Kell's 2012 Reading Log

[Kell]

Teaser Tuesday

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My teaser:

 

Some medical beast had revived tar-water in those days as a fine medicine, and Mrs. Joe always kept a supply of it in the cupboard; having a belief in its virtues correspondent to its nastiness. At the best of times, so much of this elixir was administered to me as a choice restorative, that I was conscious of going about, smelling like a new fence.

 

- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 

Synopsis:

Considered by many to be Dickens’ finest novel, Great Expectations traces the growth of the book’s narrator, Philip Pirrip (Pip), from a boy of shallow dreams to a man with depth of character. From its famous dramatic opening on the bleak Kentish marshes, the story abounds with some of Dickens’ most memorable characters. Among them are the kindly blacksmith Joe Gargery, the mysterious convict Abel Magwitch, the eccentric Miss Haversham and her beautiful ward Estella, Pip’s good-hearted room-mate Herbert Pocket and the pompous Pumblechook. As Pip unravels the truth behind his own ‘great expectations’ in his quest to become a gentleman, the mysteries of the past and the convolutions of fate through a series of thrilling adventures serve to steer him towards maturity and his most important discovery of all – the truth about himself.

 

What I think of it so far:

I’m about two-thirds of the way through this now and I’m enjoying it a fair bit, but not loving it. It seems ot be taking a hellishly long time to get to wherever it’s going, but I am finding quite a lot of humour in it – certainly more than I expected! I’m reading this on my Kindle and downloaded the e-book from Amazon for free HERE!

 

~***~

 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books I’d Give a Theme Tune

I hear a running soundtrack to my entire life, not just the books I read! Anyway, here are some of the books I’ev read with songs I think fit them well, either as overall theme tunes or as the soundtrack to a certain part of them. I hope you’ll enjoy them:

 

1. The Stand by Stephen King –

 

2. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell –

 

3. The Plucker by Brom – Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson

 

4. Game of Thrones by George RR Martin – Icehouse by Icehouse

 

5. Heatwave by Richard Castle – Summer in the City by Lovin Spoonful

 

6. The Child Thief by Brom –

 

And as I’m actually pushed for time this morning, I will just have to leave it at the six instead of the full ten. I hope you liked them and enjoyed watching the videos.

[Kell]

Booking Through Thursday

A Different Kind of Romance

Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character?

Who and what about them did you love?

 

Yes. For many years now I have been in love with Stu Redman from The Stand by Stephen King. He is my not-so-secret love.

 

Whats not to love about him? I mean, he’s a regular guy – the way he’s written, you could believe he’s real. He’s gentle and kind and thoughtful – a real gentleman without being corny about it. He’s sincere, loyal and determined – you get the feeling that once Stu sets his mind on doing something, he’ll keep going till he’s done it, but he’s not horribly stubborn either. He’s a quiet, reflective kind of person – not book smart, but life smart – he’s been through the mill and come out the other side still standing and still strong. It’s not every man who would accept that the woman he loves is carrying another man’s child (from before they met, albeit, but still..) and fight to protect her and that child as well as the rest of humanity.

 

Stu is the kind of man we all secretly hope we’ll end up with. We might, as little girls, dream of Prince Charming sweeping us off our feet; We might, as teenagers, wish that a dark and dangerous vampire (even if, in some dire cases, he sparkles) will creep in at our window and change our lives; but what we really want, when we grow up and think about it, is someone sure and steady who will stand by us through thick and thin, always loving us and trying to do the right thing by us.

 

Stu Redman IS that man, and he’s the one every man should aspire to being.

[Kell]

February 2012 Book Round Up

 

Another month, another batch of books finished. I received a couple of books for review from publishers, joined in a reading circle, and crossed a few off various challenge lists, as well as beating my one-book-per-week target. All in all, I’m rather pleased with my progress…

 

 

- -

 

BOOKS FINISHED IN FEBRUARY:

17. Amor Towles – Rules of Civility (R ) - 3/5

See full review HERE.

 

18. SJ Parris – Heresy (K)- 4/5

Fans of historical fiction and murder mysteries will love this romp through Elizabethan Oxford. This novel, first in the Giordano Bruno series, does a great job of introducing the characters and their situations quickly and fluidly – there is no getting bogged down in unnecessary detail – whilst getting right into the nitty gritty of the story.

 

There’s intrigue, there’s mystery, there’s the element of religious persecution, and there are red herrings and surprises that keep you guessing till the end. It’s exactly what you want from a good murder mystery with the added bonus of an exciting period in England’s history!

 

19. Jenn Ashworth – Cold Light (R ) - 3/5

See full review HERE.

 

20. Catherine Cooper – The Golden Acorn (K/E) - 3/5

This was the Kindle Klub choice for February.

See full review HERE.

 

21. Charlaine Harris – Dead Reckoning (Southern Vampires 11) - 3/5

See full review HERE.

 

22. Stuart MacBride – Birthdays for the Dead (G) - 3/5

See full review HERE.

 

BOOKS STARTED BUT CARRYING OVER TO MARCH:

• Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (K)
  
• Terry Pratchett – Snuff (Discworld 39) (S)
  

BOOKS STARTED BUT ABANDONED:

M. D. Keating – Sunburnt (R )

Alas, I have my first abandonment of the year! Sunburnt by M D Keating is purportedly “a revolutionary new style of storytelling,” but is actually written in the style of a screenplay or script!

 

I’m not a script-reader. I do not get any pleasure from reading plays – I’d rather see them on a stage or screen. I could hardly get past the first few pages purely because of the style in which it is written (along with it being present tense, with which I always have difficulty getting to grips).

 

It’s a real shame, because I “won” this one from Goodreads and thought it sounded rather interesting. Now I’ll never know if the story is any good because I simply cannot read it!

 

As a result, I cannot give it a rating of any stars, because I cannot constructively comment on the contents, only the style

 

PRIORITY FOR MARCH:

Georgette Heyer – Regency Buck

A colleague has loaned me this, so it’s been bumped up to the top of the list. I’ve never read any Heyer before now, but I know Stephen Fry is a big fan (he mentioned on a TV show once that The Reluctant Widow is one of his favourite books) and that’s good enough for me!

 

Lew Wallace – Ben-Hur (K)

This is the March choice for Kindle Klub, so we’ll be reading and discussing it HERE. If anyone would like to join us, we’d be glad to see you there!

[Kell]

Friday Finds

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week?

Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

 

By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions:

• Lauren Groff – Arcadia
  
• Ian Mortimer – The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England
  
• Ian Mortimer – The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England
  
• K Sekelsky – The Time Traveler’s Pocket Guide
  

They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

 

[Kell]

It’s Monday, What are you reading?

 

Lew Wallace – Ben-Hur (K/C)

I’ll be starting this e-book this week and reading it for discussion with the rest of Kindle Klub this month…

 

Georgette Heyer – Regency Buck

I’ve borrowed this one from a colleague. Stephen Fry once mentioned on a TV programme that The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer was one of his favourite books, and I resolved I would give it a try. My colleague offered to loan me this one as she’s just finished reading it, so I couldn’t refuse! I’ll get to the other one another time and see if I agree with Mr Fry!

~***~

 

Cover Crazy

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

 

What I love:

I just love the highly stylised illustration which is mostly taken up by the sea with the ship just peeking out from behind a rising wave on the horizon. The muted colours are beautiful and work well with the stark black silhouettes of the birds, the ship, and the lone figure on the prow. For once I love that the title is front and foremost, enclosed in a bold circle with a plain font, and the author’s name almost sinking into the water.

 

Synopsis:

Citizens of our beloved Democratic Republic of North Korea! Imagine the life of an orphan boy plucked from nowhere to be trained as a tunnel assassin, a kidnapper, a spy.

 

 

He has no father but the State, no sweetheart but Sun Moon, the greatest opera star who ever lived, whose face is tattooed on his chest.

 

Imagine he lives in our very own country, a model of exemplary Communism. A nation that is the envy of the world, especially the Americans. Where the only stories people need to hear are those blasting out of loudspeakers to the glory of our dear Leader, Kim Jong il.

 

Dry your eyes now, comrades! Prepare to hear the Greatest North Korean Love Story Ever Told.

 

~***~

 

Musing Mondays

 

When you walk into a bookstore — any bookstore — what’s the first section you head toward (what draws you)?

I always go to bookstores with a specific purchase in mind, so I head straight to the department where I think it will be shelved. I’m afraid I rarely shop in bookstores because I can usually get books cheaper online or at non-genre-divided discount shops like The Works or one of the pound shops, but if I have book vouchers to spend, I go straight to the book shop (usually Waterstones, as it’s the biggest one we have in Aberdeen) with my Most Wanted list, and search appropriately.

[Kell]

Teaser Tuesday

Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer

My teaser:

 

She was a fine young woman, rather above the average height, and had been used for the past four years to hearing herself proclaimed a remarkably handsome girl. She could not, however, admire her own beauty, which was of a type she was inclined to despise.

page 1, Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer

Synopsis:

It is in regrettable circumstances that beautiful Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine first encounter Julian St. John Audley. The man, they both agree, is an insufferably arrogant dandy. But unfortunately for them, he is also the Fifth Earl of Worth, a friend of the Regent and, quite by chance, their legal guardian …

 

What I think of it so far:

Im’ barely past the first page, so I cannot comment. However, Stephen Fry lists one of Ms Heyer’s novels among his favourites, so she can’t be all that bad as Mr Fry is never wrong!

 

~***~

 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Favourite Covers

 

 

I thought that for this week I’d showcase some of the the most stunning covers I’ve come across recently. Many of them have been featured as my entry for the Cover Crazy meme in which I participate each Monday, but some others are just books I noticed or read that have, I think, striking and/or beautiful covers. I hope you’ll like them too:

1. Empire State by Adam Christopher
   
2. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
   
3. The Child Thief by Brom
   
4. The Plucker by Brom
   
5. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
   
6. Tom-All-Alone’s by Lynn Shepherd
   
7. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
   
8. Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison
   
9. The Snow Empress by Laura Joh Rowland
   
10. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale
    

 

[bree]

Regency Buck is delicious! And a very good pick for your first Georgette Hayer. Looking forward to your thoughts after reading it...

[Kell]

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

What are you currently reading?

 

Georgette Heyer – Regency Buck

I’ve borrowed this one from a colleague. Stephen Fry once mentioned on a TV programme that The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer was one of his favourite books, and I resolved I would give it a try. My colleague offered to loan me this one as she’s just finished reading it, so I couldn’t refuse! I’ll get to the other one another time and see if I agree with Mr Fry!

 

Lew Wallace – Ben-Hur (e-book)

I’lm reading this e-book for discussion with the rest of Kindle Klub this month, but so far it’s like reading a novelised version of the New Testament, which I’m not particularly enjoying. I’m not sure how much further I’ll continue with this one. Unless it picks up very soon, it will be ditched, I’m afraid!

 

 

What did you recently finish reading?

 

Terry Pratchett – Snuff (Discworld 39) - 3/5

I was so excited about this novel as it’s a Vimes book and his are always my favourites. Till now. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but nowhere near as much as the others and therefore not as much as I had hoped and expected. I don’t know what it was about it exactly, but it just didn’t have the same flow as usual – perhaps it’s the switch Pratchett has had to make from typing to dictating. It’s good, but others have been better. Vimes is still Vimes, but I feel he’s mellowing a bit with age and fatherhood, and the rest of the watch were barely mentioned – there were a few bit-parts and one-liners for a couple of the usual crew, but they were mostly left out and Vimes took the helm, so to speak. Usually, this would be a fine thing indeed, but on this occasion, I felt it lacked a little sparkle.

 

I’m still looking forward to the publication of The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter in June though!

 

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (e-book) - 2/5

I enjoyed the earlier parts of this novel, but as time went on I found myself less and less engaged in the plot and characters. I no longer cared about Miss Havesham; I couldn’t understand why Pip still pined for cold, aloof Estella; and I wasn’t bothered by Pip distancing himself from his old friends and family. Before reading this, I knew the basics of the story, but there’s a lot here that always gets cut in adaptations, and I can see why as a lot of it was, to be perfectly frank, very dull. The humour I found in the first half of the book gave way to the doldrums and I felt like I was wading through the second half of the book like wearing lead boots in a lake of treacle. It felt like it took forever and by the time I neared the end of it, I was wishing it would hurry up and reach a conclusion. So, overall, I was rather disappointed by this, but I will not let it put me off trying more Dickens…

 

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Malinda Lo – Huntress

Prequel to Ash, which I loved.

 

Simon Scarrow – Praetorian

Eleventh in the fantastic Romans series.

 

These are the last of my Xmas gift books!

[Kell]

Booking Through Thursday

Which non-series book would you most like to read the sequel to?

Do you have any wishes for what might happen in it?

 

The Stand by Stephen King! And here’s why…

 

If you’ve not read this novel, there are spoilers below this point!

 

 

Where do Stu, Frannie and Peter end up? What happens to Tom Cullen on his return?

Randall Flag – he’s out there somewhere too. Is he starting again from scratch and building up another legion of followers?

 

And what about Frannie and Stu’s new baby (on the way at the end of the novel)? Will he grow up to be another guiding light? Another Mother Abigail?

 

In many ways, I would love King to write a sequel answering these questions and more, but I also worry it might ruin things for me if he ever did…

 

[Ruth]

Regency Buck is on my tbr (and has been for quite some time ). I have read only one Georgette Heyer book before, which I enjoyed, but it wasn't one of her Regency novels, it was one of her crime novels. A lot of people have told me that her Regency novels are much better than the crime ones.

[anisia]

I got Ben-Hur from the library a few days ago (they had to get it from the basement for me!) so I could join the Kindle Klub discussions. I remember giving it a try a while back and found it very difficult to get through and eventually giving up on it. So it's my mission to finish it by the end of the month

[Kell]

Friday Finds

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week?

Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

 

By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions:

• Adam Johnson – The Orphan Master’s Son
  
• A. E. Marling – Brood of Bones
  
• Aimee Phan – The Reeducation of Cherry Tuong
  
• Rory Clements – Traitor
  

They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

 

[Kell]

I took a break from blogging last week, so there were no meme posts at all. I'm' back this week, though, so here's Monday's book meme installment!

 

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

 

Thomas Hoover – Caribbee (E)

I’m about 3/4s of the way through this and I’m enjoying it immensely.

 

Georgette Heyer – Regency Buck

Borrowed this from a colleague – so far, so good.

Cover Crazy

Around the World in 80 Days

From the Earth to the Moon

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

- All by Jules Verne

What I love:

What’s not to love about these gorgeous covers? Looking at them, you get a real feel for the contents of Verne’s wonderful tales, and the vintage look of them speaks of the time in which they were written. Truly, these classic novels deserve such stunning covers. Everything from the colours to the composition, to the style of cover art and typeface just screams class and is just so beautiful to look at I could cry right now because I do not have these versions on my bookshelves. I shall have to remedy that situation as soon as possible!

 

 

 

Musing Mondays

Would you choose to review a book if its description sounded interesting but the cover was terrible?

 

Short answer – yes. I’ve reviewed hundreds of books over the years and some of them had truly dreadful covers. Some of the contents matched the awful cover art (“art” being a very kind description in some cases!), but others have been wonderful.

 

Even looking at the books in my permanent collection – the earlier Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett have, in my opinion, hideous covers – ugly, bulbous characters sprawling across the cover bearing little-to-no resemblance to the characters on the pages, with garish colours to add to the offence. However, the contents of those books are wonderful – some of my favourite books of all time come from that very series. If I had let myself be put off by the covers, I would have missed out on so much enjoyment.

 

In general, a pretty, unusual or striking cover will tempt me to pick up a book and at least read the blurb to see if it might appeal to me, but sometimes the ugly ducklings turn out to be swans too.

[Brian.]

Those Jules Verne covers are awesome, makes me want to buy the lot as it would be rude to have lonely ones on the shelf.

[Kell]

Teaser Tuesday

Halfhead by Stuart B MacBride

 

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My teaser:

There’s blood everywhere.

 

It sparkles in the artificial light like diamonds scattered onto dark red velvet. It fills the air with the scent of burning copper and hot rust, tugging at her belly. It soaks through her jump-suit, making the cheap fabric cling to her gaunt body like a second skin.

- page 1, Halfhead by Stuart B MacBride

Synopsis:

Glasgow, not too far in the future. A new punishment has been devised for the perpetrators of serious crimes — one that not only reduces the prison population but also benefits society at large. The process is known as halfheading: the offender’s lower jaw is removed and they are lobotomized. They are then put to work as cleaners in municipal areas like hospitals, where they serve as a warning to all that crime doesn’t pay. But for one halfhead, it seems the lobotomy hasn’t quite succeeded. Six years after her surgery, Dr Fiona Westfield ‘wakes up’ surrounded by the butchered remains of a man she has just brutally killed. As her mind slowly begins to return, she sets out on a quest for vengeance. William Hunter, Assistant Section Director of the ‘Network’ — a military wing of the police — attends the crime scene left behind by the newly awakened halfhead. Sherman House is a run-down concrete housing development full of undesirables and Hunter and his team quickly find themselves in a firefight with the locals. With the help of old comrades and a new friend in the form of prickly but attractive Detective Sergeant Josephine Cameron, Will gets on the trail of the killer. But before long the investigation leads back to a terrible tragedy in his own past, as well as to a terrifying conspiracy to sow violence and misery among Glasgow’s most vulnerable citizens.

 

What I think of it so far:

I actually read this quite a while ago, but it pretty much jumped off my shelf at me today and I thought I’d give you the opening paragraph. It’s a slightly futuristic crime thriller written with the same pitch-black gallows humour that MacBride shows in his Logan McRae series. If you’re not usually a fan of sci-fi, this can be a nice ease-in from the crime side of things.

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read List

 

 

 

 

For various reasons, from being given books to review to getting books out of the library, to books I have waiting on my shelf to be cracked open, here are the top ten books I’ll be reading this spring:

1. Insurrection by Robyn Young (for review)
   
2. Gladiator: Fight For Freedom by Simon Scarrow (from library)
   
3. Ultraviolet by R J Anderson (from library)
   
4. The Body at the Tower (The Agency 2) by Y S Lee (from library)
   
5. Huntress by Malinda Lo (from Xmas)
   
6. Praetorian (Romans #11) by Simon Scarrow (from Xmas)
   
7. A Game of Thrones (Song of Ice and Fire 1) by George R R Martin
   
8. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
   
9. North By Northwest by Ernest Lehman
   
10. The Transformation by Catherine Chidgey
    

[Kell]

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

What are you currently reading?

Thomas Hoover –

Caribbee (E)

I’m about 3/4s of the way through this and I’m enjoying it immensely.

 

Georgette Heyer –

Regency Buck

Borrowed from a colleague. So far, so good.

 

 

What did you recently finish reading?

Nothing – but I did abandon Ben Hur by Lew Wallace because it was boring me rigid. It’s a real shame because a) it was for discussion in Kindle Klub, and b) I nominated it, so I feel rather guilty at having suggested a total duffer. At least one other member has also found it impossible to get on with this one.

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Robyn Young – Insurrection

The publishers have sent me this one to review and I’ll be getting the sequel around the time of its publication in August this year. It looks like it will be right up my street, so I’m looking forward to getting to it as soon as possible!

[Karsa Orlong]

Rory Clements – Traitor

 

Ooh, looking forward to this myself. Have you read the others in the series, Kell, or will 'Traitor' be the first?

 

[Kell]

Ooh, looking forward to this myself. Have you read the others in the series, Kell, or will 'Traitor' be the first?

 

According to the info on Fantastic Fiction, it seems to be a stand-alone novel. I've never read anything by the author and do not have this boko yet - it's just one I spotted and like the look of.

[Karsa Orlong]

According to the info on Fantastic Fiction, it seems to be a stand-alone novel. I've never read anything by the author and do not have this boko yet - it's just one I spotted and like the loko of.

I'd imagine it can be read on its own, so I doubt it's a big deal. Just in case, it's a 'John Shakespeare' novel, so you may get more out of it if you're read the others in the series:

 

Martyr

Revenger

Prince

 

I've read the first two and thought they were very good. 'Revenger' had elements in it that referred to events and characters from 'Martyr', so I'd imagine the others will be the same, but the actual story for each book was self-contained. I bought 'Prince' last week, so looking forward to reading that one. I keep meaning to start a thread about him, just haven't got around to it ... yet!

[Kell]

How strange Fatastic Fiction doesn't have it listed as being part of the series - it's listed separately - LOL!

[Karsa Orlong]

That is weird! It definitely is part of the series, though - if you look at his own website 'Traitor' is shown as 'John Shakespeare 4'

 

http://www.roryclements.com/index.asp

[Kell]

Booking Through Thursday

 

Ever read a book you thought you could have written better yourself?

 

Yes. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. Personally I think a chimp with a typewriter could do better, so it’s not much of a challenge. I found the story unoriginal and the writing very poor. I know that flies in the face of the millions of fans the saga has, but I thought they were terrible books.

[Kell]

Friday Finds

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week?

Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

 

By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions:

• Julie Otsuka – When the Emperor Was Divine
  
• Julie Otsuka – The Buddha in the Attic
  

They’ve both gone onto my wish list!

 

[Kell]

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

Robyn Young –

Insurrection ®

 

I’ll be reviewing the sequel when it comes out too! Looking forward to them both immensely. I’ve only just started this one and it’s over 600 pages to it, but it looks great! I adore historical fiction, and one set in Scotland is an added bonus, because that’s where I live!

~***~

 

Cover Crazy

 

Jane Austen –

Emma

Anna Sewell – Black Beauty

Frances Hodgson Burnett – The Secret Garden

All from the Penguin Threads collection

 

What I love:

The very fact that the covers are stitched (well, the original design was anyway) speaks to both my stitchy side and my bibliophilic leanings. They are such beautifully crafted covers that anyone would love to have them in their collection.

~***~

 

Musing Mondays

 

Have you ever found a book out of the blue, read it, and then had it be surprisingly good — one that stuck with you for years? If so, what book was it?

 

Yes! For me it was The Stand by Stephen King. I’ve mentioned this book countless times before as it’s one of my all-time favourites, so I won’t rave about it again in case I bore you all rigid! I’d never even heard of it and I’d only ever read Carrie by King (and love it), so when I came across this massive chunk of a book at over 1000 pages in hardback, I thought, “Well, let’s give it a try, shall we?”

 

Two days later I emerged from that book with my mind blown!

 

I remember very well it was the Saturday morning I came across it, bought it, and started reading it. I finished it late on the Sunday afternoon. I was fortunate I had done my homework on the Friday night, or I would have been in a heap of trouble on Monday!

 

I must have read it at least a dozen times since then and it always has the same effect on me. I love it completely!

[Kell]

March 2012 Book Round Up

 

I didn’t have as much time for reading this month, but I did manage to finish a few books and, unfortunately, had to abandon one too…

KEY:

K = Kindle e-book

R = Reviewed for publisher or author

1/5 = Dire – don’t waste your time

2/5 =OK, but nothing to write home about

3/5 = Very good – worth a read

4/5 = Excellent

5/5 = Superb – read it immediately!

 

 

 

BOOKS FINISHED IN MARCH:

23. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (K) - 2/5

I enjoyed the earlier parts of this novel, but as time went on I found myself less and less engaged in the plot and characters. I no longer cared about Miss Havesham; I couldn’t understand why Pip still pined for cold, aloof Estella; and I wasn’t bothered by Pip distancing himself from his old friends and family. Before reading this, I knew the basics of the story, but there’s a lot here that always gets cut in adaptations, and I can see why as a lot of it was, to be perfectly frank, very dull. The humour I found in the first half of the book gave way to the doldrums and I felt like I was wading through the second half of the book like wearing lead boots in a lake of treacle. It felt like it took forever and by the time I neared the end of it, I was wishing it would hurry up and reach a conclusion. So, overall, I was rather disappointed by this, but I will not let it put me off trying more Dickens…

 

24. Terry Pratchett – Snuff - 3/5

I was so excited about this novel as it’s a Vimes book and his are always my favourites. Till now. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but nowhere near as much as the others and therefore not as much as I had hoped and expected. I don’t know what it was about it exactly, but it just didn’t have the same flow as usual – perhaps it’s the switch Pratchett has had to make from typing to dictating. It’s good, but others have been better. Vimes is still Vimes, but I feel he’s mellowing a bit with age and fatherhood, and the rest of the watch were barely mentioned – there were a few bit-parts and one-liners for a couple of the usual crew, but they were mostly left out and Vimes took the helm, so to speak. Usually, this would be a fine thing indeed, but on this occasion, I felt it lacked a little sparkle.

 

I’m still looking forward to the publication of The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter in June though!

 

25. Georgette Heyer – Regency Buck - 3/5

This was my first experience of Heyer’s work and I was pleasantly surprised! A colleague loaned me this novel and I semi-reluctantly took it home to read, then found myself sucked in by Heyer’s witty humour and sumptuous settings as well as the intriguing plot. I’ll admit I fell for several red herrings and double red herrings, which is unusual for me, but it made for a fun read and I didn’t at all resent being taken in. I’ll certainly try other novels by this author. In particular, I’m interested in reading The Reluctant Widow, as Stephen Fry has listed it as one of his favourite novels and, well, the man is never wrong!

 

26. Thomas Hoover – Caribbee (K) - 4/5

If you like swash-buckling adventures with a basis in historical fact, then this is the one for you! The characters are, in the main, conglomerates of real people and the tumultuous period in American and British history (with the dark roots of the slave trade) is fascinating. Hoover has a flair for the dramatic and the sweeping events of this novel are so exciting that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

 

27. Steven Scaffardi – The Drought ® - 4/5

Reviewed at the request of the author. Please see the full review HERE.

 

BOOKS STARTED BUT CARRYING OVER TO APRIL:

• Robyn Young – Insurrection (Insurrection Trilogy 1) ®
  

BOOKS STARTED BUT ABANDONED:

Lew Wallace – Ben-Hur (K)

This was the March choice for Kindle Klub, but sadly I just couldn’t get into it at all. It felt like I was reading a novelisation of The New Testament, and not a particularly exciting one, so I had to put it aside. It was particularly embarrassing because I had nominated it in the first place!

 

PRIORITY FOR APRIL:

• Jude Morgan – The Secret Life of William Shakespeare ®
  
• Mark Stevens – Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Assylum (K / Kindle Klub)
  
• Gladiator: Fight For Freedom by Simon Scarrow (from library)
  
• Ultraviolet by R J Anderson (from library)
  
• The Body at the Tower (The Agency 2) by Y S Lee (from library)