~Weave's World Of Books 2010~

[Weave]

Hmm, that Death Note manga book sounds interesting Paula, think I might add it to my wishlist. Good review.

 

Thanks Ben, I have seen the films, not the animated series as yet but its really good

[Nollaig]

The anime is superb, much better than any other variation, and the live action movies are okay but not amazing.

 

Glad you're enjoying it though, Death Note is one of my favourite stories.

[Weave]

The anime is superb, much better than any other variation, and the live action movies are okay but not amazing.

 

Glad you're enjoying it though, Death Note is one of my favourite stories.

 

Thanks Nollaig

 

I liked the films but I prefer the animation of the books and I am going to start watching the animated series.

[Chrissy]

I'm a third of the way through the Mr Cave book you recently read.

 

It's quite intense isn't it? I have found myself clenching as I read, I think maybe due to a sense of "Uh oh, just don't do it, pleeeease". I must read on to know how it goes!

[Weave]

I'm a third of the way through the Mr Cave book you recently read.

 

It's quite intense isn't it? I have found myself clenching as I read, I think maybe due to a sense of "Uh oh, just don't do it, pleeeease". I must read on to know how it goes!

 

I agree Chrissy, it is intense, there was times I was the same, sitting there thinking 'don't do that!', its quite frustrated, he is such a conflicted character.

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of it hen

[Weave]

I finished 'The Knife of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness ~

 

Started: 14.01.10 ~ Finished: 22.01.10

 

Click here for review

 

[Chrissy]

I ordered this on Monday, having heard such good things about it. I'm glad to read how high you rated it!

[Weave]

I ordered this on Monday, having heard such good things about it. I'm glad to read how high you rated it!

 

Good stuff Chrissy

[Weave]

I finished 'The Ask and the Answer' by Patrick Ness ~

 

Started: 22.01.10 ~ Finished: 25.01.10

 

Click here for review

[Nollaig]

Your reviews on both books are great - I'm usually quite slow to pick up Young Adult books like that, but they really do sound quite interesting and I know you have great taste, so I think they might have to go on the wishlist! Is there just one more book coming out, making it a trilogy, or will there be more do you know?

[Weave]

Your reviews on both books are great - I'm usually quite slow to pick up Young Adult books like that, but they really do sound quite interesting and I know you have great taste, so I think they might have to go on the wishlist! Is there just one more book coming out, making it a trilogy, or will there be more do you know?

 

Thanks Noll

 

The last book in the trilogy is called Monsters of Men and it due for release on 3 May 2010

[Nollaig]

Awesome, I'm going to Waterstones tomorrow so I may have a look for the first two!

[Weave]

Awesome, I'm going to Waterstones tomorrow so I may have a look for the first two!

 

Looking forward to hear what you think Noll

[Weave]

I finished reading 'Awakening of the Dream Riders' by Lynda Louise Mangoro

 

Started: 25.01.10 ~ Finished: 27.01.10

 

Click here for review

[Weave]

Eve Green by Susan Fletcher ~ Started: 27.01.10 ~ Finished: 30.01.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

With the death of a mother and the abduction of a young girl, Susan Fletcher has written a vividly beautiful novel about the innocence and terror of childhood. Following the loss of her mother, eight-year-old Evie is sent to a new life in rural Wales - a dripping place, where flowers appear mysteriously on doorsteps and people look at her twice. With a sense of being lied to she sets out to discover her family's dark secret - unaware that there is yet more darkness to come with the sinister disappearance of local girl Rosemary Hughes. Now many years later Eve Green is waiting for the birth of her own child, and when she revisits her past something clicks open in her mind and her own reckless role in the hunt for Rosie's abductor is revealed, along with the understanding that through her suppressed grief and the strange friendships made during her first Welsh summer Evie learnt hard lessons - about trust, identity, guilt, love, and how to survive when love is gone...

 

‘Eve Green’ tells the story of Evangeline (Evie then Eve for short) a woman who lost her mother when she was 7 years old after her Mother’s heart simply stopped in the bath. The story begins with Eve preparing for the birth of her child.

 

Following her mother’s death Evie is sent to live with her grandparents on their farm in Wales, Evie has never met her father and finds that he is not to be spoken about but Evie wants to find out about him and so begins her search during her first summer in Wales, while Evie searches, a local girl, Rosie Hughes, last seen on the lane leading to her grandparent’s farm disappears, so begins another search for Evie, not only the search for the truth about her father but what happened to Rosie, her search brings some truths to light and also makes her face what she has lost.

 

‘Eve Green’ is a very haunting book, Evie’s story is told well in flashbacks of her life, the book is also very descriptive, you visualised all of the characters, the scenery easily, especially Evie, a young girl, who is judged solely on the basis of her parent’s actions and as time progresses, her own actions but these actions do not make Evie less endearing as a character, in fact it shows the strength of her personality when she tries to correct her mistakes, which you do not expect from a young girl.

 

I enjoyed ‘Eve Green’ but it is a very slow, drawn out book, so I would not recommend it if you are looking for a fast paced book, because of its slowness, I did find myself becoming frustrated because I was not finding out what happened quick enough (but that was solely my impatience as a reader and we all know every reader is different).

 

A well thought out book and brilliantly written for a first novel.

 

Rating: 8/10 (Because of the slowness)

Edited January 30, 2010 by Weave

[Janet]

Your last paragraph pretty much sums up my feelings about this book too.

 

My Mum loved it though - but was really disappointed with Fletcher's next book (something about Oysters in the title!).

[Weave]

Your last paragraph pretty much sums up my feelings about this book too.

 

My Mum loved it though - but was really disappointed with Fletcher's next book (something about Oysters in the title!).

 

Thanks Janet, its called 'Oystercatchers', I read the blurb on it last night and did not fancy it either

[Weave]

To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee ~ Started: 30.01.10 ~ Finished: 02.02.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird’. This is a lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this story - a black man charged with raping a white girl in the Deep South of the 1930s.

 

There is not much I can say about ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ that has not already been said, if there was ever such a thing as the ‘perfect book’ this would be it, ‘To kill a mockingbird’ has it all, not only is it a well written, insightful novel, it’s has the most memorable collective of characters in literature.

 

So if you get the chance read ‘To kill a mockingbird’ again and again.

 

Rating: 10/10

[Kylie]

Is that the first time you've read To Kill a Mockingbird, Weave? It's one of my very favourite books, and high time for a re-read, I think!

[Weave]

Is that the first time you've read To Kill a Mockingbird, Weave? It's one of my very favourite books, and high time for a re-read, I think!

 

I read it years ago Kylie and I mean years, I enjoyed it a lot more this time around and its definitely a favourite, I know I will read it again, there is just something about it that makes it special

 

I hope you re~read it soon

[Weave]

Chocky by John Wyndham ~ Started: 02.02.10 ~ Finished: 03.02.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

Matthew’s parents are worried. At eleven, he’s much too old to have an imaginary friend, yet they find him talking to and arguing with a presence that even he admits is not physically there. This presence – Chocky – causes Matthew to ask difficult questions and say startling things: he speaks of complex mathematics and mocks human progress. Then, when Matthew does something incredible, it seems there is more than the imaginary about Chocky. Which is when others become interested and ask questions of their own: who is Chocky? And what could it want with an eleven-year-old boy? A story of innocence and alien contact, Chocky is a sinister tale of manipulation and experimentation from afar.

 

‘Chocky’ tells the story of Matthew Gore, an average 12 year old boy until the day he begins speaking to ‘Chocky’. At first, his parents, David and Mary and his younger sister, Polly believe ‘Chocky’ is an imaginary friend, true, Matthew is a bit old to have a imaginary friend, they decide to let Chocky runs his or her course. Chocky’s begins to affect Matthew in different ways, he is asking questions he has never asked before, completing mathematics problems that he should not be able to do.

 

Matthew’s parents decide to get help and as they discover more, they realise that Matthew is under risk from not only Chocky but outside influences.

 

I enjoyed ‘Chocky’ but it is not as good as previous John Wynham novels I have read. The story is insightful if dated (I hated how Matthew’s mum, Mary was pandered to because ‘she was a woman’), and I did feel sympathy for Matthew because he did not understand what was happening to him and was very frustrated because he could not express what Chocky was and I felt as much he/she cared for Matthew, Chocky was not helping him in the long term.

 

I remember watching ‘Chocky’ after school and the fact that another two series were made based on the book, is commendable but after reading the book, I do think they overplayed their card, one series was enough.

 

 

Rating: 7/10

[Weave]

The Dead Father’s Club by Matt Haig ~ Started: 03.02.10 ~ Finished: 05.02.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

Eleven-year-old Philip Noble has a big problem. It all begins when his dad appears as a ghost at his own funeral and introduces Philip to the Dead Fathers Club. Philip learns the truth about ghosts: the only people who end up ghosts are MURDERED. So begins Philip's quest to avenge his dad. Hilariously funny, it is full of poignant insights into the strange workings of the world seen through the eyes of a child.

 

I read ‘The Dead Father’s Club’ when it was released in paperback in April 2007 and decided to have a reread.

 

Again with most of my rereads I enjoyed the book more second time around. The story is based loosely on ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare with the main character Philip Noble faced with his Dad’s ghost telling him that was not killed in a car accident but he was murdered by his brother and Philip’s Uncle, Alan who according to his Dad’s ghost tampered with the brakes of the car causing the accident.

 

Philip is understandingly shocked to hear this news and agrees to help his Dad get revenge, something which proves to be difficult for different reasons. Philip’s Dad tells Philip about ‘The Dead Father’s Club’ and the truth about ghosts, a truth that Philip finds somewhat conflicting at times.

 

‘The Dead Father’s Club’ is full of dark humour, Philip’s thoughts on life are innocent and humorous, and his confusion about his Dad is heartbreaking, he is trying to cope with the loss of his Dad and his Dad’s ghost at the same time.

 

Philip narrates his story and the book is written in the style of an 11 year old, which at times can be confusing.

 

I enjoyed ‘The Dead Father’s Club’ but this time around it struck more of chord for me in a lot of ways and even though he was a character in a book, I felt protective of Philip and angry at his Dad.

 

A funny, sad and insightful book, you will either love it or hate it and it will be make you think.

 

Rating: 10/10

[Chrissy]

I got this at the same time as his 'Possession Of Mr Cave'. My mojo is still mucking about, so I may see if I can tempt it with this, especially as 'POMC' worked such a treat.

 

Oooh, Weave, you gotta stop reading such good books, I may have to give up eating to enable buying all the books I NEED to get!

[Weave]

I got this at the same time as his 'Possession Of Mr Cave'. My mojo is still mucking about, so I may see if I can tempt it with this, especially as 'POMC' worked such a treat.

 

Oooh, Weave, you gotta stop reading such good books, I may have to give up eating to enable buying all the books I NEED to get!

 

I will try I hope you enjoy it

[Weave]

The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin ~ Started: 05.02.10 ~ Finished: 09.02.10

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

As the clock chimes the turn of the twentieth century, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite takes her first breath. The illegitimate, orphaned daughter of a cabaret performer, she finds early refuge at a Berlin Catholic orphanage. From there follows a lifetime of reinventions, from orphan to maid, war bride, tingle-tangle nightclub girl, and script typist. Her eventual transformation into one of Germany's leading silent-film stars, and a partner in a remarkable romance that crosses decades and continents, could ultimately cost her everything she has worked for.

 

‘The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite’ is the story of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite born on the 1st January 1900 to a cabaret performer and a man known as ‘The Bavarian Lover’. Lilly’s entrance to the world is memorable, not only because of her birth but due to fact her skin was coloured blue because of the blue hand-woven cloth she was wrapped in, then the midwife finds that Lilly is not breathing and is brought back to life by the midwife’s palm smacking her back.

 

Lilly’s mother does not embrace motherhood, she loves her daughter but does not have much patience with her, ‘The Bavarian Lover’ is indifferent to both mother and daughter, by the age of 3, following the untimely death of her parents, Lilly is adopted by a couple in the vain hope that Lilly will replace their recently deceased daughter, they even change her name to ‘Dora’, time with her new parents is short and Lilly is sent to St Francis Xavier Home for Orphaned Children where she meets her lifelong friend, Hanne, a 12 year old girl forced to grow up fast due to circumstance, as Lilly gets older, Hanne looks after her as much as she can.

 

As the years past, Lilly grows into a determined and independent young woman, the orphanage closes and Lilly enters the world on her own and her life as stated in the title becomes luminous.

 

If like me you enjoyed reading about history, you will enjoy this book, Beatrice Colin gives a very in-depth account of Berlin during the 1920s and onwards, the major events in history and the seedier side of Berlin, the places that Lilly and Hanne work, their life experiences, which are at times, very sad, you feel for both characters.

 

Lily’s life is extraordinary to read, she finds love and losses it, she becomes famous on the silver screen purely by accident but Lilly’s determination makes her succeed.

 

Lily may be seen as one of life’s victims but she is not a victim, she refuses to be so, she faces everything with determination whilst keeping hope alive.

 

A great read but at time quite long winded, its subtle in its approach, you become engrossed, very quickly.

 

Rating: 9/10