Kell Posted August 15, 2006 Author Posted August 15, 2006 The Mob turned out to be rather good too - got a really good batch this time from CBUK! Now moving onto Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters which proises to be equally interesting, as it features Greek Gods living in modern-day America & stars the half-blood offspring of these gods & humans!
Sugar Posted August 15, 2006 Posted August 15, 2006 The MobNow moving onto Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters which proises to be equally interesting I've got Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, I really want to read it, but haven't gotten around to it just yet. I've heard nothing but great reviews about both of them so far.
Kell Posted August 16, 2006 Author Posted August 16, 2006 I've never read Lightning Thief, but I'm rather enjoying Sea of Monsters.
Kell Posted August 17, 2006 Author Posted August 17, 2006 Finished Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riorden & now I have nothing left to read during my afternoon coffee break - waahh! Will have to fnid some e-fic to print out & read while I have my cuppa. Will start on Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig next (again, for CBUK, but also my Danish entry for the Olympic Challenge)...
Kell Posted August 18, 2006 Author Posted August 18, 2006 Finished Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig at lunchtime. WHat a wonderfully moving story! I've never really been a fan of the comedienne, but this book was great. It's the story of a family in Denmark during the German occupation in WWII & their efforts to help the underground resistance movement in gettnig Jewish families to safety. ALthough the characters are fictional, the story & many of the characters are based on fact - specifically on Sandi Toksvig's family according to the author's notes in the back. Told from the point of view of a young lad, Bamse, (starting when he's 10 & finishing when he's 13), this is highly recommended for kids of around that age, as well as adults who enjoy an unusual slant on things.
Kell Posted August 18, 2006 Author Posted August 18, 2006 Next up is Cold Granite by Stuart McBride. This is the August choice for the Posh Club & is based right here in Aberdeen, so I'll be recognising a lot of the places in it. The author is also local, so I'm guesing he'll have a pretty good grasp on the city. Cold Granite is his first novel...
Inver Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 Next up is Cold Granite by Stuart McBride. This is the August choice for the Posh Club & is based right here in Aberdeen, so I'll be recognising a lot of the places in it. The author is also local, so I'm guesing he'll have a pretty good grasp on the city. Cold Granite is his first novel... Is a bit gory in places mind.....but you will laugh too (!) at the heed man.??
Kell Posted August 18, 2006 Author Posted August 18, 2006 I've been tarting up my list a bit too - much easier to understand now that I've half-inched Sugar's method.
Kell Posted August 18, 2006 Author Posted August 18, 2006 Is a bit gory in places mind.....but you will laugh too (!) at the heed man.?? The guy on reception just finished reading it about a wek ago & he said much the same thing.
Janet Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 Can I ask how you manage to read so quickly? I struggle to read one book in a fortnight! I'm not being sarcastic by the way - I'm just curious, and a little jealous too!
Kell Posted August 18, 2006 Author Posted August 18, 2006 I don't watch much TV at all, Bagpuss, apart from while we're eating dinner, so my evenings are often spent curled up on the sofa with a book. I also have a habit of locking myself away in the bathroom for a good long soak in the tubwith a good book. Then there are my two 15-minutes breaks & a lunch hour which are all spent reading. I must average around 3-4 hours reading on any given day. If I'm really enjoying a book, it whizzes by really quickly anyway, but I've always been a bit of a speed-reader. It's also worth mentioning that I'm actually getting through more books now that i'm reviewing for CBUK as kids' books are often a bit shorter & easier to read, so I'm sure that plays a part in it too...
Janet Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 I don't watch loads of TV either, but Mr Bagpuss does, and I like total silence when I read! I read more when the children are at school as there is always time to read whilst waiting for the children to come out of school! I am impressed with the number of books you read!
Kell Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 Another surprise package from CBUK today - both books look really terrific: Captives by Tom Pow Even in his wildest nightmares, Martin could never have predicted what would happen when his family sign up for two day's trekking in the National Park during their holiday on the beautiful island of Santa Clara. They've barely set off when their car is waylaid and Martin, his parents and another family are stopped at gunpoint and bundled into a lorry that heads for the dense forest. The captives are pushed to their physical and emotional limits as they are forced further into the wild terrain, away from any possible rescue. But during their ordeal, the hostages come to understand something of the harsh political backdrop to life on Santa Clara, and the events that have shaped the lives of their captors and fuelled their actions. Martin discovers deep feelings for Louise, the other teenager caught up in the nightmare, only to have to watch her growing love for Eduardo, the youngest hostage-taker. "Captives" is a wonderfully-written, deeply-engaging story about ten people thrown together under extraordinary circumstances and with devastating consequences - a story that will resonate with the reader long afterwards. Ithaka by Adele Geras "Ithaka" tells the story of the women left behind after the end of the Trojan War. While Odysseus is slowly making his way home, overcoming terrible obstacles sent by the gods, his wife Penelope does not know whether he's alive or dead. How long will she be able to withstand the pressure of the numerous suitors who seek her hand (and Ithaka) - and will she remain as faithful as mythology states, or might she fall in love with one of them? The vivid colours of life on the abundant island of Ithaka are evoked with magic and warmth, as Penelope and those around her tell their own incredible stories. Interspersed with wonderful verse retellings of Odysseus' adventures, this is a thrilling novel with a contemporary feel.
Icecream Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 Me too.. Glad someone else on here is more like me Bagpuss.. Not meant to be sarcastic either!
Kell Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 Have started Cold Granite by Stuart McBride & although I'm not all that far into it yet, I can already see what Inver meant about it being gory in places! It's really strange reading about places that i know intimately,like Torry - I used to live there just down a bit from Craiginches prison (which is also mentioned). And Kingswells I know quite well too. THen there's the harbour (I used to live right there too) & the river Don already been mentioned - it gives me a little shiver every time something crops up!
Kell Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 Have just discovered that the main character lives in a flat on Marischal Street - where I lived till 16 months ago! Am now imagining this copper living in my old basement appartment! Have to say, it's making it all the more personal for me - I keep shouting "No way!" every time a new location crops up. They just all had a drink in Archibald Simpsons where my sister used to work & I was nodding my head over the desciption of the cheap booze & the type of drinkers in there. The only thing that's dating it is the mention of smoky air - smoking in enclosed public spaces has since been banned up here - but it's still all good so far...
Esiotrot Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 Fancy reading that Kell - I live 60 miles from Aberdeen ~ my Aunt lives there so I know the place quite well.
Kell Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 I am indeed enjoying it, Michelle - it always tickles me when I recognise a place in a book, but when I know it intimately, right down to what the interior decor is like, it has me grinning like a maniac - LOL! And Essiotrot - next time you're in Aberdeen, gimme a shout - we could go for a coffee or something. Of course, that offer is open to all BFC-ers who find themselves in the Granite City - i'd love to show you around!
Kell Posted August 21, 2006 Author Posted August 21, 2006 It's getting better & better - I recognised the Asda at Portlethen, right down to the little shop inside it that sells those horrid figurines - LOL! I think it's making it even more chilling because I know the places being described, so I can picture them all very vividly - & to think of such gruesome crimes occuring right here is weird (even though I know thre is crime going on all the time here, as anywhere else - heck, my Dad works at the prison - LOL!). It's a bit disturbing, actually, but very, very good! It'll be finished within the next couple of days, I think. And I may well have to get hold of everything else this author writes!
Kell Posted August 23, 2006 Author Posted August 23, 2006 I read the 1st book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket this evening, but was a bit disappointed. i had looked forward to wsorking my way through the entire series, but I don't think I'll bother after all. Bit of a shame really. Ah well, I also started The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde today & sofar I'm rather enjoying it.
Kell Posted August 24, 2006 Author Posted August 24, 2006 I’ve just downloaded a bunch of classic short stories to keep me busy in-between books. There are a few by some very familiar names, but others by writers I’ve never noticed previously, so there’ll be some material that’s completely new to me. I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into this lot! 1. The Vampyre by John Polidori 2. The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe 3. The Mad Lady by Harriet Prescott Spofford 4. Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker 5. The Lost Ghost by Mary E Wilkins Freeman 6. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde 7. The Inn of the Two Witches – A Find by Joseph Conrad 8. The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle 9. A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle 10. A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle 11. The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans by Arthur Conan Doyle 12. The Adventure of the Empty House by Arthur Conan Doyle 13. The Parasite by Arthur Conan Doyle 14. The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle 15. The Magic Shop by H G Wells 16. The Jilting of Jane by H G Wells 17. The Door in the Wall by H G Wells 18. The Country of the Blind by H G Wells 19. The Bloodhounds of Broadway by Damon Runyon 20. The Offshore Pirate by F Scott Fitzgerald 21. The King of the Elves by Philip K Dick 22. The Giaconda Smile by Aldous Huxley 23. The Ghost Patrol by Sinclair Lewis 24. The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet 25. The Assistant Murderer by Dashiell Hammet 26. Nightmare Town by Dashiell Hammet 27. Death on Pine Street by Dashiell Hammet 28. Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx And if anyone knows which is the best order in which to read the Sherlock Holmes ones, please let me know!
Sugar Posted August 24, 2006 Posted August 24, 2006 Fantastic Fiction gives the order they wre published in - that might be a good place to start! http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/
Kell Posted August 28, 2006 Author Posted August 28, 2006 I’ve been busying myself with those short stories and have now finished the following: The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe The Magic Shop by H G Wells The Jilting of Jane by H G Wells The Door in the Wall by H G Wells Have also just finished Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan (the 4th book in The Saga of Darren Shan), which proved every bit as good as the first three – I’m very impressed – it ended on such a cliff-hanger that I’m dying to get hold of the 5th one now! Next on the list, however, is Captives by Tom Pow, which I’ll be reviewing for CBUK. It looks like it could be good…
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