tunn300 Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Tunn, great review on Room. Definitely bumping it to the top of my tbr pile. Thanks! =) Glad you liked the review, I really hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Hi Tunn, I'm liking the sound of The Last Ten Seconds! I haven't read anything by Simon Kernick but I'll definately be checking him out sometime in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hi Tunn, I'm liking the sound of The Last Ten Seconds! I haven't read anything by Simon Kernick but I'll definately be checking him out sometime in the near future. Kernick is one of my favourite crime authors at the moment. I hope you enjoy his books and will look out for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Am about half way through Flowers for Algernon and have really enjoyed it so far. Am hoping to get it finished before the weekend. Despite my vow to reduce my TBR this year I am finding it near impossible to do so. This morning I purchased Jo Nesbo's new book The Leopard. It came out today and was only £4 for my kindle. That is the beauty and also the danger of owning a Kindle. No more book this month now!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mRose Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Am about half way through Flowers for Algernon and have really enjoyed it so far. Am hoping to get it finished before the weekend. Despite my vow to reduce my TBR this year I am finding it near impossible to do so. This morning I purchased Jo Nesbo's new book The Leopard. It came out today and was only £4 for my kindle. That is the beauty and also the danger of owning a Kindle. No more book this month now!! I love Flowers for Algernon it was one of my favorite reads last year! I am more than with you on the reducing the TBR-pile problem. One tip is that it does not help to buy another book shelf Just made me think that I had plenty of room left to buy more books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 The Last 10 Seconds - Simon Kernick .... If you a fan of Kernick you will certainly enjoy this book. If you are not I highly recommend him as an author but suggest you start with his previous work or much of this book may be lost on you. 9/10 Hi Tunn, great review of The Last 10 Seconds. I liked the way it switched between viewpoints, as well. This was one of the first books I bought for my Kindle on Christmas Day, based on the reviews on Amazon. I had no idea it was the latest in a series, now you've got me wondering what I missed. Which of his previous books do you think I should have started with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hi Tunn, great review of The Last 10 Seconds. I liked the way it switched between viewpoints, as well. This was one of the first books I bought for my Kindle on Christmas Day, based on the reviews on Amazon. I had no idea it was the latest in a series, now you've got me wondering what I missed. Which of his previous books do you think I should have started with? Thanks Karsa, I personally started with Relentless, which is excellent. I then read Severed, Deadline and Target. He does have three books that precede these but if I remember correctly they were never previously released as he could not find a publisher, but once he had some success they were brought out. Those three are good too but for me not as good as the books I have mentioned above. I hope you enjoy catching up with Kernick, as I said before he is probably my favourite crime author at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Great, thanks Tunn - I'll download a sample of Relentless and give it a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 (edited) Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes Synopsis Amazon Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper, and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes, until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceeded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibilty that his salvation was only temporary. Review I picked up this book after reading the synopsis on the February book circle choices and thought it sounded intriguing and I have to say I was not dissapointed. The book is about Charlie Gordon, a floor sweeper at a bakery, who has an incredibly low IQ. So low in fact that at the time this book was written he was classed as retarded. The book is written from the perspective of Charlie and is written as a diary that charts his life before and after experimental surgery to increase his IQ. Charlie is the first human to trial the surgery after success is seen in a mouse named Algernon. As the diary entries are effectively written by Charlie, the book starts out with no punctuation and most words spelt incorrectly. As the book progresses and Charlie becomes more intelligent the writing changes gradually to add punctuation and an increasingly wide vocabulary. For me this helped show exactly how far Charlie had come. Before the operation Charlie is fairly happy with his life as even though those around him often tease him, he does not understand what they are doing and merely laughs along with them. As he become more intelligent these relationships change as Charlie begins to understand what they are doing. Throughout the book Charlie begins to remember his younger life and this makes for some really harrowing reading. We are shown how poorly he has been treated by those closest to him all his life and why he was so desperate to become intelligent in the first place. The book asks many questions, one of the main ones being does being more intelligent mean you are happier. I don't want to go into great detail and spoil the plot for others. Safe to say however it is an incredibly interesting book that is thought provoking throughout and asks many questions about the way society treats people of lower intelligence that are still relevant today 50 years after the book was first published. I really enjoyed the book overall, there was section when Charlie has reached the peak of his intelligence that he is talking about things so complex I found it hard to follow. However this only lasted a short while and did not effect my enjoyment of the book on the whole. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others. 9/10 Edited January 22, 2011 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 This weekend I have made a start on the final book in the Millenium trilogy. Don't know why I have left it so long between the 2nd and 3rd books, but it may be because I know this will be the last book and I didn't want it to be over too soon. I have had a problem with my Kindle over the past couple of weeks in that it kept freezing and needing a restart. Looked on some Amazon forums and people were having similar experiences when keeping their Kindle in the official Amazon non-lighted leather cover. I removed the cover for a couple of days and the problem stopped, however as soon as I put the cover on again the problem re-appeared. I phoned Amazon yesterday and they said they had heard of the problem and offered me a full refund or a free upgrade to the lighted cover which does not have the same issues. I took the upgrade and it was dispatched the same day. Excellent customer services, really helpful and a free £20 upgrade on the case. Well done Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Sounds like we're going to have a great discussion in Feb reading circle on Flowers for Algernon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Great review of 'Flowers for Algernon' Tunn. It's on my wishlist anyway but I'm looking forward to it even more now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Great review of 'Flowers for Algernon' Tunn. It's on my wishlist anyway but I'm looking forward to it even more now Thanks Poppy, hope you enjoy it and a belated Happy New Year to you. I am still working my way through The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest at the moment. About 16% only as it has been a hectic week at work but hoping to get most of it read over the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Tunn, I wish you'd write more reviews so you'd be up to page 3, whenever I come here to read the latest posts Marcus Trescothick is staring at me, looking all menacing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Tunn, I wish you'd write more reviews so you'd be up to page 3, whenever I come here to read the latest posts Marcus Trescothick is staring at me, looking all menacing Will try and do that Frankie! In the meantime I find it helps not to stare directly into his eyes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 29, 2011 Author Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) Am progressing nicely through The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest and am at about 32%. After payday this week I have done something rather naughty and bought 3 new books for my Kindle. I picked up the next 2 books in the James Patterson, Michael Bennett series as I have the first out at the moment from the library and I also picked up The Blasphemer, which is a Richard and Judy book as I thought it looked interesting. Despite reading 7 books so far this year my TBR pile is now bigger than on January 1st. Edited January 29, 2011 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mRose Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Oh the ever lasting problem with the growing TBR list. You are not alone, there are simply to many books that need to be read. Just kidding, there can never be to many books. Do you like the kindle? I've been thinking about getting one but can't afford one at the moment. Are the books much cheaper when you but them for kindle?? I hope you enjoy The girl who kicked the hornets nest, I loved it and thought it was a great ending to the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Do you like the kindle? I've been thinking about getting one but can't afford one at the moment. Are the books much cheaper when you but them for kindle?? I hope you enjoy The girl who kicked the hornets nest, I loved it and thought it was a great ending to the series. Hi Rose, I have to say I absolutely love my kindle. The ease of taking my books anywhere with me and the ability to sample books before buying and then downloading in less than a minute is brilliant. At the moment I am trying to alternate between paperback and kindle books as have so many paperbacks to read but I prefer reading on the kindle and it seems to make me read faster. With regards to cost of books it really depends. Current bestsellers are usually quite a bit cheaper on kindle. E.g. Room by Emma Donoghue is currently £2.80 as are all the Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo's earlier books. Older titles can be cheaper than Waterstones but around the same price as a supermarket. E.g. One Day by David Nicholls is currently £4.49. But prices do fluctuate considerably. I bought Jo Nesbo's new book The Leopard for £4.05 but it has since gone up to about £6. This is still cheaper than supermarkets where it is £8 and the rrp of £12.99. You do also have the advantage of thousands of free books though and very cheap prices for new inide authors books. I highly recommend a kindle if you think an e-reader could be for you. P.s. Half through Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest now and loving every second of it. Edited January 30, 2011 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Current bestsellers are usually quite a bit cheaper on kindle. E.g. Room by Emma Donoghue is currently £2.80 as are all the Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo's earlier books. Older titles can be cheaper than Waterstones but around the same price as a supermarket. E.g. One Day by David Nicholls is currently £4.49. But prices do fluctuate considerably. Just downloaded Room, as the price has gone down! Last week it was about £4.80. The prices do fluctuate. I managed to get Gone With The Wind for £0.49, but I see the price is now £4.99. I check the Kindle books quite often, as you can pick up some great bargains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Just downloaded Room, as the price has gone down! Last week it was about £4.80. The prices do fluctuate. I managed to get Gone With The Wind for £0.49, but I see the price is now £4.99. I check the Kindle books quite often, as you can pick up some great bargains. Yeah I am guilty of just having a 'quick look' on the kindle store almost every day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Have managed to get a fair bit of reading done over the weekend and am now up to 61% of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest. I can feel it is building to a potentially explosive ending and I am really looking forward to it. I hope to get the book finished at some point in the next week. As I am pretty sure I won't get another book finished before February I am pretty pleased to say I have managed 7 books in January and am well on my way to my target of 40 books this year. January's highlight for me has to be Room by Emma Donoghue. It was such a fantastic read and I still think about it now a couple of weeks later. Flowers for Algernon and The Last 10 Seconds have also been cracking reads. Most of all I have noticed throughout January how much my new Kindle has effected my reading habits. In my mind giving me lots more opportunities to read and I also seem to read quicker. The case in point being yesterday when I traveled to London with my wife to watch a show and could take my kindle as it would slip in my coat pocket at the theater when the paperback version of the Larsson certainly would not. Edited January 30, 2011 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Poppy, hope you enjoy it and a belated Happy New Year to you. I am still working my way through The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest at the moment. About 16% only as it has been a hectic week at work but hoping to get most of it read over the weekend. Happy Newish Year Tunn My, you seem to be getting on famously with your Kindle. I can see the appeal, to be able to access books so instantly and obviously they're not taking up loads and loads of space either. Do you think it will completely put paid to you buying paper copies now? Everyone is raving about 'The Room', it's the book to read this year I think. Glad you enjoyed it and that you're enjoying your reading in general this year .. who knew that Kindle's came with free reading mojo's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Most of all I have noticed throughout January how much my new Kindle has effected my reading habits. I have found this as well. I don't think I've read so many books in a month as I have in January, and it's all thanks to my Kindle. It just seems to make reading so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Happy Newish Year Tunn My, you seem to be getting on famously with your Kindle. I can see the appeal, to be able to access books so instantly and obviously they're not taking up loads and loads of space either. Do you think it will completely put paid to you buying paper copies now? Everyone is raving about 'The Room', it's the book to read this year I think. Glad you enjoyed it and that you're enjoying your reading in general this year .. who knew that Kindle's came with free reading mojo's! Hi Poppy, I don't think it will completely put paid to me buying paperbacks as some books are simply not available on Kindle and others are shockingly more expensive than buying a 2nd hand copy. However since getting the Kindle I have only bought 1 paperback compared to 19 eBooks and the paperback was not available on Kindle. As Bobblybear also shows the Kindle does come with a free mojo boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Well you must put your head around the Swindon library door every so often Tunn .. I'd hate it to close. The Cirencester library is awful .. all style over substance, and their 'try something new today' stand had 'Being Jordan' on it .. I nearly chewed up my library card. I still go to the libraries at the North Orbital and Swindon town centre. If they close Tunn .. I'll hunt you down and make you read Dan Rhodes's 'Anthropology' again No, but, I was so relieved yesterday that the man at my local Waterstones said that they are not one of the branches that are going to close. I'll do my best to personally insure that they don't change their minds in the future, it will be hard .. not to say expensive .. but it is my duty. I am a bit of a technophobe (though hubby says that's not the case and if it is then when the washing machine packs up he'll get me a washboard and a mangle and we'll see how technophobic I am) but the Kindle is so phenomenally successful that I guess we will all have one in time. I do have an I-pod and listen to lots of books on it so I guess it's only one step from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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