bobblybear Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) Books read this year: January Afterlight - Alex Scarrow The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness Genus - Jonathan Trigell Killing Floor - Lee Child Rose Madder - Stephen King The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein February The Penal Colony - Richard Herley Actually Factually: Mind Blowing Myths, Muddles and Misconceptions - Guy Campbell Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton March Nada - how shameful! April Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell Hit and Run - Doug Johnstone Breaking The Silence - Diane Chamberlain May The End Specialist - Drew Magary The Book Thief - Markus Zusak June The Good Earth - Pearl S Buck Rules of Prey - John Sandford Cloudstreet - Tim Winton Trade-Off - Tom Kasey The Quest for Anna Klein - Thomas H Cook (unfinished) July Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries - Tim Anderson Mercury Falls: Robert Kroese Argleton - Suw Charman-Anderson August Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke The Magic of Reality - Richard Dawkins Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King The Walking Dead Compendium, Vol. 1 - Robert Kirkman An Idiot Abroad - Karl Pilkington The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield September A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin The Wind Through The Keyhole - Stephen King Pure - Andrew Miller (unfinished) Blue Heaven - CJ Box Paper Towns - John Green October Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling The BFG - Roald Dahl The Witches - Roald Dahl Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling Me Before You - Jojo Moyes The Declaration - Gemma Malley The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein November Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch The Loop - Nicholas Evans Fingersmith - Sarah Waters Pigeon English - Stephen Kelman December The Fault in our Stars - John Green (unfinished) The Brave - Nicholas Evans The Courage Consort - Michel Faber I Can See You - Karen Rose (unfinished) One Day - David Nicholls Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (unfinished) The Universe Inside You - Brian Clegg (unfinished) Hollowland - Amanda Hocking Edited December 29, 2012 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) Books Purchased This Year All Kindle books, unless stated otherwise: Supersense - Bruce Hood What's Wrong With Eating People - Peter Cave Actually Factually: Mind Blowing Myths, Muddles and Misconceptions - Guy Campbell The Little Friend - Donna Tartt Written In Stone - Brian Switek QI: The Book of General Ignorance - The Noticeably Stouter Edition - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum - Mark Stevens Off With Their Heads: All the Cool Bits in British History - Martin Oliver Quantum - Manjit Kumar The Golden Acorn: The Adventures of Jack Brenin - Catherine Cooper The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins Cursed: A Jack Nightingale Short Story - Stephen Leather Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell #1) - Dana Stabenow Compromised - Derek Keyte QI: The Second Book of General Ignorance - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson Small Steps - Louis Sachar Mirage Men - Mark Pilkington The Secret River - Kate Grenville The Book of Human Skin - Michelle Lovric The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change - Stephen Covey Blue Heaven - CJ Box The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein The Complete Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams Worm: The Story of the First Digital War - Mark Bowden Tune In Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries - Tim Anderson The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition - Richard Dawkins The Elephant Whisperer - Graham Spence and Anthony Lawrence Mercury Falls - Robert Kroese The Girl On The Wall - Jean Baggott BEFORE and AFTER GETTING YOUR PUPPY: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog - Ian Dunbar How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through puppyhood and beyond - Cesar Millan The Key To Rebecca - Ken Follett Are We Nearly There Yet?: A Family's 8000 Miles Around Britain in a Vauxhall Astra - Ben Hatch Hit and Run - Doug Johnstone The Misremembered Man - Christina McKenna Farmer Buckley's Exploding Trousers : And other odd events on the way to scientific discovery - Stephanie Pain Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? - William Poundstone Argleton - Suw Charman-Anderson The Making of Modern Britain - Andrew Marr As The Crow Flies - Jeffrey Archer The Happiness Equation: The Surprising Economics of Our Most Valuable Asset - Nick Powdthavee Trade-off - Tom Kasey Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy Around the World in 80 Days Junior Edition - Jules Verne Megacatastrophes! - David Darling & Dirk Schulze-Makuch The Magic of Reality - Richard Dawkins Mr. China - Tim Clissold An Atlas of Impossible Longing - Anuradha Roy We Bought a Zoo - Benjamin Mee Daddy-Long-Legs - Jean Webster The Earth Hums in B Flat - Mari Strachan Inflight Science: A Guide to the World from your Airplane Window - Brian Clegg Paper Towns - John Green Requiem - Ken McClure Night Waking - Sarah Moss The World's Greatest Idea - John Farndon The Universe Inside You: The Extreme Science of the Human Body from Quantum Theory to Mysteries of the Brain - Brian Clegg The Etymologicon: A Circular Scroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Mark Forsyth One Million Tiny Plays About Britain - Craig Taylor Almost French: A New Life In Paris - Sarah Turnbull A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness The Eleventh Commandment - Jeffrey Archer Revenge of the Tide - Elizabeth Haynes An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington - Karl Pilkington Only Time Will Tell - Jeffrey Archer Zombie Fallout - Mark Tufo The Walking Dead Compendium, Vol 1 - Robert Kirkman (paperbook) The First Time: The True Tales of Virginity Lost and Found - Kate Monro The Declaration - Gemma Malley Ash - James Herbert Sarah Thornhill - Kate Grenville VIII - H M Castor The Joy of Sin: The Psychology of the Seven Deadly Sins - Simon Laham The Heat of the Sun - David Rain The Dummy Line - Bobby Cole The Hills is Lonely - Lillian Beckwith The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals - Wendy Jones The Lewis Man - Peter May Winter of the World - Ken Follet Yesterday's Gone: Season One - Sean Platt and David Wright Yesterday's Gone: Season Two - Sean Platt and David Wright Me Before You - Jojo Moyes Life of Pi (Illustrated) - Yann Martel Death and the Devil - Frank Schatzing Pure - Julianna Baggott The Rats - James Herbert The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend Times Echo - Pamela Hartshorne Trojan Horse - Mark Russinovich How Not To Worry: The Remarkable Truth of How a Small Change Can Help You Stress Less and Enjoy Life More - Paul McGee Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson The Dead Women of Juarez - Sam Hawken Want to Play - P J Tracy 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off - John Lloyd, John Mitchinson Safe House - Chris Ewen Plague - Lisa C Hinsley Les Miserables - Victor Hugo The Final Winter: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel - Iain Rob Wright The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett The Devil Wears Prada - Laura Weisberger The Grass Is Singing - Doris Lessing Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through The Lost Words of the English Language - Mark Forsyth The History of the World In Bite-Sized Chunks - Emma Marriott The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey Company of Liars - Karen Maitland The English Monster - Lloyd Shepherd Dark Lord: The Teenage Years - Jamie Thomson Reamde - Neal Stephenson The Millenium Trilogy - Stieg Larsson The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby A History of 20th Century Britain - Andrew Marr A 1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping - Paul Feeney Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding The Mess We're In: Why Politicians Can't Fix Financial Crises - Guy Fraser-Sampson Yesterday's Country Customs: A History of English Folk Traditions - Hentry Buckton The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt Bright Young Things - Scarlett Thomas The Enemy - Charlie Higson The Crime of Julian Wells - Thomas H Cook A 1960's Childhood: From Thunderbirds to Beatlemania - Paul Feeney Viva La Revolution!: The Story of People Power in 30 Revolutions - Derry Nairn Edited January 1, 2013 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) Books Borrowed This Year The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin The Wind Through The Keyhole - Stephen King Pure - Andrew Miller Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch Fingersmith - Sarah Waters The Loop - Nicholas Evans Pigeon English - Stephen Kelman The Brave - Nicholas Evans The Fault in our Stars - John Green I Can See You - Karen Rose One Day - David Nicholls The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney Edited December 25, 2012 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) I thought it might be interesting to see how many books I buy and borrow this year. I started going to library against last month, after not having been for probably about a year (since I got my Kindle). Quite a shame really, since our local library got rebuilt into a pretty decent modern building. So, anyway I've decided to go there every now and then, to get books that are too expensive for my Kindle, or that I'm not entirely sure I'll enjoy. Also, I've bought more books than ever before, since I bought my Kindle, and I think I've probably bought more books during the current 12 Days of Kindle than I have in the past year. Let's just see if I read them all. I don't have a set TBR list. There are plenty of books that I desperately want to read, but sometimes it can be a year or so before I get to them because something else ends up distracting me. So, if I listed my TBR books, I doubt I would read the majority of them this year, unless I kept constantly adding to it. Hopefully I'll reach my target of 52 books this year. I'll be studying as well, so busy busy busy....! Edited January 2, 2012 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Afterlight - Alex Scarrow Synopsis from Amazon: The world lies devastated after the massive oil crisis that was described in LAST LIGHT. Human society has more or less entirely broken down and millions lie dead of starvation or disease. There are only one or two beacon communities that have managed to fashion a new way of living. Jenny Sutherland runs one of these groups. Based on a series of decaying offshore oil rigs - for safety - a few hundred people have rebuilt a semblance of normality in this otherwise dead world. But as Jenny and her people explore their surroundings once again, they start to realise not every survivor has the same vision of a better future than their catastrophic past. There are people out there who would take everything they have. War is coming, and the stakes are truly massive ... My thoughts: This was a pretty good read. Not as good as it's prequel, but I think that's because Last Light's subject matter interested me a bit more (how ordinary people cope with the end-of-the-world scenario when it's happening right in front of them). It is set 10 years after Last Light, something which the author only decided to do after taking a break from the book. Initially, the book was going to set right after the events of Last Light, but I think that would have made it too similar. The story was interesting, with several of the characters going in different directions, trying to explore London to see if there were any signs of civilization. I thought it was pretty believable, especially with the fracture amongst people on the oil rig, after the arrival of Latoc. A quick entertaining read, with some serious subject matter, but at the same time it's a light read. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Bobbly I agree ,I have also neglected our libraries for quite awhile now, usually buying the books instead. For me, it's much more sensible to use the library since a lot of books that I THINK I will like ,really aren't as good as I thought they'd be . At least getting them from the library,you aren't out any money that way . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I totally agree, Julie. I aim this year to be very frugal, so the library will help with that. Of course, I bought a load of books on the 12 Days of Kindle sale, but that's an exception (or so I tell myself) But also I just like to browse the books in the library; it's more fun than browsing Amazon because sometimes a cover will just catch your eye. The people at work like to poke fun at me when I tell them I am excited about going to the library. A bit irritating, but nevermind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Bobbly I understand why you get irritated with the folks at work who don't understand why you enjoy going to the library . I grew up in a house of people like that. They can all READ of course, but none of them read for enjoyment . They might read the newspaper once in awhile or flip through a magazine,but they don't read books. I remember once when my parents were here to visit . I was about 40 at the time,and had a book laying on the coffee table that I was reading. My Dad picked it up, looked at it and said WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF THESE THINGS ??? How do you answer that question ? It's like someone asking you why you like EATING ... And I also agree that it is easier looking for library books because you can open them and read a little bit before deciding if it sounds good or not . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Wow Julie and Bobblybear yes I understand completely. I have people like that around me at work. They literally never read a book and have not since schooldays. They think I am so strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Wow Julie and Bobblybear yes I understand completely. I have people like that around me at work. They literally never read a book and have not since schooldays. They think I am so strange. VF I think maybe THEY are the ones that are strange. WE are the ones that are lucky,because we have found a hobby that we get such enjoyment from . They are missing out . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Yes, that's what I think: that they have no idea what they are missing out on. I don't understand how some people cannot enjoy reading, especially given that they must enjoy a good story if they like movies (and most people do). Oh well, we can't all be the same I suppose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Most of my friends read to some degree, even if just when they are on holiday, but when I mention I keep a record of books I have read, and that I frequent a book forum they really do not get it... They don't know what they're missing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Too right, Chaliepud! Right, I'm towards the end of The Knife of Never Letting Go, and I'm totally shocked by what has happened to Manchee!! He can't be dead!! I'm kind of hoping he will be resurrected by some miracle. If not.... I'm surprised he came to such an end in a children/young adult book! I would have been traumatised to read that at a young age. In fact, I am traumatised in my oldish age! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I felt exactly the same! I remember being sat in my armchair with tears streaming down my face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Yup, Chesilbeach. To me, it just ruined the book. I've finished the book now, and I'm so disappointed in that part. It kind of changed the whole tone of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Oh totally I was in bits when it happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 It was written in such a heart-wrenching way as well. I know it's "just a story", but I keep thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I think it was hard because he talked as well made it more traumatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness Synopsis from Amazon: Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run... My thoughts: I had really high expectations for this book, so I was extremely chuffed to see it on sale as part of the 12 Days of Kindle. The way the book was written caught me a little bit off guard. It is written through the main character's eyes and told as though he is speaking it all, complete with 'creative' spelling on certain words that he is unsure of. But I soon got used to it, and got into the story quite quickly. It is full of enough mystery and moves along at a fast pace to keep you quite interested. It also has a talking dog, which can never be a bad thing. However, I don't know if I would recommend it for anyone younger than a teenager, as it is quite brutal - brutal enough to upset me, and I'm all "old and jaded". Unfortunately, something happens quite late on in the book which just kind of ruined it for me. It just changed the tone of the book, and has put me off reading the rest of the series. I mean who kills off a lovable talking dog??? . On the other hand though, like my hubby said to me, the point of a book is to provoke strong emotions, so perhaps in a way the author has succeeded in writing a 'good book' as I'm sure he provoked strong emotions in anyone who read it. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 "Bought" some free books for my Kindle: The Golden Acorn: The Adventures of Jack Brenin - Catherine Cooper The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins Cursed: A Jack Nightingale Short Story - Stephen Leather Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell #1) - Dana Stabenow Compromised - Derek Keyte Why have I bought these when I have a gazillion books on my TBR list? Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Why have I bought these when I have a gazillion books on my TBR list? Who knows? It's a sickness we all have, you are not alone (200+ on my Kindle, and I daren't even count the number of books on my TBR shelves). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Terrible, isn't it?! Oh well, I can think of plenty worse things to be addicted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Genus - Jonathan Trigell Synopsis from Amazon In the Britain of a few tomorrows time, physical perfection is commonplace and self improvement has become an extinct expression: all the qualities men and women could aspire to can be purchased prior to birth. GENUS is a time of genetic selection and enrichment - life chances come on a sliding scale according to wealth. For some there is no money or choice, and an underclass has evolved; London's King's Cross, or The Kross as it is now known, has become a ghetto for the Unimproved. In The Kross, the natural, the dated, the cheap and the dull, live a brittle and unenviable existence. But unrest is growing; tension is mounting and a murderer is abroad in these dark quarters... Acclaimed author Jonathan Trigell's third novel is a breathtaking tour de force, exploring a dystopia of the not-too-distant-a future which will leave readers wondering not 'what if', as the original audience of Huxley's Brave New World did, but 'when'. My thoughts: I bought this as part of the 12 Days of Kindle, as I'm a bit of a fan of dystopian stories. I love reading about the darker side of what can possibly happen in the future. The story is mostly told through the eyes of Holman, one of the Unimproved (a dwarf) living in The Kross, which is a part of the city occupied by the 'genetic underclass'. Several people are found murdered in The Kross and they are all people who seem to be linked to Holman, and he becomes a suspect in the eyes of a local detective (Gunther, who has the best genes on the force!). This is quite the interesting future - we have vegetarian spiders which people keep as pets, or for silk production. They have babottweilers - a cross between baboon and rottweilers, livers designed to tolerate synthetic alcohol, and there have been several major wars to try to prevent Islamic government taking over Britain. But in amongst this, is also a very interesting story. It's a bit like unravelling a mystery, and every few chapters some tidbit of information (usually about Holman, and usually quite shocking) is revealed that shows the bigger picture of what is going on in this world and also changes the way you view the characters. I like books like that, where little secrets are revealed along the way that makes you see the characters a bit differently. If you're a fan of dystopia, then I'd say this one should be on your TBR list. 8.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 I'm now reading Killing Floor by Lee Child, the first in the Jack Reacher series. I've only heard of these because of all the fuss made about Tom Cruise playing the main character. I don't know enough about the character yet to comment, but at least it's a nice and energetic read, which is something I need right now. If I read anything slow, I fear I may fall asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Genus sounds great. That's going straight on my wants list. Thanks BB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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