in sales ) Cathy Kelly - Just Between Us (see above) Herman Franke - Wolfstonen (I got this one to make the total 16 items instead of 15, so it was basically for free .) After picking up these books from the library sale, I then went to the loaned books and borrowed some of them. Then I returned downstairs and checked them out through the computer. I went to the desk to pay for the sale books. My parents, due to pick me up, weren't there yet so I went back upstairs (yes, carrying all the heavy books). I browsed a different section of the library and found two more books. I went downstairs to the computer and checked them out. Then the computer told me I owned the library loan money, which could not be correct. So I went to the desk (again) and asked them about it. The lady was very friendly and said they'd sort it out. Then I sat down on a bench and waited for a little while. I suddenly realised that a book I thought I had read, I actually hadn't read, so I went back upstairs (carrying all the books) and borrowed it, came back downstairs to check it out on the computer and then sat down again. My muscles ached after and my hands had friction burn on them from the bags. Here's what I borrowed: Myrthe van der Meer - PAAZ 2: Up (I'm currently reading this) Herman Koch - Geachte Heer M. Band 1 (the library didn't have a normal version available anymore, so I borrowed this big font version. I'm going to try to read it, if I find it too uncomfortable though I'll wait until a normal version becomes available. Herman Koch - Geachte Heer M. Band 2 (see above) Geronimo Stilton - Onder Moeders Vleugels (Piccole Donne) (I've liked all of the classic retellings by Stilton so far) Geronimo Stilton - Geheime Missie: Olympische Spelen (Lo Strano Caso Dei Giochi Olimpici) (I found this in the children's information section, I hadn't been there before) Joe Carrot - Het Rupsenraadsel (Il Mistero Dei Bruchi Giganti) (I've read books 2-4 and liked them.) Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 15: Viva Flamenco (Missione "Flamenco") (I've read books 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 17 and liked them.) Thea Stilton - Thea Stilton 16: Help, We Missen een Welp! (Cinque Amiche Per Un Leone) (see above) Luc Descamps - De Donkere Getallen 3: De Grot van Merlijn (I've read books 2, 4-7 and liked them) Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (I've read books 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 and liked them) Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: Dog Days (see above, this was the book I thought I had already read, but I didn't) Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking - George 3: De Knal in het Heelal (George and the Big Bang) (I read book 1 in English from the library. I thought this was book 2, but it turned out the other book on the shelf was book 2, I should've borrowed that one too ). Francine Oomen - Hoe Overleef Ik.. (Zonder) Vriendschap & Liefde? (I found this in the children's information section. I've read the HOI series and this book features a character from it. It mainly contains tips though for love and friendship. I'm most interested in the fictional parts of the book, we'll see how it goes. It looks like a fun and colourful book.) Andy Griffiths (ill. Terry Denton) - Treehouse 2: 26-Story Treehouse (this book looked cute, with nice illustrations) Lemony Snicket - Ellendige Avonturen 3: Het Rampzalige Raam (A Series of Unfortunate Events 3: The Wide Window) (I own books 2 and 4, one in English and the other in Dutch. I thought I'd give them a go, so I borrowed book 3, they had books 2-4. They had a lot of them a while ago but not so much now, I think because of the holiday times.) And some photos: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Esther Verhoef - Tegenlicht (note: the cover of my parents' copy has a quote from someone on the cover) Genre: Literature Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 565 Date read: 14-08-2015 <-> 16-08-2015 ISBN: 9789041424006 Synopsis (me): This book is about a woman who had a difficult childhood, and the consequences it has on her life as an adult. My thoughts: My dad recently read this book and he recommended it to me. I've read two other books by the author prior to reading this book (one was a novella, the other a short story collection containing four short stories), which I both liked. After finishing Brandon Sanderson - The Mistborn Trilogy 1: The Final Empire I wanted to read something a bit different, so I decided to borrow my parents' copy of this book from them and read it now. The book consists of two parts (one being much longer than the other) (and there are two pages of prologue before part 1). Part 1 has 'normal' 'nowadays' chapters, denoted with '1', '2', etc. It also has flashback chapters, denoted with the name of the number, such as 'een' (which means 'one'), 'twee' (which means 'two'). Part 1 starts off with a flashback chapter, then a normal one, then a flashback chapter, then a normal one. So it goes 'een', '1', 'twee', '2', if that makes any sense. Both types of chapters use a different font. The chapters are all relatively short, usually just a couple of pages. Part 2 just has 'nowadays' / 'normal' chapters. It was really interesting to read the story in this way, with chapters of the main characters' (her name is Vera) youth and with the 'nowadays' chapters. The book made me feel emotional (as I've heard some people online say, 'it gave me the feels', I don't know if that's American slang or what it is). What a story! I was blown away by some of the plot twists, particularly in the second half of the book and I really wanted to keep on reading it. I really felt for Vera, she goes through so much hardship. I liked the characters, they were quite interesting. I also liked the writing style. It was interesting to read the story in this way that it was written. The book makes you think about life, and it makes you feel that some people have it worse than you do. Overall then I enjoyed reading this book. I skimmed over a few bits, the scenes that involved sex I preferred to skim (that's not the fault of the book, I do this with most books that include such things, I'm just not comfortable reading too much about them). The book made me feel fo rthe main character and it made me think about life. There were some really good twists in the story. It was an impressive book. I own a few books by this author, two I've read and a couple more I haven't read. I thought the main characters' thoughts and feelings were well described. Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Oh wow- more Stilton! Do you like Lemony Snicket? The only experience I've had with them was the movie and I didn't like it at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 Oh wow- more Stilton! Do you like Lemony Snicket? The only experience I've had with them was the movie and I didn't like it at all! I was happy to have found some more ! I haven't read any of Lemony Snicket's books yet, I have seen the film and I liked it, though a couple of things annoyed me. I know several people who liked the books, though I don't know yet if they won't be too childish or not. I bought both books 2, 4 and 8 for cheap (one in a WHSmiths I believe and two at library sales). I'll only start the series before book 3 is due, if I feel like it, otherwise I'll just hand book 3 back in unread. I don't know yet if they'll be good, some people really like them but I don't know if they'll be for me or not. If I do like the books then I'll be seeing if the rest of the books turn up at the library some time so I can read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 Myrthe van der Meer - PAAZ 2: UP Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Biography Age-range: Adult Format: Hardback (Library Loan) Pages: 333 Date read: 16-08-2015 <-> 18-08-2015 ISBN: 9789044347203 Synopsis (me): Emma has to be at the PAAZ again, but she doesn't quite understand why. My thoughts: I read PAAZ 1: PAAZ in June and I liked the book. I've wanted to read the sequel since then, but it was always loaned out at the library. Now though I found it! The previous book I read, Esther Verhoef - Tegenlicht also involves psychiatric problems, so I thought that this book would tie in nicely with that one. Then probably after this book I will continue on with the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Like in the first book, the chapters in this book are short and they have short titles (no numbers). The story takes place a while after the previous book. I enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about Emma. She is given another diagnosis in this book, on top of one she got a little while before that. The first diagnosis, that she got in book 1, wasn't talked much about in book 1 and I was pleased to see more mention of it in this book. The second diagnosis was interesting to me too. It was interesting to read Emma's thoughts and I thought the author has nicely written things down. The book is based on the author's experiences but it is in part fictional. It was very interesting to read about the author's thoughts and I thought that was more well done than in the first book. The characters were interesting. The story still jumps around a little bit, in the sense that you're not always sure where the focus is. I really liked this book, but I feel like I don't entirely understand it or that I missed something somewhere, I would've liked to know what happened beyond the ending and also how the author thought about certain things near the end of the book. Overall then I liked this book better than the first book, even though due to my limited rating system that's not quite so visible (as I've given this book the same rating as the previous one), but that's a discussion for another time. Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 Brandon Sanderson - The Mistborn Trilogy 2: The Well of Ascension Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 781 (excluding excerpt) Date read: 19-08-2015 <-> 22-08-2015 ISBN: 9780765356130 Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's book 2 in a series). My thoughts: I read the first book in this series about a week / two weeks ago, after hearing it mentioned by someone. I really liked it, but wanted to read something different before moving on to the next book (so I could process book 1 a bit). I read two (Dutch) books in between, then decided to read this second book in the series. The book consists of six parts. At the end of the story there is an explanation of the magic system and such, a glossary (called 'ars arcanum', which contains more terms than the one in the first book) and a summary of the first book (and then an excerpt of a book by another author). Each chapter is preceded by a bit of text, like in book 1. The story starts off one year after the end of book 1. This book continues the story that began in book 1. It contained quite a few unexpected plot twists that blew me away. What an epic story! It's not over yet, in the sense there's still book 3 to read. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's great to read such an epic, longer book. It was my boyfriend's idea to read such a book. I quite liked the characters. There are some new ones, but also a lot of old ones (as in, they were in the previous book). I liked the writing style and the book contained both actiony scenes as well as scenes that involved interactions between the characters. I was really not expecting some of the twists in the story. So awesome! We also learn a bit more about the past of the world of the books, in this book. Despite the fact that this book has more pages than book 1, it took me less days to read it (four instead of six). I've been reading a lot, and the story kept me engaged, I wanted to keep on reading, to find out what would happen next. Overall then I really enjoyed reading this book. I really liked the magic systems, and the cultures of the people. The political stuff was good too, though by personal preference I liked thee bits a little bit less (that's just because I find magic more interesting than politics, in any book.) I prefer fantasy books that involve quite a bit of magic. No offense to fantasy books like the A Song of Ice and Fire series and its fans, while I quite like the seriees it isn't one of my favourite fantasy series, because there isn't a lot of magic or magical creatures i n it (it does have dragons though, but I wish they played a bigger role), and the books are very political instead. Politics just isn't my #1 area of interest. Alongside magic though (or other things), it can certainly be nice to read a story that involves politics. My favourite fantasy series all involve magic and / or magical creatures. I'm looking forward to start book 3 soon. I must know how it will all end!! Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 I bought a couple of books yesterday at an outlet shop: Jan Terlouw - Briefgeheim Gayle Forman - Vuurvliegjes (Sisters in Sanity) Judith Summers - Wie Krijgt Fluffy? (Who Gets Fluffy?) Virginia Andrews - Delia 2: Delia's Geluk (Delia 2: Delia's Heart) Petrus Dahlin and Lars Johansson - The World of Voodoo 1: Shadow (Skuggan) And I ordered some books online as a reward for myself for working hard on some things: Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 1: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 2: Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 3: Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 4: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens Brandon Sanderson - Reckoners 1: Steelheart Brandon Sanderson - Legion and the Emperor's Soul Brandon Sanderson - The Rithmatist 1: The Rithmatist David B. Coe - Winds of the Forelands 2: Seeds of Betrayal David B. Coe - Winds of the Forelands 4: Shapers of Darkness David B. Coe - Winds of the Forelands 5: Weavers of War David B. Coe - Blood of the Southlands 1: The Sorcerers' Plague David B. Coe - Blood of the Southlands 2: The Horseman's Gambit David B. Coe - Blood of the Southlands 3: The Dark-Eyes' War Maria V. Snyder - Study 4: Shadow Study Karen Miller - The Tarnished Crown 1: The Falcon Throne Joanne M. Harris - The Gospel of Loki Terry Pratchett - Discworld 40: Raising Steam Robin Hobb - The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy 1: Fool's Assassin Diana Gabaldon - Outlander 8: Written in My Own Heart's Blood Ken Follett - Century Trilogy 3: Edge of Eternity Rick Riordan - Heroes of Olympus 4: The House of Hades Rick Riordan - Heroes of Olympus 5: The Blood of Olympus Holly Smale - Geek Girl 4: All That Glitters Jojo Moyes - The One Plus One Jojo Moyes - Paris for One Erica James - Summer at the Lake Erica James - The Dandelion Years They haven't arrived yet, a couple were only available second-hand from the US so it will take a while. I didn't think I ordered that much until I made that list . Whoopsie. Terrible . But it was in the budget after saving up for a while and spending less on other things . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Whoopsie! Since you've managed to save so much in other areas, though, you totally deserve it. So glad you enjoyed Mistborn #2 so much! I quite like politics-type stuff in fantasy, so will probably really enjoy this series. Mistborn #1 is next on my to-read list, right after I've finished Rivers of London. Do you think you'll read something else before you read book 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Whoopsie! Since you've managed to save so much in other areas, though, you totally deserve it. So glad you enjoyed Mistborn #2 so much! I quite like politics-type stuff in fantasy, so will probably really enjoy this series. Mistborn #1 is next on my to-read list, right after I've finished Rivers of London. Do you think you'll read something else before you read book 3? Thank you !! I think you will enjoy the Mistborn books . I'm currently reading book 3, I was too curious to find out how the story would end, to not start it straight away . Progress has been a bit slow because I've been doing other things instead of reading, but I hope to read some more in it later today. So far it's good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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