Abcinthia Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 I hope you all find it as interesting as I did 17. 9th Judgement - James Patterson (synopsis) A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in blood-red lipstick. I've been meaning to read a James Patterson book for ages. My sister is a big fan and I watched A Long Came A Spider a long long time ago at a sleepover and enjoyed it (though it's probably different to the book!). I enjoyed 9th Judgement. The plot and characters were enjoyable. I didn't realise it was book 9 in a series so I look forward to reading the others in the series. 3/5 Well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 (edited) Courtiers: The Secret History Of The Georgian Court - Lucy Worsley (synopsis) Kensington Palace is now most famous as the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the palace's glory days came between 1714 and 1760, during the reigns of George I and II . In the eighteenth century, this palace was a world of skulduggery, intrigue, politicking, etiquette, wigs, and beauty spots, where fans whistled open like switchblades and unusual people were kept as curiosities. Lucy Worsley's The Courtiers charts the trajectory of the fantastically quarrelsome Hanovers and the last great gasp of British court life. Structured around the paintings of courtiers and servants that line the walls of the King's Staircase of Kensington Palace paintings you can see at the palace today. The Courtiers goes behind closed doors to meet a pushy young painter, a maid of honor with a secret marriage, a vice chamberlain with many vices, a bedchamber woman with a violent husband, two aging royal mistresses, and many more. The result is an indelible portrait of court life leading up to the famous reign of George III , and a feast for both Anglophiles and lovers of history and royalty. Courtiers was a wonderful non-fiction book about Courtiers in the early Georgian Courts (George I & II). Sixteen of the courtiers shown in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting at Kensington Palace, are brought back to life in vivid detail. It's almost like they are still alive and their plotting, cattiness and insults are as stinging then as they are now. Worsley's writing style is easy to read and overall, the book reads more like fiction than non-fiction. 5/5 Edited January 29, 2012 by Abcinthia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 19. The Gunslinger - Stephen King In the first book of this brilliant series, Stephen King introduces readers to one of his most enigmatic heroes, Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter. I really enjoyed The Gunslinger. I wasn't too sure what to expect from The Dark Tower series so it has put me off reading it. I finally saw The Gunslinger in a charity shop so bought. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the plot and the characters (especially Jake) and was hooked right from the beginning. I can't wait to read the other books. My mum has the other books so I've asked her if I can borrow them so I can finish the series The only downside is I thought the writing style was a bit difficult... Choppy in places despite it being a revised edition. I read King's introduction where he says a lot of people have commented on that and that he himself tells people to bear with it because the second book is better. Well if the second book is better, I look forward to reading it. 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 High Windows - Philip Larkin I really enjoy Philip Larkin and this collection features one of my favourite poems of all time (This Be The Verse). It's beautifully written and a joy to read despite the depressive nature of nearly all the poems. I haven't read High Windows since college when I read The Whitsun Weddings (which overall I prefer slightly to High Windows) and High Windows whilst trying to decide which collection to use for my coursework. In the end I chose Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes instead. It was great to read it again. 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 21. State Of Fear - Michael Crichton State of Fear is a 2004 techno-thriller novel by Michael Crichton concerning eco-terrorists who attempt mass murder to support their views. The book was difficult to get into. I found it slow going and a bit boring for the first 100-150 pages. But once the setting and main characters were established it was enjoyable. The premise of the book was different to anything I've ever read before and it was full of refrences to current and past Science research into global warming which made it seem plausable and added to the excitement (especially towards the end). 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 A Visit From The Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan. NATIONAL BESTSELLER National Book Critics Circle Award Winner PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist A "New York Times Book Review "Best Book One of the Best Books of the Year: "Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Daily Beast, The Miami Herald, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Newsday, NPR's On Point, O, the Oprah Magazine, People, Publishers Weekly, Salon, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Slate, Time, The Washington Post, " and "Village Voice" Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page, "A Visit from the Goon Squad "is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption. I wasn't sure whether I should give this one or two stars. In the end I went with my gut feeling and gave it one. The book cover and about 5 pages at the beginning is full of praise. It won the Pulitzer Prise. It was a Tv Book Club Summer Read. It's "exceptional", "a delight", "incredibly affecting" and a "work of imaginative engergy and charm". High praise indeed and because of it, I had high expectations. Wouldn't you after reading so much praise? The book fell flat. Maybe it's my fault. I read praise and get my hopes up so high that nothing can live up to them. I thought it was boring and full of characters that are self-absorbed and well, not likable. I get that the point that the characters are meant to be like that but I just didn't care about how their stories ended. The plot is.... meh (best descriptive word for it - trust me). A lot of the praise is on the "elegant prose" and the gimmicky chapter which is a Powerpoint presentation. In fact, I'd use gimmicky to describe everything about the book (from plot to characters to writing style). The elegant prose is well... just average. If that is what passes as elegant then wow, I'm probably going to win the Pulitzer prize for this review. The powerpoint presentation was laughable. It was written by a 12 year old girl and it was laid out in a beautiful manner, full of clever ideas to convey messages. Has Egan ever seen a 12 year old's powerpoint? I'll let you know what my first Powerpoint was like (I was about 11-12). Red, tiny font - not even a decent font like Ariel or Times New Roman it was really curly and utterly unreadable to anyone in the front row, let alone the poor sods at the back. I had a purple background (which the red text just vanished into). It was cluttered. I didn't think of using cool pyramids, flow charts or thought bubbles to convey messages. I just threw all the text on and added about 100 moving clip art pictures. It was a couple of years later and sitting through hundreds of bloody awful powerpoint presentations at school before I realised - white background, black text, size 18 font, occassional picture, maybe some flowcharts or something and NOTHING ELSE. Anyway, I've sidetracked myself talking about Powerpoints that I've completely forgotten what else I was going to say about the book. 1/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 ^ I read this last year, and was very disapointed with it. Thought it was pretentious twaddle. I gave it 2.5/5, so I was bit more generous than you were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 I did consider giving it a 2 before deciding on 1. I did enjoy the first chapter but nothing else. The more I thought about it after finishing it, the more and more disapointed I became. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions - Lucy Hughes-Hallett This was a fantastic book. I wouldn't say it's a history per se but rather an analysis of Cleopatra's myth and how it has been changed depending on the time and the person writing it and how it changes in modern times. From opposing Roman and Egyptian propaganda in her own life time, to the blonde haired European, to the dark oriental foreigner Hughes-Hallet analyses it all. She's a mother, a killer, a childish bimbo, intelligent, stupid, a pacifist, a lover - one contraction after another. And that's why we love her. 5/5 Edited February 4, 2012 by Abcinthia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) 24. The Weaker Vessel: Woman's Lot In The Seventeenth-Century England - Antonia Fraser Synopsis (From Goodreads): Drawing from a wondrously deep well of diaries, letters, and papers from 17th-century England, the gifted historian Antonia Fraser gives the image of the "softer sex" a drubbing, plunging readers into the lives of "heiresses and dairy maids, holy women and prostitutes, criminals and educators, widows and witches, midwives and mothers, heroines, courtesans, prophetesses, businesswomen, ladies of the court, and that new breed, the actress." Prophetess Jane Hawkins, called "a witty crafty baggage" by one angry bishop, got around the ironclad law forbidding women to preach by claiming inspiration from God, while Catholic Mary Ward risked her neck repeatedly to found a string of convents and schools for girls on the European continent. Although several good wives of London beat the Lord Mayor in 1649 for his part in trying to arrest five members of Parliament, it's certainly true that most Englishwomen of the time were hemmed in by the whims and fears of men. Wealthy girls were routinely used as chips to bolster family fortunes through marriage, and any old, poor woman unfortunate enough to have "a furred brow, a hairy lip, a squint eye, a squeaking voice or a scolding tongue" lived under suspicion of witchcraft, wrote one contemporary observer. In Fraser's sure hands and supple prose, memorable and execrable historic moments spring to life. --Francesca Coltrera I am a massive Antonia Fraser fan and I was delighted to get this book for my birthday. And it lived up to my expectations. It was wonderfully researched and shows the lives of so many 17th-Century women, written in a clear manner. I think it's an invaluable read for anyone interested in women's history or history in this period. The only negative is that sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep up when several of the women Fraser focuses on have the same name (countless Annes and Catharines) but she makes that same point in the introduction and it's not her fault that a few names were wildly popular. 5/5 Edited February 5, 2012 by Abcinthia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 25. The Darkest Room - Johan Theorin On the idyllic island of Öland, off the coast of northern Sweden, a young couple from Stockholm tries to start life afresh. For Joakim and Katrine Westin, reclaiming a long-neglected family manor will be a labor of love, as they slowly bring the sprawling home back to life and introduce their two children to the island’s woodlands, glens, and beaches. But in the Westins’ new home, there are things that cannot be repaired, lives that have gone wrong, and secrets that have followed them. When the family is struck by tragedy, it’s up to grief-stricken Joakim to put together a puzzle of inexplicable loss, unbearable suspicion, and tangled lives. In this powerhouse of suspense–at once a crime novel and a searing family drama–a home built as a shelter from the sea becomes a human storm of murder This book was fantastic. It was a ghost story really, woven inbetween a crime story and a story of family life in the face of tragedy. A good ghost story should turn the ordinary into something extraordinarily creepy. The ghosts should be realistic so despite thinking that ghosts just cannot be real, you just can't help but think that this could happen. It should leave you wanting to read on but being petrified to turn the page. And I really think this book delivers. What makes the ghost story just seem so realistic is the juxtaposition of the family life and the police dealing with burglaries. The writing is both beautiful but also at times really difficult. As it's a translation from Swedish, some things were bound to get lost. Some of the metaphors and similies to describe what is going on are just beathtakingly beautiful. But sometimes I found sentences jumbled and there was one case where a whole paragraph had full stops in what appears to be mid-sentence as the clauses made no sense by themselves and it was difficult to read and understand. However, I think that was more of a translation issue, rather than the author's problem. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards It was alright but very predictable and clichéd. The kind of tearjerker that you've read a million times - full of betrayals, family secrets, breakdown in relationships but ultimately everything and everyone is forgiven and the family bonds are stronger than ever. 2/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 27. Rules Of Civility - Amor Towles In a jazz bar on the last night of 1937, watching a quartet because she couldn't afford to see the whole ensemble, there were certain things Katey Kontent knew: the location of every old church in Manhattan how to sneak into the cinema how to type eighty words a minute, five thousand an hour, and nine million a year and that if you can still lose yourself in a Dickens novel then everything is going to be fine. By the end of the year she'd learned: how to live like a redhead and insist upon the very best; that riches can turn to rags in the trip of a heartbeat, chance encounters can be fated, and the word 'yes' can be a poison. That's how quickly New York City comes about, like a weathervane, or the head of a cobra. Time tells which. I really enjoyed this book but I can't really say why. It's glitzy, witty and just fun to read. At times, it doesn't feel like you are reading it but standing in the middle of an over the top 1930s film, listening to Jazz, drinking Martinis and watching the action unfold. My only criticism, and why I only gave it 4/5, is the lack of quotation marks. It's a real pet hate of mine and I have yet to see a book written where it works. At times in Rules Of Civility the speech and the description merged together and I had to re-read to work out where the speech stopped. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards It was alright but very predictable and clichéd. The kind of tearjerker that you've read a million times - full of betrayals, family secrets, breakdown in relationships but ultimately everything and everyone is forgiven and the family bonds are stronger than ever. 2/5 agreed. have you seen the movie? If not, don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 agreed. have you seen the movie? If not, don't. No I haven't. I didn't even know there was a movie lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 No I haven't. I didn't even know there was a movie lol! Yeah...it was one of those lifetime network movies....2008...terrible!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 28. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain The Paris Wife tells the story of Ernest Hemmingway's first wife Hadley and the eventual breakdown of their marriage. Set in 1920s Paris and featuring many of the eras influential writers (eg Ezra Pound), it is a wonderful story. I really felt for Hadley and couldn't help but feel she was better off without Ernest. The writing is beautiful and really transports you there. My only problem was that it was a little bit slow in places. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 29. The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt I loved this book! Normally it is not the type of book I would pick up but I decided to give it a go after seeing it reviewed on the TV Book Club. I'm so glad I did read it. I loved everything from the fantastic cover design, the gripping plot, engaging characters and great writing style. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 28. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain The Paris Wife tells the story of Ernest Hemmingway's first wife Hadley and the eventual breakdown of their marriage. Set in 1920s Paris and featuring many of the eras influential writers (eg Ezra Pound), it is a wonderful story. I really felt for Hadley and couldn't help but feel she was better off without Ernest. The writing is beautiful and really transports you there. My only problem was that it was a little bit slow in places. 4/5 I've been really tempted to get this after seeing it in the shops. I must have picked it up and put it down countless times (I'm trying to really cut down on my book buying!) But I think I might have to get it 29. The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt I loved this book! Normally it is not the type of book I would pick up but I decided to give it a go after seeing it reviewed on the TV Book Club. I'm so glad I did read it. I loved everything from the fantastic cover design, the gripping plot, engaging characters and great writing style. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone. 5/5 Another one I'm intrigued by. Normally it wouldn't be my kind of thing, but SO many people have said how good this book is. I can see a library visit coming on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 29. The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt I loved this book! Normally it is not the type of book I would pick up but I decided to give it a go after seeing it reviewed on the TV Book Club. I'm so glad I did read it. I loved everything from the fantastic cover design, the gripping plot, engaging characters and great writing style. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone. 5/5 I have the book club books on order, and I'm lookng forward to this one. Good to see you liked it so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards It was alright but very predictable and clichéd. The kind of tearjerker that you've read a million times - full of betrayals, family secrets, breakdown in relationships but ultimately everything and everyone is forgiven and the family bonds are stronger than ever. 2/5 A very succinct review! I agree completely. Yeah...it was one of those lifetime network movies....2008...terrible!!! I think I saw this. But I don't remember much of it. I have a feeling I just skimmed through it (I recorded it). Not memorable at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I think I saw this. But I don't remember much of it. I have a feeling I just skimmed through it (I recorded it). Not memorable at all. you certainly didn't miss anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 I've been really tempted to get this after seeing it in the shops. I must have picked it up and put it down countless times (I'm trying to really cut down on my book buying!) But I think I might have to get it Another one I'm intrigued by. Normally it wouldn't be my kind of thing, but SO many people have said how good this book is. I can see a library visit coming on! I wasn't sure whether to get The Paris Wife either (I'm also trying to cut down on book buying). I was looking out for it in my local library when I won a copy. I'm so glad I did because it really was enjoyable. I have the book club books on order, and I'm lookng forward to this one. Good to see you liked it so much! I hope you like it too! 31. The Executioner - Chris Carter Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood. At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most. Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims? Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, somone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most. Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim. It was a good crime novel and it didn't realise it was book 2 in a series. Interesting serial killer, cops trying to find him and plenty of twists and turns. I thought I had the killer sussed but I was surprised in the end! The main character (Hunter) was likeable and so brilliant and the police investigation was gripping to read. The murders are very gruesome so it's not for the faint hearted. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) 31. The Executioner - Chris Carter Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood. At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most. Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims? Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, somone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most. Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim. It was a good crime novel and it didn't realise it was book 2 in a series. Interesting serial killer, cops trying to find him and plenty of twists and turns. I thought I had the killer sussed but I was surprised in the end! The main character (Hunter) was likeable and so brilliant and the police investigation was gripping to read. The murders are very gruesome so it's not for the faint hearted. 4/5 This sounds like a good read, I might just have to add it to my TBR pile! So there are two books in the series you say? Did you still understand everything despite not reading the first? I mean obviously you did, otherwise you would not of enjoyed it as much, but I just wonder if perhaps something somewhere didn't quite make sense? Edited February 18, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abcinthia Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 This sounds like a good read, I might just have to add it to my TBR pile! So there are two books in the series you say? Did you still understand everything despite not reading the first? I mean obviously you did, otherwise you would not of enjoyed it as much, but I just wonder if perhaps something somewhere didn't quite make sense? Yes there is one before it called The Crucifix Killer and a third one called Night Stalker. I found everything made sense. It could definitely be read by itself without reading the previous book. There were refrences to The Crucifix Killer but at no point did it say who he was or what excatly he did, so if I find that book in the library it will still be a surprise to read. The only thing really mentioned was that his partner was in some kind of peril at some point because of the Killer but Hunter doesn't go into detail. I have a habit of reading books in a Crime Series out of order. I just pick up whichever book is on display or randomly off the shelf in the library and most of the time just skim the blurb so don't realise it's in a series. I always appreciate the ones that do not give away too many details in previous books or require prior knowledge because if I like the author's style, I'll read the other books at some point and don't want the ending spoilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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