Athena Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Some books arrived : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Hurray for the latest books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I agree about Oliver, is she the best writer ever? No. But she does do some beautiful writing in her books. And her books are certainly not flawless, but are entertaining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Glad you're enjoying the Oliver books so much. And I love the matching covers of those new books! They look very vintage-y. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Hurray for the latest books ! Thanks ! I agree about Oliver, is she the best writer ever? No. But she does do some beautiful writing in her books. And her books are certainly not flawless, but are entertaining They are ! She has written a few other books, I hope to read those some time as well as I like all the books I've read by her so far. Glad you're enjoying the Oliver books so much. And I love the matching covers of those new books! They look very vintage-y. Thanks . Me too! They do look vintage-y, I kind of like that to be honest . I wouldn't want it to be the case with all of my book covers, but I quite like it on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Lemony Snicket - Ellendige Avonturen 3: Het Rampzalige Raam (A Series of Unfortunate Events 3: The Wide Window I enjoyed reading this book a bit less than the previous one (book 2). There were quite a few similar elements in both books and sometimes this annoyed me a bit. I liked the writing style a lot. I think I won't continue straight on with book 4, because it's getting a bit samey. I plan to continue the series at a later point though. I must admit that this is why I gave up on the series. I think I got to book 6 before I couldn't be bothered anymore. They were OK but too samey! Lots of new books, I see! Lucky you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 I must admit that this is why I gave up on the series. I think I got to book 6 before I couldn't be bothered anymore. They were OK but too samey! Lots of new books, I see! Lucky you. Yes, I understand that! I'm not sure if I will continue or not. I might read the book 8 I own, but otherwise I'm not quite sure. The writing style was very good though, I liked the humour of the book. Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 David B. Coe - The LonTobyn Chronicle 1: Children of Amarid Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 593 Date read: 15-09-2015 <-> 17-09-2015 ISBN: 9780812552546 Synopsis (back of the book): A thousand years ago in Tobyn-Ser, Amarid and Theron discovered magical crystals that enabled them to bond with hawks to produce powerful magic. Together, they started an order, dedicating themselves to using their powers to help their people. Theron was expelled from the Order for abusing his power, but ever since, the Children of Amarid have faithfully upheld their vow using their power selflessly to protect the land and its people. Now the idyllic peace of Tobyn-Ser has been shattered by news of mages destroying crops, burning villages, and murdering innocents. Rumor even say that Theron may have returned from the dead to wreak vengeance on Tobyn-Ser an the Order that spurned him. Uncovering the truth about the renegade mages and restoring peace to the sundered land will take a young but powerful Hawk-Mage named Jaryd across the length and breadth of Tobyn-Ser, a journey he must complete before it's too late to save the Order... and the world. My thoughts: This was the trilogy that got me into adult epic high fantasy. It's not that well known, but I loved it. I had read it several times now, but not in the past five years. I was curious but also a bit apprehensive whether I'll still like the books a lot when I know what's going to happen. My friend at secondary school loaned me her copies of this trilogy (in Dutch), that was the first time I read them and fell in love with the genre. After that, I bought my own copies of the books (two in English, one in Dutch because the English one was out of print). Later on I replaced the Dutch copy by an English one (I still have the Dutch one too, it was given to me by a family member). I don't think I've ever read the English copy of the second book yet, just the Dutch one, or have I? I'm not sure at this point . This trilogy has a special meaning to me, the books were the first adult (epic high) fantasy books I read, and once I had read them I knew I wanted to read more books like them. While I will readily admit that these books aren't the best fantasy books ever written, I've never understood why these books aren't more popular. That said, this series was translated into Dutch, so that does say something. There are a lot of English books (British, American, Australian) that never get translated into Dutch (unfortunately) (such as the second and third book in Peter F. Hamilton's brilliant The Night's Dawn trilogy). This trilogy has won the William L. Crawford Award for Best First Fantasy series. Anyway, these books will always have a special place in my heart (along with, of course, many others ). As such, this review is pretty biased int he sense that in re-reading these books, feeling of nostalgia come into play (but then again, which re-read doesn't have that...). I enjoyed reading this book, but I wasn't quite in the mood for it. I felt pressured, picking this trilogy to re-read now because of my goals for this year and I thought I should complete some more goals. But I wasn't totally in the mood for the book, unfortunately. Maybe that's why I was feeling apprehensive at first as well. I did enjoy the story, it was like meeting an old friend (so to speak). I like the descriptions of the magic and the birds. I thought that was pretty unique, you don't see it often in fantasy books. After finishing the book I came to the realisation that I'd stupidly forgot to take a medication the day I finished the book, so that could have well influenced my mood as I was feeling pretty bad. I didn't realise it until later in the day though that I'd forgot(ten) it. I think I will probably not continue with book 2 straight away, but instead I will wait until I feel in the mood for it. I'm not sure what I feel like reading instead. We shall see I guess. I hope my reading mojo won't desert me / I hope I don't get into a reading slump. I wrote this last paragraph just after I finished the book. I'm glad I still felt like reading books and I read a couple of other books instead. I felt more in the mood for contemporary fiction. Original Rating: (*****) (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Benjamin Alire Saénz - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Young-adult Format: Paperback Pages: 359 Date read: 17-09-2015 <-> 18-09-2015 ISBN: 9781442408937 Synopsis (back of the book): Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side. My thoughts: This book has won a lot of awards. I bought it after hearing a lot of people say they really liked the book. I hadn't been feeling that great on the day I decided to start reading this book. I read a few pages in another book at first, but it didn't grab me. I started reading this book and it seemed interesting. The book features both a Mexican teenager and a part-Mexican part-American teenager. The book is written in first person from the point of view of Ari. The book consists of multiple parts with short chapters. I really enjoyed reading this book. It reads easily and I liked the writing style. The two main characters were interesting, as were the other characters. I liked how the book dealt with multiple somewhat heavy themes. It isn't just the story of Ari and Dante's friendship but also of Ari and his family. Being Mexican also was a theme in the book, as Dante doesn't always feel Mexican. It was interesting to learn a little bit about Mexican culture. The book takes place in the US. Overall I quite enjoyed reading this book. I don't think I've read many books with similar themes as this book. I really enjoyed reading it, it is well written and has some interesting messages. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Diane Chamberlain - The Lost Daughter (also known as The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 522 + 15 pages of extras (excluding excerpt) Date read: 18-09-2015 <-> 20-09-2015 ISBN: 9780778304852 Synopsis (back of the book): Would you live a lie to keep your child? In 1977, pregnant Genevieve Russell disappeared. Twenty years later, her remains are discovered and Timothy Gleason is charged with murder. But there is no sign of the unborn child. CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve died – because she was there. She also knows what happened to the missing infant, because two decades ago CeeCee made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and CeeCee has another choice to make. Tell the truth and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die to protect a lifetime of lies. My thoughts: Diane Chamberlain is one of my favourite contemporary fiction authors. Inver (her real name is Diane ) from BCF recently read this book. I'd been meaning to read it this year (or other books by the author), its synopsis appealed to me now. I started to read the first chapter and was grabbed by the story. The book features multiple points of view and consists of several parts. We start off in contemporary times, then go back to 1977 and then slowly go back to contemporary times again. This structure was different than what I was expecting. I was expecting for it to go back and forth more, like in some of the author's other books. I think the structure the book used, worked well for the story though. I really enjoyed reading this book. I really like Diane Chamberlain's books and this one didn't disappoint me. I quite liked the writing style and I wanted to keep on reading the book to find out what would happen. I started the book two and a half days ago and read it pretty quickly, considering I didn't have much time to read on one of the days. I liked the characters in the book and find it amazing how well the author can describe their way of thinking. Interestingly, one of the characters in the book suffers from a disease the author herself suffers from as well. The story was suspenseful and I wanted to keep on reading it. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I've yet to read a book by this author that I don't like. After the story there are 15 pages in the book with ie. reading group questions and a Q&A with the author. It was interesting to read these extras. Rating: (*****) (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 As I said on Goodreads, delighted you enjoyed Dante & Aristotle, I grabbed it based purely on the interesting title and really enjoyed it. Great reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi Gaia, you've made The Lost Daughter very tempting but I really must read the other five books I have of hers before I acquire any more.How many books does that mean you have read in 2015 now? I guess you may be getting close to my huge total of 36? I can't remember if you've said, but have you read The Language of Flowers as yet? I just read her latest book, We Never Asked for Wings, and it was just as good, how often does that happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 As I said on Goodreads, delighted you enjoyed Dante & Aristotle, I grabbed it based purely on the interesting title and really enjoyed it. Great reviews Me too! It's great to hear from someone else who's read it, I thought I'd be the only one on this forum . I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It really does have an interesting title. Thanks ! Hi Gaia, you've made The Lost Daughter very tempting but I really must read the other five books I have of hers before I acquire any more.How many books does that mean you have read in 2015 now? I guess you may be getting close to my huge total of 36? I can't remember if you've said, but have you read The Language of Flowers as yet? I just read her latest book, We Never Asked for Wings, and it was just as good, how often does that happen? That makes a lot of sense . I've read 362 books at the moment . Sometimes I feel embarrassed to type the number here on BCF or on social media, because I read faster than most other people. But then, it's better this way than if I read much slower than everyone, that would make me feel pressured. Now I feel embarrassed, worried to be accused of arrogance . I haven't read The Language of Flowers yet. I do have it on my 'I-might-read-these-books-soon' shelf (along with quite a few other books) so it's in my view when I'm thinking about what to read next . I'm a mood reader so it'll really depend on my mood what I feel like. I'm glad you liked We Never Asked for Wings so much . More often than not a second book by the author isn't as good as the debut novel, in my opinion (like you say). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Jodi Picoult - Plain Truth Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 454 (451 + some extras) Date read: 20-09-2015 <-> 22-09-2015 ISBN: 9780340960493 Synopsis (back of the book): Katie Fisher is Amish. For eighteen years, she has grown up in a community set apart from the modern world by lifestyle and belief. It is a community fiercely protective of its way of life, and to turn your back on it is to lose everything - your church, your home, your family. So when, in the middle of the night, the baby comes, Katie does the only thing she knows how to do in times of stress: she prays. She falls asleep, exhausted and when she wakes, it seems her prayer is answered. The baby is gone. Her father need never know. But faith alone cannot help when the child's body is found. My thoughts: I'd been meaning to read this book this year, after some people from BCF (and my friends) recommended it to me. Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite contemporary fiction authors. Her books and Diane Chamberlain's books share a few similaties. After reading The Lost Daughter (The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes) by Diane Chamberlain I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for to read next. The Lost Daughter was a nbook I really liked so I wanted to think about it some more, process it. After trying to read a few pages in books that didn't really grab me, I decided on this book. I read the first few pages and was intrigued. The chapters are alternatingly written in third person with multiple points of view, and in first person with Ellie's perspective (the lawyer). The book consists of two parts with 20 chapters in total. I felt the book didn't have as many good plot twists as some of Jodi's other books. I also felt the book could have been a bit shorter. I liked the characters a lot. I liked learning about the Amish people, that was very interesting. The plot twists in the story were good though one of them kind of came out of nowhere and I thought it would've been better if there had been more foreshadowing. Because when the twist happened, events leading up to it were offhandly mentioned (as in, oh yes this was going on too by the way), rather than being used a bit earlier on as foreshadowing. I could be wrong though, maybe I missed the foreshadowing. I quite liked the ending. The medical terms in the book went a bit over my head, I would've liked a more thorough or better explanation. Reading the above paragraph makes it almost seem as if I didn't enjoy the book, but that isn't true! I did enjoy the first half more than the second half. I was more expecting it to be a murder mystery at first. I did really enjoy reading the book aside from the issues I mentioned. I enjoyed the books less than my favourite books by this author, but I enjoyed it more than my least liked books by the author. Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 That makes a lot of sense . I've read 362 books at the moment . Sometimes I feel embarrassed to type the number here on BCF or on social media, because I read faster than most other people. But then, it's better this way than if I read much slower than everyone, that would make me feel pressured. Now I feel embarrassed, worried to be accused of arrogance . Nooo ! Don`t feel bullied ! We all love reading here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Me too! It's great to hear from someone else who's read it, I thought I'd be the only one on this forum . I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It really does have an interesting title. Thanks ! That makes a lot of sense . I've read 362 books at the moment . Sometimes I feel embarrassed to type the number here on BCF or on social media, because I read faster than most other people. But then, it's better this way than if I read much slower than everyone, that would make me feel pressured. Now I feel embarrassed, worried to be accused of arrogance . I haven't read The Language of Flowers yet. I do have it on my 'I-might-read-these-books-soon' shelf (along with quite a few other books) so it's in my view when I'm thinking about what to read next . I'm a mood reader so it'll really depend on my mood what I feel like. I'm glad you liked We Never Asked for Wings so much . More often than not a second book by the author isn't as good as the debut novel, in my opinion (like you say). You're not arrogant at all, it's very impressive, as long as we all enjoy our reading that's the important thing. I'll look forward to you reading The Language of Flowers, I've not known anyone not enjoy it yet so hopefully you will too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Nooo ! Don`t feel bullied ! We all love reading here. You're not arrogant at all, it's very impressive, as long as we all enjoy our reading that's the important thing. I'll look forward to you reading The Language of Flowers, I've not known anyone not enjoy it yet so hopefully you will too. I think I will enjoy it . Thank you, Sarah and Hayley. That helps a lot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Great review- but totally different cover in the US and not the writing on the cover either... makes it seem so dramatic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Great review- but totally different cover in the US and not the writing on the cover either... makes it seem so dramatic! What does your cover look like? I quite like this cover I've got as most of my Jodi Picoult books have this style of cover. But for the later ones it changed (not that those covers aren't nice on their own!). It does make it seem dramatic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Holly Smale - Geek Girl 4: All That Glitters Genre: Rom-com (though it could be contemporary fiction too) Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 457 Date read: 22-09-2015 <-> 24-09-2015 ISBN: 9780007574612 Synopsis: (no synopsis because the book is part of a series). My thoughts: I wasn't sure what I wanted to read next after finishing Jodi Picoult - Plain Truth. My eyes fell upon this book, and its geeky knowledge in the first few pages made me feel like reading it. I've read and liked the first three books in the series. This book started off strong but somehow I liked the middle section less. The last part was better again, though I wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending. I really liked how all the facts are interwoven with the story and how Harriet thinks. The book is a bit like the other three books, but somehow I enjoyed it a bit less this time around. I'm not sure I can explain why this is, exactly. I liked the characters. I liked some of the plot twists but not all of them. If you liked the first three books in the series though, you'll probably enjoy this one too (though maybe not as much as the earlier books). Overall I liked it but not as much as I liked the earlier books. I did like the friendship theme in the book. Rating: (****) (8/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 I bought some ebooks for my Kindle: Susan Hatler - Kissed by the Bay 1: Every Little Kiss Susan Hatler - Treasured Dreams 2: An Unexpected Kiss Shawn Inmon - Second Chance Love 5: Second Chance Wedding Holly Smale - Geek Girl 2.5: Geek Drama R. J. Palacio - Wonder: Pluto R. J. Palacio - Wonder: Shingeling These were totally justified expenses because I'm taking my Kindle somewhere . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 I bought some ebooks for my Kindle: Susan Hatler - Kissed by the Bay 1: Every Little Kiss Susan Hatler - Treasured Dreams 2: An Unexpected Kiss Shawn Inmon - Second Chance Love 5: Second Chance Wedding Holly Smale - Geek Girl 2.5: Geek Drama R. J. Palacio - Wonder: Pluto R. J. Palacio - Wonder: Shingeling These were totally justified expenses because I'm taking my Kindle somewhere . Good loophole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Thanks . Me too! They do look vintage-y, I kind of like that to be honest . I wouldn't want it to be the case with all of my book covers, but I quite like it on these. I love it when the covers all match. It's somehow disrupting to see an unmatched set on the shelves..... And those are quite nice. That makes a lot of sense . I've read 362 books at the moment . Sometimes I feel embarrassed to type the number here on BCF or on social media, because I read faster than most other people. But then, it's better this way than if I read much slower than everyone, that would make me feel pressured. Now I feel embarrassed, worried to be accused of arrogance . I haven't read The Language of Flowers yet. I do have it on my 'I-might-read-these-books-soon' shelf (along with quite a few other books) so it's in my view when I'm thinking about what to read next . I'm a mood reader so it'll really depend on my mood what I feel like. I'm glad you liked We Never Asked for Wings so much . More often than not a second book by the author isn't as good as the debut novel, in my opinion (like you say). No Way! Don't feel embarrassed (you shouldn't be), or worry about any accusation of arrogance (you are NOT). Your reviews, are as always excellent. In fact, I believe they are becoming even more nuanced as you go along. Well done! I like the sound of The Lost Daughter very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 What does your cover look like? I quite like this cover I've got as most of my Jodi Picoult books have this style of cover. But for the later ones it changed (not that those covers aren't nice on their own!). It does make it seem dramatic! It plays up the Amish part more: http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Truth-Novel-Jodi-Picoult-ebook/dp/B000FC0STQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1443205670&sr=1-1&keywords=plain+truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I read The Lost Daughter a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I don't know why I haven't read more Diane Chamberlain books (or Jodi Picoult), as whenever I finish one, I really feel like reading another one! I love the cover of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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