Athena Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Really? I've seen two or three people mention it on this forum alone. Apparently it's getting really big. In that case I probably read it but forgot about the book . I have to admit my long term memory is a lot better than my short term memory. I tend to remember things better that happened many years ago, compared with things that happened lately. I guess my tiredness in the past few years might partially be to blame. Sorry . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I read about half of this when I had an early copy, and sort of gave up - I think it was because I disliked the characters. I may have to try it again at some point. You are racing through your books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Great review. It sound like something that I would be interested in so I'll have to keep an eye out for a copy of it going cheap in one of my usual charity book shop hunts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I keep seeing this on Amazon. It's number one on their Kindle best seller lists, but I've never actually bothered to look at the synopsis (it was £6.02, which is too expensive for me, so I just kind of disregarded it ). I shall add it to my wishlist though, as it sounds like a decent read. I like a good thriller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 It sounds like a book Hitchcock would adapt to cinema. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I have the book on hold at the library. I am #445 although the library has 12 copies of it. Good review Nollaig. I will just be patient waiting for the book to be available to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 So many replies! In that case I probably read it but forgot about the book . I have to admit my long term memory is a lot better than my short term memory. I tend to remember things better that happened many years ago, compared with things that happened lately. I guess my tiredness in the past few years might partially be to blame. Sorry . Don't be sorry!! There's no need to be sorry. I've forgotten I've read books loads of times. And I can't remember half the plots of my favourite books :lol; I read about half of this when I had an early copy, and sort of gave up - I think it was because I disliked the characters. I may have to try it again at some point. You are racing through your books! Common complaint, and normally that would put me off too, but I dunno, liking Rachel was enough. And yes, I am! My mojo seems to be sticking around this time, which is awesome. I'm making a real effort to pick up a book every day even if it's only for 15 minutes. And I'm getting lucky with my picks, too, I think. Great review. It sound like something that I would be interested in so I'll have to keep an eye out for a copy of it going cheap in one of my usual charity book shop hunts. Hope you enjoy it if you find it! I keep seeing this on Amazon. It's number one on their Kindle best seller lists, but I've never actually bothered to look at the synopsis (it was £6.02, which is too expensive for me, so I just kind of disregarded it ). I shall add it to my wishlist though, as it sounds like a decent read. I like a good thriller. It is a brand new book as far as I know, and it's very very popular so the price didn't surprise me. Hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it! It sounds like a book Hitchcock would adapt to cinema. Hitchcock would have a field day with the ending, believe me. I have the book on hold at the library. I am #445 although the library has 12 copies of it. Good review Nollaig. I will just be patient waiting for the book to be available to me. Thanks! Hope you enjoy it, when you eventually get it several years from now That's a long list of people!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 And I'm getting lucky with my picks, too, I think. Apart from me throwing you a curve ball with Long Lankin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Apart from me throwing you a curve ball with Long Lankin Awww don't worry about it! I loved the writing, the characters, honestly I loved everything about it, it was just too drawn out - I am gonna go back and finish it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Awww don't worry about it! I loved the writing, the characters, honestly I loved everything about it, it was just too drawn out - I am gonna go back and finish it! But not until you read The Universe Versus Alex Woods. I still challenge you to do a review of it without giving away the plot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 But not until you read The Universe Versus Alex Woods. I still challenge you to do a review of it without giving away the plot. I'm 60 pages into it, started it last night! Loving it so far! I'll aim to give away no more of the plot than is in whatever synopsis I use. What do I win if I manage it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I'm 60 pages into it, started it last night! Loving it so far! I'll aim to give away no more of the plot than is in whatever synopsis I use. What do I win if I manage it? You will win another "free" recommendation from me of another book to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 You will win another "free" recommendation from me of another book to read. HA! Well, when you put it like that! Also you're up very late. (No need to point out that I am too - but I'm an insomniac, what's your excuse? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 HA! Well, when you put it like that! Also you're up very late. (No need to point out that I am too - but I'm an insomniac, what's your excuse? ) Well Willoyd is from the US so at "Posted Today, 04:46 AM" which is when he posted at my time, it was probably only about.. 10:46 PM for him I think? I'm not entirely sure which time zone North Carolina is in, but generally it's about 6-9 hours difference with the US compared with here, depending on where in the US it is. So a 6 hour time difference would mean 4:46 - 6 about 10:46 PM in the evening before. I'm sorry if I barged in with a possible answer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 No its fine! It's Muggle Not, not Willoyd but yes indeed Muggle's location is in fact in the States. Sorry Muggle! I blame Rowling for making me think otherwise, I associate any mention of Harry Potter with Britishness I wonder how many other people are from the States and I don't realise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Sorry ! I must have misread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Haha no worries, we're both doing it. Poor Muggle, wrong name, wrong country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Haha no worries, we're both doing it. Poor Muggle, wrong name, wrong country. You not only have the Country wrong you definitely have the name wrong. Muggle is commonly known as non-magical people. My name is muggle not. btw, I am one of the very few people that have read 8 different Harry Potter books. Figure that one out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 You not only have the Country wrong you definitely have the name wrong. Muggle is commonly known as non-magical people. My name is muggle not. btw, I am one of the very few people that have read 8 different Harry Potter books. Figure that one out I shorten it to muggle coz it's quicker to type And I have no idea how you've read 8 of them! I haven't even read 7 yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) The Universe Versus Alex Woods - Gavin Extence Genre: Fiction Synopsis: A rare meteorite struck Alex Woods when he was ten years old, leaving scars and marking him for an extraordinary future. The son of a fortune teller, bookish, and an easy target for bullies, Alex hasn't had the easiest childhood. But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count. So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing ... The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world. *** Review: I opened this book (on my tablet) and made a conscious decision not to revisit the above synopsis, which I had read, but entirely forgotten due to reading other books in the interim. I therefore was not even aware of the meteorite bit, though I deduced it pretty quickly. (Initially I thought lightning, but changed to meteorite). So I really had absolutely no clue what to expect, and as such the first few chapters were immensely enjoyable - quirky, unlikely, exciting. I thought I was in for a real treat.Since finishing it, I've skimmed several other reviews on Goodreads, among which are many 5-star reviews which all, almost without exception, refer to this book as 'heart-warming' or a 'coming-of-age tale'. That is not where the first few chapters suggested the novel was headed, but ultimately even the off-handed, very literal narrative of the seemingly mildly-autistic narrator was not enough to stop it turning into a fairly generic example of both those things. I found the clash between the amusing absurdity of the first few chapters and the relative plausibility of most of the rest of the novel quite disappointing - essentially I felt set up for one thing, only to receive something else entirely. Ultimately, the only things that make this novel quirky - the meteorite and subsequent epilepsy - are incidental and entirely irrelevant to the rest of the novel. The one thing that might have saved it and allowed the plot to hold its own - the presence of difficult subject matter in the second half - was a little too off-handed and ill-paced to have any real emotional impact on me, and as a result of all this, a conceptually-awesome novel falls flat.All of that said, it was absolutely, laugh out loud hilarious in parts, and much of the writing was very intelligent, well-researched, and very entertaining, if not particularly insightful. Genuinely, parts of this book are undoubtedly among the greatest pieces of writing I'll read all year, and if for no other reason, I'm glad I read it for that. I feel if Extence had not tried so hard to emulate the feel of a Kurt Vonnegut book with such an un-Kurt-like plot, he may have had a winner with this novel. As it is, it felt like the style was his primary focus and the actual story suffered for that. Regardless, the obvious potential he has will definitely compel me to try whatever he writes next.Rating: 3.5/5 Edited February 20, 2015 by Nollaig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) I'm curious about the relation between Mr. Peterson and Alex being stopped at the customs carrying drugs. How did that happen? You not only have the Country wrong you definitely have the name wrong. Muggle is commonly known as non-magical people. My name is muggle not. btw, I am one of the very few people that have read 8 different Harry Potter books. Figure that one out Tales of Beedle the Bard? Or that one about Newt Scamander. Edited February 20, 2015 by Sousa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Read the book and you'll find out! And Muggle said 'one of the very few people' - so it can't be anything widely published by Rowling because tons of people have read those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) I'm curious about the relation between Mr. Peterson and Alex being stopped at the customs carrying drugs. How did that happen? Tales of Beedle the Bard? Or that one about Newt Scamander. Actually it was very simple. I read books #1 and #2 and when #3 (The Prisoner of Azkaban) was published it was released in the U.K. before being released in the U.S.. I couldn't wait for it to be released in the U.S. so I ordered it from Amazon.com/U.K.. When it was finally released in the U.S. I also bought the U.S. book. I read both books and they are slightly different. Common differences are like using the word "torch" in the U.K. and 'flashlight" in the U.S. book. Also use of laying on his "front" in the U.K. and on his "stomach" in the U.S.. There were also more substantial differences but I am not going to go back and look for them And that is how I came to read 8 Harry Potter books instead of the normal 7. Edited February 20, 2015 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 (edited) Read the book and you'll find out! And Muggle said 'one of the very few people' - so it can't be anything widely published by Rowling because tons of people have read those. I'm not interested in the book, but I'm curious about the story. You said the book is more about the style than the substance, but even so I want to know. Actually it was very simple. I read books #1 and #2 and when #3 (The Prisoner of Azkaban) was published it was released in the U.K. before being released in the U.S.. I couldn't wait for it to be released in the U.S. so I ordered it from Amazon.com/U.K.. When it was finally released in the U.S. I also bought the U.S. book. I read both books and they are slightly different. Common differences are like using the word "torch" in the U.K. and 'flashlight" in the U.S. book. Also use of laying on his "front" in the U.K. and on his "stomach" in the U.S.. There were also more substantial differences but I am not going to go back and look for them And that is how I came to read 8 Harry Potter books instead of the normal 7. That sounds very muggle to me. Are you sure of yourself? Either way, it seems you're a fan of this series for a long time. Edited February 21, 2015 by Sousa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Great review, Nollaig! It's only £1.89 for the Kindle version, so I have just bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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