Goodreads Reading Challenge update – 96% Done.
It’s now the end of October, Halloween is here! and I have two months left to complete my reading challenge on Goodreads. So how have I fared since my last blog?
The Vagrant by Peter Newman
This is a book I’ve been looking forward to reading for a while, with some great reviews, recommendations and looking at the front cover (which is great) the lead character, The Vagrant, looks awesome. So what did I find. Well the lead character and some of his companions (Mainly a baby and a goat) I loved, as well as one or two other characters we meet along the way.
Downside. For me I found the whole enemy, mutant, demon thing a bit confusing and certainly not an easy read. The biggest failing for me was that these enemies are so random that they become frustrating, unconvincing and therefore lost me and a little of my interest. However the world building is good, and a sense of the desperation of everyone in this battle torn land was easily absorbed by me.
So overall an interesting, had me engaged and entertained read…most of the way through. Just found the writing, me picturing the mutant/demonic enemies confusing even after numerous re-reads of lines, which did switch me off and made bits hard going. Worth a read though, just wish we had either more about our main character and his band of mis-fits and/or less of the enemy.
3 out of five stars.
The Travelling Bag and Other Ghost Stories by Susan Hill
As it’s Halloween time it felt appropriate to read a scary ghost book, a genre I have never read and must confess avoid (even films) as I’m a bit of a big wuss. So when recommended this, a book written by the author that I’m told wrote the very scary ‘Woman in Black’ thought this seemed a good place to start the genre.
And this book includes four short stories: The Travelling Bag, Boy Twenty-One, Alice Baker and The Front Room. I got quite into the first story, but I do like my pre-Victorian style London stories, with one friend in a gentlemen’s club sharing a tale to another. The writing flow’s well and easily, as you fly through the four stories with ease, the Author is obviously at the top of her game.
But why the dropped stars. Although majority of the stories are a little, creepy, none had me spooked which I kind of expected! I’m a wuss remember. So was disappointed with that, but stars given as a nice easy read.
2 stars out of 5! It’s ok.
