Lucybird Posted September 20, 2009 Author Share Posted September 20, 2009 Wow I finished it, took me long enough! A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz Synopsis (from Amazon edited for spoilers) Martin Dean spent his entire life analyzing absolutely everything; from the benefits of suicide to the virtues of strip clubs ; and passing on his self-taught knowledge to his son, Jasper. Jasper reflects on the man who raised him in intellectual captivity, and the irony is this: theirs was a great adventure. As he recollects the extraordinary events of his life, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries; about his infamous criminal uncle, his mysteriously absent mother, and Martin's constant battle to leave his mark on the world. From the Australian bush to the cafes of Paris; from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition, this is an unforgettable, rollicking and deeply moving family story. Review (comment here or there!) 3.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult Synopsis (from Amazon) Jane had always lived in somebody's shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career. However, when her daughter Rebecca is similarly treated, Jane's dramatic stand takes them all by surprise. Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to the sanctuary of the New England apple orchard where Jane's brother Joley works. Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his wife across a continent. To do so he must learn to see the world - and even himself - through her eyes... Review 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayezie Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Really enjoyed your review. I felt exactly the same with the book, and thought that the sypnosis was a little misleading. Although, like you I did enjoy the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult Sounds like you enjoyed it thought Lucy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Marukami Synopsis (from amazon) Toru Okada's cat has disappeared and this has unsettled his wife, who is herself growing more distant every day. Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has started receiving. As this compelling story unfolds, the tidy suburban realities of Okada's vague and blameless life, spent cooking, reading, listening to jazz and opera and drinking beer at the kitchen table, are turned inside out, and he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided (however obscurely) by a succession of characters, each with a tale to tell. Review 4.75/5 (I'm actually quite proud of this review, even if I do say so myself) Edited October 11, 2009 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 What was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn Synopsis (from Amazon) The 1980s. Kate Meaney is a serious-minded and curious young girl - who spends her time with her toy monkey acting out the role of a junior detective. She notes goings-on at the Green Oaks shopping centre and in her street, particularly the newsagents, where she is friends with the owner's son Adrian. When she disappears, Adrian falls under suspicion. 2004: 30-something Lisa strikes up a friendship with a security guard in protest at her own futile relationship. Following CCTV glimpses of Kate, they become entranced by the lost girl and the history of Green Oaks... Review 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Great review on your blog, Lucy. I totally agree about shopping centres (in general) - I really don't like them at all and much prefer to shop outside. The only possible exception is Bluewater in Kent, which I really like - although I'm not sure what it is that makes it feel from (for example) The Mall at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 I usually shop in The Bullring, which is better, but I prefered it when Birmingham city centre was made up of streets, all the shops have moved in there now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman Synopsis Ethan is a man most people would trust with their lives. Member of the volunteer fire department, coach of the school baseball team. He seems to have everything, a wife who he still loves the same as the day he met her and a lovely son. But Ethan has a secret. A secret which will rock the whole community. Review 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris Synopsis (from Amazon) Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty - she's a very cute bubbly blonde - or not interested in a social life. She really is . . . but Sookie's got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's fussy about his food, he doesn't like suntans and he's never around during the day . . . Yep, Bill's a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie's colleagues at the bar is killed, and it's beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim . . Review 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris Synopsis (from Amazon) Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it). The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges - and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly . . . The Sookie Stackhouse books are delightful Southern Gothic supernatural mysteries, starring Sookie, the telepathic cocktail waitress, and a cast of increasingly colourful characters, including vampires, werewolves and things that really do go bump in the night. Review 3/5 Edited November 9, 2009 by Lucybird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz Synopsis (from Amazon) The remote Turtle Valley in British Columbia is home to fifteen-year-old Beth Weeks and a community of eccentric but familiar characters. There, amidst a stunning landscape of purple swallows and green skies, strange and unsettling events occur: children go missing, a girl is mauled by a crazy bear and Beth too is being pursued...The Cure for Death by Lightning is a rich and thrilling novel, as filled with strange deeds and dark fears as with beauty and magic. Review 3.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Synopsis (from Amazon) Christopher Wood, a beautiful young Englishman, decided to be the greatest painter the world had seen. He went to Paris in 1921. By day he studied, by night he attended the parties of the beau monde. He knew Picasso, worked for Diaghilev and was a friend of Cocteau. In the last months of his 29-year life, he fought a ravening opium addiction to succeed in claiming a place in history of English painting. Richard Hilary, confident, handsome and unprincipled, flew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain before being shot down and horribly burned. He underwent several operations by the legendary plastic surgeon, A H McIndoe. His account of his experiences, "The Last Enemy", made him famous, but not happy. He begged to be allowed to return to flying, and died mysteriously in a night training operation, aged 23. Jeremy Wolfenden was born in 1936, the son of Jack, later Lord Wolfenden. Charming, generous and witty, he was the cleverest Englishman of his generation, but left All Souls to become a hack reporter. At the height of the Cold War, he was sent to Moscow where his louche private life made him the plaything of the intelligence services. A terrifying sequence of events ended in Washington where he died at the age of 31. Review 3/5 Can't decide whether to read The Secret Scripture or Dracula next, I'd be happy for any opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 The Secret Scripture! Pretty much only because I want to read it soon and I'd be interested to see what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 lol I will bear that in mind then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry Synopsis (from amazon) Nearing her one-hundredth birthday, Roseanne McNulty faces an uncertain future, as the Roscommon Regional Mental hospital where she's spent the best part of her adult life prepares for closure. Over the weeks leading up to this upheaval, she talks often with her psychiatrist Dr. Grene, and their relationship intensifies and complicates. Told through their respective journals, the story that emerges is at once shocking and deeply beautiful. Refracted through the haze of memory and retelling, Roseanne's story becomes an alternative, secret history of Ireland's changing character and the story of a life blighted by terrible mistreatment and ignorance, and yet marked still by love and passion and hope. Review 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Thanks Lucy for the review! I've borrowed The Secret Scripture from the library and it's nice to find out someone's just read it and liked it! And thanks for the heads up, I won't be reading the blurb before reading the book itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwish Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Great review, I have recently brought this book and really want to read it now but it is a slight bit worrying it took a while for you to get into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Great review, I have recently brought this book and really want to read it now but it is a slight bit worrying it took a while for you to get into. I wouldn't worry about it, I think sometimes when a book is difficult it's more rewarding, and I don't seem to have much...energy...for reading where I need to concentrate recently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 (edited) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer Synopsis (from Amazon) I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape. 'Shoot,' I muttered when the paper sliced my finger. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. 'No!' Edward roared ...Dazed and disorientated, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm - and into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires. For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realise their troubles may just be beginning ... Review Ok first off I want to establish I am not a Twilight fan. I find the books pretty insubstancial and plot driven (which is not a bad thing for everyone, but is for me- having said that I would rather read a plot driven book than a book with no plot 99% of the time). I knew lots of people who had read them before I picked up the first one, a lot of them hadn't thought much of them but still seemed sucked into them, and I was intrigued. I'm not going to put a review of the first book here but lets just say I didn't see anything special, still the plot had got to me enough to be interested in seeing what happened next. That I didn't want to spend money to read the next one, and that it took over a year for me to be able to read New Moon should tellyou something. I could go on and on about the things I generally dislike about the books (Bella being somewhere at the top of the list) but I'm just going to focus on this book. Most people seem to say this book is poorer than the previous but I actually preferred it. Part of this I think is because I realised early on that actually I hated Edward (I spent too much time hating Bella to realise before I think!). I mean what sort of a boyfriend is he. He claims to love her but at the same time lets her get closer when he's 'dangerous' and knows he has to leave, for God's sake he gives her a sentimental present the day before he leaves her! I much prefer Jacob, he seems to care for her a little beyond 'I man I protect woman' type mentality, in fact for this book he's quite advanced in terms of how he sees women and himself. I found the whole werewolf thing must more interesting than the Vampire thing too. I was intregued at what changed at that age, and why there weren't more than 5 of them. Plus the Vampires were never really a risk, whereas they were so much more volatile. Basically I would pick Jasper any day of the week over Edward (even if he does 'dazzle!') (actually I would probably pick Eric, but that is neither here nor there). Even if it was just for a story. Oh and I still want to read the next. 2.2/5 Oh and you know what else annoyed me, she kept comparing them to Romeo and Juliet...just on a literary level that offends me! Let alone on a romantic level (I do agree with Edward about Romeo though!) Edited December 27, 2009 by Lucybird oops forgot title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 oops I copied straight from my blog. It's New Moon by Stephenie Meyer...will just go edit now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 HAve put a review of my book year on my book blog. It's a bit too long to post here, but if you're interested (feel free to discuss here or there) Part 1 Part 2 Ta-da! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 If anyone is interested I might start a bookring with the first 2 Twilight books (although my sister has borrowed the first). Would anyone be interested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 2010 The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde Synopsis (from Amazon) The Gingerbreadman - psychopath, sadist, convicted murderer and cake/biscuit - is loose on the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. Despite the success of the Humpty Dumpty investigation, the well publicised failure to prevent Red Riding-Hood and her Gran being eaten once again plunges the Nursery Crime Division into controversy. Enforced non-involvement with the Gingerbreadman hunt looks to be frustrating until a chance encounter at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club leads them onto the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldy' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. Are the unexplained explosions around the globe somehow related to missing nuclear scientist Angus McGuffin? Is cucumber-growing really that dangerous? Why are National Security involved? But most important of all: How could the bears' porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Review I really do like Jasper Fforde novels. They're like nothing I've ever read before. Like crime stories but with a bit of a literary twist. This one was particularly good, or at least better than the previous in the nursery crime series (The Big Over Easy). While I still prefer the Thursday Next series in general this is a strong contender to knock them out of place. In ways these are easier too seeing as it's pretty easy to miss the literary references in Thursday Next, but I have a pretty wide knowledge of nursery rhymes. I found the general storyline of this one better than the previous in the series, more compelling somehow, and the twists and turns kept me guessing. In fact the only thing I really didn't like about the book was how much the title gives away, and that there were plenty of alternative titles which wouldn't have done that. A good start to my reading year I think! 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 I think I must be the only person in the world who just doesn't fancy the Jasper Fforde books at all. They just sound very, very peculiar and don't appeal to me one bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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