Another cue for you to fold your ears.

The Rogue - Trudi Canavan

2011-05-09T09:53:32Z

You can definitely tell that this is a 'middle' book. A lot of the book is setting the story up for the final book in the series. I read this straight from the Ambassador's Mission.

I wasn't very interested in Lilia's story, and a lot of what happens to her reminded me of Sonea in the original trilogy (not fitting in, being bullied, etc). It also felt like Trudi felt obliged to put lesbians in the story - the romance / infatuation of her character didn't feel realistic or believable to me, and quite forced.

I liked the Dannyl/Tayend story, too, it was interesting to see what would happen next with them. I found Lorkin less annoying in this book, too - he does sound a lot more mature and more of an adult by the end of the book. And, as much as I like Dorrien, he just felt like he was there to add excitement / intrigue to Sonea's storyline (she isn't really very central to these books) and I just felt a bit embarrassed for him really :/ I wonder if he will be back in the next one.

I will be interested to see what happens in the final book - I am expecting another war as everything hits the fan, but we'll see. I hate having to wait a year to find out what happens next! Though Trudi's writing style hasn't improved much since the first Black Magician book, and her character's remain a bit samey and characters often have similar storylines, she can make the books very readable and hard to put down. Though really I think this would have made a much better pair of books than a trilogy - I know publishers love fantasy trilogies but it always leaves a middle book that doesn't have much to it, and feels like mostly filler.

"Dracula: the Undead" review

2010-01-14T21:08:08Z

I mostly didn't like this book. It didn't feel like a proper sequel, at all. I actually agree with other reviewers that this feels more like a film sequel because it is just SO BAD, and it does read like a film rather than a novel. It felt like several books squished into one - part Victorian detective, part Dracula/Bathory angst, part 'heroes'. Oh yes, and throw in Mina and Jonathan Harker's son, Quincey, and his aspirations to be an actor into the mix as well as a subplot.

(Cut for mild spoilers.)

I hated that Bram Stoker was in it. I was going to nitpick that his knowing Oscar Wilde and all these name-dropping of famous Victorian celebs is just UNREALISTIC but Wikipedia says that it all really did happen. So I won't. But it still was a bit annoying.

I didn't like the way that every character seemed to be totally different. I could understand this, since it has been 25yrs since Dracula and that sort of secret would probably play havoc on anyone. BUT, there appeared to be a total character change in almost everyone.

I didn't like that the villain took a complete 180 - all of a sudden Dracula is not the evil villain we were led to believe in book 1, but he was just a champion for god, doing what's right! He is just SO misunderstood! But it's ok, he forgives everyone. HUGS. Um, I don't think so. I didn't mind Bathory's character so much, she did seem genuinely evil and a real threat, and giving Dracula a purpose and a character/personality was nice too. But I'm just not ready to see Dracula as The Good Guy. It basically re-writes the original book (and all Stoker's original idea) completely!

I was not entirely sure about all the sex scenes that suddenly appeared as well. I'm sure the original was not this graphic. I um, don't want details of Jonathan and Mina's sex life, kthx.

Oh yes, and let's not forget the total lack of geographical knowledge! Mina travels by motorcar from central London to Whitby (about 250 miles) in just a few hours. The AA website says that today, with modern cars travelling up to 70mph and motorways and no traffic, it would take approx 5hrs. So it must be some sort of miracle that Mina managed it in about this amount of time along backroads with a car which may have had a top speed of 20-30mph. Meanwhile, Quincey makes the journey partly on horseback, partly on foot - again, in just a few hours..!

Personally, they should have left well alone. :/ I'd recommend reading "The Historian" instead, which, while not my favourite, did a pretty good job. Far better than this rubbish!

Dacre Stoker's Dracula sequel

2010-01-09T19:54:52Z

The tall figure of Count Dracula, wearing a well-worn dinner jacket and a black cape lined with red, filled the dusty English drawing room menacingly. His dark eyes stared out from under a furrowed brow. This grim expression slowly gave place to an ominous smile as he asked with a thick continental accent, "Would you repeat what you just said, progressor?"
The older man sighed. "I said, 'Count, do you wish to know what I prescribed for our ailing Miss Westenra?"
"Anything you do concerning my dear Lucy is of the utmost interest to me, professor."
Professor Van Helsing produced a massive wooden cross and spun to face the Count. Dracula hissed and recoiled, snapping his cape. Stepping on a corner of it, he tripped into the furniture, knocking over a lamp table. An explosion of smoke startled both men.
The count coughed uncontrollably. "Now that you... you and that solicitor... Jonathan Harker... have learned what you think it is... you have learned, Professor Van... Helstock..."
Van Helsing rolled his eyes.
Count Dracula continued, "It is time for you to depart these shores for..." He was at a momentary loss for words. "... the land of your little wooden shoes."
"The name is Van Helsing!" the other man shouted. "And could you be referring to my home of HOLLAND, you idiot?"
"You insolent little fly speck!" Count Dracula screamed back, without any trace of an accent. "Do you have any idea of the awe-inspiring talent that stands before you?"
"All I see before me is a talentless drunkard who can't remember his bloody lines."
Outraged, Count Dracula turned toward the lights. "Stoker! Fire this arse immediately!"
Van Helsing grabbed Dracula's cape and pulled it over his head. Dracula, in turn, caught hold of Van Helsing's collar. The men struggled until the count was plagued by a second coughing fit.
"I've swallowed a goddam fang!" he bellowed. He tore himself away from the cape and struck Van Helsing with a right hook. Van Helsing's nose exploded in a spray of blood.
In a blind rage, Van Helsing lowered his head and charged at Count Dracula.
"Keep away, you fool! You're getting blood all over my jacket!"

Ok, I lol'd, but oh you did not just do that, Dacre Stoker.

"Who the devil are you?" Deane demanded. "This is a private rehearsal."
"I'm sorry I'm early, but I have an appointment with a Mr. Hamilton Deane," Quincey said.
"Oh, yes. You're the chap applying for the apprenticeship. What is your name?"
"Quincey Harker."
Stoker reacted as if he had swallowed a fly.
"Did I hear correctly?" Quincey continued. "Is one of the characters in your play a solicitor named Jonathan Harker?"
"Yes. What of it?" Stoker thundered.
"My father's name is Jonathan Harker... and he's a solicitor."

Oh yes, yes you did just do that.

WHAT.

lecari @ 2009-07-19T01:00:00

2009-07-19T00:00:46Z

Running a little family photo competition - please vote for your favourite photos here!

2009 reads.

2009-01-01T23:17:06Z

81/ 50 books.

1. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
2. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
3 & 4. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor - Red Dwarf and Better than Life
5. Lisa Dalby - Geisha
6. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
7. Amanda Foreman - Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
8. Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
9. Alexander McCall Smith - Morality for Beautiful Girls
10. Alexander McCall Smith - The Kalahari Typing School for Men
11. Virginia Woolf - To The Lighthouse
12. Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own
13. Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Urbervilles
14. Ian McEwan - On Chesil Beach
15. Bernhard Schlink - The Reader
16. Patricia Highsmith - The Talented Mr Ripley
17. Geraldine Brooks - Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
18. Anne McCaffrey - The Ship Who Sang
19. Bruce Campbell - Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way
20. Kenneth Grahame - The Wind in the Willows
21. Philippa Gregory - The Wise Woman
22. Philippa Gregory - The Other Queen
23. Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Ernest
24. Oscar Wilde - A Woman of No Importance
25. Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
26. Oscar Wilde - Lady Windermere's Fan
27. Graham Greene - The End of the Affair
28. Christie Dickason - The Firemaster's Mistress
29. Paullina Simons - The Road to Paradise
30. JK Rowling - the Tales of Beedle the Bard
31. William Horwood - The Willows in Winter
32. Karen Holmes - Advertising, Marketing and PR (Insider Career Guide)
33. Neil Gaiman - Fragile Things
34. Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
35. Agatha Christie - Elephants Can Remember
36. Adela Stanley - Careers in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
37. Carolly Erickson - The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel
38. Robert Harris - The Ghost
39. Frances Osborne - The Bolter
40. Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
41. JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
42. Laura Thompson - Agatha Christie
43. Karoline Leach - In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: The Myth and Reality of Lewis Carroll
44. Cornelia Funke - Inkheart
45. Cornelia Funke - Inkspell
46. Cornelia Funke - Inkdeath
47. Christopher Paolini - Eragon
48. Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere
49. Chris d'Lacey - The Fire Within
50! Cornelia Funke - the Dragon Rider
51! Betty G. Birney - The World According to Humphrey
52! Jim Dodge - Fup
53! Alan Moore - V for Vendetta
54! Neil Gaiman - Stardust
55! Neil Gaiman - The Sandman: Analogues and Prologues
56! George and Weedon Grossmith - The Diary of a Nobody
57! Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere (Graphic Novel)
58! Julie Powell - Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
59! Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
60! Budge Wilson - Before Green Gables
61! Neil Gaiman - The Sandman: The Doll's House
62! Frank Beddor - The Looking Glass Wars
63! Lemony Snicket - A Bad Beginning
64! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Train your Dragon
65! Frank Beddor - Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd
66! William Goldman - The Princess Bride
67! Lemony Snicket - The Reptile Room
68! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Be a Pirate
69! Sue Townsend - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
70! Dave Eggers - The Wild Things
71! Carrie Bebris - Pride and Prescience
72! Maria V. Snyder - Poison Study
73! Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses
74! David Benedictus - Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
75! Alexander McCall Smith - In the Company of Beautiful Ladies
76! Marcus Sedgwick - Flood and Fang
77! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Speak Dragonese
78! Christopher Paolini - Eldest
79! Marcus Sedgwick - Ghosts and Gadgets
80! Helen Stringer - The Last Ghost
81! Terry Pratchett - The Carpet People (2009 edition)

81! Terry Pratchett - the Carpet People (2009 edition)
Finished 30/12
This is the first time I've read a Pratchett book that wasn't in the Discworld series. It says that this was originally written when Terry was just 17, but has been since updated and edited by him for re-printing. I really enjoyed this and thought it was a really clever read. If you liked the Discworld books, you'll like this - while it is a more traditional type of fantasy story, it has all the interesting satire and wordplay and loveable characters that they do. It's also quite an original idea (they live in the carpet!) and exciting, especially towards the end. I read this almost in one sitting, I couldn't put it down.

80! Helen Stringer - the Last Ghost
Finished 25/12

79! Marcus Sedgwick - Ghosts and Gadgets
Finished 25/12
Again, a very fun and quirky story, this time involving ghosts, with a gothic twist. I especially like the drawings, which compliment the story and add to the humour (especially the one of Edgar pretending to be a gargoyle haha). Also liked the toy Edgars (I'd buy one!) and the Ghost Hunting Machine :)

78! Christopher Paolini - Eldest
Finished 24/12
This book was a drag for about half the way through. I really struggled to get through it, especially as it is so long (it should have been about 300 pages, really, not nearly 700!). It began to pick up when Roran's adventure begins - this, and the Varden, was the only part that kept me going. The parts with Eragon's training really needed severely cutting and editing - it describes everything about the world and magic in minutiae detail, it's just unnecessary. And I disliked all the talking in elvish, without translation; I found it very difficult to follow what was being said, and to me it just felt like the author was showing off his skillz. At least Tolkein had a plot that kept the reader involved (despite the tangents).
The last 150 pages or so, when Eragon changes into a 'real' Rider, finishes his studies and goes to war against the Empire (with some help from his friends) was really exciting and very gripping. His writing here really had me hooked and made me glad that I had kept with it as he can be a good writer, when he wants to be. (Even if the twist at the end was rather predictable.) I couldn't put it down! However, it did end quite abruptly - I'm sure this was meant to be a dramatic cliffhanger, though, so I won't complain about it.
Inside this was a good book wanting to get out, but was bogged down with too many details and long descriptions. I think with a bit more time in editing, this could have been excellent. But despite this, I'm giving it extra for the ending and for Roran's adventures, as they were genuinely entertaining, and switching between the two was a good idea. (And very much needed!)

77! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Speak Dragonese
Finished 22/12
The next book of Hiccup's adventures (a bday present from Jon). As always a really fun read! Poor old Hiccup. In this one he is kidnapped by the Romans and has to try and escape (along with Fishlegs and new character Camicaze, from a rival tribe). A bit of mild peril but again lots of laugh out loud bits, and I still love the drawings! Adorable <3 Can't wait to read the next one!
Only downside is that my copy has a very exciting ":O in the next book..." that someone in the confusion was stung by the Venomous Vorpent "and, as everybody knows, the sting of the Venomous Vorpent is absolutely always fatal... Which of our Heroes was unlucky enough to be stung? Look out for the next volume of Hiccup's memoirs..." and the next few pages advertise the previous two books and the next one in the series (How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse)... and reveals the plot and who was stung. OH OK THANKS FOR RUINING THE SUSPENSE. ._.

76! Marcus Sedgwick - Flood and Fang
Finished 20/12
Quite a cute, fun story - definitely will read the next one :)

75! Alexander McCall Smith - In the Company of Beautiful Ladies
Finished 18/12
I borrowed this from the library - I thought this was the next one, but it turns out that it's number 6, not number 5! When I was reading it I kept thinking "I don't remember hearing about Precious getting married.." but thought it had maybe happened inbetween the last two books. Doh! Anyway, another great, enjoyable read - as usual it really gripped me and I read it in a few hours, couldn't put it down. I love how everything is solved in the end. And certain parts really chilled me - I love that McCall Smith is really able to make the reader feel for the characters, they all feel so real.

74! David Benedictus - Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
Finished 15/12
I have read parts of this - was hoping to re-read the Milne Poosh stories so I could compare them properly, but didn't get a chance, so I read it anyway. I did quite enjoy this and I liked that Christopher Robin came back. I was really excited to hear more tales of Winnie the Pooh, and I felt David Benedictus captured Milne's style well, and Mark Burgess's images were good, too. However, for me, there were a few bad points:
- All the characters are in everything all the time, sometimes this felt a bit silly and unnecessary
- I didn't especially like the new otter character, Lottie. She is accepted straight away and unquestioningly, and seems to be good at everything, which is just a bit annoying. To me she didn't really come alive and have a real personality
- Christopher Robin leaves again at the end indefinitely AGAIN :'( and it was all a bit abrupt, it just suddenly ended a little out of the blue.
I think that this was partly tainted by reading about the real Christopher Robin - that he was embarrassed by his fame and was bullied about it at boarding school, and didn't get along with his father because of his resentment over the books. I don't know.
I did like a lot of it though - the humour is there, made me smile a lot, and I liked the cricket match (even though I don't know very much about cricket).

73! Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses
Finished 9/12
Again, from the library. I expected this at first to be just another angsty teen read, Romeo and Juliet style. And while it is a romance, it's also a really well-written, pacey book which has a lot of race issues. The Crosses are black and are the ones with most of the power (all the top jobs/positions), the Noughts are white and do all the menial work, and until fairly recently were all slaves to the Crosses. Persephone is a Cross, while Callum (her best friend) is a Nought, and it talks about lots of issues of them being friends/lovers, and how they don't feel they can be together because they are different races and it's unheard of. When he is finally allowed to go back to school (all the Naughts leave school at 14, while Crosses can go on to university-level), he is bullied by pupils and teachers, and when she tries to act friendly with him like normal she is also victimised and suspended for sitting at their table at lunchtime. It's really well-written and gripping, and also heartbreaking at the same time. It also talks about whether violence or peaceful protests are the way forward when making a stand against a regime you don't like. And each chapter is written from a different POV (out of the pair), which is again a real insight and I loved how differently they thought about everything, just because of their different upbringings/backgrounds. While it is a bit adult in places (it does have a lot of violence and some sex scenes) I think it deals with race issues really really well and should definitely be one for young people to read.

72! Maria V. Snyder - Poison Study
Finished 8/12
Another one from the library. I don't really know how I felt about this one. I didn't really like it but can't really put my finger on why, which is unusual for me. I think it was the characters - Valek was a little unbelievable, he seemed to be good at everything. They all felt a bit fake. I liked the idea and the storyline was ok but it just didn't really 'grip' me, it was a little difficult for me to get through.

71! Carrie Bebris - Pride and Prescience
Finished 5/12
Got this from the library as I was in a P&P mood. I was really really enjoying it, I love the way it's written and I felt she'd really captured the characters well, and I loved especially how she portrayed Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. So cute! And lots of funny bits between them. It was really in Austen's style. And then I got to the end and was just DISAPPOINTED. A supernatural explanation just doesn't fit into an Austen novel! It just felt clunky and awkward and rushed. Really disappointed because the rest of the book was so good. I may read the next one but I hope the ending is more satisfying!

70! Dave Eggers - The Wild Things
Finished 2/12
I don't know what I thought about this to be honest. I'm guessing there are lots of deeper meanings in all the 'wild things' and they all represent deeper things/emotions but it's hard to understand. And a lot of things aren't explained, like how they survived the lava, or what the chattering was. Again, I think we're supposed to 'know'. Overall though it was just quite creepy and unsettling, I didn't like it. This has not made me want to see the film at all! (Sorry Jon.)

69! Sue Townsend - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
Finished 2/12
Got this from the library. I love Adrian Mole, he is so funny and silly. XD I will definitely be re-reading the rest of the series!

68! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Be a Pirate
Finished 1/12
Jon bought me this yesterday from Lakeside as an early Xmas present - really enjoyed it, although I didn't think it was *quite* as good as the first. But I loved hearing what had happened to Hiccup AND hearing more about Toothless. Definitely can't wait to read the rest. I still love the cute little drawings! :D

67! Lemony Snicket - The Reptile Room
Finished 29/11
The second in the "Series of Unfortunate Events" series - it is ok, though nothing amazing. Quite similar to the film so far, so it's a little boring. I think I will read the next one - may pick up a bit after this as I won't know what's going to happen! I do like his writing style, I admit.

66! William Goldman - The Princess Bride
Finished 26/11
I really enjoyed this too! It really is quite an exciting story and full of great twists, I was gripped all the way through. And also I loved the little footnotes. I admit I didn't really read the introduction, but it was 31 pages long, and that is just too long. But the rest of the book is brilliant, and I thoroughly recommend it!

65! Frank Beddor - Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd
Finished 25/11
I much preferred this to the first, which isn't brilliantly written in places. I got quite sucked into it and found it quite an exciting, pacey read (despite the reasonably obvious twist about Hatter Maddigan). I loved the ending, too - an excellent cliff hanger. It's quite violent though, the deaths are a bit graphic in places, I don't think I'd want any younger children reading it. But I certainly enjoyed it, and it seems that the hardback is available (US only I think - it's not available on Amazon til January as paperback only) so I will definitely have to look into getting that, I want to know what happens next!

64! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (translated by Cressida Cowell) - How to Train your Dragon
Finished 24/11
I absolutely loved this, didn't take me long at all to read it - a really funny book! It's a good story too, not too predictable. I loved the cute little drawings too, they really made it! Really this is such a good book, will definitely be reading the rest :)

63! Lemony Snicket - A Bad Beginning
Finished 20/11

62! Frank Beddor - The Looking Glass Wars
Finished 19/11
This is a re-read as I wanted to refresh myself on it before reading the second in the series for the first time! Actually enjoyed it more this time around.

61! Neil Gaiman - The Sandman: The Doll's House
I finished this quite a while ago but hadn't added it to the list, eep! The next in the Sandman series, and just as enjoyable, although it seems there is a theme to the books (lots of violence and serial killers!). Hope the next one is perhaps a little less so..!

60! Budge Wilson - Before Green Gables
Finished 17/11
I enjoyed this much more than I expected! The author has captured well the style and magic of the Green Gables series. I thought it'd be a little cliched and boring (especially as it's such a long book!) but even though you know what's going to happen in the end, it's still a great read. I loved reading about Anne's early years, despite all the hardship. I've always enjoyed these books as (even though she's fictional) Anne is an inspiration, and this makes me admire her even more. Despite everything, she still manages to come out positive and full of hope for life. I'm sure Lucy Montgomery would have approved!

59! Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Finished 13/11
I actually really enjoyed this! More than I have some of her others (barring Emma and Pride and Prejudice - I can't even really remember what happened in Sense & Sensibility). It felt a bit unfinished though (lots of sections are skipped over), but I found it really genuinely funny, some laugh out loud moments. I loved it when Catherine was making up outrageous stories, and when she is wandering around in the middle of the night. XD

58! Julie Powell - Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Finished 04/11

57! Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere (Graphic Novel)
Finished 01/11

56! George and Weedon Grossmith - The Diary of a Nobody
Finished 28/10
Quite a short book but really enjoyable. I loved his silly habits, I thought the whole book was really funny, and he reminded me a lot of Adrian Mole (but before Adrian Mole, really!). Wish they had done more! An excellent, fun read.

55! Neil Gaiman - The Sandman: Analogues and Prologues
Finished 26/10

54! Neil Gaiman - Stardust
Finished 25/10

53! Alan Moore - V for Vendetta
Finished 22/10

52! Jim Dodge - Fup
Finished 21/10

51! Betty G. Birney - The World According to Humphrey
Finished 20/10
This book was SO SO cute! :D A little cheesy but I thought it was a really cute little story (very short!), it reminded me of Noob and Poo Bug. I liked hearing about his adventures and how he helps to solve his pupil's (and teacher's!) problems, and what score he got on the vocabulary test. Of course a school hamster will get good marks :D (I bet Noob got better scores on his history essays than I did..) I also liked that he knew all the pupil's as "Put-Your-Hand-Up-Heidi" and things, very nice touch :)

50! Cornelia Funke - the Dragon Rider
Finished 19/10
Another dragon book! I really loved the Inkheart series and her style of writing (even though it is in German, translated to English), it felt so believable and REAL and I loved her characters. This story is no different, about a dragon whose home and dragon family/friends are threatened by humans, so he decides to find the Rim of Heaven (where dragons come from!), the only safe place to hide in. This was no different to Inkheart triology, absolutely loved it! Did find it a bit odd that dragons live on moonlight though.

49. Chris d'Lacey - The Fire Within
Finished 17/10
I thought this was alright, the story mostly revolved around rescuing a squirrel which got a bit boring at times. I also didn't always find the main character, David, very believable - he is supposed to be 20 and a lodger, at university - yet the author regularly refers to it as "college", he doesn't seem to have any other friends other than the 12yr old daughter (they're never mentioned) and the woman he is renting the room from treats him like a son, making him dinner every night, cleaning up after him, doing his washing, TIDYING HIS ROOM. And he never actually seems to go to any lectures or does any work. I know it's a kid's book but I was a bit confused. He acts like a 12-14yr old kid and I didn't realise how old he was until it was mentioned later in the book, that he is in fact 20. I did really like the dragons though, and how he doesn't know what's going on for ages etc! That really sucked me in. :) (And did finish it in a day, despite being at work, so it can't have been so bad.)

48. Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere
Finished 16/10
Finally got this from the library and absolutely loved it! I love Neil Gaiman's writing anyway, he has such an excellent way of capturing people and places so well, and this was no different - I was totally sucked in, his description of London was spot on, it really captured it. And I just loved the whole thing, to be honest - the Black Friars, the Earl's Court, the Angel Islington, it felt so believable, especially as the characters are very realistic. Just SO GOOD. I want to check out the BBC TV series (which is what the book was based on) but I am scared because it probably won't live up to my imagination! Definitely one I will re-read.

47. Christopher Paolini - Eragon
Finished 12/10
Enjoyed it, but not as good as Inkheart series, didn't enjoy the writing as much and there was so much happening all the time - everyhting was dramatic and danger and peril.

46. Cornelia Funke - Inkdeath
Finished 09/10
I have loved every minute of this trilogy - really glad I picked up a copy of Inkheart now! They are really well-written, exciting stories, with lots of excellent twists and changes to keep you interested. I was worried from the reviews on Amazon that this last book wouldn't be as good as the others but it was just as good, if not better, and kept me interested to the last (took me a while to finish as I've been ill & not reading much). I really recommend them to any book lovers - the way it brings books to life and describes them, is amazing!

45. Cornelia Funke - Inkspell
Finished 01/10

44. Cornelia Funke - Inkheart
Finished 26/09

43. Karoline Leach - In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: The Myth and Reality of Lewis Carroll

42. Laura Thompson - Agatha Christie

41. JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

40. Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

39. Frances Osborne - The Bolter
Finished 28/08
I really enjoyed this. It must be really exciting to find that you have a relative with a life as fascinating and colourful as Idina's! Really fascinating!

38. Robert Harris - The Ghost
Finished 17/08
I really like Robert Harris, I don't think he has ever written a bad book. This one isn't quite the same as his others (it's not really 'historical', it's set in modern day around the 7/7 bombings). The British prime minister is accused of war crimes, and the main character is at the time writing his memoirs as a ghost writer when the news breaks, replacing the previous ghost writer who has died. It kind of reminded me of Tony Blair/Bush (probably deliberate). It was very exciting and kept me interested the whole way through - I couldn't put it down.

37. Carolly Erickson - The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel
Finished 12/08
I borrowed this from the library, I just saw it on the shelves and as a fan of historical fiction, and having read a fair bit about Marie Antoinette in the past, I decided to give it a go. I actually really enjoyed it. It's obviously not massively historically accurate (the author has a doctorate in medieval history and has written some historical bibliographies, so the dates are fairly correct). It is a very sympathetic view and really heartbreaking at the end. Could have been a bit better, especially as at the beginning she is 13yrs old, and she doesn't sound *much* different at the end (you'd expect her to sound more mature and more like a mother I guess).

36. Adela Stanley - Careers in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Another good book that covers all areas - similar to the other one though I think this one is newer and so a little bit more up to date.

35. Agatha Christie - Elephants Can Remember
Finished 09/08
This is another Poirot novel, saw this in a second-hand bookshop and picked it up - I always enjoy Agatha Christie's stories and this was no exception. The story starts with Mrs Oliver, who I'm sure is a caricature of herself, especially in this one when she goes to a literary lunch and dreads being approached by fans of her crime novels. It's different in that Poirot ends up investigating a tragedy that happened about ten years beforehand, and so finding witnesses and those who knew the couple is much harder than in the usual mystery. Mrs Oliver is in this book a lot, helping with enquiries. And the title refers to people who are like elephants, who remember lots about people from years ago (I think everyone knows at least one 'elephant').

34. Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
Finished 02/08
This has taken me forever to read because it is quite long and also, because I found it quite boring. Nothing seemed to happen at all until over halfway through the book. It just felt like it was drivelling on and on endlessly and I was really bored with it. I couldn't get into the characters as much as I could with previous Austen novels. Also I have mixed feelings about the 'epilogue' at the end, which (as with all her novels to be honest!) feels very rushed and brushed over the most exciting parts in the whole novel!

33. Neil Gaiman - Fragile Things
Finished 30/07
Borrowed this from the library. I particularly liked this as each short story was usually long enough for me to read one before bed time. Neil Gaiman has such a great way with words; he really manages to set the scene. Most of them are quite scary and gave me shivers! But my favourites were definitely the first (a play on the Sherlock Holmes story) and a later one, "the problem of Susan" (of the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe series).

32. Karen Holmes - Advertising, Marketing and PR (Insider Career Guide)
Finished 20/07
This is quite a good insight into the world of advertising, marketing and PR. Gave me some good information and advice on applying for jobs as well as what I can expect. Obviously some info is a little out of date (this was written approx ten years ago) and it was interesting to hear about all three areas as they are related disciplines.

31. William Horwood - The Willows in Winter
Finished 19/07
This is an unofficial sequel to 'the Wind in the Willows', and carries on the adventures of Toad, Mole, Rat, Badger, and the other animals. Even though it's written by another author, he does manage to capture Grahame's writing style very well and it flows well from the first book. Obviously not one for the puritians, but I quite enjoyed it. It's great to see what might have happened next to the characters that I've grown up with.

30. JK Rowling - the Tales of Beedle the Bard
Finished 08/07
Surprisingly I hadn't read this before, despite owning the special edition copy for a few years now. But it's a good read, I like that it ties into the Deathly Hallows (may have to re-read that now!). Dumbledore's notes are quite interesting but you can easily enjoy the stories on their own.

29. Paullina Simons - The Road to Paradise
Finished 05/07
I have enjoyed quite a few of her books in the past, and this was no exception. The characters are so realistic and so believable, I was sucked in from the start and couldn't put it down. The plotline is also really exciting, with lots of twists and turns, which kept me guessing and interested in what was going on. The ending was quite sad, and I maybe would have liked more detail on what happened afterwards - the ending felt a little rushed. It also had a lot of interesting ideas about God and religion, as the characters argue about their beliefs.

28. Christie Dickason - The Firemaster's Mistress
Finished 02/07
This was a historical fiction, based around the lead up to the Gunpowder plot. Although you know how it's going to end, it was easy to forget this and just enjoy the storyline. It is also a bit of a romance story as well (including some graphic sex scenes). There are twists between the characters, though, which keep the reader (me included!) interested.

27. Graham Greene - The End of the Affair
Finished 29/06
I really enjoyed this. It was quite a sad book, though - a very sad romance. But the character's were brilliantly written and felt alive, I could really relate to them and they felt so real. It talks a lot about God and how people feel about religion, which I also found very interesting and thought-provoking. This is definitely a book I'd recommend (it's pretty short, too! Less than 200 pages), and I will look for other books by Graham Greene, too, as this has encouraged me to read more of his work.

26. Oscar Wilde - Lady Windermere's Fan
Finished 25/06
I feel kind of like I'm cheating by using all these short little plays in my book count. Anyway, another Oscar Wilde play - really enjoyed this, it raised some really interesting ideas about the differences between men and women. I didn't find it as witty as his other plays - more thoughtful/moral.

25. Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Finished 24/06
This is a re-read but I'd not read it in a years, I'd forgotten a lot of the events (eg Basil's death). A good and well-written tale, and quite a moral one. I found Chapter 11 quite difficult to get through, where it talks about Dorian's phases - there are so many references to so many different things, I didn't understand a lot of what was being talked about. It felt a bit like Oscar showing off, if I am honest. And I would maybe have liked more detail about what happened between Dorian and characters like Alan Campbell in the past - he says that "you leave me no alternative. I have a letter written already. Here it is. You see the address. If you don't help me, I must send it. If you don't help me, I will send it. You know what the result will be. ... You were stern, harsh, offensive. You treated me as no man has ever dared to treat me--no living man, at any rate. I bore it all. Now it is for me to dictate terms". I suppose it wouldn't have been possible for Oscar to write details in those days, but it did make me very curious as to what happened between the two of them (and all the other men that hated Dorian). Gay lovers? Who knows.

24. Oscar Wilde - A Woman of No Importance
Finished 16/06
Another play - I hadn't read this before, but it "felt" familiar, if that makes sense. It felt like I had read it before. Again, a really fun and witty play that I found really entertaining. The only bit I did not understand was at the very end. Lord Illingworth says "It's been an amusing experience to have met amongst people of one's own rank, and treated quite seriously too, one's mistress, and one's -" and Mrs Arbuthnot slaps him, and after he leaves cries and says "He would have said it. He would have said it." I didn't understand what it was that he would have said, and it's not on Sparknotes. :(

23. Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Ernest
Finished 14/06
This is a re-read, I studied it for A level and know lots of it by heart (even now), it's just so much fun to read and makes me laugh every time. Definitely a favourite. It's all so deliciously witty and ridiculous. "Is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus." - one of my favourites :D (in fact, Lady Bracknell is just amazing. I'd be terrified of her in real life but on paper/in a play she is amazing! I imagine her as old and with a stare that could turn people to stone.)

22. Philippa Gregory - The Other Queen
Finished 14/06
I have been meaning to read this for ages - finally borrowed this from the library. I thought it was pretty good, although I'm not sure I agree with her characterisations. Bess got irritating, constantly she was talking/thinking about her land, with hardly any mention of anything else - I agree that she was obviously a very determined and focused woman, but I don't think she was quite that bad, to the extent that she thought of nothing else!

21. Philippa Gregory - The Wise Woman
Finished 04/06
I've been reading lots of long books and not finishing any, hence the long gap! I love her "Other Boleyn Girl" and liked the other books in that series, so I thought I'd branch out to her other historical fiction. I found this really disappointing though. I have read other books with dislikable characters (eg "Talented Mr Ripley") and books with lots of sex (eg "The Reader") in the past and liked them, but this I just could not like. There are lots of very graphic sex scenes, all quite violent, reading them made me quite uncomfortable especially in so much detail. I didn't feel it was relevant to the plot either, for the most part - it could have been cut out or edited to just the women gossiping the next day, rather than leaving it as full erotica! The main character is pretty awful as well. I was really disappointed with this book and it's not one I'd recommend.

20. Kenneth Grahame - The Wind in the Willows
Finished 24/05
I've read this before when I was younger but not recently, I bought one of the green Penguin classics recently and so have had a re-read. It's just as charming and lovely as ever. I love Mr. Toad. :)

19. Bruce Campbell - Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way
Finished 18/05
Borrowed this from Jon, thought it was an entertaining and light-hearted read, although it did seem a bit strange to be reading a fiction story based around the author!

18. Anne McCaffrey - The Ship Who Sang
Finished 14/05
This was a really interesting read. It was based around the idea of a 'living ship' with a deformed human being its brain, conditioned from birth to run a ship. I enjoyed it, it's a good pacy story (describing several of Helva's missions) that has lots of twists and interesting characters. I don't often read sci-fi novels so this was a real change for me. I've not been a fan of some of her other novels, but maybe I will now give them another look.

17. Geraldine Brooks - Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
Finished 10/05
This is based around the plague of 1666, centered around a village in Eyam, Derbyshire, which chooses to isolate itself to try and prevent the spread of the disease. I really enjoyed this - definitely a great effort for a first novel, and it was quite gripping. Obviously well researched. Didn't like the ending, though, but otherwise it's a really interesting, well-written story. Would definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction, or those interested in the Plagues.

16. Patricia Highsmith - The Talented Mr Ripley
Finished 07/05
Jon and I watched the film a while ago (starring Matt Damon and Jude Law) and it reminded me that I had the book, so I thought I'd finally give it a read. Really enjoyed it, it really gripped me. It is slightly different to the film, but this made it more exciting, as you wondered the whole time whether Tom would get away with it. I've not read any Patricia Highsmith books before, but I definitely will now - she has an excellent way with words.

15. Bernhard Schlink - The Reader
Finished 05/05
I thought this was an interesting read and quite sad too, it raises a lot of thoughts about both Nazi trials and also about relationships with very large age differences. When I heard about the film originally, I thought it was trying to be too controversial and tackle too many issues, but when reading it, the age difference doesn't really stand out as much as I thought it would, you can almost 'ignore' it. The Nazi trial raises a lot of interesting questions and makes you think a lot. I found both main characters to be very realistic and the whole book to be quite believable, despite it's controversy. I was also left feeling sorry for Hanna at the end, despite what she did.

14. Ian McEwan - On Chesil Beach
Finished 04/05
This reminded me a bit of Atonement - a story with a message behind it, usually about a decision made and the change it had on their life. This one is about a couple's wedding night and afterwards. It also has flashbacks to their past. The only thing I found disappointing was the ending, which felt a bit rushed.

13. Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Finished 03/05
I really enjoyed this, despite the incredible sexism! I did quite like the storyline, it really hooked me in and I really felt for Tess. Not sure about the ending, it felt a bit rushed I guess, but a lovely, sad story all the same.

12. Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own
Finished 23/04
I enjoyed this and found it really interesting. It gave me a lot to think about, and also now looking at female writers who have had their work published since then, so much has changed. Things aren't completely equal (and I don't think we'll have another Shakespeare), but they are getting there. Again though, was a bit of a slow start and took a while to get into.

11. Virginia Woolf - To The Lighthouse
Finished 13/04
Her style is strange - it took me a while to get into. I've been trying to read 'the Waves' and I've found it very difficult, too 'arty' and a lot of the time I don't know who is being talked about or what's going on. I wanted to like it but I found this very difficult to enjoy, it felt like hard work the whole time.

10. Alexander McCall Smith - The Kalahari Typing School for Men
Finished 08/04

9. Alexander McCall Smith - Morality for Beautiful Girls
Finished 08/04

8. Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

7. Amanda Foreman - Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
Finished 18/03.

6. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (4/5)
Finished 28/02.

5. Lisa Dalby - Geisha (4/5)
Finished 13/02.
There is a quote from Arthur Golden on the cover of my copy, which states "Liza Dalby, the only foreigner ever to become a geisha, writes about it with grace and eloquence". I picked this book up on light of this statement - I was expecting a memoir of her time as a geisha, with information on geisha and their history and customs, and how they fit into regular Japanese life, as she went along. However, this book was the oppposite - discussion of geisha and their history and customs, with added notes about her time as a geisha. It is very much a non-fiction book, which probably will put some people off, but as I'm interested in the life and origins of geisha, I enjoyed it. I would have preferred more stories about her time in Japan and discussions with other geisha, though. It is very thorough without being boring, and definitely a great starting point if you want to learn more after watching "Memoirs of a Geisha", though if you want a real-life account of life as a geisha, try "Geisha of Gion" by Mineko Iwasaki. (I only mention the disappointment that it's a factual book, because the quote on the cover is so misleading!)

3 & 4. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor - 'Red Dwarf' and 'Better than Life' (Omnibus) (4/5)
This is definitely one for fans of the show. 'Red Dwarf' gives some great background information on the characters in the show - I really enjoyed hearing about how Lister got on RD in the first place, details about the Cat's history, and the back-story to Kryten before he came on the ship. It really adds to the show. The other parts I didn't enjoy quite as much - it's all very similar to the show but slightly different, but covers things such as polymorphs, time going backwards, and Better than Life (in both). I'm not sure if this was written first (I'm assuming so?) but you can see how their ideas for the episodes developed and changed. A lot of it is very similar to the show because of it, which became a little boring - I would have preferred new material. Still, I did enjoy listening to the Toaster, and being Red Dwarf it can't really get too dull! It's still very entertaining and will get a chuckle from you.

2. Markus Zusak - 'The Book Thief' (4.5/5)
Finished 17/01.
This was quite an interesting read. It was certainly different. Horrifying, and yet lovely also - a very touching story about a girl growing up in Nazi Germany. The ending is very sad, even though you're warned that it's coming, but somehow you keep reading anyway. I liked the writing style, too - it is told from Death's perspective, a very sympathetic and caring Death rather than a macabre or menacing one. I liked his little observations. It is very touching but also has lots of happy moments that will make you smile. I don't usually read this sort of historical fiction, but this one is one not to miss, even if some parts are difficult to read. The ending was sad, although I did think it was a little cliché, a little too obvious - which is why it gets 4.5, not 5.

1. Audrey Niffenegger - 'The Time Traveler's Wife' (4/5)
Finished 01/01
I don't know totally how I feel about this one. It was an easy read, I finished it pretty quickly (within 2 days). The characters I didn't feel were fully developed, there were a lot of plot-holes and the time-jumping I found a little confusing. It took me a while to really figure out what was going on - at first I thought perhaps Henry would be an Alziemers patient or someone with dementia, reliving past experiences, rather than literally time traveling, and I didn't like how the author tried to rationalise it as a genetic brain disease, as I don't think that was um, just all that believeable either. (Though I guess she had to come up with something, that didn't make it a sci-fi novel.) They all seemed so perfect - artists, musicians (other than Henry, who is apparently not musical - but naturally his children are, as well as being pretty, smart, and funny!), rich. Just not totally unbelievable, they didn't feel like 'real' people. But I still felt attached by the end (I think it is the first person narrative that does it, it makes you feel more 'there') and I admit I did cry a bit. I think the author has a lovely writing style, some paragraphs are gorgeously phrased, very atmospheric and sometimes she really does touch upon how people feel (eg how people cope with grief), but then she'll come out with things like "an erection that is big enough to ride at the fairground", which is cringe-worthy. And there are quite a few (graphic!) sex scenes, too, which I wasn't entirely comfortable with. So a mixed review, I suppose, but it gets 4/5 because obviously despite its glaring faults, it did seem to touch me and make me think a bit - not something every book can do.

My books read this year.

2008-12-31T17:30:04Z

Books read this year: (I am naughty, I don't think I listed them all on LJ, my first post in MAY. MAY!!) says 'I think this is book 3' but as far as I know, it is book 1.

1. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne of Green Gables'
2. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne of Avonlea'
3. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne of the Island'
4. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne of Windy Poplars'
5. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne's House of Dreams'
6. L.M. Montgomery - 'Anne of Ingleside'
7. Alexis Hall - 'In the Red'
8. Stephen Fry - 'Moab is my Washpot'
9. C.S. Lewis - 'The Magician's Nephew'
10. C.S. Lewis - Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
11. C.S. Lewis - 'The Horse and His Boy'
12. C.S. Lewis - 'Prince Caspian'
13. Robert Harris - 'Enigma'
14. Ian McEwan - 'Atonement'
15. Jill Murphy - 'the Worst Witch'
16. Jane Austen - 'Persuasion'
17. Jane Austen - 'Emma'
18. Jane Austen - 'Pride and Prejudice'
19. Jane Austen - 'Sense and Sensibility'
20. Stephen Fry - 'Stephen Fry in America'
21. Thomas Hardy - 'Far From the Madding Crowd'
22. Neil Gaiman - 'The Graveyard Book'
23. Alison Weir - 'The Lady Elizabeth'
24. Stephanie Meyer - 'Twilight'

25. Erin Frances Schulz - 'The King and Mrs. Simpson'
26. Sally Gardner - 'The Red Necklace'

Currently reading: The Time Traveller's Wife, Terry Goodkind - Wizard's First Rule, Gulliver's Travels

I read half of Bryan Talbot's graphic novel 'Alice in Sunderland', but it was so bad I only got halfway before giving up.

Wow. :| That's um, worse than last year. Some of them aren't even very long! (C.S. Lewis and 'In the Red' in particular.) I'm sure there must have been others I read, I just didn't write it down, expecting I'd remember (and haven't). argh!

So, favourites are probably the 'Anne of Green Gables' series, 'Enigma', the Stephen Fry's, 'Far From the Madding Crowd' and 'The Graveyard Book'. Out of the AoGG I think I enjoyed the first and the one where she is at university most (Anne of the Island), as she has lots of lovely friends, a lovely house, and they are all top of their classes - everything that my university experience was not and I wished it had been, really. The later ones where she has a family are good too, but I just can't relate as well - I'm not married and don't have children, and don't wish to either, but I did like how each of her many children still had their own individual personality. The only main complaint was that when Anne became pregnant/was giving birth there was no mention of it. Suddenly Anne was "sick" and I wondered if I had perhaps missed a few pages out and had to go back to check - until the baby popped out and I realised what was going on. Maybe 100 years ago that would have been obvious to readers, though. Of the Austens I must say that 'Emma' was my favourite - it's different to the others, and it's not quite so obvious. 'Far From the Madding Crowd' I found really exciting, I loved his portrayal of characters and their passions, and the twist at the end, too. It took me a little while to get into, but I'm really glad I stuck with it - definitely one i shall read again.

(Public Entry) The Worst Witch & Persuasion.

2008-07-23T17:42:51Z

Two more books.

Jill Murphy - the Worst Witch (4/5)
I forgot to put this on my list beforehand. I didn't realise how much older than me this book is, it was originally published in 1978. My Granddad gave me and my sister copies of these when we were younger, and I really enjoyed it, and recently got the first through Bookmooch. This is a kid's book, but it is a nice story and I love Mildred Hubble. A bit of a predecessor to Harry Potter (she goes to a school for witches) but for a younger audience. A nice read now, but these were favourites when I was younger (I also loved the TV series!).

Jane Austen - Persuasion (4/5)
I finished this today. The only Austen I've read has been Pride and Prejudice, I could never get into Sense and Sensibility, and I found this to have a few similar themes to P&P - finding out bad things about the guy she liked before, and finding out that the guy she loves but thinks hates her actually loves her. She always seems to write characters that are herself too XD although Anne is less witty. This novel is also a lot shorter than the others. But overall not a favourite, though one that's worth reading if only because it's an Austen novel. If you ignore those niggles then it's a good romantic read.

Books (public entry)

2008-07-13T12:49:29Z

not updated my reads for a while -

C.S. Lewis - Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Horse and His Boy, and Prince Caspian
I'm sure I don't need to say what this is about! All my favourites when I was younger - as the new film was coming out I couldn't help but re-read them! The film was definitely disappointing compared to the book, I don't think they needed to change so much of it.

Robert Harris - Enigma, 5/5
Robert Harris is one of my favourite authors; I have read quite a few of his books now and they are really well written and I was easily sucked into this! This follows Jericho, who helps to break the German's coded messages during WW2, and ends up being sucked into a thick plot through a girl he is seeing. This is really capitvating and while I don't know enough about the Enigma codes to say how historically accurate it is, Harris usually does his research, and while the love story plot is most certainly not true, I'd say the rest of the details (like about the machines and how they were decoded, and the layout of the huts) is probably true. But definitely worth reading, this is a very thrilling read and not knowing much about the subject didn't cause me any problems - just as good as all his others!

Ian McEwan - Atonement, 4/5
A young girl, Briony, sees her older sister, Cecila, and a man, Robbie, who is a family friend, together and makes an awful assumption about him, and because of this their lives are all changed forever. I mooched this after seeing the film. I'd say it's pretty close - they didn't really change very much (the ending is slightly different, but essentially the same). This is a very sad, romantic story, but if you didn't like the film you probably wouldn't like the book either. It's quite graphic in places (both sexual and violent) which may put some people off. Not a favourite, but it was a good, light read, and while I've not read any of Ian McEwan's book before he did seem to be a very good writer and have a good knowledge of how people think/feel, and quite perceptive, eg when Briony says she doesn't really keep a proper diary, she just likes flicking through it and seeing/feeling the pages covered in her writing - I do this too XD

L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea, 4/5
This follows Anne between 16 and 18 and her life as a teacher in the local school, following on from the first book. It's quite true to the first, with Anne getting herself into predicaments and helping others, and I felt it was just as good as the first. The very last page *almost* ruined the book for me, but not quite, so I will ignore that XD There are lots of romantic moments, and while parts are quite predictable, I enjoyed it all the same, and will most definitely read the next in the series, just to find out what happens next. You really do fall in love with the characters and want to hear all about them. I did find it strange that Anne was a head of the school at just 16, though, as to me that seems awfully young to be teaching - things were very different back then!

(Public entry) Stephen Fry, 'Moab is my Washpot'

2008-06-14T11:47:58Z

It's Stephen Fry, how could I not like it? But it is very well written, with some laugh out loud moments as well as being very sad. He goes off on tangents but honestly, I liked that, you could hear him reading it and it was like he was sat talking to you (a bit of a stream of consciousness, really). Definitely recommended. :D

Book 4: Alexis Hall, 'In the Red' (public entry)

2008-05-21T22:02:40Z

This is book number 4; Alexis Hall's 'In the Red: Diary of a Recovering Shopaholic'. This documents (as it suggest) a woman's struggle to only spend money on essentials for a year, in an attempt to curb her spending habits. It is in a diary format. I'd give it 3 and a half stars.

I bought this after seeing the author on TV, and thought that it might be inspiring to myself - while I can't say that I have £30k of credit card and loan debts and have a shopping addiction, I do sometimes spend far more than I should, and thought that this might help me with some suggestions and support as to how to curb my spending before it gets out of hand.

This book, as has been said, is definitely quite light entertainment. I managed to read it in an afternoon. It's not going to give you lots of saving tips, but as I had hoped, it was definitely inspiring and has given me the motivation to look through my wardrobe and sort out things I no longer need! I really enjoyed her writing style, and easy to relate to. I'm sure there are many women who can relate to her and her problems, and her way of rationalising every unnecessary spend.

I did have a few criticisms; firstly, the amount of typos. I noticed quite a lot in my reading of the book, a lot of them were pretty obvious things, and it doesn't seem to have been proof-read. While it's not a real criticism I guess, it did (for me) detract from reading it as I felt the urge to circle the mistakes with a red pen! Secondly, it would have been better to know what her income was and how much she was putting towards her debts and how much towards essentials such as food/rent/dog stuff. After all, she did document how much of her debt she had left, but this was hard to put into perspective without other details.

I did feel when reading it that there was a lot she could have improved on (such as taking her own lunch into work, instead of spending a fiver in Boots, or selling more unused clothing on eBay with better starting prices!), but this was documenting her resolution to not spend, which I felt she did pretty faithfully. It would've been nice to know more about 'her' and details of her life (such as how she and her partner met, or what type of dog she has - which was only said about 3/4 of the way through!) as sometimes it seemed a little impersonal. But overall, it is a light and enjoyable read, that other women (and men!) may also find inspiring when looking through their debts and overflowing wardrobes.

Book 3: Anne of Green Gables.

2008-05-21T10:50:03Z

I have no idea how far I got with my book count for this year. I think this is something pathetic like book #3.

I thought this book was great. A lovely read, and so well written; I love the characters and while I'd not originally planned on reading the rest, I just want to know what happens to Anne, Marilla, and her friends - and Anne's future career! The ending is really sad though, it made me cry - although that's always a good thing!

50 book challenge results (public entry)

2008-01-02T22:46:40Z

My 2007 resolution was to read 50 books in one year - unfortunately, as those keeping up with my book reviews blog may have noticed, I did not succeed. I only reached 40.5. These were:

(A quick key, before I do, as to how I rate books:
1/5 - awful; avoidavoidavoid! If the choice is between this and
2/5 - poor; only read if you have nothing better to do.
3/5 - average; not bad, but not memorable either. A good holiday read.
4/5 - great; enjoyable and definitely worth a read.
5/5 - brilliant; one of my favourites and a must-read!)

1. Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian (3/5)
2. Anne Rice, Merrick (3/5)
3. Terry Pratchett, Mort (4/5)
4. Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha (4/5)
5. Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man (4/5)
6. Dick King Smith, The Sheep Pig (4/5)
7. Tom Holt, Alexander at the World’s End (4/5)
8. Terry Pratchett, Hogfather (5/5)
9. Terry Pratchett, Soul Music (5/5)
10. Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl (5/5)
11. Stephen Fry, The Stars’ Tennis Balls (4.5/5)
12. Jane Moore, Dot.Homme (3/5)
13. Jed Rubenfield, The Interpretation of Murder (4/5)
14. Eva Rice, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets (4/5)
15. Philippa Gregory, The Queen’s Fool (3/5)
16. Philippa Gregory, The Virgin’s Lover (3/5)
17. Philippa Gregory, The Constant Princess (4/5)
18. Philippa Gregory, The Boleyn Inheritance (4/5)
19. Alison Weir, Innocent Traitor (4/5)
20. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (4/5)
21. Susanna Dunn, The Queen of Subtleties (3/5)
22. Alison Weir, Isabella, She-Wolf of France, Queen of England (4/5)
23. Garth Nix, Sabriel (3/5)
24. Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada (2/5)
25. Bram Stoker, Dracula (5/5)
26. Douglas Kennedy, The Pursuit of Happiness (5/5)
27. Agatha Christie, Mrs McGinty’s Dead (4/5)
28. Lana Thompson, The Wandering Womb: A Cultural History of Outrageous Beliefs about Women (3/5)
29. Agatha Christie, Cards on the Table (4/5)
30. Jasper Fforde, First Among Sequels (3/5)
31. Agatha Christie, Dumb Witness (4/5)
32. Gregory Maguire, Wicked (2/5)
33. Gregory Maguire, Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister (5/5)
34. Paullina Simons, Red Leaves (5/5)
35. Karen Harper, The Queene's Cure (3/5)
36. Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men (4/5)
37. Alison Weir, Elizabeth the Queen (5/5)
38. Alison Plowden, Tudor Women: Queens and Commoners (3/5)
39. Peter Benchley, Jaws (5/5)
40. Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (5/5)
Currently reading: Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd.

So, naturally, this year I plan to try to beat this; it should be easier as I finish university in May and so will have a lot more spare time on my hands. At the moment I'm struggling to read two or three pages a day for fun, let alone a few chapters! I will be pleased if I manage to beat 40, though reaching the target of fifty would be even better.

Book 40 (public entry).

2007-11-25T18:09:54Z

40. Charles Frazier - Cold Mountain

This book is set during the American civil war, and follows the lives of Ada, a vicar's daughter who is forced to learn how to farm to survive after her father dies, and Inman, a soldier who deserts and travels across the country to come back to Cold Mountain (his hometown) to see Ada again. It's a really interesting portrayal of journeys; both are completely different people by the end of the book.

I originally bought this because I absolutely love the film, I think it is incredibly touching and romantic, as well as being a good story. I was expecting to the book to be completely different (as that's the way of books made into films) but in that respect this one disappointed - it is exactly like the film, although obviously they had to cut a few things out. Charles' writing is really absorbing, and I loved reading his descriptions of places. If you enjoyed the film, you must read this if you haven't already! This is definitely now one of my favourite books of all time.

The only downside is that they talk about food a lot, so if you're hungry this can be a bit torturous (or perhaps it was just that being hungry makes you notice it more).

Books 38 and 39 (public entry)

2007-11-07T01:41:47Z

Two more I've read recently:

38. Alison Plowden, Tudor Women: Queens and Commoners (4/5)
This book is a brief biography of some of the important women in the Tudor period, such as Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII’s wives, Lady Jane Grey, Mary and Elizabeth. It also talks about marriage, education and attitudes towards women. However, I felt that the title was a little misleading as there wasn’t much coverage of ‘commoners’ as the title suggested; the life of Elizabethan women is given a brief overview in an epilogue at the end (it’s not even a numbered chapter). While this is a good introductory book to significant women of the period, I didn’t feel that it told me anything new (but then, I am a history student and the Tudors are one of my favourite periods to study, so perhaps that’s why). It wasn’t particularly indepth, but is a quick read, making a good starting point for those wishing to know more about the women of this period. While a lot of it is speculation (we can’t know for sure how they felt) the author does portray them all in a sympathetic light and it seemed reasonably historically accurate with lots of quotes from contemporary sources, and, after all, a lot of the situations women faced in the 1400 and 1500s are much the same as women do now – I’m sure many can relate to Catherine of Aragon seeing her husband being ‘taken’ from her by a younger, ‘newer’ model (Anne Boleyn), and Mary’s resentment of Henry’s treatment of her mother during this time.

39. Peter Benchley, Jaws (5/5)
This was lent to me by Adam one night before bed, so I’d have something to read if I couldn’t sleep or got up before him. He’d never read it before but thought I might like it. The back page of his copy said that after the first five pages you’d be hooked – so, in the morning, I thought I’d give it a go, and ended up reading 40 pages before I realised the time and thought I’d go downstairs.

This is quite a short book, and although I’ve not seen the film before, I really enjoyed it. It’s really easy to get into, and is really interesting – it doesn’t attempt to make the shark out to be anything more than just a fish, with no personification, which I liked. Peter Benchley also makes all the characters seem very real, with backgrounds and livelihoods and feelings; despite the book essentially focusing around the shark attacks, this is only a small part of the book. I’d definitely recommend this, it was quite a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. It’s graphic in places (during the attacks) but no more than is necessary (and if you’ve seen the film, I’m sure you expect it). Really addictive, and the writer keeps you guessing until the very end!

Currently reading: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (among others)

lecari @ 2006-09-08T22:13:00

2006-09-08T21:14:42Z

EVERYONE MUST DRAW ME A DINOSAUR RITE NOW!!

Please :)

I am too poor to afford a dinosaur poster so I shall get all my friends to draw dinosaurs and stick them on my wall instead! Plus, it will be awesome.

Gigs I have been to.

2006-04-12T22:01:16Z

2012:
4th February: My Ruin coach trip to Le Forum in Vaurial in France
24th February: Rammstein at the o2 with Amy (standing)
20th June: Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra at the Village Underground with Chris
23rd October: Amanda Palmer at Koko in Camnden, with Chris

2011:
Iron Maiden at the o2 with Amy (seated)
29th October: Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley at the El Ray Theatre in Los Angeles
4th November: A Night with Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman at the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

2010:
18th July: Tori Amos with Simon at the 'Wicked' theatre

2009:
15th July: Nine Inch Nails with Mew and Jane's Addiction at the o2 Arena, with Jon
12th Sept: Amanda Palmer at the Union Chapel, London, with Jess

2008:
2nd Feb: My Ruin, at Carling Academy Islington, with Steve
12th April: Orange Goblin, at the Underworld in Camden, with Ed, Pete, Liz and Hibbins
10th October: Amanda Palmer at Koko in Camden, with Jess
12th December: Apocalyptica, with Jon

2007:
24th June: Static-X, Carling Academy Islington in London, with Pete and Ed
4th July: Tori Amos, Hammersmith Apollo in London with Simon
7th September: Regina Spektor, Royal Festival Hall in London with Steve

2006:
14th February: Regina Spektor, Colchester Arts Theatre with Petrovitch
10th April: Bif Naked, Upstairs at the Garage in London with my sister
11th April: Fiona Apple, Apollo Victoria Theatre in London
6th June: ~~Bif Naked and~~ Alter Bridge at the Astoria in London with my sister
12th June: Britt Black and Vincent Black Shadow, The Luminaire in London, with RockthesmurF Steve
28th June: Regina Spektor at the Royal Festival Hall in London with Mark.
30th June: My Ruin, Highbury Garage in London with Petrovitch, James, Ed and Ben.

2005:
~~12th February: Nightwish, Astoria in London~~
3rd June: Tori Amos, with Greg

2004:
24th May: Evanescence, Wembley Arena in London with Dann
16th July: Nightwish, Astoria in London with Dann
20th December: Muse, Earl's Court in London with Dann

2003:
8th November: Evanescence, Hammersmith Apollo in London with Bonny, Vicky, Sarah, Duncan, Katy-Clare and Amy
27th November: Muse, Wembley Arena with Steve and Dann

2002:
28th August: Garbage with Queen Adreena, the Electric Ballroom in Camden with jdr.

This list is definitely not complete. I can't remember when the others were, but I've definitely also seen Evanescence at least once before and HIM twice I think. I think I've also seen Nightwish once more, too. This list also doesn't include local or smaller bands I've seen, such as Defenestration.

Friends only.

2003-05-11T13:08:56Z

[Requirements:]
o uZ dnT tYp lyK d1Z LolZ!!1!!1~
o You update your journal regularly.
o Having some things in common helps.

If I know you in person, please take note that I probably won't add you unless I consider you a good friend.