Mac Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 I haven't read anything by him, is there something in particular you'd recommend? I am doing pretty well thank you, I hope you are too! Great reviews, Kelly. As for Christopher Fowler, you could give The Devil in Me a go. It's a really good collection of his short stories. Or you could try Spanky (which isn't as rude as the name suggests!) which is about one of the angels booted out of heaven when old Nick was cast out. It's brill and lots of dark fun. Also, maybe you'd like I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. This is a great book as well - again, lots of black humour. Pip pip. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 Great reviews, Kelly. As for Christopher Fowler, you could give The Devil in Me a go. It's a really good collection of his short stories. Or you could try Spanky (which isn't as rude as the name suggests!) which is about one of the angels booted out of heaven when old Nick was cast out. It's brill and lots of dark fun. Also, maybe you'd like I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. This is a great book as well - again, lots of black humour. Pip pip. xx Thanks for the recommendations Mac, I'll give them a shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Thanks for the Fear the Worst review, I really need to get the book asap!! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed it lexie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Princess Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Hi Kelly, just thought I'd drop in to let you know how much I'm enjoying the Morganville Vampire series that you recommended. I'm on to book three already and I'm nowhere near as fast a reader as you are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted August 29, 2010 Author Share Posted August 29, 2010 Hi Kelly, just thought I'd drop in to let you know how much I'm enjoying the Morganville Vampire series that you recommended. I'm on to book three already and I'm nowhere near as fast a reader as you are! Yay, so pleased you are enjoying them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 (edited) The Hunger Games trilogy ~ The Hunger Games No. of pages: 454 Rating: 5/5 Series: The Hunger Games trilogy (Book 1) Synopsis: In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature. Review: Set in the future, Panem is split into 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year, every district has to provide 2 teenagers to take place in the games - one boy and one girl. When 12 year old Prim Everdeen is chosen, her 16 year old sister Katniss steps forward to take her place, alongside Peeta Mellark. As Katniss and Peeta are sent in to the arena, they can only wonder if they will make it out alive... I'm finding it hard to put into words how much I loved this book. I picked it up expecting to enjoy it, but for it to not be anything special, but I was completely blown away by how gripping the plot was, to the point that I stayed up half of the night to finish reading it because I just couldn't put it down without knowing what happened to Katniss. I loved the plot line of the games, despite how brutal it was and came to care about so many of the characters. Not only did I admire Katniss, but I also came to love Peeta, Gale, Prim and even the smaller characters like Cinna and Effie. I thought the author did a great job giving them all different personalities, yet making sure they all connected somehow. I cannot recommend this book enough, and it has definitely become one of my favourite YA books. Catching Fire Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games, but only by defying The Capitol, which has made them very angry. There are rumours of rebellion in the air, with Katniss and Peeta being coined as the leaders of it. That can only mean one thing for Katniss and Peeta, and that is punishment from The Capitol, but they can only wonder what will happen... Catching Fire felt a lot slower than the first book, especially for the first half, and whilst it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, I didn't feel quite as gripped as I did with The Hunger Games. But I did enjoy seeing how things had changed for Katniss, and the slow build up to the second half of the book, which I really enjoyed. I thought the theme of the arena was great, and I loved the introduction of Finnick, who became a fast favourite. I'm really glad I went into this series not having read much about it though, because they are the kind of books that you need to go into not knowing what's going to happen, that way, when the twists come along, it's a lot more enjoyable. I'm not a huge fan of the Peeta/Katniss/Gale love triangle, and I dislike the way it seems like Kaniss is just playing them both along, so I hope that is addressed early on in the last installment. Although Catching Fire is a great book in it's own right, I can't help but feel most of the events in the book are just filler to lead up to the great final that is due in Mockingjay, but still, I love this series, and think Collins is a great writer. Mockingjay Still recovering from the events of the second Hunger Games, Katniss doesn't really understand what's going on. That's until they tell her about the uprising in all the districts, and how she, as the Mockingjay, has become the face of the revolution. But war is never easy, and Katniss is about to find that out firsthand... I wasn't sure what to expect from Mockingjay, and in a way I was a bit apprehensive, after all, what if this one book came to ruin a series I had quickly come to adore. But I need not have worried, as Mockingjay was fantastic, and even exceeded my highest hopes for ending this series. I loved the plot of the uprising, and how Katniss stood up as the Mockingjay to give everyone hope that they could win. Character wise, there were a few things I wasn't expecting, such as what happens to Peeta, and also seeing Prim mature so much and come in to her role as healer. I found quite a few of the deaths devestating, and in a way I hate Collins for killing them off, but the story is about war, and good people die in wars so I guess she had to show that. The ending was exactly what I expected of Katniss, and I was glad she ended up with the person she did. In a way I feel like it was always going to be inevitable from the first page. A fantastic ending to an amazing series, I would definitely recommend this series to everyone! Edited September 4, 2010 by lexiepiper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 These sound intriguing, Kelly. Are they something I could enjoy (you know my tastes well)? I have enjoyed certain YA books like His Dark Materials and...erm...oh, yeah, I enjoyed Holes, too but not the Charlaine Harris books that much - what do you reckon? The premise sounds pretty cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 I think you'd definitely enjoy the first one, and if you like that one, I'm pretty sure you'd like the others. I'd definitely say give the first one a shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Right-oh. I'll get it. You are directly responsible for my diminishing bank account, lady! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 Haha, I would apologise, but I know you love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 26, 2010 Author Share Posted September 26, 2010 (edited) TimeRiders: Day Of The Predator by Alex Scarrow No. of pages: 433 Rating: 4/5 Series: TimeRiders series (Book 2) Synopsis: Liam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2029. But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no-one knows exists. Its purpose - to prevent time travel destroying history. Review: Liam, Maddy and Sal all should have died, but just minutes before death they were taken into a different destiny, one in which they time travel to save the world. Liam goes on a mission to stop the assassination of someone important to the future, but something happens and they all get thrown back to the dinosaur era. As they race against time to get back to the future, they come up against something they never could have imagined... This was a review book, so I'd not heard anything of this series before I went into reading Day Of The Predator, which is the second in the TimeRiders series. The synopsis was intriguing though, especially the aspect of dinosaurs which I'd never read a book about before. The action starts up from the first page, and just intensifies as the story goes on. I really enjoyed how well the author had researched the dinosaur era, with both the dinosaurs themselves, but also the surroundings in which they lived. The characters were well written, although as Sal and Maddy played a background role in this book we don't get to know them too well, so I hope that changes in future books. I think Becks turned out to be my favourite, I really enjoyed her evolution from pure robot to having more human reactions. I'm definitely going to back and read the first in the series, which I would recommend to people thinking of reading these books as they do refer back to previous storylines. The next in the series The Doomsday Code is out in February and looks awesome, it's going to be about Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, can't wait! Prom Nights From Hell by Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle No. of pages: 304 Rating: 2/5 Synopsis: Stephenie Meyer and Meg Cabot head up this collection of 5 thrilling paranormal short stories which take bad prom nights to a whole new level. Imagine discovering you're dancing with the Grim Reaper -- and he isn't there to tell you how hot you look. Worried that your Prom Night is gonna bite? This thrilling collection takes bad prom nights to a whole new level -- a paranormally bad level! Review: Five short stories, showing the terror of the school prom. The Exterminator's Daughter - Mary is trying to hunt down and kill the vampire that got her mother. The Corsage - Frankie gets a corsage that grants her 3 wishes, although in the end she wishes she had never touched it. Madison Avery And The Dim Reaper - Madison meets the grim reaper at her prom, and finds he has very nasty plans for her. Kiss And Tell - Miranda has 'super powers' and uses them to protect a young girl she encounters during her job. Hell On Earth - A low level chaos demon decides to have a little fun at the prom. This turned out to be nothing like what I was expecting it to be. I thought all of the stories would be set within proms, instead only one story was, the rest had about 3 pages of prom action, which I found to be disappointing. Of the five, I only thought one of them was particularly good, and that was Michele Jaffe's Kiss And Tell, which was by far my favourite. I don't really know what else I can say other than to say it was generally very dull to read, and it was only the fact the stories were so short that I bothered to finish it. The Road by Cormac McCarthy No. of pages: 307 Rating: 4.5/5 Synopsis: A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. Review: An apocolyptic event has happened, and the earth has burned. Few humans have managed to survive, but a man and his son have and are walking south in the hopes of out running the bitter cold in which they will not survive another winter. As they scavange their way through towns trying to find food and shelter, they have nothing but a gun with two bullets to protect themselves and their map to lead them south. I decided to read this after watching and appreciating the film, and I'm so glad I did. The book is just as bleak, if not even more so than the film, and it really makes you think about what would happen if such a thing were to really occur. I found the lack of punctuation slightly strange, and it took a little while to get used to, but that and the lack of chapters lends to the feeling of endlessness, to the lack of hope the man must feel as the story evolves. While normally I wouldn't like such a book, for this particular story, it was absolutely perfect. I found it hard to put down, because it's just so gripping, the story of this man and boy trying to survive against all odds. I found the ending very sad, but in a way, it was hopeful too. I would absolutely recommend this, it's beautifully told, even if it's almost too hard to bear at times. Edited September 26, 2010 by lexiepiper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Great reviews Kelly, I enjoyed 'The Road' too, its was incredibly sad but there was some hope too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams I like the sound of this, Kelly. I 'enjoyed' (that's not the right word!) the non-fiction Escape by Carolyn Jessop, which is along similar lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 That sounds like a really interesting read Janet, I've added it to my wishlist! The Chosen one sounds very familiar to Escape, except for the fact it's from a teen girls point of view, I would def recommend it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Great reviews Kelly especially your reviews of The Hunger Games Trilogy, I was also in between with 'Catching Fire' but I did enjoy it, as for 'The Hunger Games' and 'Mockingjay', they were excellent (as you said), keep up the good reads! and thanks again for the recommendation with 'The Maze Runner' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Happy days, Kelly. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 (edited) Happy days, Kelly. Ouch! Yes indeed Kelly and Mac, a bandaid for your ouch Edited October 11, 2010 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Thanks you two! I've been in such a bad reading slump lately and it's really annoying me. It's not even that the books I'm reading are bad, I just have absolutely zero desire to pick them up and when I do, I put them down again after 10 minutes. So frustrating! Anyway, because of that I decided to sign up for a 'halloween read-a-thon' for this coming weekend, so I'm hoping that kicks me up the butt a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 (edited) Thanks you two! I've been in such a bad reading slump lately and it's really annoying me. It's not even that the books I'm reading are bad, I just have absolutely zero desire to pick them up and when I do, I put them down again after 10 minutes. So frustrating! Anyway, because of that I decided to sign up for a 'halloween read-a-thon' for this coming weekend, so I'm hoping that kicks me up the butt a bit! Hope you are okay hen and good luck with your halloween read~a~thon, which sounds cool, what books are you reading for that? Edited October 11, 2010 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hope you are okay hen and good luck with your halloween read~a~thon, which sounds cool, what books are you reading for that? Thanks hun I haven't definitely decided yet, but I was thinking maybe Let The Right One In, The Book Of Lost Things, The Host and something else, but I'll probably decide as I go along. Quite looking forward to it though, I do love supernatural and horror books so it's right up my street really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Thanks hun I haven't definitely decided yet, but I was thinking maybe Let The Right One In, The Book Of Lost Things, The Host and something else, but I'll probably decide as I go along. Quite looking forward to it though, I do love supernatural and horror books so it's right up my street really! Good stuff hen, and the titles you have chosen are all good (especially 'Let the right one in') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hope you enjoy The Book of Lost Things and The Host both good books I like the idea of a Halloween read although not a fan of horror but I do like supernatural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mRose Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 The Host is really an excellent book. I'm not a big fan of the Twilight-series although I read them all....:-p But The Host is different I really did like it more then I expected to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hope you enjoy The Book of Lost Things and The Host both good books I like the idea of a Halloween read although not a fan of horror but I do like supernatural. You should join in! You can read either horror or supernatural for it, I decided to go the supernatural route mainly because I just seem to have a lot more of those types of books lying around. The Host is really an excellent book. I'm not a big fan of the Twilight-series although I read them all....:-p But The Host is different I really did like it more then I expected to. I'm glad to hear it, I've had it for ages and just never gotten around to it, so figured now was the perfect time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted October 26, 2010 Author Share Posted October 26, 2010 I finished The Snowman by Jo Nesbo last night which was a great read and also my 100th book this year Whilst I haven't managed to read quite as much as I had hoped, I don't feel like I've done badly either despite quite a few mojo-less periods. I have a few reviews to catch up with, and I'll be sure to post them when I get around to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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