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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1599904799
| 9781599904795
| 3.72
| 1,932
| Aug 22, 2007
| Aug 03, 2010
|
Oh this book was wonderful. I’d never actually heard of this book before I read Rey’s gorgeous review of it. I’ve always been curious about YA books fr...more Oh this book was wonderful. I’d never actually heard of this book before I read Rey’s gorgeous review of it. I’ve always been curious about YA books from other countries (meaning not The Big Three: USA, Australia and the UK) because they must be out there. I know they’re out there but it’s difficult to find out about them because they never get the time of day which is such a shame because I know we’re missing out on all these beautiful YA books that are being lost in translation. I’m thinking The Readventurer ladies need to Anyway… this book. Lou is such a wonderful narrator and has a fantastic way of seeing the world for a girl so young. There was a lovely naiveté about Lou and how she saw both the world in which she was growing up and No’s situation. Normally in books, I get frustrated with narrators when they’re naïve because I just want to get them to open their eyes. But with Lou it provided the perfect vessel to allow Ms de Vigan to explore what it’s like to balance on that cusp of “young adulthood” in this modern world. I think thirteen is such an interesting age in your life because you’re not really anything. There’s no way you’re a child anymore but you’re only just a teenager, and everything is changing. This is the time where your expectations and reality don’t always match up and it’s strange and it’s upsetting, but there’s nothing you can do about it. And Ms de Vigan perfectly portrays this disillusionment that you get when you’re stumbling through this age. When you’re expected to go to parties at the weekend instead of timing how long it takes for wet footprints to disappear of the kitchen floor. When you realise it’s not “cool” to do well at school. When you realise that not everyone in the world has a roof over their head and a warm meal every day like you do. I really enjoyed watching the world change through Lou’s eyes. It was subtle, stripped back and often incredibly moving. I’ve always said that, on the whole, YA books aimed at a younger audience are the ones that deal with darker subjects so much better than some aimed at older readers. (The 10pm Question and A Monster Calls come immediately to mind). I don’t know what it is, but I love it so much which is why I will never not read a book just because it’s on the younger side of the YA spectrum. Not only does Ms de Vigan portray homelessness in a way that’s heart breaking but realistic, but also the subject of loss and family problems. I don’t really want to go too much into this aspect because I think it would be better to experience it first hand from reading it, but the passages describing Lou’s mother, father and their past combined with No’s history were so well-written. Even poor Lucas’ situation made me sad. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it was so different to anything I’ve read this year. It’s powerful in its subtlety and shows that you don’t need to clobber your readers over the head with emotion and angst to create a thought-provoking and moving book. The characters are fantastic (I had a little soft spot for Lucas. I can’t help but think a lot of authors need to take note of him because that’s how you write a lovely “bad” boy) and the tumultuous friendship between No and Lou was perfectly crafted. Also? The ending was perfect for this story. I actually finished this book on Sunday morning and I mean morning. I woke up at half five and there was no way I was going back to sleep so I finished it and those last couple of chapters made my heart ache so much that even in my absolute knackerdness (Yes, I know that's not a word), sleep was the last thing on my mind. Sometimes I wish for happy endings, even though I know that I would be annoyed if I got it. I think this is one of those books. I’m glad, so glad that Ms de Vigan didn’t grant me that wish with No and Me. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Dec 19, 2012
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Dec 19, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0192732560
| 9780192732569
| 4.07
| 195
| Dec 22, 2011
| Jan 05, 2012
|
Some books need to be read while you’re eating pickled onion Monster Munch and I think this is just one of those books. Let me explain. I find pickled o...more Some books need to be read while you’re eating pickled onion Monster Munch and I think this is just one of those books. Let me explain. I find pickled onion Monster Munch e a very underrated crisp. They aren’t the coolest crisps on the shelf. Not everyone thinks of them instantly when they think of a delicious savoury snack. I mean, they don’t have Gary Lineker and Lionel Richie advertising them. They can’t be dipped in…um…dip. Or at least easily. I guess you would really have to want some dip to dip Monster Munch in dip.* But they are the kind of crisp that you would buy because you’d not had a packet in yonks and then two seconds later, you’ve eaten the entire bag (well probably half, because the other half would be all down your jumper and in your hair. Is that just me and my ability to eat Monster Munch?). They’re underrated in the savoury snacks stakes but they’re there if you look for them. If you squint dead carefully at the above paragraph, you will see an eversoslightly passive aggressive commentary of the YA publishing industry. I’m going to stop talking about crisps now just in case you get confused thinking you’ve stumbled onto my secret spin-off blog called ‘Eat the Delicious Crisp” where I eat crisps and blog. However, I have to say quickly- that there is mention of Monster Munch in this book. I’m not just hungry, I swear. This book was brilliant. I actually had never heard about it until Keren David recommended it to me in her interview. As you know, I’m a huge Keren David fan and I know her style of writing so I’m pretty confident if she said a book is good. I didn’t actually realise how good though. First up, I get a bit nervous when I find out a book (especially by an author I’ve never read) is about mental illness. I’m very critical about it and I’ve given up on books that have dealt with it in a pithy, flippant or sometimes downright offensive way. This was good though, great actually. It was the perfect mix of sadness and humour without belittling the seriousness of the illness but also, just as importantly, not making it gratuitous. I know gratuitous is my favourite word for serious books but I really dislike it when an author writes a subject in a certain way because they want you to feel a certain way. Gah. It’s not always an easy book to read because when I was laughing (and I laughed a lot) there was always a sad under tone niggling in the back of my mind. Like if you were drawing a picture and did a bit wrong but thought “Ahh, I’ll just colour over it in bright colours and no one will know” but you can still see the mistake under your colouring in. I really loved how the issues were always present, even when they didn’t seem like they were because the story was going through a more light-hearted patch, and weren’t conveniently forgotten about when the story moved on. There are some bits that were extremely infuriating but not because of Mr Cousins’ writing ability, but because of his great ability to write teenagers. When Laurence is wearing a wig and pretending to be his mum so he and his brother Jay don’t get separated by the social services, I admit I did roll my eyes a little bit. Because, let’s face it, it sounds stupid, right? But let’s remember that I’m an adult…. ish. And as an adult, I’m screaming at him to go and get help, to stop hiding the fact that they’re living with cockroaches and living off Mars Bars. But that’s when I forgot he was fifteen, he was scared, he was alone and he had to look after his brother. Of course he’s going to make silly mistakes, he’s fifteen! What do you expect? I liked how Mr Cousins seemed to find the balance between the silly and the sad. I think that’s important in books like this not because we need to water down the silly with sad or vice versa, but because it’s real. That’s what life’s like, it’s not all doom and gloom, but then again it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Before I go, I should probably mention Mina because she was brilliant. What? What? No I am not biased because she’s Northern and has a funny accent. I mean, Northern accents are definitely the worst… yes? But she was great and had the right amount of love for our hero and “What on earth are you doing?” And yes, she was a sassy Northerner. I probably am a little biased. Anyway…. this is a remarkable book and Mr Cousins is definitely an author you should be reading. While eating pickled onion Monster Munch. *dipdipdipdip. Did I mention dip? You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Dec 16, 2012
| Dec 21, 2012
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Dec 16, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1848774702
| 9781848774704
| 4.05
| 311
| Aug 01, 2011
| Aug 01, 2011
|
I love this series so much but I have a sad feeling that it isn’t going to be as well-loved as it deserves to be. I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s proba...more
I love this series so much but I have a sad feeling that it isn’t going to be as well-loved as it deserves to be. I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s probably because it’s more for younger young adults or because there’s no love story (unless you count Freddie, which you should. You should always count Freddie) and there’s no angst and the world isn’t complicated and edgy and it’s a magical-historical romp through Britain. But… um… well, those are all the reasons why I adore Ms Burgis’ series. They’re so much fun. This might sound like a negative point to a few of you but when I pick up one of the Kat Stephenson’s books, I know exactly what I’m getting. I know I’m not going to be left glaring at the author photo in anger that the ending left me in tatters and I know that I’m not going to be rolling my eyes at the simpering heroine. It’s safe… but it’s the good safe. I like reading books knowing that I’ll enjoy them. And I very much enjoyed this book. I have to admit, I didn’t get as carried away with this second book as much as I did with the first one and I think I know exactly why this is. In my review of An Improper Magick, I discussed how much I loved the relationship between the sisters (I invoked the Power of the March sisters. Which is always a good thing) and, unfortunately, this story kind of skimped on that. Slight spoilers for the first book. I’ll tell you when you can come back. (view spoiler)[Elissa is in marital bliss with the jittery Mr Collingwood and is only in the first few chapters of this book before she disappears on her honeymoon. And Angeline… well… well. I’ll let you find about that when you read this book. But it involves Freddie (*girly sigh*) and she’s hardly in it either. (hide spoiler)] OK, come back now. As much as I love Kat, I think her sisters bring the best out in her. They kind of amplify everything that I adored about her and their interactions were wonderful. I also think that this would have been a great opportunity to get to know Charles and Kat’s dad a bit more. We got brief glimpses of Daddy Stephenson but not nearly enough. I think they’re really different and unique characters and Charles always makes me laugh and, trying not to spoil it here, he had a really important part in this story… I just think it was a bit of a waste. This book got a lot better towards the end where the story seem to find its feet a bit more. I’m not sure what it was, possibly that it took me a while to find the time to read it, but it definitely lost some momentum in the middle. But apart from that, it’s a great story and Kat’s still brilliant and the world that Ms Burgis has created is still fantastic. I can’t wait to read the next one (last one? Possibly?) and see what other mischief Kat gets up to, hopefully with more family members in tow. And Freddie, of course. Always Freddie. You can find this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 27, 2012
| Dec 04, 2012
|
Nov 27, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0141325062
| 9780141325064
| 4.39
| 1,314
| Sep 15, 2011
| Apr 05, 2012
|
I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book. Well, I wasn’t not looking forward to it because it’s Charlie Higson and you know you’...more
I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book. Well, I wasn’t not looking forward to it because it’s Charlie Higson and you know you’re pretty much going to be left speechless after you’ve finished one of his books in this series but, from the synopsis I was a bit ‘meh’. I mean, there are only so many times you can read about a group of London misfits walking across the city finding other London misfits and fighting the occasional zombie. Do you get what I’m saying? And while the second book offered me a chance to find out more about the gang in the Tower of London, I wasn’t especially sold on an entire book about DogNut. Eh, he was a non-character to me in The Dead. I didn’t dislike him but…. Ehhhh. Oh Mr Higson, you are the King of the YA Castle and all the others are dirty rascals. And I am the fool for doubting that you knew exactly what you were doing. Because by the time I had finished this book, I was hopelessly devoted to DogNut and I would have followed him all across London in a heartbeat. Before I go into full on "RA RA RA HIGSON *high kick*" mode, and believe me it’s coming, I might as well get the bits I wasn’t too mithered about out of the way. Because even though I am, um, enthusiastic about these books… there were some parts that I could’ve done without. Like David. I just don’t get that character at all. And Paul. Actually, that whole…. situation is a bit odd. And Brooke… well, she’s interesting. I haven’t decided properly just yet about our Brooke. Except when she describes boys as “hunks”. I am very decided on that fact and I have come to the conclusion that no girl ever would describe a guy as a “hunk” without immediately cackling a moment later. But maybe I’m just being a bit picky because I am Team Courtney. I think the problem with having books like these that have so many characters within them is that you’re bound to get your favourites and I tended to get a bit cranky and impatient when we weren’t spending time with them. Also, and this is just me being stupid so this doesn’t count as a black mark against the book as such but I had somehow managed to convince myself that one of the story threads was the beginning of The Kid's story, but it wasn’t. At all. And this made me sad because I genuinely missed him. He’d better be in The Sacrifice or else…. or else. But soon those minor niggles flittered away because I got to the end and I was flabbergasted. And there aren’t many books I can say that about, which is a shame because I love the word flabbergasted and wish to use it more often. My favourite thing about this book was that it is so obvious that Mr Higson never ever runs out steam. Usually at this point in a series, the author has run out of things to say, lost their grip on their characters and run out of ideas and the plot is so thin it could get lost in your back teeth. But in this book, and let’s remember this is the third in the series, Higson’s story is still racing ahead and I have absolutely no idea how it’s going to end. I adore how these kids’ stories have been set in motion right from the beginning and Mr Higson has handed you all the pieces you need to fit them together and just leaves you to it. This actually makes it worse because when the pieces do come together and you’ve worked it all out, you can’t even blame him for all the feelings because he didn’t hide anything from you. He has obviously thought about every single detail in this series, interweaving the stories and the characters together and ensuring that if he started a character’s story in the first book, he sure as hell finishes it eventually. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that’s my attempt at being cryptic and mysterious because I simply refuse to spoil the bit that got me so worked up. It made me leap across my room and play bookshelf Jenga to retrieve my copy of The Enemy and The Dead and shout “NO BLOODY WAY!”. Well, ok, I didn’t shout as such but I definitely whispered it in a shocked manner. Seriously, I have no idea what I’m going to do when this series is over. I’m almost tempted to dress as a zombie and lurch around a group of under 15 year olds in a terrorising manner just so I can feel like I’m back in this story. But I won’t. Because that would be odd. And there is a chance I would get scowled at and/or bottled. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Sep 28, 2012
| Oct 2012
|
Sep 28, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1471400042
| 9781471400049
| 4.07
| 523
| Jan 31, 2013
| Sep 06, 2012
|
What a bizarre little book. In a good way, though. I think. I'm going to have to ponder this one for a bit. | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Sep 17, 2012
| Sep 23, 2012
|
Sep 17, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 055255264X
| 9780552552646
| 4.25
| 23,629
| 2004
| May 05, 2005
|
None
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Sep 2012
| Sep 12, 2012
|
Sep 01, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0552562904
| 9780552562904
| 4.21
| 32,669
| 2003
| Jul 01, 2010
|
OK, I’m going to start this review with some maths. No! Wait, don’t go. It’s going to be YA style maths and, well, it’s me… so it’ll be dead easy. Thou...more OK, I’m going to start this review with some maths. No! Wait, don’t go. It’s going to be YA style maths and, well, it’s me… so it’ll be dead easy. Though before we begin, you can leave your payment in the basket just over there. Not vegetables. I want chocolate. Not got any? No worries…I’ll wait until you come back from the paper shop*. Back? Right: Hermione Granger + Mildred Hubble + Matilda Wormwood = Tiffany Aching. I’m almost tempted to just leave this review at that because, honestly, if you’re not intrigued by that equation then I can’t recommend this book to you. Also, I can’t save your soul from eternal damnation. I’M KIDDING. Ish. But I won’t stop there because I like the sound of my voice or, you know, I like to see my typed words on a computer screen. I.loved.this.book. I have always said that when I’m rich and famous, I’m going to rent out a cottage in the middle of nowhere armed only with food, wine and Discworld books and just spend a week reading every single one of them from start to finish**. I’ve read a few of them (five, I think) and enjoyed them immensely but I think they are the kind of book you just need to immerse yourself in. And Discworld is so impeccably created that it’s the kind of world you need to spend a lot of time in, exploring it and learning its quirks and getting lost and finding your way out again. It probably helps if you’re slightly tipsy. Even though Tiffany Aching’s adventures are set in Discworld and I understand they have a lot of overlapping characters, I believe that this could count as a standalone series. If you’ve read Discworld books before, you might get more of the jokes that have gone over my head but I honestly don’t think you’d need to have read any of them to get this story. Actually, these books may be a great place to start. Sir Pratchett gives you just enough details about the setting to make sure you don’t get lost and I love that about him. I always think that Sir Pratchett has so many more ideas about the world that he keeps to himself so we as a reader only get to see about 75% of what he has created. And I just love that restraint… because there would be nothing worse than if he was like ‘HAVE ALL THE DETAILS. MY IMAGINATION IS AMAZING. LOOK. LOOK. LOOK HOW BRILIANT I AM. YOU’RE NOT LOOKING AT THE BRILLIANCE. Because if you read a book like that you’d just get a headache and you’d probably need to lie down with a wet paper towel on your forehead. I just like the fact that even though he doesn’t share all the details, you know he's thought of everything and he's probably hiding them in his hat. I like to think that a Pratchett book is the reading equivalent of colouring in. Bear with me… His mind has created the most breathtakingly brilliant pictures, one that will take you a whole miserable Sunday afternoon to colour in because of all the rich detail and the intricacy. And then he just leaves a packet of pencil crayons on the table next to you and lets you go wild with it. You have free reign in Discworld and you’re encouraged to colour it in with whatever colours you want. As long as they are bright. And he’d probably encourage you to colour out of the lines in certain places too. He strikes me as that kind of guy. Even if you know hardly anything about Sir Pratchett, you will probably be aware that he is funny. Really funny. I made the mistake of reading this book in the presence of other people and found myself having to explain about pointy horses and backwards moving sheep. Needless to say, I got a few blank looks. ”A pointy horse…IT’S HYSTERICAL.” I would yell in their faces. ”A UNICORN IS A HORSE THAT ENDS IN A POINT! ”Why are you shouting?” They would say, backing away slowly. “BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY!!!!!” “Stop using excessive punctuation.” “NEVER.” Trust me, it’s hysterical. I just love his humour and I lovelovelove the fact that it hasn’t been dumbed down because this book is for… *gasps* *recoils in fear* younger readers. I can’t imagine any Pratchett fan being disappointed in these books. “Are you listening?” LAUGHTER. But let’s talk about the main event: Tiffany. I can’t decide whether I want to be best friends with Tiffany Aching or actually be her when I grow up. She is intuitive, watchful and extremely smart. She’s the kind of girl who reads fairy tales but doesn’t want to be the princess, she wants to be the witch because “where’s the evidence” that they’re all wicked? I can’t put into (um..intelligent) words how much I loved her so I’m going to give you an example of her brilliance: “…did the book have any adventures for people who had brown eyes and brown hair? No, no, no… it was blond people with blue eyes and the redheads with green eyes who got the stories. If you had brown hair you were probably just a servant or a woodcutter or something. Or a dairymaid. Well, that was not going to happen, even if she was good at cheese. She couldn’t be the prince, and she’d never be a princess, and she didn’t want to be a woodcutter, so she’d be the witch and know things…” LOVE.HER. LOVE.THIS.BOOK. IT.MAKES.ME.TYPE.IN.BIZARRE.WAYS. READ.IT. *OK, I have just realised that this review will probably make no sense to people who haven’t read this book. But that’s not my fault. It’s clearly yours. So go and read it and then come back and tell me how brilliant and ingenious this review is. And…. ok, I guess the book is. **Well, ok… I’ll spend the first day trying to decide which order to read them in. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Aug 25, 2012
| Aug 27, 2012
|
Aug 25, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0670018449
| 9780670018444
| 3.49
| 1,846
| Aug 30, 2007
| Jan 24, 2008
|
Well, I didn't see that coming. Gosh. | Notes are private!
| 1
| Jun 27, 2012
| Jun 30, 2012
|
Jun 27, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0141326115
| 9780141326115
| 4.19
| 128
| Jan 01, 2011
| 2011
|
Some of the best books I read are the ones I stumble on accidentally. I can’t even remember why I decided that I might like this book. I’m not a huge...more
Some of the best books I read are the ones I stumble on accidentally. I can’t even remember why I decided that I might like this book. I’m not a huge fan of the 70s. I have an aversion against bands in YA fiction. I’d never even heard of Kevin Brooks. So why would I read this YA book about a fictional band in the 70s… written by Kevin Brooks? Maybe I was feeling particularly crazy that day. I don’t know, but I did and it was brilliant. Seriously, it was brilliant. If I could sum up what this book was about in one word it would be ‘passionate’. Every single character in this book is passionate about something. Well, OK, not Stan but I’m passionate about Stan so that’s OK; we’ll kind of balance each other out. Whether it’s music, drugs, punk, sex, - it seeps from the page and it’s practically impossible not to be drawn into it whether you care about it or not. This book is everything that YA should be- breathless, messy, funny, heart breaking, intriguing. OK, I was going sum up this book with one word wasn’t I? Whoops. I loved everything about Mr Brooks’ writing. I found myself underlining so many paragraphs it got a bit daft, especially when I found that my favourite quote ended up coming pretty early on in the book. And when I say early I mean the first paragraph. “My heart was born in the long hot summer of 1976; my life was made, my love was sealed, my soul was lost and broken. It was the summer of so many things – heat and violence, love and hate, dreams and nightmares, heaven and hell- and when I look back on it now, it’s hard to tell the good from the bad. Isn’t that one of the best openings ever? I could wax lyrical about how brilliant his writing is and how it really transported you to exactly where he wanted you but well, we don’t have all day, do we? I have quite an eclectic taste in music but I’m not the hugest fan of punk music, which is basically what this book is about. The closest thing I am to being a punk is having a nose piercing and that one time I ripped my skirt and had to use a safety pin to save myself from an awkward situation. Punk rocker, thy name is not Jo. But it honestly didn’t matter to me because I was too busy loving this story and the characters to care. I think that’s one of Mr Brooks’ main talents. Not many YA readers could honestly say that they are true, true, true fans of punk music (and no, wearing a Ramones t-shirt from Topshop doesn’t count) but he makes sure that you’re never out of your depth. Mr Brooks has this great way of telling a story that heavily relies on the setting and the culture of the 70s without coming across as one of those pretentious music fans. You know the ones… the ones who corner you at a party and they know everything and they heard of that obscure band before you did and omg they’re so retro and how have you never heard of them? You know the ones…. The ones you want to thump? Mr Brooks is as far from that as you can get. Which, um, is good because I like to think that I’m not the kind of girl who would attack bestselling authors and also I can’t throw a punch to save my life. Let’s talk about Naked. Normally I find fictional bands, YA or not, completely horrendous. They seem to be so cringey and fake and terribly unrealistic. But Naked? “The sound was electrifying, stunning, the crash of chords ripping through the air like a thunderous shot of adrenalin, and when I started playing […] and the stage erupted in a blaze of lights, it all felt so good that I thought for a moment my heart was going to explode. The sound was almost too good to believe. We were so loud, so fast, so tight…. We were so there.. .it was incredible.” I’d definitely go and see them and stand at the front and be doused in the blood/spit/bodily fluids of the nearest tattooed punk rock-….. Hahahaha, I’m totally kidding. I’d be at the back because I’m a delicate girl who values her limbs and face. Also, I find only a certain kind of person can truly look good in a leather bra and swastika tattoos. If, however, you aren’t too fussed about punk music please stop backing away from this book slowly. It’s not all punk and swastikas and Johnny Rotten. Do you like David Bowie? Of course you do, because who doesn’t? The Buzzcocks? Velvet Underground? Pink Floyd? THE WURZELS? Yep. This book comes with one of the best readymade soundtracks I know. See? I’m not a complete dunce in 70s music. But if I had been alive in the 70s, I like to think that I would be cool enough to be looking upwards… a bit more…. Northern. Things were happening up there. I dunno, you may have heard of them? And while I’m talking about awesome things from the 70s that came from my neck of the woods… “The shop was called Sex, and over the years it came to be known as the birthplace of the sex pistols. When Curtis first took me there, in August 1975, it already had a growing reputation as the place to be. It was owned and run by Malcolm McClaren and Vivienne Westwood.” Dame Vivienne Westwood. Need I say more? Northern England sure produces the most excellent of artists… *cough* I think this book would be perfect for anyone who is interested in reading something that is a bit different from the norm. This isn’t a book set in a high school and it’s not set in a dystopian world. It is truly sex, drugs and Anyway, enough with the setting. I think we’ve established that Mr Brooks knows his stuff. My favourite thing about this book were the characters. I absolutely loved Lili, our narrator. She was such a gorgeous, vibrant and clever heroine. I loved how she held her own in a very masculine world. She was such a caring character who, even though I didn’t always agree with the things she did, always tried to do the right thing and stand by the people she cared about no matter how close they were to crashing and burning. She was also hilarious. “I bought most of my clothes from jumble sales and charity shops, and – as far as I remember- my hair at the time was a failed attempt at a Suzi Quatro-style layered cut, which might not have looked all that bad if I hadn’t recently attacked it myself with a pair of blunt scissors… an exercise that resulted in me resembling a slightly deranged medieval waif.” :D Also she plays the guitar like an absolute beast! While I’m talking about Lili, I have to talk about something else…. Slight spoiler I also loved the relationship between William and Lili so much. As much as I loved Curtis Ray in all his tragedy and beauty and I appreciated how magnificent he is as a character, William Bonney takes the biscuit. I just loved how he treated Lili. “It made me feel how I was supposed to feel at my age. *girly sigh* I’m not going to talk about these two too much because I think it’s best to meet them on your own terms but I will say one thing, something that I think will sum up their relationship. On one of their ‘dates’ they walk around London discussing the genius of David Bowie and whether it was Ziggy Stardust or Aladdin Sane who had the orange stripe across their face. If you can give me an example of a more perfect date, consider my reviewer’s bonnet eaten. End of slight spoiler. The only problem I had was this book was the ending. Not the ‘just before the ending’ ending which I really loved, but the proper ending. I was OK up until then. Then things got a little too neat and tied up and lovely. BUT…. After the angst Mr Brooks had put us through, a nice ending was a bit of a reprieve. Hey, I’m a Brit- I like my endings messy… don’t judge me. Perhaps a little unrelated, I read this book on my Kindle which is such a shame because I would have LOVED to have seen the faces of my fellow commuters as they saw what I was reading. Live fast. Play dirty. GET NAKED. LOL. Anyway, this book is spectacular and you should be reading it. You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| May 13, 2012
| May 17, 2012
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May 13, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 9780702238925
| 3.58
| 36
| Feb 22, 2012
| Feb 22, 2012
|
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a Young Adult book set in Tonga. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never rea...more I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a Young Adult book set in Tonga. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a Young Adult book that discusses the production of silk. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a Young Adult book where I’ve rooted for a girl to get with a boy in… this situation. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a Young Adult book which is so open to discussing (and discussing well) controversial and hard-hitting subjects as this one. I think this is the thing I love most about Ms Jeffrey’s writing. Everything is absolutely unique. I’ve read a lot of YA fiction and sometimes, just sometimes, they begin to sound the same. But there wasn’t one part of this story where I thought ‘Urgh, I’ve read this book before’. It’s difficult not to compare this book to Brown Skin Blue [my review] , which is the prequel to this book. I say prequel but I’m not sure whether you would have to have read it before reading this one. You’ll have to ask Mandee, who did just that. As you know, I love Brown Skin Blue so much. It left me numb, speechless and absolutely smitten that I had found another author that I could add to my ‘Aussie Friends- Send Me Books by This Author Because the UK is Missing Tricks All Over The Place’ list that I sneakily have and use every now and again. Whereas One Long Thread didn’t have quite the same impact as BSB did, I still absolutely adored it and it was the perfect addition to the story that Ms Jeffrey began. Ruby Moon was such a delightful character and a wonderful narrator. She’s such a quiet character but very observant and I loved seeing the world through her eyes because even though it was incredibly sad, it was always beautiful. She had such a glorious way of seeing things and she was so normal. I mean, if things were going a bit skew-whiff in your life and you had the option to run away to Tonga, you’d do it, right? Of course you would. And also, I loved that Ruby had a hobby. Seriously, why don’t more heroines have honest-to-goodness hobbies anymore? I loved hearing all about Ruby’s artistic designs, her passion for…. Sorry, I have to say it… fashion and, mate, I can sympathise with her desire to be surrounded by materials, ribbons, lace, strings of beads and spools of thread. I could quite happily spend the whole afternoon in a haberdashery just wandering in between the valleys of material. Actually, I could quite happily live in a haberdashery. But what I thought was really special was the mixed feelings Ruby had about her art. I think a lot of people would be able to relate to Ruby’s emotions and how she is reluctant to accept that she’s good, brilliant actually, at something. I mean, haven’t we all, at one point in our life, been self-conscious about our passions? Maybe that’s just me. “I had a moment of looking at it, like Amona might have, seeing it for the first time and thinking how lovely it was, too. But then I retreated back into myself and could see only its faults.” Going back to her passion for clothes making- yes, it was linked to a metaphor that ran through this book but it never felt false or convoluted. I know I keep rabbitting on about subtlety but tough, I’m going to go on about it again. The two books that I’ve read by Ms Jeffrey have both dealt with some of the most harrowing subject matters I have ever read about, but she knows exactly how to portray them with tact and restraint. Sure it’s horrendously sad and I had to back away a few times because of all the emotions, but it wasn’t overdone or sensationalised. It just shows that in the right hands, subjects that would put off a lot of readers can be absolutely stellar. Have you noticed that I am staying as far away from the plot as I can? I really don’t want to spoil this book for you if you think you’d like it because, and I know I say this all the time, but you should read this book not knowing anything. And of course, it would be impossible to write a review about a book Ms Jeffrey has written without mentioning her writing. “I knew I’d never have another moment like this. Just a single place in time where everything had come together to breathe in harmony. Time slowed and I had gathered all her restless strands in my hands; where I had come from, where I was and where I was going was one long thread as I emerged to make my way into the world.” J’adore. It’s the connections between the characters that really make this book what it is though. My favourite relationship is the one between Ruby and her dad. Seriously, I loved this guy so much. They watch Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire films and they eat popcorn and drink cold lemonade and then they get dressed up and go to bad Chinese restaurants and tell each other the crappest jokes they can think of. Ahhh. Bliss. Also, while I’m here I feel I have to talk about Barry again. Because I’m hopelessly in love with him, so what? “The only living example of a Romeo in the modern world.” He only had a cameo role (albeit a very important one!) in this book but he really stole the show. I cannot go on enough about how much I love this guy. He is definitely one of my favourite YA characters ever. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that I would read anything that Ms Jeffrey writes. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| May 31, 2012
| Jun 04, 2012
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Mar 31, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||||
| 1416912045
| 9781416912040
| 4.23
| 52,490
| Nov 06, 2007
| Nov 06, 2007
|
I don’t normally get scared by dystopian books. Yeah, sometimes they’re a bit..eeeehhh… but, usually, the ideas are so far-fetched and impossible that...more
I don’t normally get scared by dystopian books. Yeah, sometimes they’re a bit..eeeehhh… but, usually, the ideas are so far-fetched and impossible that I’m quite happy to shrug and think ‘Hey! Good fiction, author!”. I don’t know what it is about this book, where children can be ‘unwound’ and retroactively aborted when they reach a certain age, but it really haunted me. Just the idea of it was so unsettling and absolutely horrid. The way the story is told (third person, present tense) has this almost clinical style to it. Normally in dystopians, it’s all about the characters. It’s about their feeling and that’s where the drama comes into it. But in Unwind, there are no dramatic scenes where the characters throw themselves against a wall and cry and how in just it is… everyone kind of just accepts things. It is how it is. And that was the most unsettling part of this book*. I sometimes find that dystopian authors get so tangled up in a ridiculous plot and forget about the world building or get so giddy over the world building there is no plot. Of course, there are some authors that can juggle the two of them and find the right balance. But this idea got me thinking. What do you think is more important; the story or the world? I guess the world in Unwind isn’t overly different than ours, I mean there are hints that things are a bit futuristic but there certainly aren’t Districts or Factions or hover-boards. Maybe this was because Mr Shusterman didn’t think that the world was too important in the grand scale of things or maybe it was because Mr Shusterman wanted to create a world that was eerily similar to ours, to make it all the more frightening. Either way, I think Unwind is proof that if you’ve got a stellar, unique idea… you don’t need a convoluted world with complicated politics that show how clever you are to have a good story on your hands. The world he creates may be “basic”, but with the idea of unwinding embedded in my mind, I never once doubted Mr Shusterman’s imagination. Though, I think hover boards would have made this book just a little bit better. I’m not going to go into the higher ideas and morals of this book because I don’t think this review is the place to go into my views and opinions. But I do have my views and opinions on this matter and I’m sure you do too. I think no matter which side you’re on and what you believe in, this book will still be hard-hitting and fascinating. I think it’s the evidence of a real writer when you finish a book and you have absolutely no idea where the author stands on a matter. This book feels very removed, possibly by the style it’s been written it, and it doesn’t feel preachy or has some kind of sly agenda to make you change your mind. I like that it challenges you but, ultimately, it lets you make up your own mind. Anyway, let’s talk about the characters. I liked Connor, I loved Risa (Hurrah for a heroine is both feminine and strong!) but I absolutely adored Lev. And that’s who I’m going to talk about. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Connor and I really liked Risa. I think dystopian books need characters like them. They’re strong, they’re leaders and they take charge. But they’re not completely original, are they? Sure these two stand out among all the other faceless Children of the Dystopian Revolution (CDR), but they’re still a CDR. Again, don’t get me wrong, this book wouldn’t have been the same without these two and I think dystopian books need characters like them. But Lev? He was the heart and the brains and the soul of this book. He really is a one of a kind character and I just loved what he brought to this story. He added so much more depth to it than any other character and the issues that he faced were the ones that affected me the most. I love characters that develop within the pages and seeing Lev’s journey was absolutely fantastic. For the first third of this book I thought I had him pegged. I didn’t like him because he annoyed me. I just wanted to get back to Connor and Risa. Next, OK, you have my attention Lev. I’m intrigued. And then at the end? BOOM. Consider my gob smacked. Also, I feel like I have to give a shout out to my new best-friend Cyfi. What an absolute treasure. But that’s all I’m saying. And before I read this book, I didn’t think anyone could make a character named Roland be sinister. HA. HA. HA. *nervous twitch* And that’s just what I think about the kids. Don’t get me started on the adults! Although I will say this- I enjoyed the nice, twisty surprise re: The Admiral. I didn’t expect that one coming at all. This book isn’t for the faint-hearted. Towards the end of the book there is one of the most horrifying scenes I’ve ever read in a YA book and just thinking about it gives me the chivvers. I know without a doubt that that will stay with me for a long time. But if you love dystopian books with brilliant characters with a unique and completely terrifying plot and one that makes you think… and, of course, if you think you’re up for the challenge… go on. *I know there are some characters who want to change things, but this ain't no Mockingjay**. The majority of the people in this book are quite happy with the way things are. So I’m sticking with that thought. **Mockingjaaaaaaay. *shakes fist* You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 10, 2012
| Jun 15, 2012
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Mar 31, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0439813786
| 9780439813785
| 4.21
| 70,961
| Jan 01, 2007
| Apr 01, 2007
|
OK, Goodreads was being a twonk and ruined my life by making all of the lovely pictures that I wanted to post look dodgy and skew-whiff. So, everyone...more
OK, Goodreads was being a twonk and ruined my life by making all of the lovely pictures that I wanted to post look dodgy and skew-whiff. So, everyone close your eyes and pretend there are pictures here. Lots of lovely pictures. More lovely pictures. Even more lovely pictures. Imagination is fun. You may wonder why I am posting so many pictures of this book for my review. “Jo!” I hear you cry. “Where are the words?” And I will reply: “Exactly. Where are the words?” I’m being clever and smart and illustrating my only problem I had with this book in my review. Does that make sense? No? Want me to use some more italics? Alright, fine. I’ll keep my italics to myself, shall I? I loved the illustrations in this book. I could quite happily get lost within them and look at them all day. In fact, I’m going to recruit Mr Selznick to join Jim Kay, Kei Acedera, Craig Thompson and Quentin Blake to paint every wall in my house. They were absolutely stunning and fit perfectly with the book’s setting and the whimsical feeling of the story. But, well, there wasn’t much of a story and I couldn’t help being a little bit disappointed because I thought I was going to have my socks blown off. However, what story there was was absolutely spectacular. While I was at uni, I studied both English Lit and Film studies, so film will always have a special place in my heart… especially the earlier ones. Looking at the pictures of the films from the dawn of cinema brought back some really great memories of studying them. It felt like I was back in my university’s library, watching French black and white films on the video players, wearing a pair of rather fetching headphones that took about six minutes to detangle from my hair. Actually, the main reason why I picked this book up at all was because I saw the trailer for the film (directed by Martin Scorsese) and I was completely enchanted. And, if that wasn’t all, I did my dissertation on Scorsese. Coincidence? So that was lovely. And so was this book, please don’t get me wrong. I think I had just set my expectations a little too high. The best way I can describe it is a love letter to art, film and magic. I just wish that ‘story’ had received just a bit more than a ps at the end. You can find this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 15, 2012
| Apr 22, 2012
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Mar 23, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 9783785569573
| 4.08
| 1,924
| Jan 07, 2010
| Jan 07, 2010
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3.5 stars. I was a bit wary of reading Erebos at first because I thought it sounded a lot like Ready Player One and while I really enjoyed that book, t...more 3.5 stars. I was a bit wary of reading Erebos at first because I thought it sounded a lot like Ready Player One and while I really enjoyed that book, there’s only so many things you can do with a book about video games, right? Woah, did you hear that? It was the sound of a million video game players hissing at me all across the globe. I’m not even going to pretend that I know the gamer gabble (yeah, that’s not a real thing… I made that up) because I really don’t. I like watching when people play them but I think that is because I love film (I have been known to exclaim “WOW, that film looks really good! Can we go and see it?” And I get a stony glare in reply followed by: “That’s the new Call of Duty, Jo”), puzzles and watching people get so stressed over things on a television screen. But yeah, I can’t play games for toffee so I’m not going to go on about the gaming aspects of things because I think if I did I’d end up sounding like when my grandparents try to understand the internet. I decided pretty early on that Erebos and Ready Player One have two things in common. 1) They feature a game. 2) I really enjoyed them both. But the similarities end there. I thought the story and the world that Ms Poznanski created both within the game and out of the game was absolutely fascinating. When Nick, our pony-tailed hero, was playing Erebos it was like you were actually sat behind him looking over his shoulder and experiencing the world as he was. You could almost hear the gravel crunching under his character’s feet, the rustle of the trees and the scrit-scrat as poisonous scorpions came scuttling towards you. Yes. THAT HAPPENS. And you actually felt that there was peril involved. OK… maybe that was just me, but when Sarius’ life bar was dwindling…peril. Setting some of the story in the world of Erebos really added a whole new aspect to the book, something completely different to anything I’d read before. It felt like I was reading a fantasy novel, one of those proper ones with quests and swords and elves. And the scenes in the real world were just as exciting. While at first I did have my “Um, would that really happen?” and my “Err, why is there only one adult who is mildly concerned?” moments, I soon ignored them and just threw myself into the story. And then when the two parts merged? *shudders* Tense. I liked Nick, he was a good guy. He didn’t blow me away with his personality, however, but that really didn’t matter to me. This book wasn’t about individual characters and personalities (although I did adore Jamie) but more about how they all fit together for the whole picture. All together these characters made a great cast. I loved how they interacted together with little hints as to what was coming next, both in the real world and in Erebos. I do have a few minor quibbles with Erebos, however. You know when someone is like “Oh god, don’t look over there. No… just don’t it’s absolutely horrible.” And then of course the first thing you do is turn around and look? That’s kind of what happened in this book because I had been forewarned that the translation was a bit off. Now, I’m not blaming anyone because I’d probably have noticed it any way but I was definitely on the look-out for it. The translation was pretty dicey. This book was set in London and, without ruining everything, that’s an important aspect of this story. So when everyone was running around texting on their cells and having dramatic exchanges during their recesses and getting yelled at by their moms, it was incredibly jarring. Also, the ending was a bit… unbelievable, which is rich of me to say as I have just said how much I enjoyed a book about an omnipresent computer game that controls people. It wasn’t disappointing as such but it was definitely a bit convenient and there was definitely a sense, at some point in the near future, the characters were going to be like: “Oh my god, you guys remember when that computer game completely changed our lives?! Wasn’t that awesome?! Hahaha, didn't one of us nearly die?! LOLOL." I guess I just needed more repercussions. But enough of my whinging about little things, because I really, really enjoyed this book and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what else Ms Poznanski will come up with next. Unnerving, exciting, mysterious and unique. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy; I wholly recommend trying to get your mitts on one of those blank disks that are circulating and being swapped in darkened alleys. Or… um, this book. It’s less perilous and people-getting-hurt-y. OR IS IT?! Just watch out for the messenger with the yellow eyes. He’s definitely up to no good. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 2012
| Mar 03, 2012
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Mar 01, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1447205189
| 9781447205180
| 4.07
| 56
| 2012
| Mar 01, 2012
|
4.5 stars. But so close to 5 you could almost taste it. :-D The number of British YA books I read last year was shocking and this made me sad because w...more 4.5 stars. But so close to 5 you could almost taste it. :-D The number of British YA books I read last year was shocking and this made me sad because when I grow up [I’ll get there…eventually] I want to be an author. And I’m, well, I’m British. So why wasn’t I making more of an effort to read and review books by British authors? I should be proudly waving the Union Jack and thrusting British books at unsuspecting people while I making them cups of tea and whinging about the weather. While in a queue… in a Kate mask… munching on Yorkshire Pudding. …. So I made it one of my New YA Resolutions. Sometime last year there was a sale on e-books on Amazon and my favourite thing about their sales are that the majority of the books that feature are British authors and I find so many books that I would never even think about reading! Like Sita Brahmachari’s Artichoke Hearts. I read the synopsis and thought “Aw, that really sounds cute. A bit different and HEY Ms Brahmachari is British. Hurrah! Hurrah!” So I bought it. I don’t mind admitting that I didn’t really expect much from it. It wasn’t that it looked bad but it just didn’t look like the kind of book that would grip me. Ha ha haaa. Oh how wrong I was because I looooooved it so much. Mira, our twelve year old narrator, had such a fresh and realistic outlook on life and I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Add in a handful of fantastic characters and a wonderfully British setting, Artichoke Hearts was one of my favourite reads of 2011. Jasmine Skies was even better. The story picks up two years after the events of Artichoke Hearts and sees Mira travelling to Kolkata to visit her cousin Priya after the death of her Grandad Bimal. I’m going to try and stay away from talking about the plot of this story because I don’t want to spoil either of these books and it would be impossible to talk go into it without doing so. Apologies if this reviews ends up being a bit vague as I know you're used to the most in-depth and intellectual reviews on my bit of t'internet. I just love how Ms Brahmachari writes. I’m trying to think of a way to articulate the way I feel about it but I’m failing miserably. If I could describe it using only one word, I would use ‘vibrant’. Seriously, I underlined so many passages on my Kindle it became silly. The setting of this book is immaculately imagined. I’ve never been to India but I could really relate to the experience of being overwhelmed that Mira feels when she first steps off the plane. The descriptions of the market places are absolutely magnificent. You’ve got the colours of the materials, the feel of the sweltering heat and… yes, fine, you can almost smell the… *scowls*…jasmine. It’s obvious that Ms B has a story to tell and a message to convey but it never felt clunky or heavy-handed. Mira’s journey, both physical and emotional, is told with brilliant subtlety and restraint and it was so glorious to read. Anyone who says that YA books can’t be deep are going to get a hardcover of this book slammed across the back of their head by moi. Luckily, Mira hasn’t changed one jot since Artichoke Hearts. She’s still compassionate, funny and as inquisitive as ever. One of my favourite things about AH was how Mira struggled with her identity as a mixed-race girl growing up in Britain, so I was ecstatic when I got about two chapters into Jasmine Skies and realised that there was going to be more of that. “Not being able to speak Bengali makes me feel like I’m trying to cross a bridge but can only get so far, because to reach the other side it’s not just the words you need to understand, but also the tones and colours; the way of thinking and seeing the world that are all locked inside the languages.” This is why contemporary is my favourite genre and why I get so giddy when I discover one that I haven’t read yet. I’m not a mixed race girl living in Britain but I found Mira so easy to relate to because her problems were real. There wasn’t a werewolf trying to get into her pants or anything, but Ms B’s writing shows that if you can work your way around a teenage girl’s emotions and thoughts then you don’t need all that stuff to write a compelling and beautiful book. I just adore Mira; she’s such a fantastic character with such a pure heart. I just want to be her best friend or, like, her cool* older sister or something. I’d probably even let her personalise all of my shoes. Possibly, I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced by bedazzled footwear. Mira's search for her identity and where she fit in actually really reminded me of Josie from Looking for Alibrandi. I know, I know. I just invoked the power of Double M, but I’m sticking with it. There is just something so wonderful to me about books where characters delve into their heritage and their culture, asking questions and digging up secrets that people thought were buried for good. Maybe it’s because I love sitting with my grandparents and listening to their stories… I don’t know why, but I just love it. “I think these stories about where you come from and the history of your own family help you to see where you stand in the world.” Stunning, no? Right. OK. I have to get something off my chest. OK. Now then. *sigh* Now I don’t want to go into it too much into this next bit because of spoilery badtimes but, gosh, way to throw a spanner into the works, Ms B! That bit… with the jasmine… and homespun …and the pony tail. Yeah, you know which bit I mean. My poor, poor heart. I understand but it doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. *scowls* “Deer…apple…green…sea…” WHYYYY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?!? I know where my loyalty lies, Mira. That's all I'm saying. Guh. This will make no sense to anyone who hasn’t read this book and even less sense to people who haven’t read Artichoke Hearts, but some things just need to be said. I have a lot of emotions regarding that bit that I will keep bottled up until you’ve all read both of these books (which you will be doing, right?!) and then I will unleash the feelings. And that ending?!?! Are you kidding me? Looking at the glorious cover and reading the wonderful synopsis you wouldn’t expect it to have a cliff-hanger, would you? Well you would be wrong. WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK OUT?! I am emotionally invested in these characters now and I will fight tooth and nail to get the next book. Tooth and nail, guys, TOOTH AND NAIL. I know in our YA circles, it’s pretty much a given that the Aussies are at the forefront of the contemporary race, but I believe that with both Artichoke Hearts and now Jasmine Skies, Ms Brahmachari has shown that us Brits shouldn’t be disregarded just yet. Additional Fun Things. So in Jasmine Skies, Mira’s cousin Priya is the coolest kid in Kolkata and she’s an underground DJ who wears skinny jeans and is the best dancer in the whole of India. Cool, yes? Anyway, in this interview Sita Brahmachari talks to Nihal Arthanayake [Listeners of Radio 1 or BBC Asian Network may know who he is!] as part of her research into what kind of music Priya would be listening to. It’s really fascinating. *May or may not be cool. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 31, 2012
| Apr 2012
|
Feb 23, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1419701762
| 9781419701764
| 3.67
| 2,505
| Mar 01, 2012
| Mar 01, 2012
|
An exchange.
“I think I’m gonna go and read my book.” “Oh? Which book is it?” “Just this hilarious book about cancer.” And you should’ve seen the glare I...more An exchange. “I think I’m gonna go and read my book.” “Oh? Which book is it?” “Just this hilarious book about cancer.” And you should’ve seen the glare I received. Icyyyy. You see that is the problem I fear I’m going to have with this book. I want to run around wildly and throw this book at people and yell “READ IT!” and they’ll be like “Woah, Jo, what’s it about?! Tell me everything!” “IT’S AMAZING!!!!” “Is it, is it really?” “YES YES! WHY AREN’T YOU READING IT NOW?!” “WHY ARE WE TALKING IN CAPITAL LETTERS AND EXCESSIVE PUNCTUATION!?!??!!?!?” “BECAUSE IT’S BRILLIANT.” “But what’s it actually about?” “Um… well, there’s this guy and he’s friends with this girl and… um, well… she kind of has cancer. Well, no, I guess there’s no kinda about it, she does have cancer.” “Oh god, it’s one of those books, isn’t it?” NO! It is not one of those books. Yes it’s about someone who has cancer but it’s not a cancer book. Are you still with me? I’ll take that as a yes. I often think that some writers think that if a book is about (or, in this case, features) a difficult subject then their readers must be crying all the way through the book to show that they have succeeded in handling it in an honest and realistic way. Thankfully, Mr Andrews shows that this is not the case. Although, while I’ve been writing this I’ve realised that, in my trying to convince you this that this book isn’t about cancer, all I’ve done is talk about cancer. So, one last time with feeling or… um...y’know… bold writing. THIS BOOK ISN’T ABOUT CANCER. So seeing as I’ve just been chatting on about this book is not about, I should probably talk about what it actually is about, shouldn’t I? This book, in a nutshell, is about a boy stumbling wildly through adolescence with the help of a brilliant and hilarious friend named Earl. Except I don’t really mean help… because Earl doesn’t really help him as such. He just swears a lot and is gross and crude and is just generally brilliant at random intervals throughout this book. Throw in some fantastic Son of Rambow-eqsque scenes and you have one of the funniest and memorable double acts in young adult literature. I really loved Greg, both as a character and a narrator. He was fresh, original and definitely the kind of person I would want to punch in the arm on numerous occasions. Yeah, he wasn’t always likeable but what seventeen year old boy is? I could chat on for a bit about all my favourite Greg moments but when I went back and looked at my notes I realised I’d pretty much highlighted everything for the first few chapters and then I gave up and just vowed to re-read it again. This book had pretty much everything: lists, scripts, film reviews. I loved these different styles because they were hilarious, original and really added a lot to the book. The only quibble I had was that some jokes went on for a smidgeon too long and I realised I had no idea how we’d got to that bit and I was probably just laughing because I thought I should be. Oh, except that I also wish there was more Earl. He should get his own book… and television series. I would watch that religiously and probably buy the box set. I loved how this book never set out to trick you and lull you into a false sense of security of laughter only to bombard you with sadness and a message at the end. It stated from the get go that this was a hilarious and ridiculous book and if you were looking for a message and/or meaning, it’s your own fault if you’re left disappointed. “If this were a touching romantic story, in this moment some STRANGE NEW FEELING would wash over Greg, a sense of being understood, in a basic way that he almost never understood. Then, Greg and Rachel would make-out like lovesick badgers. However, this is not a touching romantic story. There is no NEW FEELING that washes over Greg. There is no BADGER MAKE-OUT SESSION.” “I can’t believe you’re still reading this. You should smack yourself in the face a couple of times right now, just to complete the outstandingly stupid experience that is this book.” “You can take pretty much any sentence in this book and if you read it enough times, you will probably end up committing homicide.” See?! No message. Nada. This book doesn’t want you to learn anything! Hurrah. I think the only similarity this book has with a "cancer book" is that you shouldn’t read it in public because seriously, the amount of bellowing laughter this book caused was ridiculous. And kind of embarrassing. My normal, everyday laugh resembles the bark of a dying seal with a cold and this book took that to a whole new level. I’ll let your imagination deal with that one. OK, I’m reading through my review and I’ve realised I’ve not really said anything about this book to convince you whether it’s right for you so I’m just going to stop. This book made me: Laugh. Snort. Snort-laugh. Really look forward to see what Mr Andrews writes next. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| Mar 14, 2012
| Mar 17, 2012
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Feb 21, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0805094598
| 9780805094596
| 4.14
| 15,893
| May 17, 2012
| Jun 05, 2012
|
So I have this tendency to make up a phrase or a word and use it so often and determinedly that I actually forget that it’s not a real thing. I am oft...more
So I have this tendency to make up a phrase or a word and use it so often and determinedly that I actually forget that it’s not a real thing. I am often reminded that I Today, ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness the creation of one of these phrases. Bonnet Eaters. OK, I should probably explain this one. I stay way clear of certain books. The ones with girls in flouncy dresses on the cover. The ones with more than one love interest. The ones with the phrase “inexplicably drawn to each other” in the synopsis. The ones where the heroines discover they are special and they are the only ones who can save the world. I’ve had bad experiences with those books. They make me cranky. But there are a few authors who have written books that have fallen into those above characters, ticked all of those evil, evil boxes and I have completely and thoroughly enjoyed them. “I will eat my reviewing bonnet if I end up liking this one because it’s probably going to be diiiiire.” And they’re not… not at all. Geddit? Bonnet Eaters? Never mind… it’ll catch on, you’ll see. Laini Taylor did it with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Cynthia Hand kind of did it with Unearthly and Ms Bardugo has done it with Shadow and Bone. I love it when authors make me look stupid. It gives me faith that YA authors are just as bored with the stale clichés as we readers are. Anyway, let’s talk about the book. I’ve not really been doing a lot of reading recently so I read this one over about four days which is almost double the time it takes me to read a book. Normally that would be a sign that I hated it, but I really wasn’t. I kept finding myself wondering what the characters were getting up to, wondering whether I could just sneak away and read a few chapters. This book is incredibly addictive and I would like the next one please. When? About a week ago. THANKS. Anyway, let’s talk about the setting. I have to admit I did get a little confused while I read this. I got all these names and places thrown at me and I couldn’t fit them together or make sense of them. This is probably just me because I get confused easily but I did get there eventually. Even though I got a bit lost, you could tell that Ms Bardugo always knew what was going on. She had thought of everything about the world she created but she never hammered you over the head with it. Maybe when I read fantasy/paranormal/books that aren’t set in the street I live on, I need to be hammered. Over the head with detail… not like drunk, I can’t imagine that would help very much at all. But yeah, I really loved the setting. It was different and unique without being smug and too clever. I’m really excited to see where else Ms B takes us within this series and exploring what lies within the shadows. Muhahahahaaaaa. Anyway, let’s talk about Alina. Yes. Alina was a great narrator and a wonderful character. Just the right mixture of strength and determination and “Oh my god, what the eff am I supposed to do now?!” I always wonder why heroines who have been told that they are the only chance to save the world just take it in their stride as if it’s the most regular thing in the entire world. How? Talk about pressure. But Alina had the right amount of moments where she just wants to crawl under some furs and wait until it all blows over [which is what most of us do, admit it….] but when she wants to fight and be generally brilliant she does and it’s awesome. I loved her and I want to have a sleepover with her and Genya. Fantastic. Anyway, let’s talk about Mal. Oh yes, Mal. I think I love you. I love that you’re a bit of a lad. You’re a bit of a one who tumbles with girls and drinks and is cheeky and is flirty but is also a rugged mountain man and is protective without being a douche. I know this book is not exactly the most realistic book in the world (unfortunately) but the characters felt real. The characters talked, bantered and acted like teenagers. Or well, you know… teenagers who live in a horrifying world with magic and evil people who could kill you with the wave of their hand. Literally. Anyway, let’s talk about me and Mal. One of my greatest fears in life is that one day I will discover I have magical powers and I’ll be expected to save the world and no one will love me. This is why Mal is the perfect boy for me. Then again, I also hate clowns and boats when they’re out of the water but I bet Mal could deal with them too. He’d definitely get my last Rolo. And finally, let’s talk about those clothes. YES. I would like a kefta [and yes I did keep thinking about Moroccan food throughout this whole book, but that’s not really a new thing.] in any colour….. except black. *looks mysterious* I’m guessing this story is going to be a trilogy and I have to admit I do have some concerns [looking at you man with the storm coloured eyes and your inexplicable-ness and you Miss Alina with your betraying heart] but I have two more bonnets lined up and I can’t wait to be proven wrong and look even more foolish than I already do. Also, kind of randomly, this book is going to be called The Gathering Dark in the UK and I think I love that more than Shadow and Bone. It makes more sense to the story… but I prefer the cover of S&B. DILEMMA. I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on Wear the Old Coat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 08, 2012
| Mar 13, 2012
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Feb 08, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 014241543X
| 9780142415436
| 4.00
| 67,397
| Apr 02, 2009
| Apr 06, 2010
|
“The cello didn’t sound half bad with all those guitars.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts. Gosh. High Points. Mia. The family. Groovy and the Geek. Music. K...more “The cello didn’t sound half bad with all those guitars.” Initial Final Page Thoughts. Gosh. High Points. Mia. The family. Groovy and the Geek. Music. Kim. Chocolate chip pancakes. Fancy dress parties. Brilliant characters. Two weeks of pizza-delivery tips. Feisty nurses. Making collages. Magic kisses. Musical sexy times. Dusty collections of punk-rock albums. Yo Mama. “I’ll let you go. If you stay.” Low Points. Even though I love Mia’s family and I liked that they were different without being cringey, no family is that perfect, right? Also, I don’t think I could take a boy seriously if he was in a band called Shooting Star. I mean, doesn’t Adam know that you can only be cool nowadays if your band name includes the phrase “and the”? Liz and the Shooting Star. There you go. Much better. Heroine. Oh Mia, what a narrator! I like to think we’d be friends but I think I’d be completely intimidated by you if we went to the same school. I don’t even know who Yo-Yo Ma is. I wouldn’t even know what to do with a cello if I were presented with one. I can’t even comprehend what it would like to be in Mia’s situation and I don’t want to, but Ms Forman really made me relate to her. I felt her desperation, her frustration, her love and her loss. If I can speak honestly, I don’t think that this book would have worked half as well if it wasn’t for the characters. The plot has “emotional manipulation” stamped all over it. This plot in the hands of a whiny, insipid heroine? It sounds like my worst nightmare. But with Mia, Ms Forman completely took hold of the plot and harnessed it. Sure there were some parts that I was a bit unsure of and I wasn’t a huge fan of (The Grand Gesture bit, would that actually happen?!) but I could quite easily ignore those parts. I’m much more forgiving of a few bumps in the plot when the main character is good. And Mia was simply stellar. Also, I’ve just been ogling at her hair on my copy of Where She Went and I have some serious hair envy right now. So if we were to be friends, she’d have to get it lopped off. Love Interest.
Yes. So true. I’ve recently been looking for young adult books that feature the main character in a relationship. And when I say “in a relationship”, I don’t mean they’re in a relationship but the boyfriend is a douche/the girl is a bitch and wait, what’s that? A best friend who has loved them for all their life and they’re finally stepping up?! I mean a true relationship. I loved Adam. I loved that he wasn’t centre stage and he didn’t save Mia, well not completely anyway. I loved that they were different and they had their problems and their insecurities as a couple. Obviously, I read this book knowing about the sequel so I’m not sure whether, if I’d read this book when it first came out, I would feel different. But I liked that this story wasn’t a love story, it was more about Mia and her decision and her thoughts as opposed to their thoughts. Saying that, I’m really looking forward to Where She Wentand getting to know Adam a bit better, even if he does have a lopsided grin. Also, he cries at Jimmy Stewart films which means there’s a 100% chance he’s my soulmate. Sorry, Mia. Theme Tune. MIA by Emmy the Great. This song is too perfect and too sad. *weeps* Sadness Scale. 9/10. I was a bit nervous to read this book because I had heard how people had spent hours sobbing into their pillows because of it and alarm bells sounded. It’s a very quiet book, low on the drama and the angst, and I loved that. Ms Forman could have so easily gone down the road where everything is amplified and shoved down your throat which always seems to happen when love and death get involved in a YA novel. But the emotions and the issues were subtle and they were interspersed with beautiful, bittersweet memories that often had me laughing out loud. (“Fuck Enya!” :D) I didn’t cry or even get choked up, but this book definitely made me think. Recommended For. People who are looking for a book about life, death and love with brilliant characters, beautiful sentiments and not a single eye-roll in sight. Um… ok, maybe one eye roll . People who often wonder where all the great YA families are. People who would rather go and see a band named Adam and the Shooting Star than Shooting Star. People who get a bit panicky when a boy picks up a guitar near them just in case he feels the need to serenade you. People who want to go to a fancy dress party dressed as Blondie. People who think every day should start the day with chocolate chips pancakes. People who think that sobbing into your pillow for hours is character building. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 05, 2012
| Feb 06, 2012
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Jan 31, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 9781742372624
| 4.00
| 4,469
| Mar 31, 2009
| 2010
|
I guess when you finish a book that you absolutely loved and you sit down, notebook fill of coherent notes, to start writing a review it’s easy to sta...more
I guess when you finish a book that you absolutely loved and you sit down, notebook fill of coherent notes, to start writing a review it’s easy to start using clichés. I find this is especially true when it comes to those Australian authors. You’ve heard it before, haven’t you? Is there something in the water Down Under? Well, I don’t think there is. Nope, not at all. You don’t see me reverting to those tired and ridiculous clichés, do you? My suggestion as to why these Aussie authors are so ridiculously good? There’s something in the shrimps that they put on all those barbies. In all seriousness though, this book is good. Great. Cracking. Brilliant. All the superlatives you can think of. I don’t really want to talk too much about the plot because this book is a mystery, both in plot and character. But right from the beginning, so full of suspense and unease, to the breathless "thisiswhathappened" ending, I was completely captivated. The characters are brilliant, especially Jasper Jones although I so desperately wanted more of him. Although saying that, I’m a bit torn in this aspect because I adored him when he was on the page and I loved the interactions between him and Charlie... but I loved the mystery and intrigue around the character even more. Misunderstood and with a heart of pure gold; Jasper Jones is the kind of boy who you’d want to go on adventures with. Sure you’d come back from those adventures slightly sunburnt and dishevelled with random insects in your hair, scraped knees and faced with the inevitable grounding from your parents but it would always be with it. Simply put, I loved him and my heart ached for him. Also, I had lots and lots of time for Eliza. Such a little sweetheart. I also loved how multi-faceted this book was. If I told you just what the basic plot of this story was (which I’m not going to) I would probably be missing about 75% of what this book actually covered. History, racism, Australian culture, prejudice, the subtle interactions between families, the damage of secrets and rumours and cricket (yeah, I could have probably have done without the cricket aspect of things. Cricket, to me, is a game we were forced to play in PE at high school when it was too sunny for bench ball.) Mr Silvey perfectly balances all of these issues without being overly clunky and preachy. A little bit unrelated and possibly a little thematic spoilery, I often wonder how the context in which you read a book effects how you feel about it. It was a complete coincidence that I read this book the weekend when this had been in the news once more. I had no idea what this book was about before I picked it up so it was quite daunting to read a book that, although set in the 60s, felt so current. It’s difficult to put into words how that whole story affected and still continues to affect the British public so it was strange to read this book with that very much in my mind (they also have a brief mention in this book). I know I would have found Jasper Jones moving if I had read it a few months ago but would it have affected as much as it did? I don’t know but it certainly left an impression on me and proved to be a great deal more topical than I thought it was going to be. One of my favourite things about Australian YA books is the sense of place that the authors create and Jasper Jones is no exception. It takes a lot to be transported from a clammy, rainy town in Greater Manchester to the bone dry, dusty, desolate Western Australian town but for the few hours it took me to read this book, I honestly was. The scene, the story, the writing and the characters combined with the wonderfully cinematic and satisfactory ending (where all those story threads that you so desperately want to have been tied up into a lovely bow are still dancing in the Australian breeze and you wouldn’t want it any other way) this book was glorious and definitely not a book that has been puffed up by the hype. At the end of the day, this book was what would happen if you took a copy of Jellicoe Road and Brown Skin Blue and smushed them together making loud kissing noises. I’m not sure if you’re going to get a higher recommendation than that from me. You can read this review and lots of other fun things on my blog,Wear the Old Coat. Pre-review. STORY TIME [Don't worry, it includes pictures] When I saw all the cool kids were reading this I, being a marginally less cool kid, wanted to get involved. But disaster struck when I went to buy a copy and I was shocked and appalled (well... not really) that you couldn't buy the copy with the bloke having a brew on the cover. I wanted that cover. Sure the other covers are fine but it was too late, I had already fallen in love. So I threw a huge wobbly and whinged and moaned and glared at inanimate objects. Step in the ever so lovely Rey, who offered to send me a copy of Double J with the awesome Aussie cover. And the parcel came today. I almost didn't want to open it because look at the beauty!  And it got better! Remember when you were a kid and you played pass-the-parcel and there was always that one stupid kid who the music always seemed to stop on and they got all the sweets and the packet of stencils or a colouring book or whatever? TODAY I WAS THAT KID!  And as it's a law to take a picture of your copy of Jasper Jones and seeing as I don't live  Rey, I love you. And I must read this book soon. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Aug 19, 2012
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Jan 25, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1405258217
| 9781405258210
| 4.23
| 9,363
| Feb 06, 2012
| Feb 06, 2012
|
A note: This review is going to be a bit vague because I really, really, reallyreally don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. Because oh my gosh…. A...more A note: This review is going to be a bit vague because I really, really, reallyreally don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. Because oh my gosh…. A note on the note: This review really is going to be vague unlike all my other ‘vague’ reviews which go on for about a year. The first thing I did after I finished reading this book was to pick up my phone and text my best friend, who I have known since I was eleven and has been there through every single one of my problems and ill-advised fringes, and tell her that I loved her. The second thing I did after I finished reading this book was flip back to the beginning and start reading it again. I don’t mind admitting that it took me and this book a while to really get going.. The way this book was written with all the capital letters bothered me and the changing in perspectives and everything really confused me. It took me a good 100 pages to get into but seeing as this book is over 400 pages long; that was absolutely fine. And after those first 100 pages, I learnt the truth and that is: This book is fantastic. I knew I’d love it when I was noseying at the wonderful Chachic’s status updates and then I read the synopsis. Spies? Pilots? Codes? Secrets? History? Best friends? Mancunians?! These are a few of my favourite things… I loved the setting. I loved the plot. I loved the era. And the twists absolutely threw me (although, I did have the smallest of small inklings of one thing but that’s only because I have a clever dad who eats history books for breakfast and I accidentally asked a question that got made me put a few things together…) The twist and the ending…. I just can’t even think about them without jibbering. Code Name Verity is The Usual Suspects of YA literature. Like I said above, the second thing I did after I finished reading this book was to go back to the beginning and read over certain parts again. I know that this book will be one of those books that will get better and better every time I read it. I loved Verity. I loved Maddie. They were real girls. They laugh, they cry, they flirt with boys, they gossip, they’re loyal, they fly planes, they can land planes, they can speak different languages, they can crack codes, they can do the unthinkable, they do the right thing. I loved that, with Maddie and Verity, Ms Wein showed that you can be strong, you can be brave, you can be good at what you do, you can be the best at what you do and you can do all this without sacrificing your femininity and/or becoming a passive-aggressive “message”. There was never a sense that these ladies did what they did in a “Look! Look! We can do it too. We’re just as good as boys!” and because they had something to prove. They were such rich and beautiful characters and I loved, loved, loved them both so dearly. And, anyway, boys didn’t even get a look in. They wouldn’t be able to keep up with any of the girls in this book. Pffft. ;-) The phrase “Careless talk costs lives” is mentioned frequently in this book and I couldn’t help but be reminded of this poster:  [Here!] Also, the fact that that I own that very poster [bought from the Imperial War Museum North, I’ve still not been to the London one, or the Churchill War Rooms, yet… one day :) ] and it is hanging up on my bedroom wall….that helped too. So that’s it. That’s my review. It doesn’t do this book justice in the slightest but it’s the best that I can do. Arm yourself with tissues, read this book, prepare to be amazed and always fly high. Read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| Feb 14, 2012
| Feb 19, 2012
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Jan 23, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0763656844
| 9780763656843
| 3.96
| 595
| Feb 14, 2012
| Feb 14, 2012
|
Pre-Review Thoughts: I have such a love/hate relationship with Netgalley. I love it because it’s an invaluable way for me, as a British blogger, to ge...more
Pre-Review Thoughts: I have such a love/hate relationship with Netgalley. I love it because it’s an invaluable way for me, as a British blogger, to get access to books that aren’t published over here for months or, in some instances, at all. I hate it because it always seems that when a new book comes out it’s a fight to the death to get accepted for the popular, well publicised titles. But what I love most about Netgalley is finding books such as this one that I would probably never have found otherwise and absolutely adoring them. “Let’s say right now that we can tell each other our secrets and we won’t make fun of each other. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you sound weird, too. I am glad of it, because I can be my own true self with you.” “Sometimes you write things in your letters that I thought nobody had ever thought before, except for me. But then there it is in your letter.” Stuffed full of pictures, poems and drawings (which unfortunately weren’t shown in the ARC but will be in the hardback copy I’ll undoubtedly buy), this book tells a simple story. It’s not a particularly original one but it’s a beautiful one all the same. With Meena and River, Ms Vaswani and Mr House have created two of the most authentic children’s voices I have read. Their letters are full of their worries, their pain, their dreams but they are also full of rich humour that had made laughing and shattering my early nights. I know I always rabbit on about how much better most middle grade books are at dealing with serious issues honestly than most YA books but I’m just going to rabbit on a little bit more. Because Same Sun Here was no exception. The environment, tolerance, different cultures, family and politics (this book is set in 2008 around Obama’s inauguration) are but a few topics that are covered in great deal within the letters between Meena and River. There is such a sweet and true message hidden within these pages but there’s a difference between talking about an issue and clobbering you over the head with it. Fortunately, both Vaswani and House are well aware of this. This book is, in effect, a love letter to communication. I don’t know whether I connected with this book because, like Meena and River, my friendship circle is spread across not only the UK, but also across the world. Because of things like e-mail and Skype and Facebook, I can connect with someone on the opposite side of the world and send out separate e-mails to someone in Australia, someone in America and someone in Kent in the time it takes me to find a biro that works. Sure, e-mails make it possible to have a friendship that isn’t reliant on the Royal Mail, but there truly is nothing like getting a real letter is there?
So true. I love the act of writing a handwritten letter because you can’t delete bits or change your mind before you send it. Well, I mean, you can use Tippex and stuff (do people still use Tippex for anything as opposed to writing their crushes names on their pencil cases?!) but once it’s on the paper it’s out in the world. Maybe it’s just me but I feel like there is something much more honest in hand-writing a letter. This isn’t that much of a spoiler but if you don’t want to know anything about the plot just skip the next paragraph. Towards the end of the book Meena and River decide to meet in New York and I genuinely felt sad because I thought that now they’ve met, they’d never send letters to each other again. But I, ever the optimist, would like to believe that they did and they sent each other long, scrawled letters to each other with about how much fun they had when they met up. I know I went a bit off topic up there, but this book has inspired to make the effort to write more letters to all my kindred spirits scattered across the globe. On real writing paper. And maybe written in fountain pen. [Ha…. This was supposed to be a “quick” review. Whoops] Recommended For. People who want to read a book about contemporary issues. People who wished they had a pen pal when they were in school. People who wish they could look out of their window and see mountains. People who will never get tired of their grandma’s stories. People who like to scream at the top of their lungs at passing trains. People who believe that kindred spirits are telepathic. People who can believe that S.E Hinton is a girl and that she wrote a book because girls can do anything. People who wish Kentucky was a shape better suited to cutting it out of toast. People who will join me in my pledge to write more letters. Some more quotes because I couldn’t narrow them down:
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 19, 2012
| Jan 20, 2012
|
Jan 11, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0763654035
| 9780763654030
| 3.32
| 758
| Apr 01, 2012
| Apr 10, 2012
|
Considering I am a complete and utter sci-fi-phobe, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The idea behind it was extremely fascinating, clever and...more Considering I am a complete and utter sci-fi-phobe, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The idea behind it was extremely fascinating, clever and absolutely what-the-heck-just-happened mental. However, I can't help but think that this book was wasted on me. In the hands of a science fiction fan this book will probably be awarded 4/5 stars but in my "I-like-books-where-girls-and-boys-have-angst-and-then-kiss-and-maybe-go-on-a-roadtrip-or-fight-to-the-death-in-some-dystopic-world-and-then-eat-bread-and-cuddle" hands, I can only talk for my enjoyment and that's why I'm sticking with 3 stars. But I'm not a science fiction fan and I don't know anything about the genre but, although I can't say that this book has made me rush out to my library, grab the librarian by his/her shirt and demand they direct me to the science fiction section, I found myself quite happy to be dragged along into the diskos and into Tucker's world. If you are a sci-fi fan and you like them set in well-thought out worlds, with interesting mythology, a great cast of characters and maggots (yes... maggots) then I would not hesitate in recommending this one at all. Also, there is an incredibly cute kitten called Bounce. You can always win me over with adorable kittens. I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Feb 02, 2012
| Feb 03, 2012
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Jan 11, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1408824647
| 9781408824641
| 3.93
| 248
| Dec 25, 2011
| Jan 05, 2012
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“When I am in the water My body moves like a wave: There is a violence to it And a beauty.” Initial Final Page Thoughts. “And it Never felt so good.” YES. Hi...more “When I am in the water My body moves like a wave: There is a violence to it And a beauty.” Initial Final Page Thoughts. “And it Never felt so good.” YES. High Points. Kasienka. William. The writing. Friendship. Saying goodbye. Reunions. Butterfly stroke. Kisses like Haribo. Love is a large W. Mama. Resilience. Culture. Blueberry ice cream. Girly sleepovers. Tummy tumbles. Low Points. I would have loved to have had a few more poems set when Kasienka and her mum were in Poland. I think it would have added a great contrast between the different cultures. Also, from what was in the book… it looked really interesting. Also, blueberry ice cream sounds delicious. Heroine. Oh Kasienka. You were so sad and you were so lonely and you were so insecure and you were OK with letting people Were. Until you realised how it’s OK to be different and how there’ll always be moments where you feel a bit odd or alone but that there is always people who are just as different as you. And they’re the kids you want to hang with because they’re the best. If we had gone to school together I bet we’d be the best of friends and we’d stay up all night, swapping stories and drinking pop and being giddy. I love it when my heroines stand up for themselves and don’t need any body to tell them how to do it. And basically realise that they were brilliant inside and out all along. Love Interest. And if Kasienka’s ability to conquer her fears wasn’t good enough for you, Ms Crossan gives us an incredibly adorable love interest too! "William is in Year Nine He could save me from the pack But he does not want to: He knows I can save Myself." Also, kissing him is like eating Haribo. Now, I’m not sure if that’s because he tastes like Haribo or because he gives you the feeling you get when you eat an entire bag of the Sour ones and then chug a bottle of Coke. You know… ridiculously giddy and a fizzy tongue? Just me? OK. Only low point with our lovely William is that he’s a smoker. I know, I know. Anyway, I loved it when he offered Kasienka one and she says no. And then they just play on the swings. *sigh* Theme Tune. What the Water Gave Me by Florence + The Machine. YES. How long have I been hankering to use a song from Ceremonials? Do you remember my Well Ms Crossan obviously listened to me and therefore she deserves the prize of a Flo-induced Theme Tune. A prize so coveted by authors across the land…. Um. OK, maybe not coveted but it should be. Sadness Scale. 6/10 I always find it difficult to come up with a number for books such as this one because obviously the issues and situations that are dealt with in this book are extremely harrowing and, sadly, common in present day Britain. But I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly sad book. Yes there are a lot of moving poems, especially when Kasienka first moves to England and constantly feels “unwanted and misused”, but I also saw this book as more about finding out who you are and becoming comfortable with it. Regardless of where Kasienka is from, I feel that a lot of readers of all ages would relate to the feelings of loneliness and insecurity that Ms Crossan expertly portrays with the character. And that last poem? Beautiful and so powerful. I just wanted to pull her into the biggest cuddle ever. Or… well, wait until she’d changed out of her cozzie because I don’t want to get all chloriney but then we’d cuddle. Definitely. Recommended For. People who have ever felt at a loss with themselves. People who like to adopt happiness as their revenge. People who thought their first kiss way awkward *cringe*. People who always leave the best stories at a sleepover for when the lights are out. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is part of the "A Week in Verse" feature on my blog. Found out more here.(less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| not set
| Jan 20, 2012
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Jan 09, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0375825444
| 9780375825446
| 3.86
| 35,661
| Oct 09, 2001
| May 13, 2003
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"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…” He turned to me. “But every once you will find someone who’s iridescent, and when you...more
"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…” He turned to me. “But every once you will find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts. *Eyes tree outside window* I wonder… High Points. Juli. The entire Baker clan! Why don’t all YA characters have fun families?! Authors, you’re missing a trick! Bryce (eventually). Chest. Front yards. Eggs. Chickens. Basket boys. Pie. Girls with iron backbones. Tree climbing. Newspaper articles. “There’s a bee in her hair, stupid.” Paintings. The sum of all parts. Mystery Pisser. Science projects. Retractable pointers. Champ. Boys who smell of watermelons. “Proper lighting is everything”. Sycamore trees. Low Points. Even though I adored this book, I would have liked to have seen Bryce and Juli’s reactions be drawn out for a bit longer. This book was so short and it didn’t exactly feel rushed but I think it would have been really fun to see how both Bryce and Juli felt about each other when they were in high school. Also, this is definitely because I’m a Brit and, after god knows how long I’ve been watching/reading American high school stories, I still have no idea about the schooling system. Middle school? Grades? Sophomores? GRADUATION AT 18?!?! So, with that in mind, I did get a bit confused as to how old these kids were. But I still loved it, even if it did make me, you know, think a bit. *shudders* Heroine. I wish Juli would be my best friend. We would go climbing trees and we’d do the gardening and I could watch her as she tended to the chickens while standing at a safe distance because birds make me twitchy. And then we’d drink juice and talk about perpetual motion and science projects and then we’d turn, as one, and scowl at any dazzle-eyed boys who dared come near us. Sure she was a little bit crazy when it comes to said dazzle-eyed boys but, well, even the best of us can get momentarily distracted by a boy who smells like watermelon. Hero. Oh Bryce, you plonker. My friend, in the first few chapters I just wanted to throttle you. OK, maybe not throttle you, but push you off your bike so you landed into some nettles or something. You were so cruel and blind and, yes, you were a chicken. “Bwark, bwark, bwark.” Indeed. But you got there in the end, didn’t you? And you made me smile like a dopey girl, didn’t you? Yes. But if you hurt Juli again, there’ll be more than egg on your face. *scowls* Theme Tune. I really hate to do this to you guys, but I have to. There’s no other way. This song was in my head before I even opened this book and then Juli goes ahead and sings it! So yes, this is your warning. I’m officially sounding the alarm. The My Girl alarm. If, like me, you cannot think of that film without sobbing like a small child then look away. LOOK AWAY NOW. My Girl by The Temptations. If you ignore the overwhelming flood of angst, this song is one of the sweetest songs in the entire world. Oh and also, THOMAS JAAAAAAAAAAY. Cuteness Scale. 9/10. Oh this book was absolutely adorable! I wanted it to go on forever and ever but it ended. There’s nothing I love more than a ‘he-said-she-said’ kind of story and first loves and girls with fluffy hair and boys with dazzling blue eyes. And that ending? I sighed the girliest sigh . Recommended For. Girls who have ever been head over heels in love with a blue-eyed boy. Boys who have ever ignored a girl because she has puffy hair and sniffs them when they think they won’t notice. People who like to look at the bigger picture. People who like to barge and shove and wedge themselves into people’s lives. People who see huge trees and have to resist the urge to climb them. People who would like to bid on the chance to have lunch with a boy who watches Bogart films. People who accept they’re the kind of person who would get a bee stuck in their barnett. You can find this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 29, 2012
| Jan 31, 2012
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Jan 04, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0385747047
| 9780385747042
| 3.60
| 1,316
| Jul 17, 2003
| Apr 11, 2006
|
This review is probably going to be a bit lacking because I thought I was being clever by reading this book about the days in between Christmas and Ne...more
This review is probably going to be a bit lacking because I thought I was being clever by reading this book about the days in between Christmas and New Year in the days between Christmas and New Year. But well… I wasn’t. Thanks to eating, drinking, generally being merry and trying to decide how it was possible for Robert Sheehan to still look fit as a Borrower, I read about a chapter a day. So unfortunatley I didn’t get into this book as well as I thought I would and I don’t really have many notes on it. But let’s see what I can come up with, shall we? “This interlude was a strange and quiet time, a time somehow outside the rest of the year, outside time itself. It was as if the rest of the year were alive, but these days were dead.” Initial Final Page Thoughts. Eh… the ending was a bit of an anti-climax. High Points. The setting. In my mind The City was Edinburgh and I love Edinburgh. It’s my second favourite UK city. I just love everything about it; the castle, the history, the cobbles, the cafes, the culture. Also it has a Camera Obscura like in this book. Coincidence? I think not. And the bit where Boy and Co were in the underground city really reminded me of Mary King’s Close. And I pictured the part in the graveyard as the Covenanters' Prison in Greyfriars! Sigh. I need to go back to Edinburgh soon. Anyway….Boy. Willow. Vaudeville. Theatre. Magicians. Fairyland. Baby dragons. Electricity. Camera Osbcura. Fate. Midnight. Tombstones. Grave robbers. Underground canals. Low Points. That ending really fell flat. After about 200 pages of fantastic build-up, the finale ended up being one page. It was far too sudden for my liking and, to be honest, it didn’t really make sense to me. Also I wanted to know more about these baby dragons….and the Phantom that is mentioned once who EATS PEOPLE. Characters. Hey Boy, guess what? We have the same birthday. Well.... kind of, because you don’t really have a birthday but I was born on the same day that you fell in the church. That makes us special and friends who go on adventures. Willow can come too because she’s a little sweetheart. I’m being quiet about t’other characters because of spoilers. But about these dragons… Theme Tune. Happy New Year by Camera Obscura OK so this song has nothing to do with this book. BUT… it’s called Happy New Year. Y’know? Also, Camera Obscura are from Glasgow which is in Scotland and so is….. Edinburgh! BOOM. OK, I admit I drew a blank with a song for this book but I love this song so whatever. Recommended For. People who have ever thought there was something a bit off about the days in between Christmas and New Year. People who always wish their school had taught them Latin. People who believe in magic. People who have ever wondered what it would be like to explore under the cobbled streets of a city. People who have ever picked up an unsuspecting person off the Royal Mile at Camera Obscura and felt oddly powerful (Extra points if it's the guy who is dressed as William Wallace!). People who have posed awkwardly with the Greyfriars Bobby statue. People who got the rat thrown at them in the dark when they visited Mary King’s Close. That's happened to me twice now. I'm sure they see me coming... You can read this review and lots of other fun things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Dec 27, 2011
| Dec 31, 2011
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Dec 31, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0863158404
| 9780863158407
| 3.62
| 37
| Nov 17, 2011
| Nov 17, 2011
|
"It’s easier to believe in things after dark."
I seem to say this a lot but this book was not what I was expecting. Maybe I should just start reading...more "It’s easier to believe in things after dark." I seem to say this a lot but this book was not what I was expecting. Maybe I should just start reading synopses and stop throwing myself into books like...um, a literary bull in a library. Or something along those lines. This book was an incredibly sweet, well-written story about a It’s also about facing your fears, friendship and believing in yourself told with lots of humour and lovely dialogue. I could have done with a bit more action, and perhaps some more mild peril, in some of the chapters and I found myself being sceptical towards the end. There was one point that had me thinking “That would never happen.” And before you say “What bit was that? The bit where three Scottish children, cute as buttons, made and then tamed a golem out of mud? Was that the part that you thought would never happen?” Nope… I was on board with all that. There was another bit that had me frowning a bit. I still enjoyed it though. Edda was just lovely and Lucy was brilliant. Not completely decided on Euan yet though. Also, as a further note: It appears that a golem, a creature I am not very familiar with, is similar to a boggart. So, if you find yourself faced with one you grab a bunny and tickle its feet with their fluffy tails. Or laugh at it. Bunnies are cuter though… and it would give you a valid excuse to carry them around in your handbag. I received a copy of this book from the publishers.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 05, 2012
| Jan 06, 2012
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Dec 13, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 184767304X
| 9781847673046
| 3.69
| 976
| Jan 01, 2009
| Mar 05, 2009
|
“Whales, porpoises, mermaids and mermen, dead sailors, fishes, crabs, tiny shrimps; the sea is forever full of eyes that watch me. I never fly far b...more
“Whales, porpoises, mermaids and mermen, dead sailors, fishes, crabs, tiny shrimps; the sea is forever full of eyes that watch me. I never fly far beyond the shore. If my town were a map the bay would have Here be Monsters written on it in golden ink.”
It always feels a cop out when I write a review about a book such as ‘The Earth Hums in B- Flat’ because I’m going to go on and on about how much I enjoyed it and you’ll read with wide-eyes shining, practically quivering with excitement because you want to know more and more… [I may or may not picture everyone who reads my reviews reading them like that. *cough*] And then I’ll be like: “SORRY! No can do, my friend, because if I say anything else the book will be spoilt and the only thing as bad as a book being spoilt is when someone pokes you in the side in the middle of a stretch.” So I’m going to try and be clever and get you to want to read this book without me actually telling you anything about what happens. Right from the start you are transported into post-war (I never actually got a hold of the exact date but I’m guessing late 50s because there is mention of the Munich Air Disaster) North Wales. It feels close and comforting and there are friendly Welsh people chatting with each other, making buttermilk and washing their front step. It is a wonderful setting; extremely quaint and rural and it almost made me feel nostalgic for not only a place I’d never been to, but also an era. Everyone in this village knows everyone and everyone knows everything about everyone. There is a lot of curtain-twitching in this book. There’s just something about nosey neighbours that I love so much, don’t ask me why. But all the secrets and the gossiping and the hearsay and the whispered rumours can only lead to two things: 1) Bad things happening. 2) A book that I couldn’t put down. Twelve year old Gwenny was such a delightful and unique character. I simply adored her. But I guess that doesn’t really say much because give a girl an imagination and she’s already a million times better than a lot of literary ladies. She’s inquisitive, she is clever and the people of her village and her family think she’s odd because she’s different. Isn’t that just the best way to be? I just loved her. She went through so much and she still had time to be cute as a little button all the way through. But it was the sense of family that really got to me in this book. Ms Strachan wrote these scenes impeccably. It’s all about family secrets, ancestry and it’s about finding out where you fit in amongst all that. My favourite parts of this book were the parts where Gwenny is creating her family tree. She goes around to her Nain’s to listen to stories about her family, goes and visits the gravestones of her relatives looking for their tales now forgotten and buried and then fills in the details with her bright pencil crayons. But these families have skeletons in their closet. Ms Strachan was able to really delve deep into the family dynamics and didn’t let you dare look away when things got a bit rough. And boy, did they get rough. Some scenes in this book were so tense I had to stop reading because I felt so claustrophobic. All of these characters had secrets and a lot of them were broken and Ms Strachan plants you firmly in the midst of it. I really connected with all of these characters and I couldn’t make up my mind whether I wanted to cuddle them, scowl at them, ignore them or throttle them. All of the above, maybe. The only reason why I’m not giving this book all the praise is because I worked out both of the major plot twist pretty early on. I think if anyone knows their historical figures will be able to guess at some things. Ooooh, cryptic. Also, some of the story-lines/character’s situations were left unopened and I almost got the impression that the reader is just left to assume a lot of things. But given the clues/evidence/what-have-you we’d be given along the way and even the ‘big reveal’ at the end, there were still a lot of things that I was unsatisfied with. And one more thing (real spoiler guys.. skip if you have any intention of reading this book): (view spoiler)[I couldn’t commend Ms Strachan highly enough on how she dealt with mental illness, especially the town’s reactions to it. I felt considering the era and the small-town mentality, it was really realistic and never once sensationalised. However, I couldn’t help but feel that it was sometimes used as a fall-back excuse for a lot of the major things that happened in this book. Why does her mam hate Gwenni so much? Depression. Why did Gwenny’s mam cheat on her husband? Depression. Why did Ifan beat his wife? Depression. Why doesn’t Richard’s dad believe in God? Depression. To me anyway, it sometimes felt a bit… easy and I guess I wanted more of an explanation as to why these things happened. I understand that mental illness could and probably was a factor in all of those things, but that was the only explanation we seemed to be given. And I guess I just needed a bit more of a concrete one. (hide spoiler)] [Wow, OK… maybe I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I did. Maybe I was in a post-reading glow.] But apart from those bits, this book was glorious and I would wholly recommend it to young adults and real-life adults alike. Gratuitous Castle Picture. I never actually got a hold on which town Gwenni lived in but I know it has a castle and it’s across the water from Cricieth. Which also has a catle but it’s nothing in comparison to hers. “In my sleep I have to fly up and up and up to avoid the gatehouse and the Red Dragon on our castle before diving again to the sands and the sea.”  But it’s still pretty impressive, no? This review is part of Wythnos Cymraeg || Welsh Week. Find out more!(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 27, 2012
| Feb 29, 2012
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Dec 02, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0763646024
| 9780763646028
| 3.30
| 186
| Mar 13, 2012
| Mar 13, 2012
|
“…they confessed they had always had a soft spot for old mountain stories like his, for tales of humble people and the courage it took to live their...more
“…they confessed they had always had a soft spot for old mountain stories like his, for tales of humble people and the courage it took to live their days. For true stories of magic and love.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts. I have a soft spot for old mountain stories like this. High Points. Sonia. Pancho. Rafael. Oscar. Trains. Valleys. Milagos. Abuela. Spirits. Superstitions. Hibiscus. Poetry. History. Traditions. Community. Humble mountain folk. Family. Wishes. Tres Montes. Longing to be ordinary. The shades of a reading tree. Low Points. I think I had come to the conclusion that this book was going to be a magical realism book when it actually wasn’t. When I read the synopsis I got so excited because it sounded so completely different to anything I had read. I’ve always loved magical realism and superstitions and old traditions and “old mountain stories” and although this book has some of these elements; I was expecting more. I don’t really want to go into detail but there were certain situations that, although were incredibly well-written and harrowing, seemed to eclipse Sonia’s story. The more I think about it, actually, the more I realise how misleading the title of this book is. It’s not really about The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind because a great chunk of the book isn’t even told from her perspective. I think this book is about community, friendship and family above everything, which is great and makes a refreshing change from “It’s my destiny to save the world blah blah blaaah”. I’ve just read through those above paragraphs and realised I’ve said a lot without actually saying anything. I guess my only low point is that I assumed that this book was going to be a different book than it actually was. I just wished we had been allowed to spend more time in the shade of a reading tree telling stories of superstitions, ghosts, traditions, community, magic and anonymous hibiscus flowers on your window ledge. Heroine. Like I mentioned before, I really wish we had spent more time with Sonia because she was not only an incredibly likeable heroine (a novelty in YA, I know) but a well-thought out and original character. One of the main things I loved about Sonia was that, even though she was described as ‘special’ because of the belief that she had the power to heal people (cue alarm bells), there was so much more to her than that. I often wonder with some of the ladies in YA fiction, you know the ones “I’m special because it’s my destiny to save the world and get stuck in a love triangle”, what would happen if you took away their “special-ness”. Yeah, Sonia had something that those girls lack: personality. She was clever, hardworking, funny, loyal and I loved her. Also, I believe that shawls are an incredibly underrated garment. Yeaaah Pancho was a hero. He was the hero of this story. I think my heart now belongs to a green eyed Chilean taxi-driver with dreams of being a poet. *glares at Sonia* Rafael. HA. I have such a weakness for cheeky boys with a healthy appetite for I loved Rafael and I loved the banter he had with Sonia. More fun big brothers in YA please! Theme Tune. Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart. For Pancho. Sigh. Yeah, I love him. GET OVER IT. Sadness Scale. 8/10. Oh no. I thought this book was going to be a happy ending. And it was, riiiiiight the end. It had a happy last page. But before that?! Gosh. I’m going to completely go against everything I wrote in my low points and contradict myself thoroughly by saying the next thing, but whatever it’s my review. I loved that Ms Medina pulled the rug out from under me when I read this book and added the-situation-I’m-not-mentioning-because-of-spoilers that I wasn’t expecting. I appreciate why Ms Medina added this storyline because it was fascinating to read about something which I wasn’t familiar with before I read this book. Extremely harrowing and beautifully written. Sorry to be vague but most of the sadness stems from this situation and, as much as I don’t want to spoil it for you, I also want you to be as sad as I was. Recommended For. People who are looking for an original story with great characters, beautiful settings and an ever so slight vein of magic running through it. People who believe in superstitions. People who have a soft spot for tales of humble mountain folk. People who could happily spend hours listening to stories in the shade of a tree. People who like boys who are “too given to daydreams”. People who were wondering where Sonia was when the wind was battering the British Isles this past week… try silencing that, Miss Ocampo! I received a copy of this book from the publishers. You can read this review and lots of other exciting stuff on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 03, 2012
| Jan 05, 2012
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Nov 24, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1847386784
| 9781847386786
| 4.29
| 10,386
| Sep 20, 2011
| Sep 2011
|
"Reality had no gears, and you never knew what surprises would come spinning out its chaos."
Dear Alek, I know in my review for Behemoth I told you th...more "Reality had no gears, and you never knew what surprises would come spinning out its chaos." Dear Alek, I know in my review for Behemoth I told you that I was going to dedicate this final review to you and I would think of a theme tune for you. Well, I haven’t. I thought that, instead of writing a proper review that will help readers decide whether to read this book or not (you’d think this was a review site or something), I’d write you a letter. It’s not going to be a fancy one (or one with paragraphs set out correctly) but it will be a simple one. Now I love Deryn as much as the next person (she truly is spectacular) but I feel a lot of people look over you as a hero of this series. I guess heroes come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they are even shorter than some girls. You are proof that you don’t have to have guns blazing (Although I find walking sticks to be just as useful) all the time to show how brave you are. For in your understated-ness (Shh, it’s a word) you are intelligent, strong, trustworthy, loyal and caring. And you are not a “waste of hydrogen”. I have a feeling you’ll have plenty of time to get your sea-legs in the future. Um… air-legs? What do you call them if your vessel is a flying whale? ….. Basically, I just wanted to say that I think you are one of the most underrated characters in YA literature. You can have your vampires, your werewolves, your angels, your ones with a destiny or the ones who survive fighting in arenas but I’m an Alek girl, through and through. Anyway I won’t keep you because I know you and a certain Mr Sharp have better things to do. Lots of love, Jo. PS. I’m not sure how often you see Mr Westerfeld but if you do get chance to catch up, will you please thank him for writing such an exciting and beautiful ending to one of the most innovative, original, sweetest and completely-head-over-heels-in-love-and-best-friends-and-ohmygod-it’s-so-lovely-and-butterflies-in-my-tummy romantic series of YA books that will always have a special place on my bookshelf. And also, Mr Thompson- tell him that that final picture almost slayed me. And the picture of the loris with the moustache is probably my favourite thing in the entire world. PPS. Hey, remember when I said that I loved to collect wonderful dedications from books? This one takes the biscuit:
♥ And I really, really love biscuits. (view spoiler)[And secret snogs on air ships. (hide spoiler)] You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 14, 2012
| Jan 16, 2012
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Nov 20, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1847386776
| 9781847386779
| 4.21
| 13,908
| Oct 01, 2010
| Jun 01, 2011
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Please Note: This review will contain mild spoilers for Leviathan so if you know want to know zilch avert your eyes please. “Do I look like a ninny?”...more Please Note: This review will contain mild spoilers for Leviathan so if you know want to know zilch avert your eyes please. “Do I look like a ninny?” she asked Alek. “You do indeed, Mr Sharp.” Initial Final Page Thoughts. I’m not supposed to be buying any more books until after Christmas... *bites nails* but this series is just too good. It would be a crime not to buy the final book, wouldn’t it? WOULDN’T IT?! High Points. Ninnies. Dummkopfs. Mr Sharp. Beasties. Bovril. Lilit. Low Points. There were a few points in this story that I got a bit lost with what was actually happening. This has absolutely nothing to do with Mr Westerfeld’s writing…. just my small brain. All the plotting and the attacking and the whatnot….some of it went over my head. But I still enjoyed it immensely. Hero. OK, Alek. I’m going to spend some more time with you because I’ve been feeling guilty about overlooking you in my Leviathan review. You are so sweet and so goodhearted and so loyal and so sensitive and so completely oblivious So sweet and goodhearted and so completely oblivious to everything ever. But that’s what I love about you. You’re so sensitive and honest and true and I love that even though you’re jealous of It would be at this point where I’d be a bit nervous about what will happen when…. Y’know… you find out about Mr Sharp, but I’m not. Because I think (pleasepleaseplease) that you’ll handle it like you have handled everything else: with tact, intelligence and by just being a little sweetheart that I just want to cuddle. Heroine. I think I’ve said everything that I want to say about Deryn in my Leviathan review and my love for this lady has not changed one squick. If anything my love has been multiplied from this book. I would pay infinite amounts of money for Mr Westerfeld, Mr Ness and Mr Pullman to meet up and put their brilliant brains together and write a series of stories where Deryn, Viola and Lyra go on adventures across the world. I swear if that ever happened I would be the happiest girl in the world. Every now and again they could give Alek, Todd and Will a chapter where they just sit and talk about how fantastic their better halves are. You know… crack a few jokes or something. Can you imagine how much fun Pan and Bovril would have together, too?! And um… Manchee, too. Lilit. This girl needs a medal and a high-five for creating the only YA love triangle that didn’t make me want to lunge wildly at people screaming “HOW MANY NORMAL TEENAGERS ARE INVOLVED IN A LOVE TRIANGLE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?!!!??!?!?” Lilit was ace. And if I didn’t love Alek so much I would be quite happy with that development. ;-) Theme Tune. Considering I’ve been listening to Christmas songs non-stop over the past few days… I haven’t really come up with a suitable song for this. So I’ll choose Big Girls Don't Cry by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. For Deryn. I know, I know Leviathan’s song was for her too. I’ll try and pick one for Alek in my Goliath review. Sadness Scale. 6/10. I swear if Alek doesn’t react in the way I hope he’s going to act in the next book I’m gonna throw him to Tazza. Or at least lock him in a room with Volger so he can get glared at disapprovingly until he sees sense. Recommended For. People who love continued brilliance in a YA series. People who turn “dead girly” when they think of Austro-Hungarian princes. People who think their library system is complicated. People who hate it when fabricated animals tell your secrets to people. People who feel that the word “ninny” just isn’t strong enough sometimes. Girls who refuse to let some stuck-up prince outlast them in holding their position in fencing training. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Dec 03, 2011
| Dec 06, 2011
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Nov 20, 2011
| Paperback
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| 1416971734
| 9781416971733
| 3.91
| 33,025
| Oct 06, 2009
| Oct 06, 2009
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"A missing piece can be very bad for the puzzle, whether in the natural world, or politics, or here in the belly of an airship."
Initial Final Page T...more "A missing piece can be very bad for the puzzle, whether in the natural world, or politics, or here in the belly of an airship." Initial Final Page Thoughts. That’s what I want to know, Alek. That’s what I want to know. High Points. Deryn. Alek. This world… wooow, why doesn’t it exist yet?! Huxleys. Darwinists. Clankers. Flying wales. Cow farts. Trinkets&Diddies. Messenger lizards. Science. Nature. Snowshoes. Tazza. Dr Barlow. Frostbitten bums. Odd kind of tingling. The prospect of sequels… Low Points. I think I’ll appreciate this book all the more when I look back on it after reading the others… which may or may not be zooming down the motorway to my house as I type. This isn’t a gripe directed solely at Mr Westerfeld… more like everyone who has ever written a story where a girl dresses up as a boy and no one notices. Yes, that’s right. It’s also directed at YOU director of Shakespeare in Love and that film where Channing Tatum takes his top off a lot and there’s football… sorry, soccer, involved! She’s the Man. Basically this rant is aimed at Shakespeare. *shakes first* Sure, I could get over it if the girl in question was like… a baby. People would notice a sixteen year old girl (who looks extremely pretty in the illustrations, I need to add!) was gallivanting around a whale! Even if her diddies are on the small side. The whole idea of people changing one thing about themselves and all of the sudden are unrecognisable is a serious pet peeve of mine (I But you know what?! I don’t care because Deryn is brilliant and if anyone could fool a ship full of silly boys she could! Hero. Oh Alek, I think you’re going to end up getting overshadowed in this review which is completely unfair because you are brilliant too. But… well… Derynissocool……*whines* Sorry, Alek. I’m back with you, promise. You have all this ridiculous stuff happening around you and you still have the time to be a Grade A sweetheart? I applaud you because if I was an Austro-Hungarian prince I would be whinging like nobody’s business. I loved how he was innocent and naïve I’m really excited to see where Alek’s learning curve takes him. Also, the banter between him and Deryn was hilarious.
And I can’t wait to see what happens when what I think will happen happens! YES YES YES. I’ve only read one book but already Deryn is one of my favourite female heroines. She can fashion a zipwire while dangling under a squid-thing! I’m going to start adding that to my necessary friend requirements. And this is the point where I would get slightly nervous because I always fall in love with fantastic heroines in the first book of a series and then get my heart dashed as it goes on (Looking at you, Katniss!)… but I have no doubt that Deryn and I are for keeps. *fingers crossed* And OH, I caught you with your tingling feelings after a certain prince hugged you. Don’t think I didn’t see that! Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean you can’t twist your skirts every now and again… or um, you know… your uniformed pants. Again, I can’t wait to see what happens when what I think will happen happens ! Illustrations. When the wonderful Catie recommended this book to me to be part of my Illustrated Book Week I was sceptical because it didn’t look like the kind of book that should be illustrated. I mean it wasn’t about magic or fairy tales or monsters. It was about alternative war and machines and.... boy stuff. But, boy am I glad it was illustrated?! I think they are particularly important because they are so detailed and perfectly capture Westfeld’s fantastical world. They almost looked like they had been produced with the smog and grime and grease from one of the Clanker's machines. What I loved was that even though they were highly detailed and intricate, they also managed to maintain their cartoon-ness (Is there a word for that?). I loved the pictures with the characters on them the most because Mr Thompson got their facial expressions perfectly. Also, the fact that Deryn is taller than Alek was brilliant! Theme Tune. I couldn’t find any song that really went with giant whale airships and clanking. So I’m* going to choose a song for my girl, Deryn. Just a Girl by No Doubt. *Well, I say I’m- fellow music lover Catie chose this one because I was too busy buying the next two books. Sadness Scale. 3/10. Almost zilch but I think Alek’s story (if you know your…um, alternate history you’ll know what I mean) was really sad. Poor little pup. And also, while I’m thinking about it, Deryn’s story is sad as well. But she doesn’t tend to dwell… I hope we’ll get to find out more about these and their feelings as the series goes on. Recommended For. People who are looking for a fast-paced, high-action book with great characters and fantastic potential for the rest of the books. People who live in places where they can’t get mobile reception but have an abundance of lizards who seem to listen to your conversations! People who think that the smell of fish and cow farts always lead to adventure. People who would look great in a bowler hat. People who actually use the words “boffin” and “ninny” in everyday conversations (I actually do, you know, when I’m not swearing like a lorry driver.) People who always take medicine when they go on their glacial hikes. Boys who couldn’t recognise a girl if she cut her hair short and wore pants. People who are suspicious of eggs. People who can’t wait to see what happens when what they think will happen happens. You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog here.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Nov 18, 2011
| Nov 21, 2011
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Nov 18, 2011
| Hardcover
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