Noll's 2015 Book Blog

[Nollaig]

Thank you! This is what I got myself for my birthday hehe:

 

 

It's beginning to look a lot like *mmmm-mmm*!

 

My god, nearly a month since I posted in here again. I've four or five books awaiting review, must get those done and posted.

 

 

[Athena]

Great presents ! I'm glad you had a good birthday.

 

I will be awaiting the Noll reviews .

[Nollaig]

I actually had seven waiting to be written

 

I've done five anyway, so here they are.

[Nollaig]

The Returned - Jason Mott

 

Synopsis:  Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time ... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep. All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.

 

***

 

Review: Hrm. This was a strange one. It's well-written and fairly easy to read, so the first section of setup and character introduction and all that, was really enjoyable. I was really excited about seeing where the story would go, what the deal with the Returned would turn out to be... and then nothing happened.

 

The book is almost like an attempted study of the human condition, using the concept of Returned people to instigate a discussion on the concept of a person and the concepts of death and loss. I say attempted, because it never really worked. The entire novel sort of teetered on the fence between a really good horror/thriller, and a deeper look at something philosophical, but it never actually hopped off into one side or the other. I guess the premise, of the dead returning and either coming to terms with that or refusing to accept it can really be them - this does provide food for thought, but no real deconstruction of these ideas occurs in the novel.

 

The characters suffered a similar fate, being borderline interesting but ultimately not sufficently so to generate any real interest on my part, and in the end it was difficult to care what happened to them. Apparently this has been turned into a tv show - the plot of the show must have veered off wildly from the novel because you'd barely get a film out of this, let alone a whole series.

 

Short review, but nothing else to say really. Not bad, but not memorable.

 

Rating: 3/5

[Nollaig]

The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman - Denis Theriault

 

Synopsis: A beautifully tragic and thought-provoking tale that perfectly reflects the elegance and style of Murakami and the skill and plotting of Julian Barnes. Bilodo has taken to stealing people's mail, steaming open the envelopes, and reading the letters inside. And so it is he comes across Ségolène's letters. She is corresponding with Gaston, a master poet.They are writing each other haikus. The simplicity and elegance of their poems move Bilado and he begins to fall in love with her. But one day, out on his round, just as Gaston is walking up to the post-box, he is hit by a car and dies. And so Bilodo makes an extraordinary decision—he will impersonate Gaston and continue to write to Ségolène. But how long can the deception continue for?

 

***

 

Review: Had I read the synopsis which mentions 'the elegance and style of Murakami', I probably would have run screaming from the idea of reading this novel. I've only read one novella by Julian Barnes, and I adored that, however, so it's a combination that could have gone either way. It went heavily down the Murakami route and as such I, unsurprisingly, am not a fan.

 

I love the premise of this novel. Adore it. It's genuinely awesome, despite the creepiness of Bilodo reading other peoples' mail. I had hoped to discover a character who inspires such sympathy for his lonliness that I would come to find his actions understandable, if no less creepy. What I actually got is a collection of amatuer haikus which were largely tedious to read (and I love a well-written haiku). The plot is largely obscured by page after page of these haikus, which somehow inspire one cardboard character (Bilodo) to fall in love with another, even flimsier, cardboard character (paper, perhaps, she is so thin?) Additionally, the story becomes unforgivably creepy, with Bilodo impersonating a dead guy and moving into his house to obsess over a woman he has never spoken to, let alone met. The writing is quite beautiful, some of the haikus are excellent, and there are a few hilariously witty and sharp lines in the book. But unfortunately, it also came across as quite undercooked, ill-thought-out, and honestly, pretentious.

 

That ending, though. That ending. I might have given the book 3 or 3.5 stars for the writing and few sucessful aspects, until that ending. Hated it. It's surreal and irrelevant to anything else in the book. I've seen quite a few reviews talk about how this book is thought-provoking, but none which have elaborated on the thoughts provoked. If it's supposed to mean anything, I'm afraid its lost on me.

 

Rating: 2/5

[Nollaig]

Creepy & Maud - Diane Touchell

 

Synopsis: Creepy is a boy who watches from the shadows keenly observing and caustically commentating on human folly. Maud is less certain. A confused girl with a condition that embarrasses her parents and assures her isolation.Together Creepy and Maud discover something outside their own vulnerability — each other’s. But life is arbitrary; and loving someone doesn’t mean you can save them. Creepy & Maud is a blackly funny and moving first novel that says; ‘You’re ok to be as screwed up as you think you are and you’re not alone in that.’

 

***

 

Review: This is one of those books I had been dying to read for ages, after spotting it on Goodreads, but hardcopies are suprisingly expensive (as is the Kindle version). Eventually I caved and purchased the Kindle version. The problem with these elusive books is that I get a little bit too hyped up about how awesome they're going to be (as if expense and rarity is actually an indicator of quality) and I put too much pressure on them to meet my great expectations.

 

To be fair to this one, it did a great job. It reads kind of like a Young Adult novel, boy 'meets' girl through his bedroom window, boy kinda obsesses a little about girl, girl becomes gradually intrigued by boy. But this is quite a lot darker than your average YA novel, and is quite thought-provoking in a fairly unconventional way. Maud has an unusual condition that seems to embarrass her parents, and her condition is not the focus of the novel, but how she deals with it and how other people (mostly, her parents) treat her as a result is. Seeing her home life, quite literally, from the outside, through Creepy's eyes, depicts a very lonely and misunderstood girl. Creepy himself is clearly an intelligent, pensive young man with occasionally quite dark or disturbing thoughts, and his own parents are not the epitome of perfection either, so this book illustrates quite an unusual context where two relatively messed up kids find a little bit of relief, if not hope, from their daily lives in their strange window-to-window communication. Both kids have quite a cynical view of the world, and there is a sense of despondent acceptance that their is nothing they can do about their lots in life - except choose to share them with each other.

 

I would definitely recommend this book, but I'd be reluctant to fork out a lot of money for it. Worth keeping an eye out for at a reasonable price.

 

Rating: 4/5

[Nollaig]

Contamination: Book Zero - T. W. Piperbrook

 

Synopsis: The infection starts with Frank, one of the locals at the town bar. In just a few hours, it has consumed the entire town. Dan Lowery, one of only four police officers in St. Matthews, soon realizes he is no match for the impending destruction. Violence and bloodshed litter the streets, and the infected roam freely. No one is safe here—not even his family. Somewhere, someone knows what is happening, and about the horrors to come…but is it too late?

 

***

 

Review: I flipped back and forth between 3 stars and 3.5 stars on this one. Giving it 3.5 however, I think, would have been due to my own bias in favour of books like this. Realistically, I can't give it more than 3, however enjoyable it was.

 

This novella is a prequel to (apparently) a trilogy of books, which I decided to read as it was available for free for Kindle. (As it turns out, the other three books are free too in a set, so I got them, although I don't know if I will read them.) A quick, easy read, Contamination is a fairly run-of-the-mill 'the zombies are coming' story which reminds me of just about every other one out there. I happen to love stories like this, no matter how generic they are, so I really enjoyed reading this. I will admit the characterization leaves a little to be desired, but I really enjoyed the couple of small twists that are included and am curious about the cause of the contamination. One cause is suggested in the novella, but by the end I'm not entirely sure it is the real reason.

 

The events are fairly exciting - again, nothing mind-blowingly original, but also nothing I outright expected. Then again, I'm pretty easy to lead on! I definitely think, if zombie apocalypses are your thing, this novella is worth a read. It's short and free so will cost you little time and no money, and you can decide yourself if the relatively mediocre standard is acceptable for continuing with the rest of the series.

 

Rating: 3/5

[Nollaig]

Reviver - Seth Patrick

 

Synopsis: Revivers. Able to wake the recently dead, and let them bear witness to their own demise. Forensic revival is a routine part of police investigation. In the United States, that responsibility falls to the Forensic Revival Service. Despite his troubled past, Jonah Miller is one of their best. But while reviving the victim of a brutal murder, he encounters a terrifying presence. Then Daniel Harker, the first journalist to bring revival to public attention, is murdered. Working with Harker's daughter Annabel, he becomes determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Soon they uncover long-hidden truths that call into doubt everything Jonah stands for, and reveal a threat that if not stopped in time, will put all of humanity in danger ...

 

***

 

Review: This book was a little bit of a mixed bag for me - I absolutely loved quite a lot about it, but much of what I loved was ultimately a little too dense or drawn out and resulted in occasional bouts of slight tedium.

 

For the first 50-80 pages or so I was absolutely riveted. I love the premise, I love how detailed and real-world it seems - reading much more like a realistic thriller than a supernatural or science fiction fantasy combo. Having not read the synopsis, I wasn't actually expecting Daniel Harker's fate and was both shocked and intrigued by spending pages learning all about a character who ends up the way he does. Some of the characters are interesting, others (unfortunately including Jonah) are a little bleh and felt much more like narrative vehicles than fully-fleshed out characters. That said, this isn't exactly a character-driven novel and the story and context are really exciting. I did feel that despite everything going on, the progression of the core plot - finding out the nature of the entity Jonah saw (or which saw him!) during a revival - was a bit too slow, lost admist exposition, and about two thirds of the way through the novel I felt it start to drag.

 

Then, it perked up again, when it launched into its final descent towards the end. It teeters on the line between pure science fiction and the supernatural - and I'm still not entirely sure which it is, but I am really curious to find out. Curious enough to pick up the second novel? Wellll I've heard that second one is arguably better than the first, so I might give it a go.

 

Rating: 4/5

[Anna Begins]

Contamination: Book Zero - T. W. Piperbrook

 

I happen to love stories like this, no matter how generic they are, so I really enjoyed reading this.

 

Then again, I'm pretty easy to lead on! I definitely think, if zombie apocalypses are your thing, this novella is worth a read. It's short and free so will cost you little time and no money, and you can decide yourself if the relatively mediocre standard is acceptable for continuing with the rest of the series.

 

Rating: 3/5

 I agree, I agree!  Nothing like a good ol' zombie novel  Glad you liked it!

[Athena]

Great reviews ! It's a shame there were a couple of books in there that weren't that great, but I'm glad you had some great reads. It's great to read some Noll reviews, I find them inspirational for my own reviews.

[Nollaig]

 I agree, I agree!  Nothing like a good ol' zombie novel  Glad you liked it!

 

Absolutely, its one of those genres that doesn't have to be amazing to be a bit of aul fun I'll probably actually read at least the first novel.

 

Great reviews ! It's a shame there were a couple of books in there that weren't that great, but I'm glad you had some great reads. It's great to read some Noll reviews, I find them inspirational for my own reviews.

 

Awww Gaia that's really sweet! Thank you! 

[Michelle]

I would definitely recommend the 2nd Reviver book - it's much more supernatural, and I love Never's character in it.

[Nollaig]

I would definitely recommend the 2nd Reviver book - it's much more supernatural, and I love Never's character in it.

 I remember you saying that, which is largely why I'm thinking I'll give it a go!

[Nollaig]

Frost Hollow Hall - Emma Carroll

 

Synopsis: Tilly's heart sinks. Will's at the door of their cottage, daring her to come ice-skating up at Frost Hollow Hall. No one goes near the place these days. Rumour has it that the house is haunted . . . Ten years ago the young heir, Kit Barrington, drowned there in the lake. But Tilly never turns down a dare.Then it goes horribly wrong. The ice breaks, Tilly falls through and almost drowns. At the point of death, a beautiful angel appears in the water and saves her. Kit Barrington's ghost. Kit needs Tilly to solve the mystery of his death, so that his spirit can rest in peace. In order to discover all she can, Tilly gets work as a maid at Frost Hollow Hall. 

 

***

 

Review: Ooooh how I loved reading this! I was looking for something supernatural and wintry and this absolutely fit the mold perfectly. It's a young adult novel, so as historical fiction goes, it is very easy to read and not too dense. I do love a ghost story set in Winter - there's something so cosy about curling up in the warm and reading a book like this in the period between Halloween and Christmas.

 

What I loved most about this novel is that, although it is MG (middle grade), it does not pander. The main story revolves around Tilly attempting to uncover the long-held secrets at Frost Hollow Hall, supplemented with the subplots of what did happen 10 years ago at the house, and another regarding Tilly's mother, father and sister. Naturally, following the death of a young man, there is going to be some sadness in the story, and what I love is that the story is complex, full of tragedy, guilt, and regrets - but nothing black and white, no obvious rights and wrongs, only actions and their irrevocable, sometimes tragic consequences. The reality of this is paralleled with some poignancy in the story of Tilly's family.

 

I loved the characters - Tilly is not flawless, Will is a likeable rogue, Gracie will elicit protectiveness in the reader. Kit perhaps could have had a little more personality to him, but he is also dead, so I'll forgive him that (!). The writing beautifully captures the feel of a Victorian winter ghost story, and I think I've said all I need to about the story itself. If this sounds like it *might* be your kind of thing based on what I've said, you should definitely pick it up. Well worth reading.

 

Rating: 4/5

[itsmeagain]

Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy. Tremendous.

[pgfhfds]

I just grabbed it and dived in! I'll be a bit more discerning about my next choice of hers.

[Athena]

Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy. Tremendous.

I just grabbed it and dived in! I'll be a bit more discerning about my next choice of hers.

I'm unsure if this post by itsmeagain is meant to be in this thread? I can't figure out how it connects to Noll's reviews and her reading. If the posts need to be moved, feel free to ask.

[Nollaig]

Yeah I'm not sure either, I suspect it's a wrong thread hehe!

 

In Noll-related news (!) I'm now reading The Rabbit Back Literature Society by that Finnish person named Pasi whose name I can't spell offhand and clearly it was easier for me to type all this than open a new tab and do a quick search.

 

I loved Where The Trains Turn by the same author, and so far am loving TRBLS. Such lyrical writing.

[Athena]

In Noll-related news (!) I'm now reading The Rabbit Back Literature Society by that Finnish person named Pasi whose name I can't spell offhand and clearly it was easier for me to type all this than open a new tab and do a quick search.

 

I loved Where The Trains Turn by the same author, and so far am loving TRBLS. Such lyrical writing.

 

I know the author you mean, I hope you enjoy the whole book .

[chesilbeach]

Great review of Frost Hollow Hall, Noll.  So pleased you enjoyed it.

 

Just wanted to say, it's actually middle grade (MG) not YA, so aimed at 9-12 year olds.  There are some great writers for this age range now - what I love about them is that, just like YA, they write fantastic stories that aren't too childish, but written in a deceptively simple style that you don't notice because the stories are so good.

[Nollaig]

Oooh okay didnt realise that! Doesn't read like its for that age... but it's a long time since I was that age so I could just be out of touch! If you can recommend any similar authors/novels you think I might like in that category, I'd love to know!

[chesilbeach]

Although not necessarily similar, I would definitely recommend the following out of the ones I've read over the last couple of years:

 

Katherine Rundell - Rooftoppers and The Wolf Wilder
Ross Montgomery - Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door and The Tornado Chasers
Emma Fennell - Shiverton Hall and Monsters ​(although Monsters is top of the age range really, closer to YA)

[Nollaig]

Whey, thanks for those. The Rundell and Fennell ones particularly sound like my kind of thing.

[Nollaig]

The Wolf Wilder - Katherine Rundell

 

Synopsis: Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

 

***

 

Review: This book reminded me somewhat of another book I loved as a child and still occasionally re-read - "Sasha and the Wolf Cub". The Wolf Wilder is aimed at a slightly older audience, but has the wolves, the Cossack dancing and the Russian setting of one of my beloved childhood favourites, so I was already a little biased going into it. The third book on my current 'Middle Grade' binge, it is, like the others I've read, of good length and of sufficient complexity and detail to hold the interest of even adult readers, despite the intended age group.

 

Katherine Rundell is a wonderful writer (if this novel is anything to go by) and I have every intention of checking out her other work. Right from the outset, The Wolf Wilder comes across as a more mature childrens book, which does not shy away from including a dose of reality amidst the childish fun and fantasy that also features. Being historical fiction, it contains broad references to Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and while nothing is explained in any great detail, it might be enough to get kids thinking and wondering about history.

 

There were some elements of the book I did not like - I felt the pacing was a little off, and that the complete incredibility of some of the events compared with the realism of others made it teeter between purely childish and a bit more mature, without ever properly settling into one or the other. That said, it's impossible not to love pretty much all the characters (Sergei is an absolute little legend!) including the wolves, and it's a positive story featuring a strong female protagonist and many exciting adventures. Definitely a great one for the kids, if not the grown ups.

 

Rating: 4/5

[Nollaig]

The Rabbit Back Literature Society - Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen

 

Synopsis: Only very special people are chosen by children's author Laura White to join 'The Society', an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, literature teacher and possessor of beautifully curving lips. But soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual, 'The Game'? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura's winter party, in a whirlwind of snow? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, disturbing secrets that had been buried come to light... In this chilling, darkly funny novel, the uncanny brushes up against the everyday in the most beguiling and unexpected of ways

 

***

 

Review: Well, this was unexpected. I'm not really sure where to begin with this one. I know I enjoyed it, but trying to articulate the precise reasons why is about as easy as explaining half the unsolved mysteries in the story. I love any book based around books, libraries, reading, book clubs and literature societies. The idea of a group of world-famous authors who can barely stand to be in the same room as each other intrigues me. Naturally, indoctrination into the society along with its newest, tenth member seems the obvious way to learn about it, and so I read Ella's story. There's a lot of mystery in this book, which makes it a real page turner, but there's also a lot of questions that don't really get answered, particularly those related to the usually undertoned but occasionally overt magical realism throughout the novel. Normally, that's something that would really irritate me, as is the very presence of unexplained magical realism, such as the rearrangement of words in novels as per the synopsis. But whatever it is about how this book is written, I absolutely loved it.

 

The characters are, largely, not particularly likeable. But they're interesting. Their stories, the history of the society, and the previous tenth member, are all extremely intriguing. 'The Game' is very surreal and, in the most literal sense, incredible, but I didn't find myself scoffing - rather, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Parts of the novel are very dark, at least one scene is horrendously graphic and (in my opinion) utterly unnecessary, but like everything else contained here that would normally put me off, something about the writing and how it all gels together just really works. There are also certain passages which are essentially mental soliloquies of Ella's which are quite thought-provoking.

 

This review sounds relatively lukewarm, and yet I'm giving the book 5 stars. I can't explain it. I hate that I can't, because for me the entire point of a review is to explain why I did or didn't like a thing. There's probably a whole thing in it somewhere about how we perceive reality and possibly even construct it with our perceptions but I chose to skim the surface rather than thinking too much. So, all I can say is, it's a head trip and it's fun to get lost in. Don't expect answers, just run with it and immerse yourself in the writing. I think that's it actually; the writing itself. Great book.

 

Rating: 5/5