tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62687216103141193722024-02-06T19:59:23.220-08:00"Sleep is good, books are better!"Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-60167222586708770752013-05-30T05:00:00.001-07:002013-05-30T05:00:04.886-07:00*Tumbleweed* Poll<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hello! I realise I've been a terrible blogger in 2013 despite declaring it would be the opposite and it is traditional to return with excuses so here we go:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Accountancy exams - I had these last week but they've been occupying a a lot of my time for last 4 months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. Laptop issues - laptop charging port is broken which leaves me laptopless. I really need to look into fixing it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've read plenty of books this year as you'll be able to see from the goodreads progress widget in the side bar. I'm ahead of schedule to read my 60 books this year, so all is going to plan and I have lots of books to review. Just need to get my self in gear!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I plan to start reviewing again soon but moving house in the next week so I'm not sure how long it will be until I have internet again. I shall do my best to get at least a weekly review up.</span><br />
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<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer1" name="answer" type="radio" value="1" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer1">Inferno - Dan Brown</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer2" name="answer" type="radio" value="2" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer2">The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer3" name="answer" type="radio" value="3" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer3">Going Vintage- Lindsey Leavitt</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer4" name="answer" type="radio" value="4" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer4">The Madness Underneath - Maureen Johnson</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer5" name="answer" type="radio" value="5" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer5">Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer6" name="answer" type="radio" value="6" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer6">Click to Subscribe - L. M. Augustine</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer7" name="answer" type="radio" value="7" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer7">Geek Girl - Holly Smale</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer8" name="answer" type="radio" value="8" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer8">My Life Next Door- Huntley Fitzpatrick</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="b1ieranswer9" name="answer" type="radio" value="9" /></td><td><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><label for="b1ieranswer9">Other from my Goodreads read list- please comment with your choice</label></span></td></tr>
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-72852028140248263162013-01-13T06:56:00.004-08:002013-01-13T06:59:02.886-08:00REVIEW: 'Unwind' by Neal Shusterman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPU6rrV9DkhY7G0aSyDoNq1Mge1Q_DIdr9NlBYDhx4tQ3gj66rN5nyA6rO8e6Zp1ZGwLnL7Uly0Lyv5rOilnay-L8hqo14t_Io7hqM6qU65rYeIfyb1CfBpQhYytYEZbK9ZDU-28PcQg/s1600/unwind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPU6rrV9DkhY7G0aSyDoNq1Mge1Q_DIdr9NlBYDhx4tQ3gj66rN5nyA6rO8e6Zp1ZGwLnL7Uly0Lyv5rOilnay-L8hqo14t_Io7hqM6qU65rYeIfyb1CfBpQhYytYEZbK9ZDU-28PcQg/s400/unwind.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Today's review is the first in a series. My interest in it was first piqued when I watched a review of it on youtube but I forgot about it until I entered a copycat event on goodreads.com. The idea for a copycat event is that everyone who decides to enter is paired up with someone and you have to read a book from their 'Read' shelf on goodreads. I chose <i>Unwind</i> and I'm so pleased I did!</span></span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">What's it about?</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">'The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.' </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">.</span></span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I'm not sure how coherent this review will be, but here it goes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This book has a very interesting concept- the idea that instead of abortion it is better to 'unwind' your child in their teenage years. An odd compromise! Despite thinking the idea was ridiculous I still loved this book. Anyone who doesn't want their baby can 'stork' it, by leaving it on a doorstep. If the mother isn't caught leaving the baby then it legally becomes the responsibility of the people who open the door and find it. Of course this often leads to that child be unwound later anyway as it is likely unwanted by the host family.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was captivated by this book immediately. I found myself caught up in the story and rooting for the Unwinds who are desperately trying to defeat the State and stay alive until the age of eighteen when they can no longer be unwound. The moral ideas are cleverly embedded into an addicting story which keeps you turning the pages to discover the fates of the wonderful characters. The teenagers in this world effectively have no rights and are dehumanised. This book challenges the reader and pushes you out of your comfort zone. It never preaches or settles on one side or another. Shusterman cleverly writes this fantastic book in a way which lets you make up your own opinions. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The plot is fast flowing and the characters are well rounded</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Once unwound the body parts are used to save other people's lives, but what I found just as upsetting was that the parts are effectively bought. The rich can afford the best parts and the poor have to make do with asthmatic lungs. It's a business pure and simple! The unwinding of children is not to help the parents but lines the pockets of the organisation which runs the Harvest Camps. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This book is thought provoking and it leaves you wanting to discuss the topics with others. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">One particularly harrowing chapter of the book describes the unwinding of a character. I found this to be the most disturbing chapter. Shusterman wrote it brilliantly, and it makes you genuinely angry and horrified. I found the use of the phrase 'in a divided state' instead of 'dead' to describe being unwound very clever. It's use is for placating families who decide to unwind children in order to make them feel better about themselves. The whole propaganda around unwinding was cleverly done. Lev being a tithe is completely brainwashed into believing his sole purpose in life is to be unwound as an offering to God, which makes his relationship with Risa and Connor very interesting, as they do not believe in unwinding, and fight back as hard as they can.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4lSSC8duVlBEcmh5fwKZIURIorxCugIowte8YnbgxnlpmAZI7THpbW2yI4eQwp0Q6ZN9aQ0QMcGzLqvZHjYuAOok0sSHcOSMcK7gg_WsVxtZZ1z6D8cjRb99YBAXKBVwI8uzC3BZVR4/s1600/535px-5_stars.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4lSSC8duVlBEcmh5fwKZIURIorxCugIowte8YnbgxnlpmAZI7THpbW2yI4eQwp0Q6ZN9aQ0QMcGzLqvZHjYuAOok0sSHcOSMcK7gg_WsVxtZZ1z6D8cjRb99YBAXKBVwI8uzC3BZVR4/s200/535px-5_stars.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></strong>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-9740499090057492572013-01-08T12:30:00.000-08:002013-01-09T09:42:35.695-08:00REVIEW: 'Catching Jordan' by Miranda Kenneally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt1I_c05-wYdWrEF9ik8btrY0OZsUd4y4FhgN7_h0vLPJqQaUIasaFmSevYz7ogxjl7qD5myGoktYi9JmyCzWnSELC2OI194kKWPHXE0GyjAUd7zwN44X5i4q7HkQaNGp8hkOozAwkvo/s1600/catching+jordna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt1I_c05-wYdWrEF9ik8btrY0OZsUd4y4FhgN7_h0vLPJqQaUIasaFmSevYz7ogxjl7qD5myGoktYi9JmyCzWnSELC2OI194kKWPHXE0GyjAUd7zwN44X5i4q7HkQaNGp8hkOozAwkvo/s400/catching+jordna.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">What's it about?</strong><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">"What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?" From<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9888775-catching-jordan" target="_blank"> goodreads</a>.</span></i><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This book fell flat for me. I've been really enjoying romance books lately, making a change from dystopian, but this book did not deliver what I'd hoped. I'd read lots of positive reviews so I thought I'd give it ago.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The constant American football content did not help me enjoy this book. Perhaps its because I'm not sporty or that I know very little about American football, but I found the parts on the pitch and discussing tactics very dull.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I found Jordan quite irritating - she just seemed so stupid. The whole 'I have to go to that particular college or else' attitude seemed childish. Even when she knew the college didn't want her for her football skills! Argh. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The behaviour of all the characters felt stereotypical. The way that Jordan was a jock and so therefore couldn't have girly friends? What? Then discovers that of course its okay to be sporty and be friends with girls. Oh dear lord!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The one thing I did like about this book was Henry- I did root for him and Jordan. He was such a sweetie, though even he had annoying moments. The new quarterback Ty, I disliked from the start- he was so controlling. It didn't help that you know straight away that Jordan and Henry should be together so Ty just feels like an unwelcome distraction. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends. It was simply 'OK'. For me, it just didn't live up to the hype and after reading the wonderful 'Anna and the French Kiss' that afternoon it was no where in the same league.</span></span><br />
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<br />Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-74039420489337610232013-01-06T04:23:00.000-08:002013-01-06T05:40:16.681-08:00REVIEW: 'NeverSeconds' by David & Martha Payne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyhGn238nl-755bt_E7N_76oww0ApxNTAjOSsMihAuvejHceJlz_zvsKk9zEycbq_umyi0otEk5h4ruIcxi0VjZdP04y2w2k0AoluRZjOw2o2z5xVldbX0V0WJ1SbtiaqRsixTdAuxG0/s1600/neverseconds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyhGn238nl-755bt_E7N_76oww0ApxNTAjOSsMihAuvejHceJlz_zvsKk9zEycbq_umyi0otEk5h4ruIcxi0VjZdP04y2w2k0AoluRZjOw2o2z5xVldbX0V0WJ1SbtiaqRsixTdAuxG0/s400/neverseconds.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">If you haven't heard about the NeverSeconds blog written by a young Scottish girl called Martha, then you've probably been hiding under a rock. She hit the headlines when she decided to blog about her daily school dinners, and soon the whole world was talking about her. I followed the news stories and her blog with interest, and I have so much admiration for her that I was happy to buy her book (proceeds go to Mary's Meals) and learn the story from her father's point of view.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I recommend checking out the<a href="http://neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk/"> NeverSeconds </a> blog. It's incredibly inspiring.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What's it about?</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Martha Payne was just 9 years old when she started NeverSeconds, a simple and honest blog about her school dinners. Within days the blog had gone viral, becoming one of the biggest news stories of the year. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After 8 million blog hits and a notorious council-led banning, Martha has raised over £120,000 for her favourite charity, Mary's Meals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I found this book very addictive. It's told in her father's voice, with Martha's blog posts appearing between the narrative sections. The book begins with the reason Martha began her blog in the first place, and progresses through the development of the blog, the blog in the press, troubles with the council, Martha's difficulties at school, Mary's Meals, until the book closes with a very honest and moving description of the family's trip to Malawi with Mary's Meals to see how the money Martha raised was being used. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The section in Malawi was wonderful to read, and it made me support Mary's Meals even more. It's a fantastic charity. I'm so glad I bought the book and also donated on their JustGiving page. If you want to find out more about Mary's Meals click <a href="http://www.marysmeals.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. If you want to donate to the NeverSeconds JustGiving Page in aid of Mary's Meal please click <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/neverseconds" target="_blank">here</a>. It costs just £10.70 to feed a child for a whole year, 6p a day and it costs just £7000 to add a kitchen to a school to allow Mary's Meals to feed the children. Martha has raised over $128000 which is phenomenal! I think its a fantastic cause, so please take a look! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">What struck me most about this book is the family values and the relationships the Payne's have with not only their family but their friends. I loved learning about Martha acting just as a 9 year old should, and enjoying her childhood by not paying too much attention to the press and being more excited for Athletics club. It's wonderful to hear how the parents' always put their children first and wouldn't allow greed to become a motive. Everything they did was for their children and for the health of Scottish children, and the well being of children all over the world. This is delightfully shown when the family are invited to Noma, the world's best restaurant during the first weekend of the school summer holidays, David Payne really wants to go but Martha says she'd rather go camping with her grandparents which was the original plan. So that is what they do!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Sorry this is a waffley review, but it's hard to describe how warm inside this book made me feel. I really recommend Martha's blog and this book is a great accompaniment to the blog. </span></span></span><br />
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-82653449342474877032012-12-31T06:10:00.001-08:002013-01-13T06:08:30.586-08:00Goodbye 2012So 2012 is drawing to a close today and it seems that an end of year blogpost is pretty much obligatory judging by my blogfeeds.<br />
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I know that I've been rather absent on this blog this month, but with the festive season, I just haven't felt like spending time on my laptop. I've been reading, crafting, playing LEGO Lord of the Rings and spending time with family and friends.<br />
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I can proudly say that I completed my GoodReads challenge!! I've read 52 books this year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/challenges/207-2012-reading-challenge" style="font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">2012 Reading Challenge</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4960144-tesni">Tesni</a> has<br />
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I've got a busy year coming up with accountancy exams but I hope to be a more reliable blogger, and actually review a book just after I've read it. This blog is just for fun, and something I really enjoy doing but it does come second to actually going out and living life.<br />
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Expect a few posts in January as there are several books I want to review, including <i>Unwind</i> by Neal Shusterman, <i>My Life Next Door </i>by Huntley Fitzpatrick and<i> Reached </i>by Ally Condie.<br />
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Wishing you all a very happy new year. See you in 2013!Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-41633797112134824982012-11-21T05:38:00.000-08:002012-11-21T05:38:05.411-08:00WWW Wednesday<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a meme hosted by </span><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">MizB</a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I thought I'd play along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75; line-height: 1.5em;">• What are you currently reading? </span><b style="line-height: 1.5em;">The Girl Who Played With Fire</b><b style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </b><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">by Steig Larsson - This is the sequel to </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><i>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo </i></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">which I really enjoyed. Not so keen on the sequel, but still interesting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What did you recently finish reading?</span> <b>Catching Jordan</b> by Miranda Kenneally. I was disappointed with this book. :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What do you think you’ll read next? </span><b>Lola and the Boy Next Door</b><b> </b>by Stephanie Perkins. I loved<i> Anna and the French Kiss </i>so I immediately ordered Stephanie Perkins' second book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Join in and tell me your WWW for this week either on your blog or in the comments.</span></div>
Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-57576468606824112132012-11-19T05:49:00.001-08:002012-11-21T04:21:40.704-08:00REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: purple;">Sorry it's been awhile. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I've been revising for exams and I have longs days at work, so time has been a little sparse lately.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I was also in a reading slump and this book brought me out of it. I read this book then </span><i style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Catching Jordan </i><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">in the same day! I'm on target still with goodreads, having read 44/50. Need to get reviewing! </span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">What's it about?</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>"Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her co worker at the movie theatre, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's not too pleased when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. Despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new friends, including the handsome </i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately he's taken- and Anna might be too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's been waiting for?"</i> Blurb from the book cover.</span></span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I loved this book. I'd heard a lot of bloggers express their love for this book, but I never bothered to read it. Then I was in the mood for a good chick lit romance book and so I made a quick online order! I started reading this the moment it dropped through my door and didn't stop until I'd finished it. It was wonderful! I was completely swept into the story and the setting. I've never been to Paris, and never had a big urge to visit, but this book made me want to! I also love a boarding school book. I liked how the characters are always in the same place, I think it's an interesting concept, as there really is no escape from school. So boarding school, combined with Paris was a hit with me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The main delight of this book is its characters. I found I could really relate to Anna and I dare you not to fall in love with St. Clair!! Anna's narration is a joy, and she made me laugh and dream along side her. I really liked the supporting cast of characters though I wish some of them had a little more air time, so I could know them a little better. Especially Meredith- I felt that although she's the one who introduces Anna to her group of friends, you actually learn very little about her. Some more Josh would have been good too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The romance in this book is divine. The relationship between Anna and St Clair has so many twists and turns, but I loved how they interacted. Their relationship is wonderful to watch develop through many iterations. There are a few moments of "Arghhh when will this happen already! St Clair you're an idiot!" type thoughts, but that's to be expected in a plot of this type. St Clair shows Paris to Anna, and makes her feel at home, whilst Anna helps St Clair when his world begins to crumble. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">One little thing that I really liked about this book was Anna's love for film. I love films, and I just really liked reading about her interest in it, and her desire to be a film critic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">So to sum up this slightly waffle-ly ramble, this book is a must read for a romance loving YA enthusiast. It's cute as well as serious, and it will warm you heart. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><strong>Goodreads Reading Challenge</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">14 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-76749480379618338602012-10-21T07:11:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:22:19.845-08:00REVIEW: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since the film recently hit the cinemas I thought it would be timely to review <i>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</i> by Stephen Chbosky. I haven't seen the film, but I do really want to. Please let me know in the comments what you thought of it if you've seen it.<br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">What's it about?</strong><br />
The main character who calls himself Charlie is about to begin his first year of high school and feels apprehensive due to the recent suicide of his only good friend Michael. He doesn't feel he can talk to his parents or siblings, as the only person in the family who understood him was his Aunt Helen who died on Charlie's seventh birthday. At school he soon befriends two seniors- Sam and Patrick, who along with his English teacher, introduce Charlie to many new experiences.<br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This is an extremely popular and well loved novel, but it fell a bit flat for me. I found the idea that a rather weird and shy freshman had become such good friends with seniors rather unrealistic, and I think that disconnected me from the novel a little. Also it reminds me of <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i> which I hated, and <i>Before I Die</i> which I wasn't blown away by either. It's a genre that I don't seem to get on with too well. Despite this, I did like <i>The Perks of Being a Wallflower, </i>there is something special about this book, and I can understand why it is a favourite book for a lot of people. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The novel is presented in form of letters from Charlie to an anonymous friend, who he hears the girls at school talking about fondly. I thought the epistolary form of the novel worked very well, and I soon felt I was the 'Friend' that these letters were addressed to. In these letters you learn about the personal growth of Charlie through the many new things he experiences, leading to him feeling that he doesn't have to be a wallflower. The letters document all all Charlie's observations, feelings and activities. The letters are jammed pack with popular culture, with songs, films and literature playing a large part. I really liked the use of literature and songs in the book. The letters also deal with friendship, suicide, abuse, sex, drugs and depression. From the letters you can see the development of Charlie's relationships with the other characters in the novel. I particularly liked seeing the relationship he had with his sister change and develop, and gradually learning about his past. I'm still unsure how I felt about his relationships with Sam and Patrick. I enjoyed the scenes between them but in the back of my head I constantly had that nagging feeling that in real life it would never happen. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It's is a very commonly quoted novel, and I understand why. It contains lots of beautiful and sometimes quite deep quotes. Charlie's voice is very striking, and is a highlight of the novel for me. It is child-like yet at the same time wise and adult. Charlie makes observations which we often take for granted and it is quite moving to hear his remarks on these occasions. For instance: </span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 14px;">The fact that one of these ladies was my mom made me particularly sad because my mom is beautiful. And she’s always on a diet. Sometimes, my dad calls her beautiful, but she cannot hear him."</span></span></i><br />
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This quote rings incredibly true for a lot of women and I know it frustrates and saddens me. Probably the most <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">common quotes from <i>Perks </i>are : </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 14px;">“<span style="color: purple;"><i>We accept the love we think we deserve.</i></span>” and<i><span style="color: purple;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">" </span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Chobosky's writing is excellent. The humour is very dry, and the whole novel is incredibly touching. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I found the second half of the book far more enjoyable than the first. It took awhile to get used to Charlie and let my doubts go, but by the end I was definitely moved, and feeling rather emotional! I think this is a novel that requires a re-read to appreciate fully.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I think everyone should read this book, you may not love it (I didn't) but I think it is an experience that one should have, especially adolescents.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><strong>Goodreads Reading Challenge</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">13 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-36696938795278942562012-10-12T12:44:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:23:09.463-08:00REVIEW: 'The Casual Vacancy' by J. K. Rowling<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">One fact you probably don't know about me is that I'm a gigantic Harry Potter fan. I would say I was part of the original HP generation, aging at a similar rate to Harry and his friends, as the books were released. Since I am such a huge fan of Harry Potter, there was no way I would be able to resist reading <em>The Casual Vacancy. </em>Part of me wanted to resist but I was curious and I was going to see J.K Rowling at the Cheltenham Literary Festival read from <em>The Casual Vacancy, </em>talk about the book and answer audience questions. I <em>had </em>to read it!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWWnlXrjsk7V2oFu8st47iy6XC5zwUyPqSrMYIkxI7V6_uj1IA3MtUuMrwgv6a5O-APo8JelLej641DkysJ3VztHu1dI23cEE95stbvhSpgzjvCDxUHnavG5LP4XnPWWA0GXcit9mVNA/s1600/cheltenham+collage+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWWnlXrjsk7V2oFu8st47iy6XC5zwUyPqSrMYIkxI7V6_uj1IA3MtUuMrwgv6a5O-APo8JelLej641DkysJ3VztHu1dI23cEE95stbvhSpgzjvCDxUHnavG5LP4XnPWWA0GXcit9mVNA/s400/cheltenham+collage+for+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I had a wonderful time at the Cheltenham Literary Festival, meeting J.K. Rowling and having my book signed was a dream come true, and it was fascinating to hear her talk about her book. Whilst I was there I also saw Benedict Cumberbatch talk about making BBC Sherlock. A great event, and I recommend the Cheltenham Literary Festival to all book enthusiasts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>What's it about?</strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">When Barry Fairbrother suddenly dies in his early forties, the outwardly idyllic village of Pagford is shocked. Behind closed doors of Pagford, there is always a war going on between husbands and wives, parents and teenagers, teachers and pupils. Barry's death leaves a casual vacancy on the parish council, which causes the largest war that Pagford has ever seen. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></span></span><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">I had no idea what to expect with this book. I simply read it because it was written by J. K. Rowling. I knew it would be nothing like Harry Potter and I was proved correct. The foul language was one of the greatest surprises. I didn't expect so many F words or C words! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo0ZTRc8SqCaY-nmjNnSRVbJNYjFQZBFeBX-Dsj-oB5YzBHCFVzG91Y6BzFG2xa2YfOlJpfjFBX_KJXLxFRft6eVDzuR5EKXg8vZRowQ0OHGP2nUMtp-y6MhHuYMbvKnADZ4uNHqtDmg/s1600/South+Gloucestershire-20121012-00924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo0ZTRc8SqCaY-nmjNnSRVbJNYjFQZBFeBX-Dsj-oB5YzBHCFVzG91Y6BzFG2xa2YfOlJpfjFBX_KJXLxFRft6eVDzuR5EKXg8vZRowQ0OHGP2nUMtp-y6MhHuYMbvKnADZ4uNHqtDmg/s400/South+Gloucestershire-20121012-00924.jpg" width="272" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">At first I wasn't sure if I'd get into it, but after awhile I was sucked into it all. There were some characters' storylines that I preferred, and some I struggled to care about (Gavin). </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">I thought the book brought to light some challenging issues, for instance one character is the troubled daughter of a drug addict, trying desperately to prevent her younger brother being taken into care, whilst another teenage character is struggling with self harm. There are also some very unpleasant family relationships and the old mother-in-law issues. I didn't expect any of that but gave the book a bit of grit. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">In essence this book is a character study similar to old nineteenth century literature. There isn't much in the way of plot other than the election of a new councillor and the debate over who should be responsible for the council estate on the edge of Pagford called the Fields and it's addiction clinic. The novel focuses on around 17 or 18 characters of several different generations and upbringings. It examines the theme of responsibility, and the impact each action has on others and the character themselves. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">There is also a theme of redemption. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">J.K. Rowling herself said that she thought only two of the characters beyond redemption- Simon and Obbo. The others all have some sort of goodness in them. Her favourite character is Fats, who is a rather unpleasant teenage boy trying to deal with the fact his father possibly hates him. I was somewhat surprised as I disliked Fats- I felt sorry for him, but not enough to like him as a character. My favourite character in the book is Krystal, who is a teenage girl living in the Fields, with a heroin addicted mother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The novel is fairly heartbreaking in places but there are definitely plenty of funny and comical moments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">This book is very much for those who enjoy delving into characters and are not plot driven readers. If you like a linear fast moving plot with a few central characters (much like Harry Potter), then this is not the book for you. If however you do like a slower book that examines characters more intimately then you'll probably enjoy it. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></span></span></strong><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rating</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2D3WPiMYHKMiwS6kkasnfzcsoOQBB7vvSA6jZGhYeApkVteUoxv1BGRTNzaN6ZHQE1CIg6Vp82U8q7RC4GwwSCsFUqmwywjClqiIDzExr8YWhRnHgqgVDIlSaquAx94JlzPhNdOHIt8/s1600/535px-4_stars.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2D3WPiMYHKMiwS6kkasnfzcsoOQBB7vvSA6jZGhYeApkVteUoxv1BGRTNzaN6ZHQE1CIg6Vp82U8q7RC4GwwSCsFUqmwywjClqiIDzExr8YWhRnHgqgVDIlSaquAx94JlzPhNdOHIt8/s200/535px-4_stars.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>Goodreads Reading Challenge</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">12 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-82867634814116103172012-09-20T12:03:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:24:02.446-08:00REVIEW: 'Throne of Glass' by Sarah J. Maas<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sorry for the absence of posts! I've just started a new graduate job which has been wiping out my energy and keeping me busy. However I'm getting into the routine now and I have adjusted to my new sleeping pattern, so ready to blog again! I've been doing lots of reading to relax after work, so plenty to review. I'm currently a book ahead on my goodreads, so done really well to catch up from being 5 behind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Onto the review of <em>Throne of Glass</em> by Sarah J. Maas which was released last month (Aug 7th).</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9SlIuVhfhvysEHXCXTuONh8woaARqGB7flqrQBloyWnJzaXum68gFA28SKd2ipr8u7MC6RW0hzv4FVURu6THSYm3qgIysfU4okfuMOgYgPyMuDihD8pXBcp8_-BLG0dx_jt-W7Epxpo/s1600/frontcover+throne+glass+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9SlIuVhfhvysEHXCXTuONh8woaARqGB7flqrQBloyWnJzaXum68gFA28SKd2ipr8u7MC6RW0hzv4FVURu6THSYm3qgIysfU4okfuMOgYgPyMuDihD8pXBcp8_-BLG0dx_jt-W7Epxpo/s400/frontcover+throne+glass+.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>What's it about?</strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">'When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King’s Champion and be released from prison. </span></em></span></span></span></span><em style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her.And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing Celaena never thought she’d have again: a friend. But something evil dwells in the castle–and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival–and a desperate quest to root out the source of evil before it destroys her world.' Summary from Sarah Maas' </span><a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/books/queen-of-glass/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">website</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong></strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong><span style="background-color: #fcffee;">What did I think of it?</span></strong></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">I admit I didn't even read the blurb before buying this book as I'd heard good things, and it was a genre I knew I enjoyed. Not normally an overly smart move but thankfully I did really like this book.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">When I first started reading I wasn't sure whether I had made a good choice due to the references to faeries (not normally my reading cup of tea!), but by the second chapter I was starting to feel invested in the story and curious. The main character, the master assassin Celaena was fantastic. She was a moody, witty and kick ass! I liked the development of Celaena and her relationships with the other characters, notably the Captain of the Guard and the Crown Prince. I also enjoyed the relationship between the Captain and the Prince. It was a great friendly rivalry, especially with them both falling for the assassin.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">The plot was engaging, and although I guessed who/what was murdering the champions quite quickly, and worked out who was not to be trusted, it didn't impair my enjoyment in the slightest. I really liked how magic was incorporated in the story, and I'm not a fan of a lot of magic fantasy. It was subtle and not the main focus of the plot, despite playing an important role in the novel. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">I wish there was a bit more time to hear about the tasks that the champions had to undertake to stay in the running to work for the king. The time line in the novel moves along swiftly and covers a period of several months. Due to the swift nature several events seemed summarised, which I would actually have liked to hear more about. Despite my mini grumble about the time line, the novel is well paced (because it doesn't stop to satisfy some of my minor curiousities!). </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">I really recommend this book and I'm already really looking forward to the next one to hear more about the infamous assassin Celaena. </span></span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</span></strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">11 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-20166073387662097552012-08-29T04:25:00.001-07:002012-08-29T04:28:41.955-07:00WWW Wednesday<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a meme hosted by </span><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">MizB</a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I thought I'd play along this week.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #003300; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 20px;">To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…</span></div>
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<a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/www_wednesdays43.png?w=240&h=167" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/www_wednesdays43.png?w=240&h=167" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75; line-height: 1.5em;">• What are you currently reading? </span><b style="line-height: 1.5em;">Crossed</b><b style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </b><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">by Ally Condie. - This is the sequel to </span><i style="line-height: 1.5em;">Matched </i><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">which I really enjoyed. </span><span style="line-height: 19px;">I found the concept of the world in <i>Matched </i>very interesting, and got attached to the characters, so I eagerly awaited the arrival of <i>Crossed </i> in the post.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What did you recently finish reading?</span> <b>Second Chance Summer</b> by Morgan Matson. I really enjoyed this book!! I thoroughly recommend it if you want a poignant summer read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What do you think you’ll read next? </span><b>Thirteen Reasons Why</b><b> </b>by Jay Asher. I've heard a lot about this book, and it looks like one I'll really enjoy. Can't wait to read it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Join in and tell me your WWW for this week either on your blog or in the comments.</span></div>
Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-21349907068794591262012-08-29T04:13:00.002-07:002012-11-21T04:24:48.786-08:00REVIEW 'The Hobbit' by J. R. R. Tolkien<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Today's review is</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The Hobbit</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> by J. R. R. Tolkien which I actually read as a child, but since I couldn't remember the plot very well I decided it was time for a re-read before the first film is released. I will be comparing it with <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> which is one of my favourite books, and by the same author, as I'm sure everyone knows (unless they've been hiding under a rock!)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="color: #3d85c6;">What's it about?</b></span></span><br />
A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins is roped into an adventure with thirteen Dwarves by the wizard Gandalf. Their aim is to reach the Lonely Mountain in order to rescue the treasure and old home of Thorin the dwarf from Smaug the dragon. It is set in the spectacular world of Middle Earth, and the reluctant hero has many adventures and meets a whole host of colourful characters on his quest to defeat Smaug.<br />
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<b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><br />
<i>The Hobbit </i>an incredibly charming children's adventure story. Bilbo Baggins is a fantastic character, and far more likeable than Frodo in <i>The Lord of the Rings.</i> He is full of charm and very amusing! The host of Dwarves each have their own personality, though you don't learn too much about them. Every character in <i>The Hobbit</i> was a joy to read about and I'm looking forward to seeing them portrayed on screen in a few months. I think Bilbo would have to be my favourite character but there are a whole host of characters in this book who are almost as wonderful.<br />
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The book is told by a narrator in episodic fashion, which is something I really enjoyed. Each chapter, especially in the first half of the book recounts a little adventure or meeting of a new character. This leads to Bilbo having an action packed trip to the Lonely Mountain, and perfect for bedtime reading, as each chapter reads almost like a mini story. The writing is less complicated than <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, as <i>The Hobbit</i> is clearly written for children. The writing style gives such charm to the book<i>. </i>I found it a little slow going at first, and I know a lot of people are put off but as it continued I found myself getting more absorbed and reading for pleasure rather than duty.<br />
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The plot of <i>The Hobbit </i>is very basic in principle but nonetheless enjoyable. Many unfortunate events take place during the quest which keep the plot fresh and exciting. The sense of danger that is portrayed in Mirkwood is fantastic, and the spiders were terrifying!<br />
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I really recommend this book, especially for children. For me, it wasn't as good as<i> The Lord of the Rings </i>plotwise (I'm a plot driven reader!) but the charm and style of <i>The Hobbit</i> is makes it something special. I would have given it three stars but I feel that I'm a little old to enjoy it fully, and there is something magical and special about this book so I gave it four.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">10 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-14375119690948568102012-08-16T14:35:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:25:20.078-08:00REVIEW: 'Pushing the Limits' by Kate McGarry<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know I said that the next post would be reviewing the 'Song of Ice and Fire' series but that is taking longer to put together than I expected. Instead I thought I'd review some less epic books for you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today's review is <i>Pushing the Limits</i> by Kate McGarry which I was inspired to read after hearing so much praise from the blogging community.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="color: #3d85c6;">What's it about?</b></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with all the right friends and the jock boyfriend, to being the outsider with scars on her arms. Echo doesn't remember the truth of what happened that night and is desperate to remember. She hates her stepmother and her father is controlling- Echo just wants to be normal again. When Noah Hutchins, the foster kid with issues, is thrust into her life by her guidance counsellor, things begin to change for them both.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk to be normal again.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I loved it!!! It's the first contemporary young adult book I've read in awhile, and it reminded me just how much I like them. I also bawled like a baby during this book- so be prepared that it's does tug on the heartstrings a lot. The book is written in alternate point of views of Echo and Noah, which I thought worked very well. Both characters were well rounded and very well written. It was probably the two lead characters that made this book for me. I fell instantly in love with them both, and their relationship.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Noah! I loved Noah. I thought he was realistically written, and believable. I thought he had an interesting back story, and I felt the desperate desire he had to be with his brothers again. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Echo. Echo is desperately wanting to be normal, she is changed from the incident which leaves her unable to work out where she belongs and what she truly wants. She was an interesting character to follow as she had quite a few issues to sort out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">There were times where both characters frustrated me, but their actions weren't out of character, just designed to frustrate the reader as part of the plot. I loved the relationship that McGarry creates between the two lead characters. I thought it was great that she was realistic about teenage boys sexual desires and that she made Echo decide to wait, unlike many other YA books. Their relationship was the highlight of the book and it was what kept me reading, more so that the mystery of Echo's forgotten night.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The mystery of Echo's traumatic night gradually unfolds throughout the book, though its possible to have a good guess fairly early on from the information you receive but Echo takes awhile to put the pieces together. This was in no way a bad thing. I did want to know the truth as there are so parts that still need clarifying, that I was intrigued to continue reading. I thought Echo's reaction to the truth was realistic and well done. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Bad points? Well the overuse of cutesy nicknames annoyed me (nymph etc) and but other than that I can't think of anything I disliked. I thoroughly recommend this book!!!</span></span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">9 out of 50</b>
Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-87828238910117189002012-08-01T11:31:00.002-07:002012-11-21T04:26:22.490-08:00'The Windup Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIQcGY2XEM7H4h5nrBvrFaqB9aj2QR3LJBt3HfaRF3HhlJ3eHB0udsg63VpHu0wucY7ZPcw8EfkETx3nWfdI-gNrs1-gkzqxIrdOGP_OgSosA2TWenPdPFXPKMMDTuK1PQwodgGXMnKo/s1600/the-windup-girl-pb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIQcGY2XEM7H4h5nrBvrFaqB9aj2QR3LJBt3HfaRF3HhlJ3eHB0udsg63VpHu0wucY7ZPcw8EfkETx3nWfdI-gNrs1-gkzqxIrdOGP_OgSosA2TWenPdPFXPKMMDTuK1PQwodgGXMnKo/s400/the-windup-girl-pb.jpg" width="251" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been a little MIA of late due to getting to grips with a new job and watching the Olympics here in the UK non stop. I've just finished <i>The Windup Girl </i>by Paolo Bacigalupi, and that is what I'm reviewing today. Next up for review will be the <i>Song of Ice and Fire </i>books. I want advice- should I review as a whole series, book by book in one post? Or do a separate post on each book? Let me know in the comments please. Thanks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Windup Girl</i> has won numerous awards so I had high hopes for it, despite being a genre that I haven't tried before. The genre is described as bio steam punk. Bacigalupi is well known for <i>Ship Breaker </i>which I have on my lengthy books to buy list. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's it about?</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 20px;"> </span>I'm going to include more background than usual, describing the world and the plot. I think Wikipedia does a good job at setting the scene:</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> 'The Windup Girl is set in 23rd century Thailand. Global warming has raised the levels of world's oceans, carbon fuel sources have become depleted, and manually wound springs are used as energy storage devices. Biotechnology is dominant and mega corporations like AgriGen, PurCal and RedStar (called calorie companies) control food production through 'genehacked' seeds, and use bioterrorism, private armies and economic hitmen to create markets for their products. Frequent catastrophes, such as deadly and widespread plagues and illness, caused by genetically modified crops and mutant pests, ravage entire populations. The natural genetic seed stock of the world's plants has been almost completely supplanted by those that are genetically engineered to be sterile. The current monarch of Thailand is a child queen. The capital city is below sea level and is protected from flooding by levees and pumps.'</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's the background, now what about the plot? This is from Amazon:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko. Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich. What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution?'</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 20px;"> </span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;">I found that it took me a long time to get into this book. It throws you in at the deep end, in the middle of a world you know nothing about. Frequent use of foreign, non translated languages in the inital chapters made it tough to understand what was happening. So many new concepts are thrown your way in the first few chapters, it all becomes rather bewildering and not overly enjoyable. </span><i style="line-height: normal;"> The Windup Girl </i><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;">is set in the same world as Bacigalupi's short story </span><i style="line-height: normal;">The Calorie Man</i><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> and </span><i style="line-height: normal;">The Yellowcard Man, </i><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;">which I didn't realise when I began this book. I'm not sure if reading those short stories would have helped me to get into the story faster or not. I did find that by around chapter 10, I was starting to get into the plot, but it is a slow plot builder. For a long while you just have lots of questions and not many answers in terms of where the plot may be going. This was a disappointment for me, as I struggled at the beginning not to give up on this book. I'm glad I didn't, but it wasn't immediate enjoyment, which I think is important for books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">The book is told by five narrators- Anderson Lake (the calorie man), Emiko (the Windup girl), Jaidee (a captain of the whiteshirts), Kanya (whiteshirt) and Hock Seng (a yellowcard). I enjoyed all the narrators once I managed to get my head into the world that Bacigalupi created. I personally found Anderson and Emiko the most compelling, and I cared the most for their stories and well being. Emiko was fascinating to me; it was highly enjoyable learning about the attitudes to windups, the mindset of the windups themselves. Hock Seng wasn't overly likeable at the beginning, but I found I did start to root for him in as the plot continued and I came to understand him a little better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the plot got going I found myself quite absorbed by the story, intrigued as to what was going to happen, as it was very slowly unveiled. I also thought the world that Bacigalupi described was incredibly interesting. It raised lots of questions about the ethics of the world and the dangers of the future. It paints a very depressing picture of the future! The whole gene hack and genetic engineering was interesting, especially the windups who have a large design faults and are sterile to stop them taking over from humans. The whole future that Bacigalupi envisioned was very clever, and I plan to read <i>Ship Breaker </i>and quite possibly Bacigalupi's short stories too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; line-height: 20px;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</b><br style="color: #111111; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 20px;">8 out of 50</b></span>
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-50696249810683226582012-07-17T14:33:00.003-07:002012-11-21T04:30:34.591-08:00REVIEW: 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasBEE66ZkJFYh4QekZKOCv8y2yQ6dSs7G6cQGt_XVjhIuk02vPvWzI51k0zDRMMpR-n9EIByQBN8ky6HJZInMxxaTXOv8pq3ArHbmVleQNYpw2HT3FXQXsgjIxs1vVQMw7sgeAaoboiA/s1600/bad+science+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasBEE66ZkJFYh4QekZKOCv8y2yQ6dSs7G6cQGt_XVjhIuk02vPvWzI51k0zDRMMpR-n9EIByQBN8ky6HJZInMxxaTXOv8pq3ArHbmVleQNYpw2HT3FXQXsgjIxs1vVQMw7sgeAaoboiA/s320/bad+science+copy.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have just finished reading 'Bad Science' by Dr Ben Goldacre, and I wanted to review it straight away. <br /><br />Ben Goldacre writes the 'Bad Science' column for the Guardian newspaper each week. The Guardian website has the following to say about the 'Bad Science' column: 'Each week Ben Goldacre skewers the enemies of reason. If you're a journalist who misrepresents science for the sake of a headline, a politician more interested in spin than evidence, or an advertiser who loves pictures of molecules in little white coats, then beware: your days are numbered.' <br /><br />I think this is a very good introduction to what to expect from the book! </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What's it about?</span></b>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'How do we know if a treatment works, or if something causes cancer? Can the claims of homeopaths ever be as true – or as interesting as the improbable research into the placebo effect? Who created the MMR hoax? Do journalists understand science? Why do we seek scientific explanations for social, personal and political problems? Are alternative therapists and the pharmaceutical companies really so different, or do they just use the same old tricks to sell different types of pill? We are obsessed with our health, and yet – from the media’s ‘world-expert microbiologist’ with a mail-order PhD in his garden shed laboratory, multiple health scares and miracle cures, to the million pound trial that Durham Council now denies ever existed – we are constantly bombarded with inaccurate, contradictory and sometimes even misleading information. Until now. Ben Goldacre masterfully dismantles the dodgy science behind some of the great drug trials, court cases and missed opportunities of our time, but he also goes further: out of the bulls---, he shows us the fascinating story of how we know what we know, and gives us the tools to uncover bad science for ourselves.' summary from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/?tag=bs0b-21">Amazon</a>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">'Bad Science' was a fascinating read! Although I had some knowledge </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">of problems with several of the topics discussed, I was still constantly amazed at what the media is allowed to get away with in terms of reporting science, what individuals could do with their own crazy ideas, what poor trials are conducted and what the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries really get up to. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;">Goldacre does a great job of teaching us to spot the failures of Big Pharma, alternative medicine, dodgy statistics and journalism. He manages to do this in an entertaining way using real life examples from the the newspapers, television and scientific literature. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Goldacre begins by </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">describing some totally bogus science that has infiltrated into society, and it's such a great example to give you a taste of this book, I'll summarise it here. Goldacre saw someone on daytime TV dipping her feet in an 'Aqua Detox' footbath, releasing her toxins into the water, turning it brown, he thought he'd try the same at home, but instead of using his own feet- he used his girlfriend's Barbie doll. He gently passed an electrical current through the warm salt water. It turned brown. In his words: 'before my very eyes, the world's first Detox Barbie was sat, with her feet in a pool of brown sludge, purged of a weekend's immorality.'</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> A clear demonstration of some of the nonsense people will believe when they can't spot bad science or simply do not have any common sense. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I think this anecdote also helps to illustrate the easy, witty and </span><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;">humorous writing style of Goldacre. You are learning in this book as </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px; text-align: left;">Goldacre takes a fair amount of time and effort to truly explain what makes a good, fair scientific trial, and how to spot bad science yourself, but the learning is very easy to understand and follow, and it never felt like a chore. The book is clearly laid out, easy to understand, and doesn't assume you're an idiot. Goldacre takes the attitude that if you explain something difficult clearly enough, you'll be able to understand it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;">I particularly enjoyed the chapters on homeopathy, Gillian McKeith and nutrition. It was hard to pick just a few as the whole book was incredibly engaging and interesting. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The book is filled with examples of stupidity that made me cry out in horror (Brain Gym for instance!) and examples of events that are truly evil (Matthias Rath- this chapter is available on the Bad Science website </span><a href="http://www.badscience.net/2009/04/matthias-rath-steal-this-chapter/" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I recommend you read it! You will be disgusted). Actually, it's worth pointing out that all of Goldacre's newspaper columns from 2003 are on his website if you want to read more about any of the particular topics I've mentioned, but haven't time to read the entire book. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;">I really recommend this book, it was a real eye opener and it also made me laugh! One thing to note, is that I think several of the examples used to illustrate points in the book may only be known to the British audience, but there are plenty of chapters where this is not the case, and the book has something to teach people worldwide. </span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">7 out of 50</b>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-32205266637971195532012-07-11T10:37:00.006-07:002012-07-11T10:40:58.420-07:00WWW Wednesday (July 11)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">This is a meme hosted by <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">MizB</a>- I thought I'd play along this week.</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What are you currently reading? </span><b>Bad Science</b> by Ben Goldacre. - This is a non-fiction book which is unusual for me- it c<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">riticises mainstream media reporting on health and science issues and is very interesting, and even amusing in parts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What did you recently finish reading?</span> <b>Alex Rider: Crocodile Tears</b> by Anthony Horowitz. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Yep, I'm aware this book is a children's book, but been reading the Alex Rider books for years and this one has been on my shelf waiting to be read for quite a while, and after finishing 'The Song of Ice and Fire' series I hit a serious reading slump- all I wanted was more books for that series. I eased myself back into reading with Alex Rider! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">• What do you think you’ll read next? </span><b>The Windup Girl </b>by Paolo Bacigalupi. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> I bought this awhile a go, and I think it's time to give it a whirl. It's won lots of awards so should hopefully be good. Wikipedia describes it as BioPunk science fiction, and that's something I reckon I'll enjoy reading.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Join in and tell me your WWW for this week either on your blog or in the comments.</span></span></div>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-30277916839576334642012-07-08T11:53:00.000-07:002012-11-21T04:30:03.280-08:00'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got bored with reviewing my</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/287514" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank"> goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> list in order, so I thought I'd jump ahead to 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner, as this was a very different reading experience for me, as I don't usually gravitate towards slightly frightening thrillers, despite the fact I always enjoy them. I really should learn to pick them up more often!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What's it about?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">'When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse enclosed by stone walls.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them, open. Every night they are closed tight. And that every 30 days a new boy is delivered in the lift.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets that are buried within his mind.' <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186357-the-maze-runner" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> summary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I was really surprised by this book. It was not what I was expecting at all. The booktube community kept recommending this book for fans of 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, and saying that is was a brilliant book. I was looking for something similar to 'The Hunger Games' so I thought I'd give it a go. Personally I wouldn't compare the two. Okay, the concept of being trapped in an arena/maze idea can be considered similar, but the feel and ideas of the books were very different. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I started reading 'The Maze Runner' about 10:30pm and I only planned to read until midnight, then I would get some sleep. This did not happen! I had to keep reading as I found it a little scary and I couldn't sleep until I knew what happened. Plus, once I got past the fear, I was hooked on the plot. I just had to find out what was going on, and how the Gladers were going to resolve the situation. I found this an incredibly addicting read, and I was left feeling rather worn out after this book. It is a great thriller! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Dashner creates a creepy yet enthralling world that the Gladers live in. The book has a real sense of urgency, and continually builds the suspense, revealing small plot points whilst at the same time creating even more mysteries as the book goes on. I thi</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">nk Dasher does an excellent job in describing the forbidding maze, and letting you picture the dark and foreboding place in your head. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I thought the characters were a little under developed and that the remembering memories at convenient moments was a slightly contrived plot device but none of these things ruined the book for me. I am very much a plot driven reader, I empathise and get attached to characters fairly easily so it doesn't usually matter too much to me if characters aren't as developed as they could be, as long as the plot interests me. I was so intrigued by the plot of 'The Maze Runner'- what was outside the maze? Why were they in the maze in the first place? Where did the monster Grievers come from? Why does the Changing occur? Why is the maze stepping up a notch? Who are the 'Creators'? </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">It is a fairly cheerless, unrelenting and dark book in many respects but it drags you in, and compels you to read more. From reading other people's reviews, I have found that it splits the jury- a lot of people seem to have gripes with the made up slang, and 2D characters, though everyone seems to love the idea of the maze runner. I personally thoroughly enjoyed 'The Maze Runner' and I would recommend it to my friends. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Goodreads Reading Challenge</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 out of 50</b><br />
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<br />Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-46262422477063247582012-07-05T12:54:00.002-07:002012-07-05T12:56:08.588-07:00Inside & Out tag<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Time for another tag post. I saw this on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV3aOfZ9jfg&feature=g-u-u" target="_blank">elizziebook</a>'s youtube channel but it was created by<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Oeeqp2174&feature=plcp" target="_blank"> Mathom Books</a>. Both great channels and booktubers. I thought it was a fun idea for a post and a great way to understand reading habits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's get started! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I</b> <span style="color: purple;">Inside flap/Back of the book summaries: Too much info? Or not enough (Discuss) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think it really varies. Most books I think the blurb is usually sufficient to give enough information to make me read a book. Occasionally I do come across books, which people have recommended to me, that I am at first reluctant to read based on the blurb as the blurb didn't entice me. That said, I don't like to know too much before I begin a book, I like it to be a nice surprise when I'm reading.<br /><br /><b>N</b> <span style="color: purple;">New book: What form do you want it in? Be honest: Audiobook, E-Book, Paperback, or Hardcover?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paperback! I prefer paperbacks. Hardcovers look nicer on the shelf but I find are more awkward to read. They are often heavier and more difficult to hold. Audiobooks- great for the car, but not a huge fan as I read so much faster than the audiobook reads.. I really should get some for the car though. I used to love listening to Harry Potter in the car with my friend's family. E-books - I don't have an e-reader, otherwise I would consider buying the e-book version if I knew it wasn't a book I would re-read a lot and really adore, as those I like to have on my shelf<br /><br /><b>S</b> <span style="color: purple;">Scribble while you read? Do you like to write in your books, taking notes, making comments, or do you keep your books clean clean clean? (Tell us why)</span><br />No I don't write in my books. It never occurs to me to make a note of anything, I am too busy enjoying the plot. During 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green I did have a few moments where I found beautiful quotations that I wanted to make a note of, but didn't as I wanted to keep reading! I think when I re-read it (which I will soon) I'll pop a few page markers in. Perhaps I should start jotting down a few thoughts on paper as I read though, as could be useful for reviewing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><b>I</b> <span style="color: purple;">In your best voice, read for us your favorite 1st sentence from a book.</span><br /> This is more a video question... and I haven't the foggiest idea what my favourite first sentence is otherwise I would record it and post it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><b>D</b> <span style="color: purple;">Does it matter to you whether the author is male of female when you're deciding on a book? What if you're unsure of the author's gender? </span><br />To me it's completely irrelevant. I'm choosing on the plot and the genre, not the gender of the author. Maybe if it was a chicklit book like the ones that Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella write, but I don't think I've ever seen one written by a male author. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><b>E</b> <span style="color: purple;">Ever read ahead? or have you ever read the last page way before you got there? (Do confess thy sins, foul demon!) :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Occasionally. I may skip ahead a f</span>ew chapters and skim a line or two if I'm fearful of something happening to the characters and I want to know they are still alive. I never read the last page though! If I want to know how many pages it has, I look at the number on the last page but make sure I don't even glance at the text.<br /><br />&<br /><br /><b>O</b> <span style="color: purple;">Organized bookshelves, or Outrageous bookshelves? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Outrageous with some patches of organised -you could argue that my shelves are amorphous in that respect (geeky chemistry joke...). Moving on! I try to put series together but I haven't organised by genre or alphabetically. I would like to organise alphabetically but I've never got around to it.<br /><br /><b>U</b> <span style="color: purple;">Under oath: have you ever bought a book based on the cover (alone)? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No I don't think I have. I can quite often be influenced the cover when in the shop if I'm just looking around for a book, but I won't buy it if the blurb doesn't interest me.<br /><br /><b>T </b><span style="color: #741b47;">Take it outside to read, or stay in?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stay in usually. I find outside can be less comfortable and bit distracting, apart from on holiday, where I love lounging by the pool and reading a book a day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So those are my answers. Leave your own responses in the comments or on your own blog! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-29275714130850547882012-07-03T14:45:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:29:26.227-08:00'Specials' by Scott Westerfeld<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'Specials' by Scott Westerfeld is the last in his trilogy, but not the last set in his post-apocalyptic world. There is a fourth novel - 'Extras'- which is set in the same universe but in a different city, with a very different plot premise to the Ugly series. I reviewed the first two books , <a href="http://tesnireads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/uglies-by-scott-westerfield.html" target="_blank">'Uglies'</a> and <a href="http://tesnireads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/pretties-by-scott-westerfield.html" target="_blank">'Pretties'</a> in previous posts. There will be spoilers for the first books within this review, so if you haven't read the first two books, you may not want to read on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What's it about?</span></b><br style="color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #fcffee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It is set in a world which has been destroyed by the a bacterium that de-stablises petroleum, and the human race has rebuilt society in a very different manner. It is place where every one is 'ugly' until they reach the age of sixteen. The Uglies are ordinary human faces, but when they turn sixteeen everyone undergoes a transformation into a 'Pretty'. The operation is to make everyone equal in terms of looks, and it makes everyone 'bubbly'. Once 'Pretty' the teenagers are allowed to cross the bridge and move into Pretty Town, where their only purpose it have a good time.</span><br style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br style="font-size: 15px;" /></span><span style="background-color: #fcffee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The novel begins after Tally and Zane have been captured by the Special Circumstance in the Smokies camp. She is turned into a 'Special' - an operation that gives super human powers, a terrifying appearance, and heightened feelings of superiority, rage and euphoria. Tally is not just any 'Special', she is part of an elite group called 'The Cutters', led by her old friend Shay. </span><span style="background-color: #fcffee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Zane is too sick from the brain lesion cure issue in the previous book to undergo the operation. </span><span style="background-color: #fcffee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> After crashing an Ugly party they realise a girl is attempting to deliver the pills that cure the brain lesions to Zane. as well as recruiting the Crims to join the Smokies in a city called the New Smoke (or Diego). Tally and Shay, eager to have Zane join them, help him escape in order for to help them find the New Smoke and be heralded as a hero to the Special Circumstances, who would then have to turn him 'Special'. The Cutters begin to track Zane and the Crims on their journey to the New Smoke, and Tally must decide what side she truly supports.</span><span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><b style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did I think of it?</span></b><br style="color: #111111; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I really wasn't as keen on this instalment. There were a two major things that I thought were disappointing. Let's start with The Cutters! The Cutters get their kicks from cutting themselves in a ritual, which makes them 'bubbly' and gives a heightened sense of clarity. I thought this was a very irresponsible plot device in a novel of this type, especially as it is a novel aimed at teenagers. The idea, in the novel, that cutting makes them feel better and helps them deal with issues they may be having, I think is quite inappropriate, and there should be a warning on the book as a possible trigger for those who struggle with cutting. Tally does stop cutting eventually, but I still wasn't keen on this plot idea. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">My second dislike was the character of Tally. In each book it feels like she has a different personality due to the being Ugly, Pretty and Special. Sadly, her Special personality is not likeable. It was hard to identify with her, and she just irritated me thorough out the book. I find that an unlikeable character really puts me off a book. eg. 'The Catcher In The Rye' by J. D. Salinger. In the 'Bartimaeus' series by Jonathan Stroud, the lead character Nathaniel is not a particularly pleasant human being, but you still like him enough to root for his cause. Tally in 'Specials' just doesn't make you like her enough to care and I found myself hoping she'd either be cured a.s.a.p or be killed off. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This book does make you think about government, humanity, the human race's effect on the planet, society and freedom of speech. So it has interesting concepts to mull over once you've finished the book, or even whilst still reading and experiencing Diego. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I found that the plot of the book was slightly less gripping than the previous books, but it was interesting to see how the whole plot of the three novels was resolved, and that keeps you reading. Learning about the world of the New Smoke was something I particularly enjoyed. Seeing what happens when a whole city is set free and brought to the Smokies way of life, and the effect that had on resources for instance. I was left severely disappointed by 'Specials'. I expected more, and it was a shame for the series to end with a less satisfying book! Thankfully 'Extras' is much better and I shall be reviewing that shortly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think perhaps this is more of a two and half star occasion, as I felt it was between 'It was ok' and 'I liked it' as I did enjoy the resolving of the plot. Sadly, I don't have a graphic for 2.5 stars yet. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Goodreads Reading Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number <b>5 out of 50</b></span><br />
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-89436222264637125522012-06-27T08:34:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:29:01.910-08:00'Pretties' by Scott Westerfeld<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">The fourth book I read for the </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" style="background-color: #fcffee; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> challenge was 'Pretties' by Scott Westerfeld. This is the second book in the series, and I reviewed the first book - 'Uglies'- <a href="http://tesnireads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/uglies-by-scott-westerfield.html" target="_blank">here</a>. This review will contain a few spoilers from the first book, I do try to avoid spoilers but it's impossible to discuss 'Pretties' without revealing some plot points from 'Uglies'. I won't be spoiling anything from 'Pretties' though, so as long as you've read the first book, feel free to read on!</span></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's it about?</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">It is set in a world which has been destroyed by the human race, and has had to rebuild society. It is place where every one is 'ugly' until they reach the age of sixteen. The Uglies are ordinary human faces, but when they turn sixteeen everyone undergoes a transformation into a 'Pretty'. The operation is to make everyone equal in terms of looks, and it makes everyone 'bubbly'. Once 'Pretty' the teenagers are allowed to cross the bridge and move into Pretty Town, where their only purpose it have a good time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">The novel begins after Tally has been captured by the specials and has finally been turned Pretty. She fully embraces the Pretty lifestyle - non stop parties, high-tech gadgets and becoming a Crim. Underneath all the fun and bubbly activities, she has a nagging feeling that there is something wrong. that she's forgotten something important. She then receives a message from her past that reminds her what is wrong with her Pretty life, and her she's soon fighting for her life. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #fcffee; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I enjoyed 'Pretties' a little less than 'Uglies' for a few reasons that I'll detail below. I found this book to be a just as addictive as the first, and read it in once sitting again. The writing style, as expected, is much like the first book, easy to read and fast paced. <br /><br />This book introduces a whole new set of characters who belong to a gang called the Crims. The Crims are a group of Pretties who enjoy feeling bubbly and pursue bubble-making behaviour, usually in the form of reckless, but since its Pretty Town, perfectly safe, activities. The leader of the Crims is Zane, who is with Tally when she receives the message from her past explaining what is wrong with Pretty. They are a double act in the book, working together and helping each out in their pursuit of escaping their brain control, and leaving Pretty Town. Zane, although incredibly likeable, just didn't match up to David from the first book for me, and that took a bit of the enjoyment away but only a tiny amount. I have read plenty of reviews that prefer Zane, so it seems to divide the readers 50:50 to whether you are a David or a Zane person, but the book never tries to make it a Team Edward vs Team Jacob scenario. Both David and Zane have parts to play, and different merits, but they aren't the focus of the book. The love story isn't the important part! The main focus of this time is trying to cure the brain of the mind control chip and return to the Smokies. <br /><br />I enjoyed seeing the effect the brain chip had on Tally, after knowing her in the original book as an Ugly, it was a very different Tally you meet in the second book. The focus of the Pretties is to have as much fun as possible and never worry about anything, which is a fantastic way to control a population, as they have no need to question or complain, as they live very enjoyable lives. <br /><br />I found with this book that the plot wasn't quite as intriguing as the first one, since you know about the brain washing and you know the truth about the Smokies lifestyle and where they came from. This all causes the plot of the second book not have the same mystery and intrigue as the first one. I think that can often be the case with a second book as a lot of the world has been explained to the reader, but it didn't stop the book from being an enjoyable. I found that the plot of the book, although less mysterious, was still interesting and exciting. I wanted to know how Tally would clear her head and escape Special Circumstances to reunite in the wastelands with the Smokies, and that kept me turning page after page. It was great to see the Pretty side of life, and what concerns filled a Pretty mind. The world was just as wonderful and immersive as the first book, and it was a joy to have another book in this world Westerfeld has created. I was certainly left desperate for the third book!<br style="background-color: #fcffee; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #990000; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Goodreads Reading Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number <b>4 out of 50</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b></span>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-31194004072641880692012-06-19T06:04:00.001-07:002012-11-21T04:28:38.227-08:00'The Summer I Turned Pretty' by Jenny Han<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The third book I read for the </span><a href="http://goodreads.com/" style="background-color: white;">Goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white;"> challenge was 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' by Jenny Han. This is part of a trilogy, though when I read the first two books, the third wasn't released yet. It is now out, but I haven't the funds to buy it. Perhaps by the end of the year, as it would be nice to review all the books in the trilogy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What's it about?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fifteen year old Isabel (or Belly) measures her life in summers, always willing the winter months away so she can go to the beach house that her mother's best friend, Susannah, owns. Susannah's has two sons, eighteen year old Conrad who Belly's been in love with since she was ten, and sixteen year old Jeremiah, is full of jokes and like a brother to Belly. After spending every summer with Conrad and Jeremiah always doing things with her older brother Steven and leaving her out - Belly is finally a included, and the boys aren't looking at her like a little sister any more.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What did I think of it? </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is very much a quick and easy beach read, but one that is surprisingly touching. The author switches back and forth from the present to past summers which helps you to understand the relationship between all the characters. It is written in the first person from the perspective of Belly (Isabel), which is one of the things I disliked about the book. I do really like first person narration, but Belly is an irritating and whiny character. It's her personality which really lets this book down. The plot line itself is decent enough, with enough love triangle and some other intrigues to keep you interested but I did find myself tiring of Belly's commentary. It wasn't quite enough to make me dislike the book but I think the book would have been much more enjoyable if Belly was more likeable. I understand she's supposed to be flawed and in the process of growing up, but I feel that other books manage to have a childish character maturing in a far less annoying way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enough about Belly, what about the other characters? Well Conrad is aloof, moody and the silent type struggling with a few issues, whilst his brother Jeremiah is the opposite- friendly, ready for fun and smiling. I enjoyed the relationship between the brothers but I felt that you didn't learn too much about them in this book, but it is the first of the trilogy. Although I feel that the book could have benefited from exploring the brothers characters a little more, as I felt I was supposed to like Conrad, but I couldn't because not much is given away about his personality. If I were Belly, I'd choose Jeremiah!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I did enjoy this book despite my grumblings about Belly, and although the secondary characters aren't as well developed as I'd have liked, and it hasn't got much in the way of a traditional plot as such, it kept me interested, and intrigued enough to buy the sequel. The blurb makes it sound like a summer of unrequited love and love triangles but there are other plot points ticking away in the background and revealed in the last few chapters. It's definitely a mixed bag, but I can imagine tweens adoring it. It won't be everyone's cup of tea. If whiny, self absorbed teenagers aren't your thing, stay well clear!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Rating</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Goodreads Reading Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number <b>3 out of 50</b></span><br />
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-16547280622795943052012-05-30T04:16:00.002-07:002012-11-21T04:27:37.916-08:00'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The second book I read for the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> challenge was 'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld. It is the first book in a trilogy (Uglies, Pretties, Specials), though there is a fourth book set in the same world but it is a different city and protagonist (Extras). I've read all four this year, so I shall be reviewing them all over time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had heard a lot about this book before I read it. It was one that I saw repeatedly mentioned across the interwebs, especially in recommendations for dystopian books. I've been really enjoying dystopian lately, so I thought it was time to read 'Uglies'.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What's it about?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is set in a world which has been destroyed by the human race, and has had to rebuild society. It is place where every one is 'ugly' until they reach the age of sixteen. The Uglies are ordinary human faces, but when they turn sixteeen everyone undergoes a transformation into a 'Pretty'. The operation is to make everyone equal in terms of looks, and it makes everyone 'bubbly'. Once 'Pretty' the teenagers are allowed to cross the bridge and move into New Pretty Town, where they're only purpose it have a good time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The protagonist in 'Uglies' is a fifteen year old girl called Tally. Tally can't wait to be Pretty and join her friends in New Pretty Town. However Tally meets a new friend, Shay, who doesn't want to be Pretty, and would rather risk the world outside their town. Shay longs to join the mysterious Smokies in The Smoke, which are a group of Uglies who refused to turn pretty. The authorities fear the Smokies, so when Shay runs away, Tally learns that not all is as it seems, and there is a not very pretty side to being Pretty. She is given an ultimatum by the authorities who are desperate to find Shay and the Smokies - find Shay and hand her to the authorities, or never turn Pretty.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What did I think of it?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found this book to be a very addictive read. I was hooked from page one and I read the book in one sitting, which at 425 pages of large font, doesn't take too long. The writing style is not high brow literature- unusual words and detailed descriptions aren't commonplace in this novel- but it is written in a fluent and easy to read style. The plot is well thought out, and believable, which is I think is important in a dystopian novel, as often the main dystopian plot device can be a little too science fiction, and difficult to fully believe. The technology in this book wasn't too hard to swallow and the explanation of how the world fell into it's current state was interesting and logical. The characters are fairly well developed and Westerfeld weaves the plot together very well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I really enjoyed the concept of this book, and the idea of brainwashing people into a certain view of what is pretty was interesting. At one point in the book Tally meets a character who hasn't had the operation and she is disgusted by his ugliness - he's only 40! She is also revolted when she sees a magazine from our current time, and the the models in it do not meet her idea of pretty. A funny thought when in today's society, they are what is considered 'pretty'. She is also very surprised when she realises that looks are hereditary- she notices a son looks like his father. It seems so crazy to not know that, but in this world, the characters are are completely brainwashed from birth into believing being Pretty is everything. Westerfeld gives a great insight into a world which allows Pretty to be valued over personality and skills. It acts almost like a warning to society, to remember that Pretty is not everything, in a world where the idea that Pretty is best is constantly reinforced by glossy magazines, television and film. This book also raises the questions- how much control should those in power have? How much should you question the world around you? Should so few be allowed to make decisions for so many?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found with this book that although I did like Tally as a main character in this book (not so much in the later books- more on those in a separate post), and I did care about her fate, and the fate of the other major characters, it wasn't so much the characters that kept me reading. It was more learning about the world they live in, and unravelling the conspiracies that hooked me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Goodreads Reading Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number <b>2 out of 50</b></span><br />
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-34288003135488480632012-05-19T16:26:00.000-07:002012-06-28T09:27:08.373-07:00The 7 Deadly Sins of Reading<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a bit off topic from book reviews but I plan to also post silly things like this, and book hauls as well as reviews. The next review is on its way ('Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld) but exams have taken over a bit, so I haven't had the time to devote to writing a thoughtful review. This tag was created by
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/BookishlyMalyza" target="_blank">Bookishly Malyza </a> on youtube. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>GREED</b><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>What is your most expensive book? What is your least expensive book?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not sure what my most expensive book is, but I think perhaps 'Inheritance' by Christopher Paolini. Can't remember how much I paid, possibly about £12? but it retails for £18.99. I don't tend to buy stupidly expensive books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The least expensive? Mansford Park I got for £1 in a charity shop, but if you want a new book,'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them' and 'Quidditch Through The Ages' by J. K. Rowling were the cheapest as I got them free with the World Book Day token (but they retailed at £1, so they weren't pricey anyway!)<br /><br /><b><br />WRATH</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Which author do you have a love/hate relationship with?</span></b><br />Good question. This is really hard. Perhaps Jodi Picoult - I've enjoyed all the books I've read by her, but some a lot less than others. Some of the chapters in a few of her books are a bit slow and tedious. There are a lot of her books that I really loved though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><br /><b>GLUTTONY</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Easy peasy- the Harry Potter series! Hard to just pick one, as I still read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books regularly, and 'The Lord of the Rings'.<br /><br /><b>SLOTH</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?</span></b><br />'Catch 22' by Joseph Heller. I own it, and I started it, but after a few pages I wasn't hooked and it was effort to read. I shall try again at some point as it supposed to be very good, though so is 'The Catcher In The Rye' by J.D. Salinger and I hated that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><br /><b>PRIDE</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This question makes me laugh as I don't read intellectual books usually. The books I talk about are the ones I've read and loved. I don't bother talking about intellectual ones. I can't think of an answer for this one. Perhaps 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre but I don't really talk about it often.<br /><br /><br /><b>LUST</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In male characters I like them to be sensitive and interesting but daring. In girls, I like the protagonist to be slightly feisty and have some sort of brain, though I do enjoy the mindless beach reads where the character is rather ditzy.<br /><br /><b><br />ENVY</b><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What books would you most like to receive as a gift?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have a list as long as my arm of books I want but can't afford. If I had to pick just one... argh too hard. I just eenie meanie minie mo-ed my list, and landed on 'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So that was the seven deadly sins of books tag! Please leave your answers in the comments. I'd love to read them. :)</span></div>
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</div>Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-2541753101749691292012-05-12T10:25:00.004-07:002012-11-21T04:27:57.939-08:00'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first book I read this year was 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green. I had this pre-ordered about a year in advance, so when it turned up on my door step I eagerly devoured it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those who don't know, John Green writes young adult (YA) novels, and they are all excellent. His previous novels include - 'Looking For Alaska', 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson', 'An Abundance of Katherines' and 'Paper Towns'. John Green has a youtube channel which he shares with his brother called the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers" target="_blank">vlogbrothers</a>. It is incredibly popular and has spawned a group of people called 'Nerdfighters'. <span style="line-height: 19px;">John is a lovely guy, he signed all 150,000 pre-orders of 'The Fault In Our Stars'! Mine has a lovely blue Jsquiggle in it</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ok, enough about John, what about the book?? </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Photocredit- <a href="http://www.gemsmaquillage.com/2012/01/fault-in-our-stars.html" target="_blank">Gemsmaquillage</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What is it about? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">A 16 year old girl called Hazel, has terminal cancer, but the tumours have shrunk, thanks to a new miracle drug. She has to carry an oxygen tank with her at all times. She is forced to attend a cancer support club which is where she meets Augustus. The two of them very quickly form a bond, and Hazel forces Gus to read her favourite book and it quickly becomes his favourite and it becomes a large part of the story line.</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Being with Augustus pushes Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death will define her<span style="font-size: 14px;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What did I think of it?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">Oh my days, I found it absolutely breathtaking!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">It's not the cheeriest topic- it's about teenagers with cancer- but there is something special about this book. This book is about cancer, but it is not the cancer that is important in the novel. It never suffers from cancer book clichés, it shows the truth, and doesn't gloss over it. More than cancer, this book</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> is about the meaning of life, living with death, the effect you have on the world and love.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> It will make you sob, and feel like your heart has been torn out, but somehow it also manages to make you laugh, even in the saddest parts. Not just a little smile to yourself, but a proper, out loud laugh! It just shows how brilliant John Green's writing is- the whole novel is beautifully written. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> The characters are incredibly likeable and well portrayed. I know John has suffered some criticisms for the fact his teenage characters speak so cleverly and with great intelligence, but I don't think that should be an issue at all. It's a joy to read the dialogue in the book, it's like a breath of fresh air.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Once I'd finished the book, I physically felt different inside. It was so strange. It was a very emotional few hours (I read it in one sitting) and I actually felt worn out afterwards but in a good way. My mind was just blown away by it. I sat there in the early hours of the morning, quietly just taking it all in, and coming to terms with what I had experienced.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">If you have read it, please let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your opinions on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Green’s best and most ambitious novel to date. In its every aspect, The Fault in Our Stars is a triumph.” -<i>Booklist</i>, starred review</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“A smartly crafted intellectual explosion of a romance.” -<i>Kirkus</i>, starred review</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A blend of melancholy, sweet, philosophical, and funny. Green shows us true love…and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.” -<i>New York Times</i> Book Review</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“One doesn’t like to throw around phrases like “instant classic” lightly, but I can see The Fault in Our Stars taking its place alongside Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in the young-adult canon. Green’s book is also a good example of why so many adult readers are turning to young-adult literature for the pleasures and consolations they used to get from conventional literary fiction.” -<i>Time</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Green writes books for young adults, but his voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. The Fault in Our Stars proves that the hype surrounding Green is not overblown.” -<i>NPR</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i><i>#1 New York Times bestseller<br />#1 Wall Street Journal bestseller<br />#9 The Bookseller (UK) bestseller<br />#1 Indiebound bestseller<br />New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Goodreads Reading Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book is number <b>1 out of 50</b></span><br />
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Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6268721610314119372.post-61852534402996810202012-05-12T09:04:00.000-07:002012-06-28T09:28:33.885-07:00Let's get this blogging show on the road!<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello and welcome to my brand new blog!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The purpose of this blog will to be to talk about books, predominantly those I've read as part of the Goodreads 2012 reading challenge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first book I read this year was '<i>The Fault In Our Stars</i>' by John Green, so that will be my first review, in my next post, but before we get to the next post, here is a bit of a background about me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> As a child and most of my teenage years I read a lot! I have shelves overflowing with books to prove it, but as I got older I found I was reading much less. This was due to several things- school/universtiy work got in the way, I spent more times with housemates in the evenings, often watching TV and lastly, the internet sucked me in, and somehow took away spare time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2012 is the year I swore to change that, and read more! I missed reading and now it's May, and five months into the challenge I have really found my passion for books again.</span><br />
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<br />Caliowinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04628192864835450739noreply@blogger.com0