Michelle Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 how was The Traitors - Tom Becker? See post #38 After finishing The Looking Glass Wars, I decided to pick up another book I'd heard about on Twitter, The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. I'm about half way through, and I love it so far! It's classed as YA, but this should appeal to many people. It's a dystopian tale, set in a world where the vampires are in charge, and humans are basically kept to work and be fed from. Allison is 'Unregistered' living in the outer city. One day she's almost killed, and she's turned by a vampire - she then has to battle with becoming what she detests. I'm already wondering when I'll be able to get my hands on book 2! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 The Looking Glass Wars and The Immortal Rules were both interesting reads, and The Immortal Rules has gone on my list of faves of 2012! I'm now to move onto Split Second by Cath Staincliffe. I also started my audio version of The Gunslinger last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 I feel like I'm talking to myself here, but never mind! Split Second is a rather emotional book - I'm about half way, and will be catching up with reviews very soon. Very undecided by The Gunslinger - it's all a bit strange, but I'd like to know what's going on, so will continue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Very undecided by The Gunslinger - it's all a bit strange, but I'd like to know what's going on, so will continue... It is a very strange series and very typical King, if you stick with it you will be rewarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thanks Tim - I'm used to King's strangeness, and it usually pays off, so I'm sure I will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I just tried to reply to one of your posts on your blog, but it wants me to sign in with Word Press to do so, and I don't have an account. It suggested FB but I don't want to allow Word Press to access all my details so I can't reply! Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 You used to have a wordpress account Janet, as you've posted some reviews with it. Have you deleted it? What was it you wanted to comment on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 It was the one about your daughter's reading. I had copied the post in case you replied, but I forgot and copied an ISP of someone to check out so it's gone. I said something about it been a good idea to let her choose what she wants to read and that I'm sure she'll always love reading. Of course I have WP - how daft of me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Ah yes, I was disappointed that no-one commented on that one.. I think I'll post it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa... I was rather torn when I saw this book – the cover is rather stunning, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for another vampire book – what else was there to say or do? Thankfully though, it turns out there was plenty to be added to this genre, and the key to this particular book is the character of Allie. The Immortal Rules is set in a future where most of the population have been wiped out, and the rest live in cities under the control of vampires. Some live in the Fringe, where they refuse to be registered, instead scavenging for food. Allie has lived here, in a small gang, ever since her mother died. One day, whilst leading her gang to a food supply, she is attacked and is about to die. A lone vampire offers her a choice – to die, or to be turned. Choosing the latter, she becomes what she has always hated, a vampire. Over time, Allie has to come to terms with her decision, learning more about the vampires, and just what it means to be one. It’s a difficult journey, and as a reader you take every step with her. Books become extra special to me when the characters do too, and Allie was written in such a way that I believed in her, and the decisions she made. The vampires themselves are pretty much traditional, with most being powerful, violent and controlling. There is a hint of a potential romance, but that’s the limit. It’s published as a YA book, but it will appeal to all ages. It’s the first book in a trilogy, which means there’s plenty more to come.. but there’s no frustrating cliff-hanger. In short, I loved this book, and would recommend it to nearly everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 Split Second by Cath Staincliffe Three youths gang up on Luke on a bus. They are challenged by a bystander, Jason, and a fight breaks out – which ends up with Jason fatally stabbed, and Luke critically ill in hospital. The book follows what happens during and after, and is told from the point of view of Jason’s father, Luke’s mother, and Emma, a witness on the bus. For me, the key to this book was the way it was written – the characters are very human, and the emotions are laid out in front of the reader. There’s no over-use of emotions, designed to tug at the heart-strings, but rather a raw emotion – honest and heartbreaking. Whilst I expected the parent’s stories to be the most important, it was Emma’s which really caught my attention, the sort of person usually ignored in these circumstances, a witness who has to deal with her own decisions, as well as her own life. In that split second, what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 I got a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children the other day. I've just finished the 1st 5 chapters, and I'm fascinated by it. Wherever the story takes me from here, it's so well written it's flowing off the page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I got a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children the other day. I've just finished the 1st 5 chapters, and I'm fascinated by it. Wherever the story takes me from here, it's so well written it's flowing off the page! This has been one of my favourite books so far this year! It was so different it was refreshing... I'm looking forward to "Talking Pictures" being released later this year, an entire book of peculiar pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 We certainly seem to share good taste in books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Indeed! In fact I think I get more recommendations from you than from anyone else, so thank you for having excellent book taste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 I received a box of books today! http://mjmoore.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/box-of-books/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Wow! Always good to get a lovely box of books, lucky girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Wow, that was a good win, hope your girls love the books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Just finished my 34th book of the year, The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals. This one starts off fairly slow, but it's definitely worth it. Full review to come very soon, along with all the others which have built up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Look forward to reading the review on that one. Funeral Director! What next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 That sounds very promising, Michelle. I look forward to your full review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Review: This book is set in 1924, in rural Wales. Wilfred Price is a young undertaker, living with his father. On a picnic, he proposes to a girl he hardly knows. Instantly regretting it, he’s nonetheless caught up in a series of events. I don’t want to go into the story or the characters, as they are best left to unfold naturally throughout the story. The importance is in how the book is written. It’s written in a rather gentle way, which to me completely reflected the behaviours and feelings of the characters. This is a quiet village, where people are very careful of the way they act and speak, and emotions and secrets are kept very much to themselves. There are emotions and secrets which are explored throughout the book – there are difficult issues involved, but they are handled delicately. For me, the first half of the book felt slow, but there was something about the characters which kept me reading. It was definitely worth continuing, and it became one of those books which I picked up whenever I could, just to read a bit more. If you allow it to, this is a book which will charm you, and surprise you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Ok you talked me into it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I was already talked into reading the book by Kylie, but you've made a great supporting case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 I hope you both like it! I've just caught up with a few amazon vine reviews, one of which was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I loved it, but I've read reviews by people who were quite upset because they didn't realise it was a children's book, so I've tried to cover that. I really think this book is best approached with very little information, so I didn't want to give anything away. I'm really not sure the best way to review this book. I was aware it contained photos, and I knew a lot of my friends had loved it. That was all I knew, and I still think that's the best way to approach it. To try to summarise without giving too much away, Jacob has been brought up with the strange stories his grandfather has told him about his childhood. As a young child, Jacob believed every word, but as he grew older, he began to doubt.. as would be expected. He's then given an opportunity to return to the place where his grandfather grew up, and he gets to find out just how much of the strange stories were true. I've seen other reviewers complain because they didn't realise it was a children's book. I suppose the eventual *storyline* could be classed as this, but to me it certainly doesn't *read* like a children's book. Plus some of the photos may be a little unsettling for younger readers. So hard to explain without giving away the story! I found the book to be very well written, I loved most of the characters, and although the storyline took a turn I wasn't expecting, I was intrigued and captured. If you approach this with an open mind, you're most probably find yourself captured as well. For those who have read it... did you feel it was a children's book? I felt it went that way with the monsters towards the end, but that didn't bother me in the slightest, as I read a wide range, including YA and childrens. I did think that it could have taken a different route, focusing more on his decision as to whether to stay with them or leave, and maybe that would have been seen as more 'adult'. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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