Charm's Choices for 2009

[Ben]

Some good reviews Charm, doesn't make our life any easier when it comes to adding books to the wishlist. Oh what will we do?

[Weave]

Happy reading Charm

[Charm]

I finished Living With The Dead ~by~ Kelley Armstrong a wee while ago now but completely forgot to do this!

 

Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

Robyn Peltier has always lived a normal life. So when her boss is murdered and she is named prime suspect, she is way out of her depth. As the bodies pile up only her friend Hope, and Hope's somewhat spooky boyfriend Karl, are on her side. Hope, meanwhile, has a few secrets of her own. Namely that she is half-demon, and her 'spooky' boyfriend is actually a werewolf. Hope also knows that Robyn has accidentally stumbled into a bloody supernatural turf war. And the only way she can keep her friend alive is by letting her enter a world she's safer knowing nothing about ...

 

My Thoughts:

Hope's best friend Robyn unwittingly ends up being a prime suspect in a murder. Usually a very competent woman, Robyn falls to pieces but gets help from half demon Hope and her werewolf boyfriend Karl. The chase is on, Hope and Karl trying to find out the truth while Robyn just has to try and keep herself alive, easier said than done when it's a psychopathic clairvoyant hunting you down ...

 

This wasn't one of my favourite of the series, I'll have to admit, there just wasn't enough variety in it for me. Even though I did like the main characters, I'd have preferred if some of the others in the series were more in it too. The storyline appeared to me to be one big chase with most of the explanation arriving towards the end. Having said that, it was nice to see the supernaturals from a human point of view and the storyline with the detective learning what he was, was a nice addition to the characters.

 

It's not that I didn't enjoy it, I actually did and I'm glad I read it, it just wasn't one of my favourites in the series

 

7/10

[Weave]

Great review as always Charm

[Charm]

Thanks Gyre! I had to try to remember it, seems so long ago even though I only finished it last weekend I think I still have Let The Right One In too much in my head

[Charm]

I finished Let The Right One In ~by~ John Ajvide Lindqvist last night which I bought after reading Gyre's review.

 

Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

Oskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they became friends. And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself. Oskar is a 12 year old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city's edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened. Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200 year old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood. John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel is a unique and brilliant fusion of social novel and vampire legend, a deeply moving fable about rejection, friendship and loyalty.

 

My thoughts:

This is a tale of how Oskar, a lonely, badly bullied 12 year old boy meets and befriends Eli, a 200 yr old vampire who is trapped in a young girl's body. They've both suffered a hard life and soon they come to need each other, learning more about themselves as their relationship grows. Its not all about this friendship though, she is a vampire after all and soon the killings start ...

 

It took me a little while to get into this book and at the beginning I did wonder if I was going to like it. The tale is set in a cold, bleak and somewhat depressing estate near Stockholm in the early 1980's, the author managing to paint a picture of drab and dreary life very effectively. There are several storylines, each told by different characters from different angles and all coming together at the end for a great finish.

 

Some of the chapters where pretty hard to read, especially the bullying, but I found Oskar to be such a resilient character and, with his own means of escapism, often quite a dark little boy at times too. It was written with just the right amount of unpleasant realism to make it a bit disturbing but not unreadable. The vampire scenes were both gory and believable, giving a certain feeling of dread, which definately satisified my horror reading requirements.

 

I ended up really loving this book and totally recommend it. Its an endearing story of a boy called Oskar, of having to grow up fast, and of having to face some truly creepy stuff.

 

10/10

Edited September 22, 2009 by Charm

[Ben]

Hey Charm, the big 50! Well done, that's not a bad effort. Glad you're reading some good books and keeping us entertained with some great reviews.

[Charm]

thank you Ben!

 

For a minute there though I thought you meant my age! I had to do a double take and think about what you were talking about Another two and I will have completed my personal '52 books this year' challange, I wonder what the final number will be ...

[Weave]

Great review Charm, I felt so sorry for Oskar and Eli but I was glad they found each other

[Stephanie2008]

This sounds really good Good review. That's yet another for me to look out for

[Charm]

Great review Charm, I felt so sorry for Oskar and Eli but I was glad they found each other

 

Oh me too, and I thought the ending was perfect

 

This sounds really good Good review. That's yet another for me to look out for

 

Thanks Stephanie It was great, I loved it, I hope you like it too

[Charm]

I was sent a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger from our lovely mod Chrissy thank you so much Chrissy, I really enjoyed it

 

Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

This extraordinary, magical novel is the story of Clare and Henry who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. His disappearances are spontaneous and his experiences are alternately harrowing and amusing. The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's passionate love for each other with grace and humour. Their struggle to lead normal lives in the face of a force they can neither prevent nor control is intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

 

My thoughts:

The synopsis says it all really about the story. I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, I just thought I liked the idea of the storyline but thought it might be a bit hard to follow ... it wasn't. I did start off having to keep checking back on the dates just to get my mind on what was happening, but after a few chapters I was in full swing.

 

I began to love how Henry time travelled and the quirky way he would often meet himself and help himself out and especially reading how his love with Clare grew and blossomed into such a special relationship, not to mention

Alba! I thought she was brilliant with her matter of fact way of dealing with her travels.

 

Of course there were the 'weepy' bits you come to expect in chicklit, but they were very well written and by that stage you have come to know and love the characters so well that you really empathise with them. There was also plenty of humour though which helped to lighten the sadness.

 

I really enjoyed it and would definately recommend it. I can't think of any other book to compare it to, as I don't read much chicklit, other than P.S I Love You by Cecilia Ahern, TTTW sort of reminded me of it.

 

9/10

[Stephanie2008]

I'm glad you liked it I agree that the time travel bit was a little confusing at first though I also agree about

Alba. I loved her

[Charm]

I'm glad you liked it I agree that the time travel bit was a little confusing at first though I also agree about

Alba. I loved her

 

Thanks Stephanie It's not my usual thing but yet again bcf has introduced me to another great read!

[Stephanie2008]

I don't think it's one I would have picked up either, because I was worried it was going to be too scientific or too much about the actual time travel, but I really enjoyed. Again thanks to this forum

[Charm]

Exactly, that's what put me off it before I read it, I thought it would be too sci-fi for me, but it wasn't like that at all. Great stuff

[Weave]

Exactly, that's what put me off it before I read it, I thought it would be too sci-fi for me, but it wasn't like that at all. Great stuff

 

Great review of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' Charm, its such a lovely read, I am really pleased you enjoyed it.

[lexiepiper]

So glad you enjoyed it Charm

[Charm]

Thanks guys I really did enjoy it, so much so I've put it up for a bookring, but either nobody's interested, or everybody's read it!

[lexiepiper]

I think most people have read it

[joe]

I love, love and love this book:smile2:

[Nollaig]

Hey Charm, only saw your review of LTROI now, I'm terrible for keeping up to date on these threads. Great review though, anything with the Charm stamp of approval warrents a go in my book. I had started it before but gave up pretty rapidly as, like you say, it's pretty bloody dreary and I had already read so many bad reviews. Think it's going on the Halloween reading list after Dracula and The Undead though

[blithe]

Thanks guys I really did enjoy it, so much so I've put it up for a bookring, but either nobody's interested, or everybody's read it!

 

I'd be interested, but I'm way out in Canada!

[Charm]

I love, love and love this book

 

So I see by your sig! I really enjoyed it too.

 

Hey Charm, only saw your review of LTROI now, I'm terrible for keeping up to date on these threads. Great review though, anything with the Charm stamp of approval warrents a go in my book. I had started it before but gave up pretty rapidly as, like you say, it's pretty bloody dreary and I had already read so many bad reviews. Think it's going on the Halloween reading list after Dracula and The Undead though

 

I would say it is definately worth another try, it has turned out to be one of my favourite books this year. Do NOT watch the film first though, I was so disappointed in it, the book is in a whole other league IMO

 

I'd be interested, but I'm way out in Canada!

 

That's a shame

 

I have no idea how much it costs to post to the UK from Canada, but I imagine it would be much the same as buying the book, only at least then you would have the copy to keep! This one is definately worth a purchase

[Charm]

The Graveyard Book ~by~ Neil Gaiman

 

I was lucky to receive this beautiful book as a wonderful surprise from the lovely Nollaig thank you again Nollypop!

 

Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:

When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?

 

My thoughts:

Nobody Owens (fantastic name IMO!), or Bod for short, was raised in the seclusion and safety of the old graveyard on the hill by its resident ghosts. They took him into their care when he was a baby after he unwittingly escaped from an evil murderer who had just slaughtered his entire family. Given the freedom of the graveyard by its most senior residents, he is cared for and protected by its unusual inhabitants while he grows up with the knowledge that he must stay safe because the evil that didn't claim him before, is still out there looking for him ...

 

This is an absolutely delightful book and one that I really enjoyed. Bearing in mind it's a young adult book, I found it to be surprisingly macabre in an amusing way with a storyline that was both interesting and moved along nicely. I adored Bod, along with many of the other characters, and found it endearing to read how he grew up with ghosts for parents and a mysterious being as a guardian. Bod had plenty of adventures throughout, which all led up to a great ending.

 

I did have a few questions after I finished the book. 'What was so special about Bod and what is he meant to do?' and 'Who or what was Silas his guardian?' I really hope there is a sequel so as to find out the answers Apart from that, I loved it. It is a gorgeous little book with some beautiful illustrations throughout and one that I know will definately stand the test of time.

 

9/10

Edited October 4, 2009 by Charm