bobblybear Posted July 23, 2011 Author Posted July 23, 2011 I have just watched the movie, and it follows the book nearly exactly. Great movie and book. Quote
lauraloves Posted July 23, 2011 Posted July 23, 2011 I studied Holes when I was at school, and I think its a fabulous book, and the film version is very true to the book! Quote
vodkafan Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 Ah, interesting. I have not seen the film or read the book; but it sounds good. Thanks for the review Bobblybear! Quote
bobblybear Posted July 28, 2011 Author Posted July 28, 2011 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafron When Daniel turned 10, his father brought him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and made him promise to protect a book of his choosing, for the rest of his life. Daniel chose The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, and enjoying the story, tries to find out more about the elusive author, and why there seems to be no trace of him or his other books. I loved this book. It is so detailed and multi-layered, and every character is fully fleshed out with an intriguing backstory. My only minor quibble is that there seemed to be so many characters and so much story (if that can even be a bad thing ) that I got a bit overwhelmed with the middle section and really struggled to keep track of who was who and what their place in the tale was. It's told in a non-linear fashion with a fair amount of jumping around, so you do have to keep focused on all the different characters. Maybe it is because the names were so foreign, that I struggled to remember who was who. I read a few reviews on Amazon, and most people who had any criticism for the book, disliked the last quarter because it was thought to be melodramatic and unrealistic. I don't see where they are coming from at all, and for me the last quarter was the best part of the story because that is where all the truths are told and loose ends tied up. I'd highly recommend this if you want an interesting, and detailed mystery of sorts, but keep in mind that it's not a book you can read with half your mind elsewhere. 5/5 Quote
bobblybear Posted July 30, 2011 Author Posted July 30, 2011 Shadow - Michael Morpurgo This was a perfect, easy read - good for something to read in between heavy books. And who can resist a dog tale. Actually, the dog - Shadow - wasn't very central to the story, but that didn't matter as it was still a good read. It's told by three characters - Matt, Grandpa, and Aman. Aman is in a detention centre with his mother, in England awaiting deportation back to Afganistan. They came to England 6 years prior as asylum seekers, and he tells his story of his life in Afghanistan and how he and his mum made their way to England. Matt is his best friend, and together with his Grandfather, they try to prevent Aman and his mum from being deported. I don't know when it was published, but it must have been this year or last year as it references the Icelandic volcanoes. It's a very short book - more of a novella - and I could have easily finished it in a day, if not for other interruptions. 5/5 Quote
Kylie Posted August 2, 2011 Posted August 2, 2011 Great review of The Shadow of the Wind. It's great to have another fan on board. Quote
bobblybear Posted August 5, 2011 Author Posted August 5, 2011 Thanks, Kylie. Stayed up late reading Before I Go To Sleep. It's getting really, really good now, and I'm dying to find out what happens next, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. Good job I have the day off work today, so I can carry on with it. Quote
bobblybear Posted August 5, 2011 Author Posted August 5, 2011 Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson Christine wakes up every morning next to her husband Ben, with no memory of her life prior to that morning. She has to 'relearn' her past life, through Ben each day. Unbeknownst to Ben, Christine has also been seeing a doctor who has encouraged her to keep a journal of what she has been told each day, and the following day she reads it, and learns a bit more about herself. However, some of the things she reads in her journal are not the same as what Ben has been telling her and she begins to suspect that things are not what they seem. I loved this book; it really had me guessing and wondering what was going to happen next. When the truth is revealed, I was shocked as I was not expecting that twist. This is a real psychological thriller, but with a luxuriously slow pace so that you almost aren't sure that it is a thriller. It's mainly told through Christine's journal entries, and bits and pieces of her life are revealed every day. Even though it moves at quite a slow pace, the story doesn't drag at all. There is always something new being unveiled that just keeps you wanting to find out what has gone on in Christine's life to get her to where she is now. One of the best I've read this year. 5/5 Quote
Janet Posted August 5, 2011 Posted August 5, 2011 I don't know if you've mentioned this before, whether someone else has mentioned it or whether I've read about it elsewhere, but it sounds good! Quote
bobblybear Posted August 5, 2011 Author Posted August 5, 2011 It was brilliant, Janet. It was definitely mentioned on this forum, which is why I read it. I think it may have been a Richard and Judy book, but I'm not sure. Quote
Janet Posted August 5, 2011 Posted August 5, 2011 It's not out in Paperback yet, but I've added it to my Wish List for when it is. Quote
vodkafan Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Great review Bobblybear. This is going to be my next read after I finish Slap. I think Nursenblack read this one first but I could be wrong.. Quote
Kidsmum Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson Christine wakes up every morning next to her husband Ben, with no memory of her life prior to that morning. She has to 'relearn' her past life, through Ben each day. Unbeknownst to Ben, Christine has also been seeing a doctor who has encouraged her to keep a journal of what she has been told each day, and the following day she reads it, and learns a bit more about herself. However, some of the things she reads in her journal are not the same as what Ben has been telling her and she begins to suspect that things are not what they seem. I loved this book; it really had me guessing and wondering what was going to happen next. When the truth is revealed, I was shocked as I was not expecting that twist. This is a real psychological thriller, but with a luxuriously slow pace so that you almost aren't sure that it is a thriller. It's mainly told through Christine's journal entries, and bits and pieces of her life are revealed every day. Even though it moves at quite a slow pace, the story doesn't drag at all. There is always something new being unveiled that just keeps you wanting to find out what has gone on in Christine's life to get her to where she is now. One of the best I've read this year. 5/5 Sounds like a good read, it's my birthday soon so I'll be asking my hubby for this methinks Quote
frankie Posted August 8, 2011 Posted August 8, 2011 Great review of The Shadow of the Wind. It's great to have another fan on board. It's such a fantastic novel, and I can't understand why anyone would think the end melodramatic or anything short of brilliant. Great review, bobblybear! Quote
bobblybear Posted August 9, 2011 Author Posted August 9, 2011 Thanks Frankie. I will definitely be reading more of his other books. Quote
I'mRose Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 Great review! I have the Shadow of the Wind on my TBR list, time to move it up a bit I think! Quote
frankie Posted August 10, 2011 Posted August 10, 2011 Great review! I have the Shadow of the Wind on my TBR list, time to move it up a bit I think! Please do, the book is fabulous! Quote
bobblybear Posted August 13, 2011 Author Posted August 13, 2011 A Kiss Before Dying - Ira Levin This one is about a smooth, charming, handsome young lad with ambitious ideas of getting rich (by marrying the right woman). When his girlfriend gets pregnant, and thus may possibly be shunned and disinherited by her wealthy father, he decides to kill her, making it look like a suicide. However, her sister gets suspicious and decides to do some investigating of her own. I saw the movie years ago - it came out when I was a teenager - but didn't realise it was based on a book until I saw it cheap on Amazon. I know Ira Levin has written The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby (both of which I've never seen the film or read the book - though I own both books), but apart from that I know nothing about him. It was a pretty decent thriller, and a good read even though I already knew the story. 4/5 Quote
bobblybear Posted August 13, 2011 Author Posted August 13, 2011 The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins I loved this book!! How can you not love a story with such a great main character - vunerable, but strong teenage girl. Briefly, the book is set in an indeterminate time in the future (I think following some kind of great war?), in what was formerly North America (now called Panem). Panem is divided into 12 districts, and every year 2 children are selected from each district to compete in The Hunger Games. I was only a quarter of the way through this book, when I had to immediately buy the two sequels on Amazon (they were on offer too ). It's such a fantastic adventure story, kind of in the vein of The Running Man - but for teenagers. The pace just did not let up, but it wasn't only an action based book, it had a pretty reasonable story behind it was well. 5/5 Quote
bobblybear Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Remarkable Creatures - Tracy Chevalier I seem to be really lucky this year, as the majority of books I'm reading are nothing short of brilliant. This is another one that I very much enjoyed. It is a semi-fictionalised telling of the life of Mary Anning (the famous fossil hunter) and her friendship with Elizabeth Philpot (who I thought was fictional, and just a way of telling the story of Mary Anning, until I read Wikipedia ). It covers quite a broad range of characters and events of the time (which coincidentally I've just been reading about in Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything), such as her major discoveries of the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, and the controversy that surrounded them. It's not a boring, dry story about fossils - it has some really interesting character interactions, and although the conversations are purely the author's imagination it's quite interesting to experience what could have been the personality of such a famous person. I'm glad I read this. I picked it up without knowing at all what it was about, except that I had enjoyed Girl With A Pearl Earring, by the same author. I shall be looking into her other books for sure. 5/5 Quote
bobblybear Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 I want to start reading Lord of the Rings next, but I'm a bit nervous. I've tried it before and couldn't get on with it, though I loved the films. :sos: Quote
chesilbeach Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Remarkable Creatures - Tracy Chevalier I'm glad I read this. I picked it up without knowing at all what it was about, except that I had enjoyed Girl With A Pearl Earring, by the same author. I shall be looking into her other books for sure. I have this one on my TBR shelf, but haven't got round to it yet. My favourites of hers is Fallen Angels, although The Lady and the Unicorn was wonderful too! Quote
I'mRose Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 I want to start reading Lord of the Rings next, but I'm a bit nervous. I've tried it before and couldn't get on with it, though I loved the films. :sos: I know that feeling, I've only made it through the first one and half of the second and did not enjoy them as much as the films Quote
bobblybear Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 I have this one on my TBR shelf, but haven't got round to it yet. My favourites of hers is Fallen Angels, although The Lady and the Unicorn was wonderful too! It is well worth a read, chesilbeach. I've not read any others, aside from the two I mentioned, but I will definitely be reading all the others. I know that feeling, I've only made it through the first one and half of the second and did not enjoy them as much as the films Oh noooooo...that's exactly what I don't want to hear. Quote
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