Gyre's Reading Adventures 2009!

[lexiepiper]

Beauty is awesome Kelly

[Nightwish]

I think I might have to add that to my list then I really shouldn't...I don't have a lot of money left because I...sort of blew a lot of it on books...

[Weave]

I think I might have to add that to my list then I really shouldn't...I don't have a lot of money left because I...sort of blew a lot of it on books...

 

You sound like me! I think you will enjoy it, and 'Beauty', they are a different scope on fairytales, great to read

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

When she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead . . .

 

‘Grave Secret’ is the fourth (and possibly) the final book in the Harper Connelly series.

 

I cannot say too much about the book because it is part of the book ring, what I will say the story is brilliant, again Harper and Tolliver are investigating a case which unfortunately is closer to home that they think. There is some unexpected twists and I honestly did not expect the ending because again as always with Harper Connelly books, I am so sure I know who the culprit is and it turns out to be someone else, its one of the great things about Charlaine Harris, she certainly knows how to surprise her readers.

 

As much as I enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse series also by Charlaine Harris, I think Harper is a stronger character which is great to read. I hope there will be another book in the series.

 

I will leave by saying, I hope everyone enjoys the book within the book ring and that everyone else takes the opportunity to read the Harper Connelly series.

 

Edited December 4, 2009 by Weave

[lexiepiper]

So excited to read this! Glad you enjoyed it hun!

[Weave]

So excited to read this! Glad you enjoyed it hun!

 

I did, it was fab!

[Weave]

I decided to put Prick Up Your Ears ~ The Biography of Joe Orton by John Lahr aside for the moment, I could not get into it

 

*******

 

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

 

Frannie O’Neill, a young and talented veterinarian whose husband was recently murdered, comes across an amazing discovery in the woods near her animal hospital. Soon after, Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent, arrives on Frannie’s doorstep. And then there is eleven-year-old Max – Frannie’s amazing discovery – and one of the most unforgettable creations in thriller fiction.

 

This is the first adult book I have read by James Patterson, having previously read the first two books in the 'Maximum Ride' young adult series. 'When the Wind Blows' is the same idea as the Maximum ride series but they are not connected (as I previously thought).

 

I found it hard to put 'When the Wind Blows' down because it was so exciting, you did not know what was going to happen next. An interesting read because what happens in the book is currently happening within science over the world, the book highlights the lengths that people will go to, to get what they want.

 

The characters are well written, Frannie, the main character was easy to like because she was so realistic.

 

An interesting read.

 

[sirinrob]

Was trying to remember who else might have 'The Glasspearl game ' by Hermann Hesse on their TBR - realised it was you. I've just finished it and have written a (very long) review of it here

[Weave]

Was trying to remember who else might have 'The Glasspearl game ' by Hermann Hesse on their TBR - realised it was you. I've just finished it and have written a (very long) review of it here

 

Thanks

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

Frannie O'Neill's life turned upside down when six incredible children blew in on the wind. Rescuing them from the school that created them took all her courage and cunning, but the children captured her heart. Now the young flock wants to go back to the couple it regards as parents, and Frannie and FBI maverick Kit Brennan are suing for custody. But when the case involves the most extraordinary creatures ever to land on this earth, someone will ensure there is no happy ending. Only Max, the oldest and most remarkable of the winged children, knows that another, terrifying biological experiment is taking place. Somewhere in America, a brilliant but evil surgeon, Dr Ethan Kane, is secretly researching - performing a cruel travesty of an operation as he scoops the life from people hoping for a better future. But to complete his experiment he needs the ultimate prize - Max herself. And as the children dream of returning to the happy safety of the lake house, where for a few precious months they flew free, Kane moves ever closer...

 

‘The Lake House’ is the sequel to ‘When the Wind Blows’ by James Patterson.

 

‘The Lake House’ begins six months after the events in ‘When the Wind Blows’, the children’s lives have changed and they have been reunited with their families but the flock miss Kit and Frannie, the couple they consider to be their parents.

 

Again, the powers that be are after the flock for their own gain, it seems they have escaped from one terrible place to return to another one, with only Kit and Frannie to help them, what will become of the flock?

‘The Lake House’ was more exciting that ‘When the Wind Blows’, the flock could not trust anyone apart from Kit and Frannie, as the story progressed you find out who is after the flock and why.

 

The only negative I found in the book was Max’s refusal to tell Kit and Frannie the whole story, Max has trust issues for obvious reasons but I just felt that she should trust Kit and Frannie, apart from that, the book was a great read.

 

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

'This is snow,' Moomintroll whispered to himself. Moomins always sleep through the winter - or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up and went exploring in the silent, snow-covered valley where the river used to scuttle along and all his friends were so busy in summer.

 

I watched ‘The Moomins’ after school back in the day, when I watched it, it was live action models (if that is the correct wording) but recently I saw the cartoon and it was not the same.

 

‘Moominland Midwinter’ is the first Moomin book I have read, following from years of recommendations from my good friend Elizabeth (who is also known as ‘Moominliz’ ~ you can see a theme here), I decided to find out more about those little moomins.

 

I enjoyed ‘Moominland Midwinter’, I liked how the main character, Moomintroll woke up from hibernation early and everything was different in his world that he knew, he saw the world that he missed why he and his family hibernated (from November to April).

 

Tove Jansson world of Moomins is amazing, inspiring and full of imagination, I loved every part of the book, the characters, (especially Too~Ticky and Little My).

 

I am planning to read more Moomin books.

 

[Peacefield]

This sounds so cute, Weave! I've never heard of the Moomins but I will have to keep my eye out for these . Great review too!

[Kate]

I've heard of Moomins but never seen it. Great review - I will look out for it

[Weave]

I've heard of Moomins but never seen it. Great review - I will look out for it

 

Thanks Kate

[Weave]

This sounds so cute, Weave! I've never heard of the Moomins but I will have to keep my eye out for these . Great review too!

 

Thanks peacefield

[Stephanie2008]

Aww I didn't realise that the Moomins were books I used to love them - apart from the little girl, the one that's on the cover (I can't remember character names or anything though )

[Weave]

Aww I didn't realise that the Moomins were books I used to love them - apart from the little girl, the one that's on the cover (I can't remember character names or anything though )

 

Its Little My on the cover Stephanie, she is a bit scary

 

I did not realise how many Moomin books there was until I checked on amazon ~

 

Click here

 

Click here

 

Edited December 9, 2009 by Weave

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

Written with such a lightness of touch that it seems miraculous, these stories are a further revelation of Tove Jansson's heart warming genius. As smooth and odd and beautiful as sea-worn driftwood, as full of light and air as the Nordic summer. We are lucky to have these stories collected at last by Philip Pullman. Following the widely acclaimed and bestselling The Summer Book, here is a Winter Book collection of some of Tove Jansson's best loved and most famous stories. Drawn from youth and older age, and spanning most of the twentieth century, this newly translated selection provides a thrilling showcase of the great Finnish writer's prose, scattered with insights and home truths. It has been selected and is introduced by Ali Smith. The Winter Book features 13 stories from Tove Jansson's first book for adults, The Sculptor's Daughter (1968) plus 7 of her most cherished later stories (from 1971 to 1996), translated into English and published here for the first time.

 

 

I am relatively new to the writings of Tove Jansson, the author of the very popular Moomin books (I just read ‘Moominland Midwinter, which I enjoyed immensely).

 

I am very conflicted about ‘A Winter Book’, I enjoyed aspects of it, you can tell from the stories that Tove had a very happy childhood and her personality shines through, a very brave and individual woman who brought a lot of happiness to people but I found some of the stories quite hard to read, I knew what she meant and the characters mentioned were well written, it was just at times the stories did not make sense, they were beautifully written, hence my conflicted feelings.

 

There is no doubt that Tove Jansson was an excellent writer and I did enjoy ‘A Winter Book’ but I feel the stories were lost in translation. My favourite story was ‘correspondence’, the letters to Tove from a fan, the letters were lovely and I understand that Tove answered every one of her letters, which I thought was lovely and shown what kind of person Tove was, caring, funny, spirited and individual.

 

An interesting read but not a book for everyone.

 

[lexiepiper]

I agree with the lost in translation bit too, I felt that too. Great review though hun x

[Weave]

I agree with the lost in translation bit too, I felt that too. Great review though hun x

 

Thanks hen x

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

This is the only in-depth biographical account of the legendary lead singer of Joy Division, written by his widow. Revered by his peers and idolised by his fans, Ian Curtis left behind a legacy rich in artistic genius. But although mesmerising on stage, in his private life he was introverted and had desperate mood swings. In "Touching from a Distance" his widow pieces together why - despite his impending international fame and young family - Curtis took his own life on 18 May 1980. Regarded as the essential book on the essential icon of the post-punk era, "Touching from a Distance" includes a full set of Curtis' lyrics, discography and gig list.

 

Reading a biography of Ian Curtis may seem a strange choice considering I was never a fan of Joy Division, it was a couple of years before I fully appreciated the Manchester music scene and since then I have been a fan of ‘The Stone Roses’.

 

I read ‘Touching from a distance’ to find out more about Ian Curtis, an icon for different reasons, mainly his untimely death by suicide at the age of 23, for me the main tragedy was not only the loss of someone so young but the people he left behind.

 

‘Touching from a distance’ is written by Deborah Curtis, Ian Curtis’s wife and she gives a full and honest account of the man she loved and the man that he was, she tells it like it was, his possessiveness, his goals in life, how focused he was (at times focusing on the wrong things), his love of music, his creativeness and how much she loved him and how deeply affected she was by his death.

 

A powerful and honest read, a must read for any Joy Division fans out there.

 

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

Marley was dead. Again. The legendary Ebenezeer Scrooge sits in his house counting money. The boards that he has nailed up over the doors and the windows shudder and shake under the blows from the endless zombie hordes that crowd the streets hungering for his flesh and his miserly braaaaiiiiiinns! Just how did the happiest day of the year slip into a welter of blood, innards and shambling, ravenous undead on the snowy streets of old London town? Will the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future be able to stop the world from drowning under a top-hatted and crinolined zombie horde? Was Tiny Tim's illness something infinitely more sinister than mere rickets and consumption? Can Scrooge be persuaded to go back to his evil ways, travel back to Christmas past and destroy the brain stem of the tiny, irritatingly cheery Patient Zero? It's the Dickensian Zombie Apocalypse - God Bless us, one and all!

 

Tis the season for zombies! And this time its Ebenezeer Scrooge’s turn to face them down, which begins on Christmas day morning with the zombie Marley bursting through Scrooge’s door, which leads Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas of yet to come to a fight to stop the zombies from taking over the world while at the same time Ebenezeer discovers what Christmas means to him.

 

If you enjoy the film, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ you will love this book, it has the same humour and excellent one liners, the change of Ebenezzer’s personality is well written and humorous.

 

A fun read with zombies.

 

[Weave]

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

 

Synopsis ~

 

A story in an old notebook is read to an elderly woman by a sad stranger. It is the story of Noah and Allie, who fell in love but were kept apart for many years. As the stranger reads, it becomes clear that he is engaged in a desperate struggle to reach the woman who no longer remembers her past.

 

This is the first book I have read by Nicholas Sparks and I enjoyed it. The story was memorable and sad, an emotional book.

 

[Weave]

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson ~ Started: 17.12.09 ~ Finished: 18.12.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

Although they're small, fat and shy creatures, Moomins have the most amazing adventures. It all begins when Moominpappa tries on a magic hat that makes exciting and funny things happen.

 

Who knew I would get so much reading pleasure from characters I watched on television back in the day when I was a kid. ‘Finn Family Moonintroll’ was a lovely read, all of the characters are loveable in their way, and I love the fact that the Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll accept anyone into their home, their adventures, my favourite character is Moominmama, she is brilliant and loveable.

 

Tove Jansson has created a wonderful world with the Moomins and I am happy I am discovering them, perfect books for a winter evening or a summer afternoon.

 

[BookJumper]

I read the books first and then saw the cartoons when in England for the summer holidays, so the Moomins were a staple of my childhood - they are so cute! I even have a shirt with a tree-hugging Moomin and a pink Moomin-shaped felt handbag so needless to say, I'm glad you liked it.