Gyre's Reading Adventures 2009!

[Weave]

 

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith ~ Started: 01.09.09 ~ Finished: 05.09.09

2. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 05.09.09 ~ Finished: 09.09.09 (re~read)

3, The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 09.09.09 ~ Finished: 12.09.09

4. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak ~ Started: 12.09.09 ~ Finished: 15.09.09

5. Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak ~ Started: 15.09.09 ~ Finished: 16.09.09

6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole ~ Started: 16.09.09 ~ Finished: 21.09.09

 

 

1. The 13/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers ~ Started: 21.09.09 ~ Finished: 01.10.09

2. Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah ~ Started: 01.10.09 ~ Finished: 02.10.09

3. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 02.10.09 ~ Finished: 05.10.09

4. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 05.10.09 ~ Finished: 10.10.09

5. Sunshine by Robin McKinley ~ Started: 10.10.09 ~ Finished: 14.10.09

6. Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong ~ Started: 14.10.09 ~ Finished: 17.10.09

7. Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard ~ Started: 17.10.09 ~ Finished: 20.10.09

8. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ~ Started: 20.10.09 ~ Finished: 24.10.09

9. Beauty by Robin McKinley ~ Started: 24.10.09 ~ Finished: 25.10.09

10. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories by Susanna Clarke ~ Started: 25.10.09 ~ Finished: 30.10.09

 

 

1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ~ Started: 30.10.09 ~ Finished: 01.11.09

2. Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens ~ Started: 01.11.09 ~ Finished: 02.11.09

3. Untamed (House of Night) by P.C. & Kristin Cast ~ Started: 02.11.09 ~ Finished: 04.11.09

4. The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman ~ Started: 08.11.09 ~ Finished: 10.11.09

5. The Wind~Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 08.11.09 ~ Finished: 20.11.09

6. Eva's Story by Eva Schloss ~ Started: 20.11.09 ~ Finished: 21.11.09

7. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson ~ Started: 21.11.09 ~ Finished: 25.11.09

8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro ~ Started: 25.11.09 ~ Finished: 26.11.09

9. I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb ~ Started: 26.11.09 ~ Finished: 27.11.09

 

 

1. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley ~ Started: 27.11.09 ~ Finished: 02.12.09

2. Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris ~ Started: 02.12.09 ~ Finished: 04.12.09

3. When the Wind Blows by James Patterson ~ Started: 05.12.09 ~ Finished: 06.12.09

4. The Lake House by James Patterson ~ Started: 06.12.09 ~ Finished 08.12.09

5. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson ~ Started: 08.12.09 ~ Finished: 09.12.09

6. A Winter Book ~ Selected Stories by Tove Jansson ~ Started: 09.12.09 ~ Finished: 12.12.09

7. Touching from a Distance by Deborah Curtis ~ Started: 12.12.09 ~ Finished: 14.12.09

8. I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas by Adam Roberts ~ Started: 14.12.09 ~ 16.12.09

9. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks ~ Started: 16.12.09 ~ Finished: 17.12.09

10. Finn Family Moomintroll ~ Started: 17.12.09 ~ Finished: 18.12.09

11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater ~ Started: 18.12.09 ~ Finished: 22.12.09

12. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ~ Started: 22.12.09 ~ Finished: 25.12.09

13. The Possession of Mr Cave by Matt Haig ~ Started: 25.12.09 ~ Finished: 28.12.09

Edited December 28, 2009 by Weave
Finished 'The Possession of Mr Cave'

[Weave]

I finished 'Ticket to Ride' by Dennis Potter (Started: 01.01.09 ~ Finished: 03.01.09)

 

Synopsis~

 

A 40-ish man on a London-bound train breaks down in tears, having suddenly lost all memory of who he is and where he's going; no hint of his identity can be found in his pockets, on his clothes.

 

This was my first read of 2009 and this is the first time I have read anything by Dennis Potter, I had heard of him and vaguely remember watching 'The Singing Detective' when it was on television.* 'Ticket to Ride' is the most surreal and scary book I have read in some time, the characters are all flawed, they all have secrets and the ending of the book leaves you with far too many questions.

 

Rating: 8/10

Edited January 5, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

I finished 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell (Started: 03.01.09 ~ Finished: 04.01.09)

 

Synopsis~

 

George Orwell's 1945 satire on the perils of Stalinism has proved magnificently long-lived as a parable about totalitarianism anywhere - and has given the world at least one immortal phrase: Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others.

 

I read 'Animal Farm' the first time when I was teenager and reading it now, I feel like I was reading a different book but in a good way. An amazing piece of literature told through the eyes of animals wanting to be humans but with humanity.

 

Rating: 10/10

Edited January 5, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

I finished 'The Reader' by Bernhard Schlink (Started: 04.01.09 ~ Finished: 05.01.09)

 

Synopsis~

 

For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does - Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret. 'A tender, horrifying novel that shows blazingly well how the Holocaust should be dealt with in fiction. A thriller, a love story and a deeply moving examination of a German conscience'

 

I really enjoyed 'The Reader', it was an amazingly insightful book about the ripple effect of the Holocaust and the story of Michael and his love for Hanna, a woman with secrets that slowly unravel as you read. A wonderful read, highly recommended.

 

Rating: 10/10

Edited January 8, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

I finished The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home (Dark Tower 2 ~ Marvel, Graphic Novel) by Stephen King (Started: 05.01.09 ~ Finished: 05.01.09)

 

Synopsis~

 

It's the return of the best-selling comic book series, inspired by Stephen King's epic The Dark Tower! Gunslinger Roland Deschain has seen the death of his lover Susan Delgado. And the Big Coffin Hunters who burned her at the stake are now in pursuit of Roland and his ka-tet Cuthbert and Alain. The friends are forced to flee into the desert with the deadly posse in hot pursuit... .and Roland is in a coma! Don't miss the next chapter in the saga of the Gunslinger whose quest for the Dark Tower will shake the foundation of reality itself!

 

The Dark Tower Cometh!, 'The Long Road Home' is just as stunning as the first graphic novel in the series, 'The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born (Dark Tower 1), the artwork is amazing and the story is just as good as the original novels.

 

Rating: 10/10

Edited April 20, 2009 by Weave

[madcow]

The Reader sounds like a great book, must keep a look out for it.

[Weave]

The Reader sounds like a great book, must keep a look out for it.

 

Its really well written Jules, I would have passed my copy to you but it is already gone (sorry), I hope you get the opportunity to read it

[Weave]

The Plucker by Brom (An Illustrated Novel) (Started: 06.01.09 ~ Finished: 08.01.09)

 

Synopsis ~ (Description from amazon.co.uk)

 

The Plucker is a dark and twisted tale about a Jack-in-the-Box, aptly named Jack, who must fight for the life of his "human boy owner" against an evil force, called the Plucker (because he plucks your eyeballs out and sucks out your life force). One by one the Plucker and his minions, called Foulthings, capture the toys in the boy's room, and carry them off to the bowels of the earth, deep beneath the boy's house. There the toys are tortured and have their mojo extracted. The toy's mojo comes from the boy's love and his belief that the toys are real, so as the Plucker sucks up all the toys's mojo, he begins to take over the boy's body. Only Jack can save the boy, with the help of the boy's nanny, Mabelle, who practices the dark arts. Spine-tingling and creepy, the story is for all ages, but especially for those in love with graphic novels, fantasy, and sci-fi.

 

Before I begin, thank you to Kell for the recommendation.

 

I really enjoyed 'The Plucker', it was just so weird and wonderful, the artwork was amazing, the story fantastic, I loved the idea of the toys and their lives. Brom is a very talented artist and writer. I recommend this book highly to anyone that will listen to me

 

Rating: 10/10

 

 

Edited January 8, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

The Devil's Rose by Brom (An Illustrated Novel) (Started: 08.01.09 ~ Finished: 08.01.09)

 

Synopsis ~ (Description from amazon.co.uk)

 

From the creator of "Plucker" comes another illustrated novel, set in Texas and hell. Escapees from hell fill the pages of this book, terrifying and slaying the living as they try to flee their guards from the underworld. Cole, one of the undead, has been sent to reclaim these souls in flight and return them to the fiery depths. But one escaped soul is not like the others: Rath. He in fact wants to return to hell. But why? And why does Cole, a tormented soul from hell strive to capture his fellow mates? It has to do with a woman named Rose, who he did wrong and a pact he made with the devil.

 

As much as I enjoyed 'The Plucker' by Brom, I enjoyed 'The Devil's Rose' more, I really enjoyed the story, especially the backstory of Cole and Rose, which I thought was brilliantly written. I recommend this book highly and thanks again to Kell for the wonderful recommendation. A book to treasure, on both counts ~ 'The Devil's Rose' and 'The Plucker'

 

Rating: 10/10

 

 

Edited January 15, 2009 by Weave

[Janet]

Gosh you read fast!

 

I revisited Animal Farm last year and enjoyed it. I've got a couple of other Orwells on my 'to read' pile. Have you read anything else by him?

[Weave]

Gosh you read fast!

 

I revisited Animal Farm last year and enjoyed it. I've got a couple of other Orwells on my 'to read' pile. Have you read anything else by him?

 

They were all short books

[Kell]

I'm so glad you enjoyed both of Brom's books - I adore his work and can hardly wait for him to come out with another book!

[Weave]

I'm so glad you enjoyed both of Brom's books - I adore his work and can hardly wait for him to come out with another book!

 

Me too, he is very talented

[Weave]

Nightswallow by Bronwen Winter Phoenix (Started: 10.01.09 ~ Finished: 15.01.09)

 

Synopsis ~

 

'Night Swallow is dead. A former travel journalist, she lost herself in beautiful worlds far from the London apartment where she was murdered. Following a series of dark events on an isolated island, she must face her face as she is forced to learn the ways of the spirits around her. As things start to spiral out of control, she is sucked deeper into a world she no longer recognises to battle the unstoppable force she uncovered on her travels. With help from mesmerising spirits along the way ~ Magnus, a mysterious loner; Gabrielle, an extravagant former theatre actress and Leon, an unusual librarian with a penchant for seeing the dead ~ Night has to stop her killer from destroying all that she loved. But will her unfinished business lead her to the final answer?'

 

I really enjoyed 'Nightswallow', another excellent read by Bronwen Winter Phoenix. I have posted a review Here

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Edited January 15, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (Started: 15.01.09 ~ Finished: 18.01.09)

 

Synopsis ~

 

His life was like his recurring nightmare: a train to nowhere. But an ordinary life has a way of taking an extraordinary turn. Add a girl whose ears are so exquisite that, when uncovered, they improve sex a thousand-fold, a runaway friend, a right-wing politico, an ovine-obsessed professor and a manic-depressive in a sheep outfit, implicate them in a hunt for a sheep, that may or may not be running the world, and the upshot is another singular masterpiece from Japan's finest novelist.

 

I really enjoyed 'A Wild Sheep Chase', another gem from Haruki Murakami, the characters as always were brilliantly weird and wonderful and as always Haruki Murakami made room for a cat in the book

 

Rating:* 10/10

 

Edited April 20, 2009 by Weave

[Charm]

The Devil's Rose by Brom (An Illustrated Novel) (Started: 08.01.09 ~ Finished: 08.01.09)

 

 

This looks really interesting, I've never read an illustrated novel before but I like the sound of this. I think I'll add it to my evergrowing wishlist.

[Weave]

I think you will enjoy it Charm, it was Kell who introduced to the books by Brom He is very talented

[Charm]

I hope so. We seem to have the same taste so I'm sure I will.

[Weave]

I hope so. We seem to have the same taste so I'm sure I will.

 

We do, which is cool!

[Kylie]

I saw Plucker in a shop the other day and immediately thought of you and Kell. I flicked through a good part of the book and it's certainly very impressive-looking. I might buy it one day so I can read it properly.

[Ben]

You read very fast, like me really.. Glad to see you've had some good books this year, I see 10/10's all around.

[Weave]

I saw Plucker in a shop the other day and immediately thought of you and Kell. I flicked through a good part of the book and it's certainly very impressive-looking. I might buy it one day so I can read it properly.

 

Enjoy

[Weave]

You read very fast, like me really.. Glad to see you've had some good books this year, I see 10/10's all around.

 

I can honestly say Enthusiast that I have not read one bad book so far this year

[Weave]

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Started: 01.01.09 ~ Finished: 03.01.09)

 

Synopsis ~

 

In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over two years, they, another family and a German dentist lived in a 'secret annexe', fearing discovery. All that time, Anne kept a diary. An intimate record of tension and struggle, adolescence and confinement, anger and heartbreak, Anne Frank's diary is one of those unique documents, famed throughout the world, that portrays innocence and humanity, suffering and survival in the starkest and most moving terms.

 

The first time I read 'The Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank, I was 15 years old, as much as I enjoyed it, it did not seem real to me that Anne had died before her 16th birthday, I had such high hopes of a happy ending.

 

The version I read this time around was the new version, Anne in fact wrote two diaries, the original diary and the diary which she began after hearing a newcast of Gerrit Bolkestein ~ a member of the Dutch government in exile, who said that when the war ended, he would create a public record of the Dutch people's oppression under German occupation. The version has both diaries and it is explained clearly where the additions are made.

 

I enjoyed the new version, it was more indepth, the original diary was interesting but a lot of it had been omitted by Anne Frank Father, Otto because he felt at the time that some of the insights which Anne shares in the diary about her fellow annexe members were disrespectful to the dead, in Anne's second diary she changed some names (the van Pels became van Dams, etc). In the new version everything is included with Otto Frank's permission before his death in 1980.

 

If Anne Frank had lived, I truly believe she would have made a mark on history as huge as the mark she has made following her untimely death, reading Anne's diary gives you a insight into a world where fear reigns supreme while at the same time watching a girl turn into a insightful and intelligent woman, living in the most unbelieveable of circumstances. Anne is does not pull any punches when it comes to her thoughts regarding the other members of the annexe but all of these feelings are born from frustration which Anne mentions a few times, she does not mean what she says but she stands by what she says (if that makes sense). The most painful part of the diary I found was the relationship between Anne and her mother, Edith, it broke down completely in the annexe, two strong personalities clashing but Anne did love her mother, it was just a difficult situation all round.

 

A interesting and lovely read, you feel you are part of Anne's world and it is credit to her legacy that people can read her diary, which was what she wanted.

 

Rating: 10/10

 

[Kylie]

Excellent review, Gyre! I have this one on my TBR pile. The new version sounds like it would be better than my old one though. Oh well. I'll stick with what I've got for the time being.