Nightwish's Reading List 2009

[Nightwish]

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Assistant DA Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters, and in the course of her everyday work she endures the frustration of seeing too many criminals slip through the system and walk free. So when she realises that her son Nathaniel has been sexually abused and is so traumatised that he has stopped speaking she takes justice into her own hands. Nina Frost may have killed the man who hurt her son, but has she destroyed her family in the process? And whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

My Thoughts:

I must start out by saying, this is one of the best books by Jodi Picoult that I have read since 'My Sisters Keeper'. Jodi Picoult is a fantastic writer, has some very thought-provoking ideas and does her research well. Her books tend to play on your emotions and makes you wonder what you would do if you were in the characters situation.

In this book we have Nina whos son has been sexually abused by

a priest. Nina would do anything to protect her son from any further harm that she shoots the accused priest, (the WRONG priest), in a courtroom full of witnesses, making life incredibly difficult for herself and her family.

What would you do in this situation? I think it is difficult to say because

as was made obvious by Nina, nobody knows they are capable of murder, no matter what the situation.

I felt sorry for Nina because of what happened to her kid and because she

killed the wrong man,

but the law is there for a reason and this shows the mess of what happens when people decides to take matters into their own hands which has consequences.

In Ninas case guilt from killing an innocent man. She killed him without the hard evidence to back up the decision that he was guilty.

There were plenty of twists in this book which made me stop and think as I always thought I knew what was going to happen then the opposite would happen! I never did suspect most of the events that happened in the book would happen. I felt hate for a lot of the characters in the book which is understandable. A lot happened which led me to believe that certain characters was the one to sexually abuse Nathaniel and it turned out wrong, which just goes to show that you shouldn't make a decision like that which can turn peoples life around for the worst without any real evidence. Nina Frost please take note!

This is an excellent book that I found very difficult to put down. It makes you think about the real horrors that people face in this world and I admit, the book did make me cry quite a bit.



Rating: 10/10

[lexiepiper]

Yay, glad you enjoyed it! That was one I really enjoyed too What are you reading now?

[funrun]

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

 

 

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone inside and out. The daughter of the judge sitting on the case is the state's best witness -- but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. Or can she?

 

My Thoughts:

Peter Houghton is a 17 year old boy that has been bullied all his life. On his very first day at kindergarten other boys threw his lunchbox out of the bus window, which ended up happening on a daily basis. Jump ahead several years later and the same boys are still bullying and humiliating him on a daily basis, that one day Peter walks into his school with guns and kills ten people.

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and this book did not disappoint. She has the power to fill you with such raw emotions and question what you would do in such dilemmas. I like the structure of the book as the alternating narratives between past and present adds depth to the story. This is the key to producing powerful emotions as at first you don't know each characters history and you find you have made up your mind based on what is happening on the present, but as the story jumps to the past and you see each event unfold you start to get a better understanding and begin to empathise with the characters, finding yourself changing your mind about each one. I changed my mind on a number of character such as Peter, Josie and Matt, but I found I did more with

Matt as at first I felt more sorry for Josie when he got shot as they were going out, but the more I read into his past the more I changed my mind and found him to be a selfish person who would constantly emotionally blackmail Josie, such as when he was going to kill himself, he would abuse her both mentally and physically, even going to the extent of what I personally saw as rape.

The problem I find with books by Jodi Picoult is that she is always putting in a twist at the end which I never expect, so throughout this book I was reading every event thoroughly, and found I was right in my guessed on certain events that happened that I was worried that I was going to guess the final twist. No need to worry as Picoult is a fantastic writer and I did not expect that

it was Josie that shot Matt!

Personally I found this book to be a fantastic read and would recommend this to any Jodi Picoult fans!

 

 

Rating: 9/10

I enjoyed this book it was good I just thought it was a bit long

[Nightwish]

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Robert Langdon, Harvard Professor of symbology, receives an urgent late-night call while in Paris: the curator of the Louvre has been murdered. Alongside the body is a series of baffling ciphers. Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Da Vinci - and further. The curator, part of a secret society named the Priory of Sion, may have sacrificed his life to keep secret the location of a vastly important religious relic hidden for centuries. It appears that the clandestine Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect Opus Dei has now made its move. Unless Landon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, the Priory's secret - and a stunning historical truth - will be lost forever.

My Thoughts:

This is the second time I have read this book and I can say I was quite disappointed. I first read it several years ago and remember it to be quite gripping, but this time around it took several weeks to complete as I thought it dragged by quite a bit. As I said before with Angels and Demons, Brown has interesting ideas and some of the in-depth chapters are quite good, but he sure does like to ramble on! I found I couldn't warm to any of the characters, I just didn't find them so likeable. This time around when I read it I really kept my eyes open for the twist and thought it was actually really obvious. Not much I really want to say on this, I have forgotten a great deal of my thoughts as I was reading through as it took so long to read .



Rating: 6/10

[Kate]

Hey - you have a good collection of books here. Glancing through my views seem to be similar to yours

[lexiepiper]

Sorry you didn't enjoy it so much but yay for now reading Sookie!

[Nightwish]

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from Waterstones:

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 ...

 

My Thoughts:

Wow! What can I say? This is an amazing book! I was a bit wary about reading another vampire series (especially with some similarities from Twilight...I know Sookie came out first) but I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this!

This is a truly gripping story and a hard to put down book. If only I wasn't in the middle of assignments...I would be reading all day ! Sookie is such a sweet girl but has some insecurities and a bit of a jealousy issue with

Bill biting others,

which I can honestly understand as this act does seem a bit personal, especially the way Bill and Sookie go about it! The sex scenes does have me giggling but I think that is really out of embarrassment because it can be quite crude at times and just a bit...too much. Oh, and Eric, what a sweetie!

I think what I didn't like so much was the writing at times. Sometimes Harris seems to ramble, like giving a list of everything Sookie is doing such as: showered, shaved, brushed teeth then lists every item of clothing she puts on. I guess that is something I am going to have to get used to. I also couldn't warm up to Bill. I thought he was just going to be moody in the beginning and would become more likable, nooooo, that is one vampire I don't like!

I have watched the two series of the show and I liked how the series stayed true to the book in some ways and it was nice to read parts differently as it was new to me but I felt a little let down that I let myself watch the show so knew exactly who was after Sookie. I think I will enjoy the other books more as everything will be a complete surprise to me and Harris gave no clue at all as to who was actually the killer.



Rating: 8/10

[Nightwish]

Thank you all

[Stephanie2008]

Glad you enjoyed Dead Until Dark. I think there are better ones in the series than that so happy reading

[Nightwish]

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from Waterstones:

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.

My Thoughts:

I found this book to be more enjoyable and eventful than the last. It was very hard to put down and spent literally all day reading it. I find the characters come more alive (not literally ) in this book, like I know them better and Bill is...growing on me...a bit. The most lovable character is Eric, I found the parts with him in to be much more exciting and I am screaming out to Sookie to tell her

to just ditch Bill and get with Eric!

There are some things about Bill I still don't like as much,

such as him always wanting sex over and over even when Sookie really isn't in the mood and it is like he isn't considering her feelings, just his needs.

There was constant action throughout the book which I loved (no I'm not on about THAT kind of action!) I thought the action is what the last book lacked, but this time Sookie is in the middle of it all rather than just hearing of it from other characters. I thought the bit at the

Fellowship was very well written, I actually felt rather claustrophobic from just reading that part.

And did I ever mention what a sweetie Eric is? I really want to see him in that outfit now!



Rating: 8/10

[Nightwish]

Glad you enjoyed Dead Until Dark. I think there are better ones in the series than that so happy reading

 

Thank you, I am certainly enjoying them so far! Now I have the first two over I think I shall enjoy them more as I have no idea of anything that will happen

[Stephanie2008]

Well books 3,4 and 9 are my favourite Mainly because, like you say, True Blood hadn't covered them yet and I didn't know what was happening

[Nightwish]

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from Waterstones:

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with - at least voluntarily - and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant - in another state distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him, and next thing Sookie knows she's off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elusive vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some Type O - but when Sookie finally finds Bill caught in an act of serious betrayal she's not sure whether to save him, or to sharpen some stakes. 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.

My Thoughts:

Amazing! I really did enjoy this book a lot more than the others. I think it is because I had no idea what was going to happen as this one has not yet been made into a series. Bill, don't get me started. I hated him before and I hate him even more now! The end really makes me mad when

he is at Sookies with Pam and Eric and he is playing with her hair like he hasn't cheated on her or raped her, the !

The characters I love are Eric, Pam and Alcide! Eric, of course I think he is a total sweetie. He really does go out of his way for Sookie and I am hoping that something happens between them...but then I like Alcide as well and think that he could be suited to her well...if he is less jealous and gets over

Debbie!

Pam, how lovely is she?! I liked seeing more of her in this book, I do hope the two will be good friends on some level.



Rating: 9/10

[lexiepiper]

Glad you're enjoying them! The next is my favourite book

[Stephanie2008]

Glad you're enjoying them! The next is my favourite book

Although I really like Club Dead too. I agree about Eric (of course ) and I do like Alcide too. I wonder who they cast in True Blood to play him.

[Nightwish]

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis from WHSmith:

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-town cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's pretty. She does her job well. She keeps to herself - she has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie's gift: she can read minds. That's not exactly every man's idea of date bait - unless they're undead - vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that's just the kind of guy Sookie's been looking for. Maybe that's why, when she comes across a naked vampire on the way home from work, she doesn't just drive on by. He hasn't got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy - and dead - as the day she met him. But now he has amnesia, he's sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie's help - because whoever took his memory now wants his life. Sookie's investigation into what's going on leads her straight into a dangerous battle between witches, vampires and werewolves. But there could be even greater danger - to Sookie's heart, because the kinder, gentler Eric is very hard to resist.



My Thoughts:

Woooooow! A book all about Eric! This instantly gets a 10/10 rating ! Seriously now I thought this was the best book in the series, it was very gripping, with a lot more new characters and enemies. They have witches and a fairy in this book which adds to the supernatural which is always good. I liked how much Eric was in this book but the end left me quite disappointed

because I just wanted Eric to remember because what he and Sookie had...I want an Eric.

I thought it was quite interesting how

Jason went missing at the same time as that added to the suspense and it was driving me crazy trying to guess where he was and what had happened to him.

I thought Debbie makes a great villan. I know, shes a nasty peice of work and I was so glad

Sookie ended up shooting her,

but everytime she has been in the books you always find out some more about her, not in a good way, usually it is her bad deeds, but it is always interesting.

Oh and Eric taking the bullet!

I'm unsure about Eric, yes the bad boy image he has going on is quite sexy but I liked him in this book when he didn't have a clue who he was as you saw a different side to him and he really was ever so sweet!

I think now I will take a break from Sookie as I don't want to read all of them in one go so quick, I want them to last for a bit, but I really can't wait to see what happens next.



Rating: 10/10

[lexiepiper]

I <3 this one so much! Glad you loved it too!

[Nightwish]

PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other's sentences. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He's left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed 'PS, I Love You'. As the notes are opened, the man who knows Holly better than anyone teaches her that life goes on. With some help from her friends and her family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying -- and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises -- but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was quite beautiful in a way, fair enough the writing isn't the best but if you can tell a story then what does it really matter? The book was a lot different from what I expected, I thought it was going to be quite a sad book but the only times I actually cried was when

they were throwing out Gerry's clothes and near the end when Gerry was writing his final letter and thinking about his death and not having much longer to live.

I found I was laughing so much throughout it, it really was so funny at times and really...oh it just made me cringe so much

I'm talking about the male stripper and baby oil thing here girls!

It really is about just living your life and being yourself, this was a fantastic message to get across.

I did like the characters but I thought her friends could be a bit...in your face at times, but they were always loyal to Holly and always stuck by her . Her old friends I felt were truly horrible

not bothering to talk to her after Gerry died, talking about her behind her back because Holly dared to dance with another man! How pathetic! My nan had a lot of this said about her when her husband died and she found somebody else after, life goes on! Grr!

I felt Gerry's last letter was really necessary for Holly to be able to move on in life but it is a shame it took so long for that message, but he knew her best and knew how she would be coping and understood the support she would need to build up her life before she could move on.

I liked Daniel but just at the end, I really couldn't stand him. How could anybody stand to be around a person as shallow as Laura?!

Overall it was a fantastic book and I am glad it caught my eye in the store a few weeks ago, I will be reading more books by this author.

Rating: 10/10

[Nightwish]

Gerald's Game by Stephen King

Synopsis from Waterstones:

Jessie is trapped: during an ill-fated S&M game, she kicks her husband and induces a fatal coronary. She is handcuffed to the bed in a lakeside cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no means of escape. Voices in her head force her to confront a buried childhood trauma.

My Thoughts:

This is the first Stephen King book I have read and to be honest I wish I had started with something different. King's style of writing interesting and does have the power to keep you gripped but unfortunately sometimes I found there was a bit too much rambling for my liking. I didn't particularly enjoy the scenes in which Jessie was trying to escape from the handcuffs or trying to reach the water because I felt it dragged on a bit. The story overall was interesting enough and the ending was written really well and was not the type of ending you would have expected. Some parts was quite...gruesome...for example

the dog eating Gerald and while Jessie was escaping from the first handcuff after cutting herself, every single detail that King went into describing that part had me cringing so much.

Overall this wasn't a bad book, King had the power to keep me wanting to know what would happen next, and the way he had me cringing at the more gruesome parts of the book only goes to show how well he had written the book. I would love to read more books by King as overall he is an excellent writer.

Rating: 7/10

[Nightwish]

This shall be my last review of 2009 and I look foward to all my new reads starting 2010!

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis:

When seventeen-year-old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town itself. In spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away - until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward's coldness. He, and his family, are vampires - and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close.

My Thoughts:

This will be quite quick as it is a re-read and I have discussed my thoughts before on old Twilight threads of this forum . I think this read has completely changed my thoughts of a certain Edward Cullen though...

At first Edward was a god-like character (blame Meyer for the use of the word), he was brilliant in every way, he was gorgeous (dazzling even? ), every girl fancied him, he's a vampire (what's not to love about that?) and he will do anything to protect his (rather annoying) girlfriend. After a few more reads of the book none of this applies to Edward anymore, the fact is he is a complete control freak with anger issues. Everything that Bella says he seems to have a constant man period over and he likes to take charge in everything. Before Bella and Edward started going out

there was blood typing in biology, Edward gets Bella out of further lessons of the day and says he will take her home. Bella walks over to the truck and what happens? He gets mad and grabs her quite roughly! I mean come on! "We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck. Something caught my jacket, yanking me back. 'Where do you think you're going?' he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my jacket in one hand." - Twilight, S. Meyer.

Is this really an ideal boyfriend? Also the constant clumsiness of Bella really annoys me, its quite pathetic how she can't even run without falling over and is constantly making big issues of it. You would think any normal guy will tell her to get over herself rather than thinking it is sweet ...

The story itself is good, and one I enjoy reading over and over again, it is just the characters that really get on my nerves. Jacob seems to be the only fresh character in the book and yet we see very little of him. Personally I can't wait to get reading one of the best books in the series, New Moon, with plenty of Jacob in it !



Rating: 8/10