tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194988002024-03-05T06:26:58.886+00:00My Favourite BooksAnyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author UnknownLizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.comBlogger1343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-28696243676237344302012-12-31T08:30:00.000+00:002012-12-31T08:30:06.082+00:00Final MFB Blogpost - What We've Enjoyed in 2012 & The Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we've been saying for a few months now, My Favourite Books will shut its doors today, 31st December 2012.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been an incredible ride for both Sarah, Mark and myself. We've made some terrific friends along the way and met some great debut, mid-list and stratospherically well known authors. Our knowledge of the publishing world has exploded and we've come to know a great many editors and publicity and marketing people (including other folk who look after artwork and digital files and audio etc within the publishing industry) and let me tell you: these people aren't in it for the money, they are in it for the love of stories and reading, even if publishers at the end of the day have to make money. We are grateful to all of them for giving three bloggers the chance to meet them and review their books. It's been a rather splendid seven years!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As today is our final blogpost, we've decided to offer you a handful of our favourite titles we've read in 2012 - a quick stipulation here: it's books we've read this year, which means they may not have been published this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sarah’s Best Books of 2012 </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2012 was a bit of a
slow-grower for me in terms of books. I despaired of ever finding something I
loved but then February hit and I was off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSypoSf_jZOG4xyl2DCpdsi6yiZXsaUwzCZH_Gnqqhi1MseayolPlv5aBc72oW91YYefCuVP3AUYpzNSkzvkMBOLkfwFVPGZnTyM4UexuShgoVBoxfwPm7QyoTy-Sl1rUs4gou/s1600/rollrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSypoSf_jZOG4xyl2DCpdsi6yiZXsaUwzCZH_Gnqqhi1MseayolPlv5aBc72oW91YYefCuVP3AUYpzNSkzvkMBOLkfwFVPGZnTyM4UexuShgoVBoxfwPm7QyoTy-Sl1rUs4gou/s320/rollrock.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a breathtaking
book and one that utilises different points-of-view beautifully. I started the
book full of sympathy for Misskaella who’s largely ignored by her family and the
rest of the community of Rollrock. She takes her revenge in an unflinching
fashion. However, after the last chapter I had tears in my eyes and went back
to read the beginning again. Such beautiful writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Wood Queen/Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mistress of Urban
Fantasy a.k.a Karen Mahoney gave us two wonderful books this year. One let me
be a part of my much-loved world of Ironbridge again and the other heralded a
new series about Moth the teenage vampire. I adored both of them and will <i>not</i> choose a favourite – do you hear?
Falling to Ash made me think of super heroes and I loved the tough yet
vulnerable Moth. The Wood Queen developed the intriguing storyline beautifully.
The dialogue in both was razor-sharp. It’s my list so they’re going in on an
equal footing of love. So there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kami speaks to a boy
in her head but one day he turns up in her village. Jared and Kami fight to understand
the mystery of Sorry-in-the-Vale and of each other. It’s Gothic and spooky all
wrapped up with SRB’s brilliant dialogue. Yum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Constable and Toop by Gareth P. Jones<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I made the classic
error of reading this in pdf form from the publisher then, realising it was far
too early to review, put it to one side. All I could remember was that it was
ghostly, Victorian and I loved it. I re-read so I could actually write
something coherent but basically it’s wonderful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unrest by Michelle Harrison<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of ghosts
this was a seriously scary book with a great male protagonist. His voice just
pulls you in and I wanted to know what had happened to him and how he was going
to turn things around. This book seriously put the frighteners on me in the
middle of the day. Terrifying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adorkable by Sarra Manning<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeane has a stunning
voice and even though at times I hated her, I always loved her too. She’s
pretty much an emancipated teen with a self-absorbed family who has carved out
a career for herself through social networking and blogging. Michael hates her
too, or does he love her? Funny, awkward and a hundred percent brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve just read and
reviewed this so I don’t have the benefit of a few months to be able to think
about what it meant to me. It’s all still very immediate but this story of two
broken teens who attempt <i>not</i> to mend
each other is both addictive and beautiful – it crept up on me in a good way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not a big one for
angel books but this really got me. An angel whose job it is to collect souls
tries to save just one. She finds herself in a pact with a helpful man and
eventually discovers that she needs to rethink her priorities. I’m feeling a
bit tearful just remembering it. Beautiful. I can’t wait to read more from this
author.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mark's Favourite Titles of 2012</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Shieldwall by Justin Hill</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />I really enjoyed the rich and evocative language used in Shieldwall, and taken with the great action and Hill's consistent attention to detail, this is was a fantastic and immersive read.<br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><b style="font-family: inherit;">Outpost by Adam Baker</b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Outpost surprised me several times and steadfastly refused to conform to my expectations. It's an exciting end-of-the-world thriller and well worth investing in.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">Know No Fear by Dan Abnett</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The combination of a fresh and cleverly constructed narrative, tight and explosive action sequences made KNF stand out as one of my favourite books in the Horus Heresy series.<br /><br /></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda</b><br /><br />This was a terrifically fun book to read, well paced and offering a fresh and well realised setting and mythology as the backdrop for a kick ass adventure.<b><br /></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Great Betrayal by Nick Kyme</b><br /><br />I had expected good things from Nick Kyme, having read and enjoyed his Space Marine / 40K series (The Tome of Fire) but TGB surpassed my expectations. Nick delivered a solid, well crafted fantasy that was a pleasure to read from start to finish, well grounded in the rich background of the Warhammer setting but simultaneously independent and eminently accessible to newcomers. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">Double Dead by Chuck Wendig</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />An absolute blast and the most fun I'd had with a book for some time. I loved the vampiric main character -a likeable bastard- and wound up reading this in a day. </span></span></div>
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<o:p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Liz's Favourite Books of 2012 </span></span></b></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5DuB1F269UsmaljPTrY-kD8yN0bBhcBVCQEJRUBMx2iEn3ZA9rFgfZFYUN7dma1SD_4gmqAQQ8klGlMp6vM0nS6-hVbN8Q81ZuNzdukkSk1hF1rJTLYOu6O-iOHhLj-FMcf5/s1600/Itch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5DuB1F269UsmaljPTrY-kD8yN0bBhcBVCQEJRUBMx2iEn3ZA9rFgfZFYUN7dma1SD_4gmqAQQ8klGlMp6vM0nS6-hVbN8Q81ZuNzdukkSk1hF1rJTLYOu6O-iOHhLj-FMcf5/s400/Itch.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Itch by Simon Mayo</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh I did so love Itch. Fun, quite adult MG novel for younger readers (but also for older folk) with a great main character and lots of shenanigans and also: science and adventure and bad surfing. As I'm clueless to most famous people, I had no idea who Simon Mayo was when we were shown the info about ITCH at the beginning of the year at Random House. I was smitten by the idea of the story and the image of this boy carrying rocks around. So I went in and read this without having a clue and it was plain good writing and good storytelling.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Folklore and legend combined with some truly great writing by Karen Healey has this book firmly in my "never let it out of my sight" bookshelf. I can't gush enough about this book and the author - it genuinely ticks all the boxes for me and her voice is so clear and vivid. Really, do everything you can to get a copy of this to read.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dead Scared by SJ Bolton </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">SJ Bolton is a nice lady. I've now met her a few times and I've realised the ability to scare and frighten the living crap out of you has nothing to do with how NICE an author can be in real life. A SJ Bolton book guarantees you a good read. Every single one of her books is ace. And scary. And I love each one of them. So basically, this recommendation is about Dead Scared but it is more about recommending everything this lady has ever written and will write. Because she is honestly that good a crime writer. You will not be disappointed.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Hum and The Shiver by Alex Bledsoe</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beautiful, haunting, evocative, rich...magical. Bah. I don't need to say more. Buy it, read it and utterly fall in love with these strong flawed characters he's created. This is urban fantasy / magical realism writing at its utmost best.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp & Sara Ogilvie </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture books lie close to my heart. I have no kids to pass them along to or to read them to <i>but</i> that doesn't stop me from buying them and thoroughly falling in love with them. The Worst Princess is definitely one of my faves for this year. Deliciously subversive with its tongue firmly in cheek, I do think TWP is a great title for all ages, and especially for the mums and dads reading it, because basically: girls and boys should be allowed to do what they want and not conform to gender roles!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fire City by Bali Rai</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a big old fan-girl of Bali Rai's writing. He's a born storyteller and its evident from all his books how much fun he has when writing. In Fire City, Bali gives us something he's not done before, a semi-fantasy/post-apocalyptic novel rich in world-building and depth. Even if this doesn't sound like your kind of reading, do pick up any of Bali's other books. You'll be in for a real treat.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blood and Feathers by Lou Morgan</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another great contemporary urban fantasy with super strong characterisation and a bit of a wicked sense of humour. The first in a series from Lou, this is a well researched, dark and gripping novel that will leave you wanting for more.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ridiculously well written, HSB, made me grin, laugh, cry and swear. Basically, I acted a bit odd whilst reading it and then I had to tell everyone about it. My only criticism about this is aimed at me: next time, just read the bloody book and don't put it off. And to you: if you've seen it around, mentioned all over the show and you think it's over-hyped...and it's made you cautious: really, give it a try. It's an accomplished debut that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Honorary mention: <b>Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt</b> - beautiful, strange, eerie, this feels like an old old fairy tale or fable retelling, but it isn't. I loved it, thought it was really well written, but I just wish there was more of it. More of the story, the characters and more of the writing. I suppose this means I should re-read it. If you're in the mood for something dark and strange and wonderful and a bit melancholy, definitely try Keturah and Lord Death. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's our recommendations for 2012 from Team MFB. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the publishers who decided to take a chance on us these past few years, for sending us books for review, inviting us to meet their authors and for trusting us to become part of their publishing campaigns and for valuing our opinion to help spread the word on so many fantastic books. Personally, I'd like to say thanks to the publishers MFB started out with: Bloomsbury Kids, Simon and Schuster Kids and also Random House Kids but also Gollancz and Orion Kids. Without you guys taking a chance on us all those many years ago, we would never have been able to build the reputation we pride ourselves on having.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This really is a tough blogpost to write without falling over into the emo-side of things but as I'm sure you guys'll understand as I waffle along a little bit more! Also, a huge big thanks goes out to all our blogging pals. We have made a vast amount of friends within the blogging community and it's been amazing to see how fledgling sites have grown from cautious newbie beginners to confident and charming blogs where their voices are strong and vibrant. I am really proud to be the "blogging godmother" - you guys make us proud. Please don't stop anytime soon because you know, we still need to know what's coming up so we can buy 'em!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And lastly, to all of you guys, our readers and commenters: thanks for hanging out with us over the years. We really do hope you've had fun reading our reviews and that some of what we've waffled on about convinced you to buy one or two of the titles we've reviewed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so, it is with tears in our combined eyes that we say goodbye to you all. Please do follow us on twitter - Liz = @LizUK / Sarah = @Esssjay / Mark = @Gergaroth - because we will still be around and we will still be talking books, movies, and utter nonsense.</span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-25629177924482330562012-12-30T08:00:00.000+00:002012-12-30T08:00:02.272+00:00Books I've read but not yet reviewed..<span style="font-family: inherit;">... even though I've been meaning to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Leaping by Tom Fletcher</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Jack finished university three years ago, but he's still stuck in a dead-end job in a sinister call-centre in Manchester. When the beautiful (and rich) Jennifer comes into his life he thinks he has finally found his ticket out of there. Trouble is that his boss is interested in Jennifer as well, and there's something strangely bestial about him... So when Jennifer buys Fell House, a mysterious old mansion out in remote Cumbria, a house party on a legendary scale seems like the perfect escape for them and their housemates. But as the party spins out of control on a seemingly neverending night, they must face up to the terrifying possibility that not all their guests may be human - and some of them want to feed.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I picked a copy of The Leaping up earlier this year during a random jaunt to Waterstones to feed an itch for some horror flavoured at that time. Jack and his housemates work at a grubby call centre- they're quite a mixed bag, bound together by a mutual hatred for their dead-end jobs and the dream of finding Something Better. The creepiness starts off slowly, and builds towards creating a claustrophobic and unsettling vibe; even a stark and rolling countryside becomes something sinister in Fletcher's hands. I really enjoyed this- it starts off innocently enough but quickly snowballs into a sordid and savage fever dream. Recommended.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill</b><b>Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>After the terrifying attack on Lindisfarne at the end of the first book </i><a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/department-19-by-will-hill.html">[our review here!]</a><i>, Jamie, Larissa and Kate are recovering at Department 19 headquarters, waiting for news of Dracula’s stolen ashes. </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">They won’t be waiting for long. There are only 91 days to Zero Hour.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Vampire forces are gathering. </i><i>Old enemies are getting too close. And Dracula… is rising.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ah, Department 19. As fast and furious as its predecessor, if not more so. This time Jamie and the rest of the Dept 19 crew are working to a deadline to try prevent Dracula from rising and assuming his full and terrible power. The Rising is a chunky beast, but you don't notice it once things get going- the action and pace is unrelenting The pages fly by as Jamie and his friends have to deal with their own troubles over and above while trying to stop the world's most powerful vampire from plunging the world into a bloodsoaked darkness. The Rising was a fun and exhilarating read, complete with lashings of gore (and a fantastic scene where Hill turns a Hollywood cliche on its head). You will need to have read Department 19 to really appreciate it though, although that's no hardship. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johannes Cabal the Necromancer</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><i>Johannes Cabal has never pretended to be a hero of any kind. There is, after all, little heroic about robbing graves, stealing occult volumes, and being on middling terms with demons.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">His purpose, however, is noble. His researches are all directed to raising the dead. Not as monstrosities but as people, just as they were when they lived: physically, mentally, and spiritually. For such a prize, some sacrifices are necessary. One such sacrifice was his own soul, but he now sees that was a mistake - it's not just that he needs it for his research to have validity, but now he realises he needs it to be himself.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, his soul now rests within the festering bureaucracy of Hell. Satan may be cruel and capricious but, most dangerously, he is bored. It is Cabal's unhappy lot to provide him with amusement.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In short, a wager: in return for his own soul, Cabal must gather one hundred others. Placed in control of a diabolical carnival - created to tempt to contentiousness, to blasphemy, argumentation and murder, but one that may also win coconuts - and armed only with his intelligence, a very large handgun, and a total absence of whimsy, Cabal has one year.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What really made this pop for me was the distinctive voice that came through in the writing. Wry and laced with a wonderful black humour, it hooked me from the first page and didn't let me go until the last. Cabal isn't a nice guy (the cover blurb refers to him having <i>'the moral conscience of anthrax'</i> - brilliant!<i>) </i>and he stays that way throughout, which is as gratifying as it is fun. I highly recommend taking Cabal for a spin - I'm certainly going to be picking up the others in the series.</span></div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149091278192488000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-68098536051936579762012-12-29T08:30:00.000+00:002012-12-29T09:35:27.641+00:00Last Loot of 2012 - MFB Style Each year, at the end of the year, I have an annual blowout online and in shops in advance of the new year and gearing up for reading in 20whatever it is.<br />
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This year though, the blowout's tinged with a bit of sadness purely because this is the last year I'm doing it, using MFB as an excuse. From now onwards, my only excuse for buying far too many books one person with only one set of eyes and brain and can read is: I have a book problem. To illustrate this, I've decided to show you pictures of the books that I've bought and received as gifts in the past week alone. This is not bragging, it's more an admittance of being spoiled rotten.<br />
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These are the "from me to me purchases" - please do not judge me by my random DVD purchases included in the pic. Tom Hardy FTW, what can I say? Wildwood has been on my radar for ages - I've recommended it to loads of friends, not having actually read it myself and yet every single one of them said how much they enjoyed it. The rest of the titles were reaped from various "best of" and "highly recommended" lists across the interwebs.<br />
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These were purchased at Waterstones Canary Wharf before we headed off to see The Hobbit. The two Secret titles are great purchases and the NY one came highly recommended by the one bookseller when we told her we were planning to visit NY this year. I've read Falling Kingdoms since purchasing these and I must say it's a fun, light, easy to get into, entry-level fantasy for younger readers. I had a few issues with it, but it won't stop me from buying the sequels. <br />
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The lovely Lynsey Newton arranged a UKYA Blogger Secret Santa - both Sarah and I took part in it and these are the items I received from my Secret Santa. Some great titles I'm looking forward to reading.<br />
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These two titles, along with Citadel by Kate Mosse, was part of my pressies from Mark this year. They are rather splendid and both sound fantastic!<br />
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Yesterday, Mark and I met up with Sarah and her hubby for our annual (and final) MFB Xmas lunch. We went to Honest Burger (delicious and highly recommended tiny restaurant) and immediately swapped presents. Sarah got me an amazing poppet - <a href="http://img2.etsystatic.com/004/0/5504671/il_fullxfull.364451270_bemi.jpg" target="_blank">Dream's Poppet </a> - which I was ecstatic about, but as she was worried the poppet would not arrive in time, she also bought me some "emergency" book presents. From Sarah: Necromancing the Stone / Elves, Fauns and Fairies by Robert Kirk / The White Forest and also a set of moleskines which I'm truly happy with. The other titles in this pic I bought at Forbidden Planet. The Immortals of Meluha by Amish looks like a great read. And I just had to get City of Dark Magic as it is (obviously) set in Prague.<br />
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Super special treat from the boys and girls at Head of Zeus - The Grim Company - and it came wrapped and everything, in time for Xmas. How lovely? Also, the story sounds fantastic!<br />
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This is today's purchases from Foyles. Sorrowline by Niel Bushnell has been on my radar for some time now. It looks great. Sweet Venom by Terra Lynn Childs - TLC is one of my fave authors. She just writes so well. Maria V Snyder is a favourite too, so I had to get this. The Secret of Lost Things - I sadly had to get this as a second hand copy as nowhere I went to had copies in stock. Just look it up. You'll understand why I had to have it. And The Dogs of Winter - based on a real story, about a boy who spent 2 years or so living with a pack of dogs in Moscow, is the perfect reading in chilly weather. <br />
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I'm now fully booked up for some time and in 2013 have resolved to dig into the boxes in storage and read some old favourites and new ones I've just never had the chance to get to.<br />
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Hopefully some of these books I've pictured may be of interest to some of you! A mixture of adult and YA and younger fiction to grace your shelves is never a bad thing. If there's one thing I hope readers of MFB take away from this blog is that you should give all kinds of fiction, for all ages, a try because good writing isn't exclusive to adult or literary fiction and you should read voraciously, across borders.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-29070317131559526702012-12-27T07:30:00.000+00:002012-12-27T17:19:14.642+00:00The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Sea of Tranquility</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It's a shame that my last review for MFB will probably be a burbling mess but there, it is what it is. I had a mini spree and got a few books for my Kindle. This was one of them and I started it first because - well, you have read the first paragraph of that synopsis, right? Nastya hasn't been to school for a couple of years but is determined to get through high school. She wants to do this in the easiest way possible and for her that's by not talking to anyone and having little to do with her family. The first few days let her settle into a pattern of moving silently through her days and running at nights. However, Josh is difficult to ignore. Everyone tries to but on the rare occasions he does engage anyone, they do as he says and have a healthy amount of respect for him. On one of her runs she finds herself outside his garage which is more of a workshop where he makes his beautiful furniture and slowly, minutely, their lives become intertwined.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Told in the first person, alternating between Josh and Nastya, the reader is slowly drawn into the lives of these two damaged people. Little-by-little their stories are unearthed and we find out the reasons behind their current behaviour. As they become friends we see that they are both conflicted with their feelings for each other. Honestly, I think this is one of the most beguiling, creeps-up-on-you and bewitching books I've read in a while. I was torn between wanting to know Nastya's full story and knowing that I may be horrified when it was revealed. Josh is just as intriguing. His scars might not be on the outside but they're just as deep. They adjust to each other reluctantly but you know that there will come a point when it's time to get real and both of them are doing a lot of pretending.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Apart from the main characters I was massively impressed by the secondary ones especially Josh's friend Drew who could have been a major idiot but is so cleverly written that I really felt for the cad-with-a-heart. Even his sister Sarah who could have just been a cheerleader-queen-bee type has moments of redemption. I wanted Drew to be happy as much as I wanted it for Josh and Nastya. What else can I say about this surprising and wonderful book? The writing is beautiful, the dialogue makes you catch your breath at times. Also, the last line? Best last line ever. It's long for its genre and a bit of a slow-grower but it steals up on you and takes over your life. I was bereft when I finished and moped around the house flinging books to one side and wailing, "I have nothing to read," for a few days afterwards which tells me everything I need to know about a book. It's being published by Atria Books in June but you can buy it on Kindle now. I think I'm going to have to buy a physical copy just so I can look at it. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Loved it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So, that wasn't too incoherent for my last ever MFB review was it? Just pleased I could finish with a wonderful book. Thanks all (she says, trying not to get emo), it's been a blast. I've really appreciated all the comments and all you wonderful bloggers on Twitter some of whom I've had the chance to meet at events. It's a great community and one I've been proud to be part of.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Also, a huge thanks to Liz and Mark who let me become part of Team MFB and coaxed me through my first, stuttering reviews. You took a chance on me and I'm enormously grateful for your support. I've learnt loads, laughed loads and found two brilliant friends. See you in the cafe at Foyles. </span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-50097535932621758402012-12-24T09:00:00.000+00:002012-12-24T13:50:58.702+00:00Books I've read and enjoyed but not had a chance to review<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are a few of them: </span><br />
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<b>Shift by Kim E Curran</b> is one of my faves of 2012 although I've not reviewed it - mostly because it's hard for me to review friends' books with clarity and without seeming biased. It was super-hard doing Tanya Byrne's book but I decided that Shift by Kim needed a shout out from MFB for being a really fun, Fringe-lite, YA. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>When 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he's not so average after all. He s a Shifter. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands...</i></span></span><br />
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Kim's writing is easy on the eye and by this I mean it keeps you paging, which is crucial. Scott is a nice kid, occasionally a bit dumb, mostly a boy just interested in getting along until one night when he does something a bit weird and his life changes irrevocably. There is no going back. I liked the science, it made sense to me. You got the bigger implications behind Scott's abilities and what could potentially be done with it, even if it takes him a bit to catch up. The pacing is pretty damn decent too - there are enough pauses to let you catch your breath before we're off again. </span><br />
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I'd recommend Shift to readers who want something with more padding around the edges - it's an intelligent, fast paced, contemporary YA that deals with identity, realities and choices. There's a decent science fiction slant so for readers who like that kind of thing or who wonder about it, this is the perfect book. It really is Fringe-lite, as Mark said when we spoke about it. And it's satisfying - I cannot wait to see the sequels. A big recommend from me - especially for reluctant readers too. It's not a big book, but it's not tiny either and it reads in a very cinematic way - something I thoroughly enjoy. </span><br />
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<b>Earth Girl by Janet Edwards </b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter.</span></i></div>
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One thing - there are several - that Ms. Edwards excels in here is her world-building and scene setting. It felt, initially, quite exposition heavy, but it needed it in order for us to grasp Jarra's life and how things have both advanced, changed and yet, become worse in some instances, rather than better. Earth Girl is big writing, covering bigger themes than you may anticipate - things like prejudice, for sure, and definitely handling preconceived ideas about people from the other planets and how they have evolved. I did however lose interest occasionally due to the minutiae of Jarra's student-life as an archaeologist on planet Earth - which is awful, I know, because I love all things archaeology and questy, but it felt heavy in some places and I would have appreciated more time with Jarra and her new friends and getting to figure out what was going on in their heads. But ultimately, the reason why we're so focussed on Earth as it was before is to hold it up to the reader to show us how badly things can go wrong and have gone wrong in the past. </span><br />
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Although I enjoyed Earth Girl and would recommend it as a entry-level science fiction novel, I would caution wary readers to perhaps dip into it first, if you have the chance, to see if it will work for you. Ms. Edwards writes really well, really well, but it's not yet consistent and I found myself not warming to Jarra as much as I would have liked, but that could be because I'm not fond of characters who are very Hermione and a bit know-it-all. If you're prepared to overlook this, you are in for a solid strong bit of storytelling - it's layered and thoughtful and I for one am looking forward to seeing what else Ms. Edwards will be coming up with in the future. (Insert eyes here to show that Liz Is Always Watching).</span><br />
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<b>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart </b></span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Frankie Landau-Banks has gone from geeky to gorgeous over the course of the summer, and she can hardly believe it when Matthew Livingston, the senior she worshipped from afar the year before, seems interested. But being Matthew's girlfriend comes with a lot of things Frankie didn't expect. She feels uncertain navigating the complicated politics of his social circle, and uneasy with the antics of his friends, which often seem to exclude her. Worst of all, she senses that he's not letting her all the way into his life--that, because she is a girl, he will never see her as an equal.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Then Frankie discovers that Matthew is a member of the school's exclusive--and male-only--secret society. At first she only spies on them out of curiosity. But as her desire to prove herself every bit as capable as Matthew's male conspirators grows, she finds herself getting wrapped up in the society's business of sneaking and pranking, without any of the boys suspecting a thing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">With Frankie pulling the strings, anything is possible.</span></i></span><br />
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I grabbed the above write up from the Teens Read Too site. </span><br />
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This is one of the most difficult books I've read, hence no review / thoughts until now. It's written in an oddly distant way and seems both timeless and old worldy and a bit affected and yet, I don't think it could have worked being written in any other way. Frankie's character is not the most likeable protag I've ever met. In fact, for some part of the book she comes across as a complete nutjob as she becomes utterly obsessed on getting one over on the male orientated society of the private school she belongs to. I approved of the getting one over, but not so much of her ways, and yet, again - it makes complete sense when you consider who Frankie really is - a deeply complex, interesting, flawed character who makes the right decisions, for the right way, and yet it all goes badly wrong yet right. I'm sorry - months after reading this book I'm still not sure what I thought of it. I think that if you have the chance to read it - it will drag out those grey brain cells we aren't really used to exercising when reading complacent books about teen romances - and it will make you think and hate it and love it. The majority of reviews I've seen for TDHOFLB is one of conflict with stuff the reader both loved and loathed. Some books are just like that. It's not at all my fave title of the year, yet it's the one that made me most uncomfortable and thinky. And that is not at all a bad thing. </span><br />
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<b>Jade Tiger by Jenn Reese </b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shan Westfall—half-Chinese, half-American, one hundred percent kung fu badass—is on a mission to recover five mystical jade animals before they fall into the wrong hands.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over 15 years ago, Shan’s mother led a secret society of female martial artists sworn to protect the statues. When the Jade Circle lost four of the five statues during a murderous attack on their sanctuary, 12-year-old Shan’s destiny was sealed. It was she who carried the remaining tiger statue all the way to America; she who felt it clawing at her with the need to recover the crane, snake, leopard and dragon. The Circle was destroyed that night, and Shan hasn’t seen her mother since.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shan has grown up under the tiger’s unforgiving influence and the shadow of her mother’s legacy. Her quest to recover the statues takes her to upstate New York and Ian Dashall, a geeky but brave archaeology professor, and then on to France and England with Ian at her side. Finally, on a secret island off the coast of Hong Kong, Shan overcomes torture, betrayal and deadly tigers in order to battle the man who destroyed the Jade Circle.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">But even as she faces off with him, she loses hope. How can she possibly succeed where her mother had failed?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bah, I loved this book so much. It took me far too long to get to it and once I did get to it, I tore through it mega-quick. The writing is pacey, the action sequences and the martial arts are well done. There is witty repartee and our heroine is rather splendid and wry and sweet and I was rooting for her from the start. It contains all the stuff I like - and Jenn didn't even know I existed when she wrote it! - martial arts, a geeky archaeologist, a kick ass heroine, mystical items of value...all the things that makes my heart happy. But more than that, it's brought together in some pretty tight writing. I don't think it's readily available in the UK (I ordered mine in from Book Depository) but it's definitely something I'd recommend buying in to read when you're in the mood for some fun reading. Earlier this week I saw the girls over at the Booksmugglers review Jenn's Above World (book 1) and it made me super happy to see that they loved it. Jenn's definitely a writer to keep an eye out for, in my opinion! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less norman than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbour cowboy is in her face. </i></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rosemary Clement-Moore is one of my fave writers. I will buy her books, without even know what they're about. Her writing works for me that much. Texas Gothic is sweet and charming and sexy and just swoony. The title really does say it all - TEXAS GOTHIC - hot cowboys, dances, ghosts, shenanigans. The girls over at <a href="http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/07/joint-review-texas-gothic-by-rosemary-clement-moore.html" target="_blank">The Booksmugglers</a> did such a good write-up about this one. What I also like about RCM's writing is how her sense of humour comes out in her writing and her characters feel vivid and alive. I really do not ask for more, well, tied in with good storytelling, which she does. She debuted in the UK with The Splendour Falls but it's not her first set of books she's done. Check out her <a href="http://readrosemary.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">website here</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska, The Snow Child was a bestseller on hardback publication, and went on to establish itself as one of the key literary debuts of 2012, and was a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick.<br /><br />Alaska, the 1920s. Jack and Mabel have staked everything on a fresh start in a remote homestead, but the wilderness is a stark place, and Mabel is haunted by the baby she lost many years before. When a little girl appears mysteriously on their land, each is filled with wonder, but also foreboding: is she what she seems, and can they find room in their hearts for her?</i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not good with hype. I walk away from books with too much hype because 9 / 10 cases they disappoint. However, I would urge you not to walk away from The Snow Child because the hype isn't just hype - it's truth. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the most beautiful books I've ever read, when Sam at Headline sent me a proof I was blown away. I read the opening chapter at work and was immediately worried. The main character goes to a very dark place, basically trying to kill herself, but she stops just short of doing it. I thought to myself: am I doing right reading this? It's not what I really am expecting. But I continued reading it. Then I lent it to Kate who loved it with all her heart. And I've personally not been able to review it because by the time I wanted to, everyone was shouting about it. And I was worried my voice would be drowned. So instead I made sure that everyone I came across, booksellers and unsuspecting people lurking in bookshops, had to buy a copy. But now, I want to just say, that if there is one book you buy this year, for yourself or for others, let it be The Snow Child. It's not just beautifully written, it's also a story of true love, courage and succeeding in the face of incredible odds. It's a fable, a fairy tale, and it will break your heart, quietly get under your skin, and ultimately make your heart soar. Because that's what good storytelling does. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These are a handful of the titles I've not fully reviewed but really wanted to share with you guys because they made me think and wonder and possibly cry and question things. </span></span></div>
Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-47753126531009520012012-12-22T09:00:00.000+00:002012-12-22T12:20:03.518+00:00ACID Cover Reveal <span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm so pleased to be part of the cover reveal for Emma Pass's novel coming from Random House next year. It sounds like my kinda book:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">From the back cover:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">ACID - the most brutal police force in history.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">They rule with an iron fist.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">They see everything. They know everything.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">They locked me away for life.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">My crime?</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">They say I murdered my parents.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">I was fifteen years old.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">My name is Jenna Strong. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">The art is by </span></span><b><a href="http://rostant.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">Larry Rostan</a>t</b> whose artwork has graced many a great science fiction and fantasy and urban fantasy novel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And here it is, in all its delicious glory:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wishing Emma well with this, I've already pre-ordered it. But! <a href="http://emmapass.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/acid-cover-reveal-signed-arc-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Do check out her blog </a>where she'll be giving you the chance to win a signed proof / ARC. </span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-25207451190509835772012-12-21T07:30:00.000+00:002012-12-21T08:50:20.211+00:00Black Spring by Alison Croggon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, BLACK SPRING reimagines the passionate story in a fantasy 19th century society sustained by wizardry and the vengeance code of vendetta.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Anna spent her childhood with Damek and her volatile foster sister Lina, daughter of the Lord of the village. Lina has magical powers, and in this brutal patriarchal society women with magical powers are put to death as babies. Lina’s father, however, refuses to kill her but when vendetta explodes in their village and Lina’s father dies, their lives are changed forever. Their new guardian Masko sends Anna away and reduces Lina to the status of a servant. Damek—mad with love for Lina—attempts to murder Masko, then vanishes for several years. Anna comes home five years later to find Lina about to marry a pleasant young farmer, and witnesses Damek’s vengeful return and its catastrophic consequences.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Passionate, atmospheric and haunting, BLACK SPRING will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I'm a fan of Wuthering Heights, it's a wild and dangerous book so I wasn't sure how I would react to this retelling. However, I set all my preconceptions aside and got stuck in. Conceited Hammel heads north to take up residence as he's got himself into a spot of bother with a married lady in the south. Once there he sets off to greet his landlord Damek but finds himself caught in a storm, attacked by a dog and then treated awfully by Damek and his wife - before finally seeing a violet-eyed ghost in his bedroom mirror. When he returns the next day full of fever he finally listens to his housekeeper who tells him the full story of Damek, Lina and their tragic love.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The town of Elbasa is a tiny and harsh place. The world that Alison Croggon has created is ruled by wizards and who wield terrible powers and keep the peace. Able to turn a man to smoke or make him burn to death from within they are feared by everyone. What with that and the awful and complicated Vendetta which leads to male family members being extinguished in revenge killings it's clear that Elbasa has a lot going on. I quite liked this desperate background - it's a good backdrop to the intensity of Lina and Damek's relationship. Damek is brought into the house as a child and the two of them have a close friendship which gradually deepens into more as they get older. Circumstances pull them apart but when they meet again as adults they have the potential to destroy each other with their love. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Wuthering Heights introduced the original toxic relationship and this is beautifully recreated in Black Spring with added magic and more death than you can shake a stick at. Magic and the Vendetta aside the story sticks quite close to the original so </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I think how you feel about this book depends upon your feelings about Wuthering Heights. If you adore the original then this won't supplant it by any means. If you've never read it and you enjoy Black Spring then possibly you'll read Wuthering Heights. If you hate the original then this may well remind you why. I find it an impressive modern retelling which captures something of the language, drama, madness, tortured love and agony of the original. Well worth reading.</span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-27022477003778507842012-12-19T08:00:00.000+00:002012-12-19T08:00:18.042+00:00Christmas Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference ... Chris Priestley is on absolute top form in these atmospheric, clever and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with seven brilliantly conceived examples of why you'd better be good at Christmas time. For stories which can be enjoyed by the whole family, unwrap these perfectly formed festive tales of terror, each with a gripping yarn and genius twist.</i></div>
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<i>Singing carols may never seem quite the same again ... especially after dark.</i></div>
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Ever since I cracked open <a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/uncle-montagues-tales-of-terror-chris.html" target="_blank">Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror</a> back in 2008 I've been a fan of his blend of the macabre and sinister, and since I'm a sucker for all things Christmassy, there was no way I was going to miss this one. The question I needed answering was whether he was going to maintain the high standard I expect from him or if the edginess of his work was going to be eroded by a capitulation to popular sentiment. CToT -currently only available as an ebook-features seven short stories, opening with 'The Green Man'.</div>
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The Green Man tells the story of Stephen Levenson, home for the christmas holidays and trying avoid arguments with his mother. What he finds this year though is that his mother has embraced a spirit of change and has had his stepfather gather armfuls of holly from the ancient hill on their lands, a hill that his father had taught him never to trespass on. His intention to avoid arguments crumbles as he tries to fathom why she would do such a thing, but for the sake of a good Christmas, he grits his teeth. But the fear and respect his father treated the hill with weren't misplaced, and when night closes over the house there's more than Santa's generosity to worry about. The twist left me staring at my kindle mouthing 'whoa' for a moment before I greedily tabbed into the rest of the stories.</div>
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Trying to decide which of the seven was my favourite has been far harder than I thought it would be. Each has so much going for it and the quality of the writing and the sheer macabre wonder of the twists in each is consistently high. After annoying Liz by thinking out loud (aka arguing with myself like a madman), I've decided on "In the Bleak Midwinter" for the sheer tragic horror of it. It's also, now that I think about, the only one of the stories that doesn't see any of the characters dying..! </div>
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Midwinter starts off nice enough, with choirboys from the local church out carol-singing to raise money for repairs to the church roof, and quietly skimming a small percentage off to divvy out amongst themselves. Amongst them is Simon, who unfortunately owed the local bully a wad of cash after succumbing to the recent craze of playing cards. When the others decide to call it a night, Simon argues for them to do a few more houses, but is outvoted and they start heading back to the village, guided by the light of their sole lantern and singing for the fun of it. It's then that one of the other boys says that they shouldn't be singing in a graveyard. Of course, in the way of boys around the world, they immediately begin to sing louder.. and soon discover that they should've listened to their friend. What follows is so wonderfully chilling it makes me weep to think that of the drivel that the BBC is wasting money on instead of bringing stories like this to more people. </div>
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Suffice to say I should never have doubted that Priestley would deliver anything less than a smorgasbord of dark delights. Do what you must, but buy a copy of the Christmas Tales of Terror for whatever e-reader you have. Read them to your kids or save them for yourself. You won't be sorry.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">You can visit Chris's website </span><a href="http://www.chrispriestleybooks.com/" style="text-align: left;">here</a><span style="text-align: left;"> or visit his blog </span><a href="http://chrispriestley.blogspot.co.uk/" style="text-align: left;">here</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></div>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149091278192488000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-89902505163269873252012-12-17T08:00:00.000+00:002012-12-17T08:00:13.391+00:00Non-Fiction Recommendations from MFB<div>
I tend to read a lot of non-fiction, mostly in the evenings to "wind down" my day or for research. If we're lucky we get sent some choice morsels to read but a lot of times I tend to buy books in as they pique my interest or I've heard good things about them from fellow bloggers or via social media (mostly twitter)</div>
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I know a lot of people are currently looking for items to buy as stocking fillers for loved ones, or for themselves and so I thought it would be a cool thing to do, as this is our final few weeks of blogging, to recommend some favourite non-fiction books of the past few years.</div>
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<b>Monuments Men by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter </b></div>
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<i>As Hitler was attempting to conquer the western world, his armies were methodically pillaging the finest art in Europe, from Michelangelo and Da Vinci to Van Eycks and Vermeers, all stolen for the Führer. The Monuments Men had a mandate from President Roosevelt and the support of General Eisenhower, but no vehicles, gasoline, typewriters, or authority. In a race against time to save the world’s greatest cultural treasures from destruction at the hands of Nazi fanatics, each man gathered scraps and hints to construct his own treasure map using records recovered from bombed cathedrals and museums, the secret notes and journals of Rose Valland, a French museum employee who secretly tracked Nazi plunder through the rail yards of Paris, and even a tip from a dentist during a root canal. These unlikely heroes, mostly middle-aged family men, walked away from successful careers into the epicenter of the war, risking—and some losing—their lives. Like other members of the Greatest Generation, they embodied the courageous spirit that enabled the best of humanity to defeat the worst. This is their story.</i></div>
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Written in a conversational tone, the authors bring the past to life, giving us a glimpse into a world where the most audacious thefts took place, alongside murder and genocide. They make these stories close and personal, by focussing on the people who were the Monuments Men and women during and after the war. I dip in and out of Monuments Men even now, after I've read it some time ago, purely because some of the things you learn about are so unbelievable, that you need to go back and re-read it. Definitely a book for anyone who is interested in WWII, but also art preservation, or those of us who merely wonder how it is that a handful of men could literally march into homes and countries and take whatever they want, by force. I've chatted to one of the authors on Twitter and due to the large amount of information they gathered on Italy during these years, there will be a separate book focussing on the thefts in Italy in 2013, if all goes well. Find their website here.</div>
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<b>Reflections by Diana Wynne Jones </b></div>
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I came to Diana Wynne Jones late in my reading life but she made such an impact that I press her books on anyone - kid or adult - who are keen to try something new and different. David Fickling Books brought out this beautiful hardback by Diana Wynne Jones posthumously and it is one of the most amazing books I've had the opportunity to read. </div>
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This is the write-up from the publisher:</div>
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<i>Diana Wynne Jones is best-known for her novels and stories - of magical fantasy - written mainly for children. She received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007, as well as two Mythopoeic Awards and the Guardian Fiction Award for Charmed Life. But she was also a witty, entertaining speaker, a popular guest at science fiction and fantasy conventions and an engaged, scholarly critic of writing that interested her. </i></div>
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<i>This collection of more than twenty-five papers, chosen by Diana herself, includes fascinating literary criticism (such as a study of narrative structure in The Lord of the Rings and a ringing endorsement of the value of learning Anglo Saxon) alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of her famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of her books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, 'Something About the Author', details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. Reflections is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana's works, fantasy or creative writing.</i></div>
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Do not for one second think Reflections is sad or miserable-making or anything negative or dull. It's a vibrant collection of charming essays and conversations between DWJ and you, the reader. The force of Ms. Wynne Jones' personality shines through and it is one of my biggest regrets as both reader and writer that I will never have the chance to tell her how much her writing has meant to me. Reflections is aimed at long-standing fans, newcomers but also speaks vehemently to writers, both old and new. I can't recommend it highly enough. </div>
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<b>Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart by Steve White et al </b></div>
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Not the usual kind of thing we get sent for review but wow, Titan blew us out of the water by sending us a copy of Dinosaur Art. We got talking to the editor who worked on it at an event and we kinda forced him to send it to us - I do confess. </div>
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I mean, come on, who doesn't like dinosaurs? And this is so much more than pretty pictures. It's a work of beauty and passion from the foremost artists working in paleoart. Paging through it makes you realise how majestic and frightening these creatures were and how well adapted to the world they lived in. We are shown bone-structure, musculature, habitat, drawn with infinite attention to detail. Dinosaur Art is the kind of coffee table book you want two of: one to page through and read and get messy with as you try and copy the art and then one copy to remain pristine. I'm not very knowledgeable about dinosaurs. I used to be, as a kid, I wanted to a palaeontologist and archaeologist. Then I grew up and realised that I'm not at all scientifically minded but I still love reading about dinosaurs and watching the shows about them. </div>
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Both Mark and I highly recommend this title - it kept us paging and reading for a good few hours. It's a high quality yet ridiculously affordable book for that dinosaur / art enthusiast in your life. </div>
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I love this quote from the Smithsonian: 'an absolute pleasure to pore over, and almost every page is a window into a vanished world...the lavish art and interviews will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of great paleoartists.' Believe!</div>
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<b>The Science Magpie by Simon Flynn</b></div>
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<i>The Science Magpie: A hoard of fascinating facts, stories, poems, diagrams and jokes, plucked from science and its history, by Simon Flynn</i></div>
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<i>From the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton, The Science Magpie is a compelling collection of scientific curiosities.</i></div>
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<i>Expand your knowledge as you view the history of the Earth on the face of a clock, tremble at the power of the Richter scale and learn how to measure the speed of light in your kitchen.</i></div>
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<i>Skip through time with Darwin’s note on the pros and cons of marriage, take part in an 1858 Cambridge exam, meet the African schoolboy with a scientific puzzle named after him and much more.</i></div>
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This book is perfectly named. When it turned up, unexpectedly from the publishers, I was all: what the hell? Do they secretly know of my Michu Kaku obsession? But it turns out it was just a lucky fluke. </div>
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It's packed full of neat tidbits of information about science and discovery that make you go "hmmm". The Science Magpie I think is aimed at people like me who like the idea of science but who find it a daunting subject to tackle full on. It's packed full of odd bits of information but presented in a way that's not ever patronising. It balances neatly between complex ideas and concepts and allows us to smirk along with charming anecdotes. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it's written in a very low key style that puts across a lot of interesting information without it dragging - no mean feat. Well done, Mr. Flynn! Find the Science Magpie website here. http://www.sciencemagpie.com/about-the-science-magpie/ </div>
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Now two great titles for younger readers: </div>
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<b>How To Go Wild - Smart Ways To Survive Anything by Dominic Utton </b></div>
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<i>This is the essential guide for every wannabe wild boy, packed full of the tools and techniques they need to get the most out of the great outdoors: building shelters, reading clouds, finding fresh water, and following trails. It includes tales of famous wildsmen from history and fiction: Scott of the Antarctic , George Mallory , Davy Crockett and Aragorn ! It combines elements of The Dangerous Book for Boys, Hamlyn Nature Guides and Boy's Own tales of great adventurers.</i></div>
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Aimed at younger readers (and their adventurous mums and dads) HTGW is great fun. I like the size of it - it fits easily in my bag and it isn't heavy. The font is slightly larger than usual, so it's easy on the eye (especially when reading it under the blankets with a torch) and the random and funny bits of artwork will definitely charm readers who haven't outgrown bits of googley eyed fish pictures in their books. The advice also is pretty solid, also funny:</div>
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Bacon: Just as with sausages, bacon won't keep too long in the warm. The advantage of bacon is you can pack more of it. This is my kind of advice! </blockquote>
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The contents covers common sense advice for before you head off into the wild wearing only shorts and a t-shirt. The author explains how to navigate and live in the wild. He also touches on extreme survival and how to fish and hunt. But, as you can tell from the bacon extract above, he also tells you how to cook in the wild. Other subjects covered are first aid and emergencies but also how to survive in the wild. This book is aimed at readers who enjoy watching the mad bad Bear Grylls slide down mountains but who aren't entirely sure that's the most common sense and safe way to go about things. It's of course best to have mum and dad to hand, even if they are more a hindrance than a help, but this neat little book will be a handy camping companion, before bigger tougher terrains and adventures are tackled. </div>
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<b>The Complete Philosophy Files by Stephen Law</b></div>
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Is there a God, should I eat meat, where does the universe come from, could I live for ever as a robot? These are the big questions readers will be wrestling with in this thoroughly enjoyable book. Dip into any chapter and you will find lively scenarios and dialogues to take you through philosophical puzzles ancient and modern, involving virtual reality, science fiction and a host of characters from this and other planets. The text is interspersed on every page with lively cartoons, and there is a list of philosophical jargon at the end..</div>
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Stephen Law has a gift for communicating complex ideas. He offers few answers, but his unstuffy, highly personal approach will have the reader thinking and arguing with as much pleasure as he does himself.</div>
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As a kid I never knew what philosophy was. I thought it was something old men talked about whilst playing chess. In fact, I still sometimes think that, but The Philosophy Files made me aware of the important stuff I thought about as a kid. There were some stuff you couldn't really talk to adults about because they wouldn't understand and they'd think I was being weird(er than normal). </div>
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I wish I had something like The Philosophy Files to hand growing up - it would have taught me it was okay to question things, to argue my point, to wonder about big things or the tiniest of things. Philosophy is not something that's really spoken about or handled when I was at school in South Africa, so stumbling across this title, aimed at kids blew me away. I was so enthusiastic reading it and I got into a discussion about it some time ago on twitter. It's lead me to fall in love with Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World which in turn blew my tiny mind. </div>
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So definitely, if you've got an intelligent young person in your life who enjoys questioning things, this is definitely for them. A warning though: reading this will make them ask questions!</div>
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Here are a few more links to a handful of non-fiction we've reviewed on MFB:</div>
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<a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/infiltrators-by-philip-etienne-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">The Infiltrators by Philip Etienne and Martin Maynard </span></a></div>
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<a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/lost-city-of-z-legendary-british.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">The Lost City of Z by David Grann</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/priceless-how-i-went-undercover-to.html"><span style="color: black;">Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K Wittman and John Shiffman</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/no-easy-day-by-mark-owen.html"><span style="color: black;">No Easy Day by Mark Owen</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/notes-of-russian-sniper-by-vassili.html">Notes of a Russian Sniper by Vassili Zaitsev</a> </span></div>
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I hope these random non-fiction titles have given you some ideas for stocking fillers or for "from me to me" present ideas! </div>
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Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-29026920667275056862012-12-14T08:00:00.000+00:002012-12-14T09:44:00.326+00:00Rogue Angel: The Dragon's Mark by Alex Archer<br />
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<i>Archaeologist Annja Creed and her sword have never been outmatched— until now. When a surprise party for her mentor Roux includes some uninvited guests, Annja finds herself fighting desperately for her life. The intruders escape but leave a sinister message behind.</i><br />
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<i>A legend has resurfaced about a sword that should be feared. A sword that seeks a master as bloodthirsty as itself. It is wielded by an assassin known as the Dragon who initiates a terrible game of cat and mouse. Eventually, the two swords—light and dark—must meet…and only one shall triumph.</i><br />
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If I had a guilty reading pleasure - grinning here - it would be the Rogue Angel books. They are straight out FUN and silly and Over The Top. Rogue Angel books are a mixture of Tomb Raider / Indiana Jones / Witchblade / Time Team and Monster Hunter tv shows with a good bit of The Librarian movies thrown in for good measure.<br />
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There are a lot of titles in the series, maybe around forty or more? But each story is self-contained and you are rapidly informed by way of a quick bit of exposition as to who Annja is, how she comes be such a bad-ass with a sword that disappears into nowhere and then reappears when it's needed. <br />
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The books are written by a series of writers but Joe Nassise who wrote The Dragon's Mark, is one of my favourite writers in the series. The author's name doesn't appear on the book, but they are acknowledged within, so I always check to see who's writing the one I'm reading at the moment. <br />
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Joe excels in writing crazy action sequences that leap off the page. But then, he gives Annja great moments of introspection that I really quite like too, because it makes her feel less of a stock character.<br />
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Annja's a great character and when written well, she utterly is a bad ass. As an archaeologist she gets to know some really random stuff, and that part is her official and serious academic side, but then her day-time job of working for a tv show called Chasing History's Monsters, allows Annja to go on these madcap adventures all over the world.<br />
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Admittedly, I make the books sound a bit mental, and I'm sorry about that, but really, they are fun commercial pulp fiction with a great premise and I'm utterly addicted to them. Out of the forty odd books I probably own about thirty eight or so of them. I call them my "snack books" because when I need down time or inspiration, I'll pick up one of the new ones and flash through them.<br />
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Annja's adventures are always perilous and dangerous and she invariably gets into a lot of trouble, but in the hands of people like Nassise, you 100% believe in her abilities. The snippets of history and lore you pick up along the way is a bonus. In The Dragon's Mark, the way we get to know the assassin stalking Annja is a bit unnerving as we are kind of aware of who this person is, so when Annja runs into her "unexpectedly" there is a moment of "oh crap, it's gonna go bad". And it does but not the way you expect it.<br />
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I don't really have much more to say, apart from: The Dragon's Mark is fun and thoroughly enjoyable and Mr. Nassise fully entertained me for the duration of the book and I'm very chuffed to discover that the new Rogue Angel title I've just picked up today, Saturday, 8th, is another Nassise and it's called Rogue Angel: Library of Gold.<br />
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Come to think of it, these books are actually great quest novels for readers in say high school who are interested in reading something different and fun. There's no sexy times, there's no swearing, and a lot of the research backing Annja's adventures are really well done. Also, the size of these are ideal to go into your bag or a pocket, so you aren't laden down with reading big tomes.<br />
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If you can though, buy the first book in the series: Destiny, as it really is the framing story (although it is recapped in each book briefly) it gives you an idea as to the background etc. but really, each book works as a standalone so it isn't really necessary, but if you're a nerd like me, you'll want to.<br />
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Find a list of all the titles here at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Angel" target="_blank">this wiki-page</a>. Sadly, Rogue Angel's publishers never really carry a full list of titles on their website which is a bit annoying as I find it frustrating having to rely on a wiki page for my info, rather from the publisher's "mouth" as such.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-91041155636838754572012-12-12T08:30:00.000+00:002012-12-12T09:03:36.805+00:00Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…</em><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive..</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is the final book in the Edge series by Ilona Andrews. I read it with trepidation and concern - not because of the writing (as always, it is outstanding) but because I wasn't sure how I'd react as a reader to the conclusion of this series that crept unexpectedly into my heart and under my skin. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The books are all standalones within a created world - and a what a world! Rich and diverse and interesting, it is populated by humans mundane and normal, but also by humans with special talents. A lot of thought and work's gone into these books, in creating the world, the magics, the rules, the hierachy of the bluebloods and how the Edge, The Weird and the Broken fit into one another and influence on another. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I've not had the chance to read much straight urban fantasy of late, which makes me sad, but I moved everything off my TBR when Steel's Edge came out, mostly because these books are addictive! If you can't tell from my write-up I mention in my previous review of the first three in the series, that this is a rather splendid series, I'm not sure I've done a good job. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I wasn't sure if I'd fall for the characters as much as I'd done in the other books but I have! Charlotte is such a brilliant character - damaged, dark, noble, caring, sweet, confused. I couldn't help but fall for her in a big big way. I think, after Rose from On The Edge, she is my favourite MC in this series. Richard Mar, as Charlotte's foil and love interest is a Bad Ass and so unutterably cool and well written - wry, charming, quickwitted, dark and equally damaged, the two are fantastically destined to be together, but their story of coming together is handled so well that it never feels obvious. Also, the overall story-arc of the slavers and both Richard and Charlotte's determination to stop them, is the big driving force and is never really side-lined. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Several smaller storylines from other books are brought to a conclusion here too but they are woven through the plot and seem integral so even if you start with Steel's Edge, you'll still understand (due to glib and well handled exposition) what the significance is behind various decisions the characters, both main and secondary, make as the book draws to a conclusion. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I know Ilona and her hubby are much loved and well known for their Katie Daniels books but really, these are, out of all the urban fantasy that I've read, my favourites. There is action aplenty, the dialogue is intense and cohesive, the politics are handled with ease but it's the characters at the centre of each story that stand out as well created, interesting people. Maybe not people I would like to hang around with unarmed, but still pretty cool people that as a reader I can identify with, mostly because they are flawed and their motivations feel real. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Charlotte and Richard's story is bittersweet and I was a big old crybaby a few times - always the sign of a good book - and I sat up till 2am during last week to finish it. And when I did, I had a satisfied smile on my face. It was good. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So, a lot of readers are worried about urban fantasy and the sexy times. One of the reasons why I love these books specifically is because you will maybe have one or two incredibly well written, super hot, never gross, sex scenes that make you go a bit flustered and hot under the collar. Not bad! I don't want more than that - because it's not the whole of the story, rather it is part of it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So, if you've an urban fantasy fan, but maybe you're worried about too much romance and sexy times, then this series is for you. If you like romance and you like action and well written worlds, this series is also for you. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Right - my job is done. <a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/ilona-andrews-on-edge-bayou-moon-fates.html" target="_blank">Here's a link to my previous review I've done on the first three Edge titles</a>. Buy them, they are addictive and fun. </span></span></span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-26271516711606170772012-12-10T07:30:00.000+00:002012-12-10T07:30:03.557+00:00Slammed by Colleen Hoover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Layken's father died suddenly, leaving her to gather every ounce of strength to be a pillar for her family, in order to prevent their world from falling apart. Now her life is taking another unexpected turn…</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Layken's mother gets a job which leads to an unwanted move across country. However, a new home means new neighbours… and Layken's new neighbour is the very attractive Will Cooper.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Will has an intriguing passion for slam poetry, and a matching passion for life. The two feel an irresistible attraction but are rocked to the core when a shocking revelation brings their romance to a screeching halt.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Layken and Will must find a way to fight the forces that threaten to tear them apart… or learn to live without each other.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I'd heard good things about Slammed so decided to give it a go. First off I hadn't seen any slam poetry in a while so the first thing I did when I'd finished was to check some out on YouTube. It's powerful stuff, full of raw emotion. It's not something I've ever come across in fiction before but it really adds depth to an already great story. Layken isn't happy and she has every reason to be miserable: her father's unexpected death, moving from Texas to Michigan and leaving her whole life behind. When she finally gets to her new house she finds a boy the same age as her little brother, Kel who has a much older brother - Will. They immediately hit it off. He introduces her to slam poetry and she starts to feel something other than grief and despair for the first time in months.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">However, on her first day at her new school she attends poetry class where she gets a terrible surprise. Although the premise of star-crossed lovers is nothing new, Slammed crackles with originality and it's not just because of the poetry. Each chapter is prefaced with lyrics from The </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Avett Brothers which add an element of rawness. Layken's new best friend, Eddie, is one of the most awesome secondary characters of 2012. She has such a richly imagined story that I cared as much about her story as I did about Layken's. For starters she named herself after Eddie Izzard - how cool is that? Her backstory is so heartbreaking but she's ridiculously well-rounded and mature. Because of her there's no new-girl-gets-ignored-at-school goings-on. Instead they fall into this brilliant friendship and eventually one of Eddie's scenes makes me cry. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In fact, I cried a few times reading Slammed. There's a plot twist that I really didn't see coming and a heartwarming ending. There's only one part of this book that I didn't like and it's something that I've seen in a few New Adult books that I've read recently. Love interest Will beats up a boy and Layken initially thinks that Will was preventing her from being attacked. Later it's revealed that he punched him out of jealously which makes her realise that he really <i>does</i> have feelings for her after all. I think this is the fourth book I've read in a row where violence is woven up with the business of complicated emotions and falling in love. In all of these books the violence is seen as evidence of the depth of the male characters' emotions. All of these books have been page turners but violence seems to be becoming a, "thing," that, for me, is pretty unwelcome.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So, apart from the above, I enjoyed Slammed. Part of me is also hoping for a story from Colleen Hoover with the wonderful Eddie as the main character. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-19349823651993438662012-12-03T07:30:00.000+00:002012-12-03T08:12:19.788+00:00Easy by Tammara Webber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBSsRwFOllwFy5ke9tZbn9Ks0wNNnC4O6u_tM4vkFdvpoywJ3DGMBbfXmY_ruCBsQ4HEK_CTd8XYzOHAc2TOpmAujVC6Mk5WYqq7C6UqMkZ688KPolj6cip5QjbaIIDeLk0uB/s1600/easy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBSsRwFOllwFy5ke9tZbn9Ks0wNNnC4O6u_tM4vkFdvpoywJ3DGMBbfXmY_ruCBsQ4HEK_CTd8XYzOHAc2TOpmAujVC6Mk5WYqq7C6UqMkZ688KPolj6cip5QjbaIIDeLk0uB/s320/easy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Synopsis</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I was recommended this book at the SCBWI agents' party and immediately went home, downloaded it onto my Kindle and started reading. It has an explosive opening chapter; Jacqueline is horribly assaulted in a car park when leaving a party. It's traumatic reading and I was massively relieved when Lucas steps in to help her. All she wants to do then is to get back to normal. She tells no one, not even her room mate, and tries to ignore that anything has happened. However, Lucas is there to remind her that it was real and that she had a lucky escape. Instead of crumple and disappear Jacqueline starts to put her life back together again. First off she needs to counteract her absence in economics by doing some catch-up work to prevent being failed by her teacher. Secondly she attends a self-defense class to give her back her confidence and also some skills should she ever find herself in the same situation again. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lucas is a wonderful character. At first Jacqueline decides that he's not her type with his tattoos and piercings. Her friends convince her that he's perfect rebound material to help her get over the ex. At first attracting him is just a game but they both realise that there's more than a little attraction between them. It's also a lesson in not giving in to first impressions. Lucas questions whether he actually interrupted an attempted rape, Jacqueline isn't sure if she could ever be interested in someone who looks like Lucas - what could they possibly have in common? However, they're drawn to each other and it's this growing relationship that makes Easy such a difficult book to put down.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">There's a very strong message through the book that rape victims have a difficult time being believed. Jacqueline is lucky that Lucas was there to help her and that her friends are supportive. However, another character isn't so lucky and I found her treatment by her female peers difficult reading. It's the first time I've read a book where character's say that not being a virgin may make a rape accusation more difficult to prove. I hasten to add that this is appropriately squashed by other characters but it goes to show that this book doesn't hold back on the reality of the harsh words that rape victims can face. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Easy manages a difficult feat of being a magnetic read whilst highlighting serious issues. It entertained and surprised me and I'm eager to read more by this author. As an aside, this is mature YA or New Adult and as such it doesn't hold back on the physical relationship between the main characters nor the realities of rape.</span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-83372203174343982982012-11-30T08:00:00.000+00:002012-11-30T10:42:00.946+00:00Dead Winter by C L Werner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopdIe22NsCauSVBHOg5bnj0ZvpFm2w9ivmyeocKi8nesb3rfrbTls9ouV2814ag05elZgFIF8NBx0Z8n5o6m5gAyEhdMZ53uvS1wvb3uF7jG4ocTYv4Yv0_xvvSL4opKBXjedQg/s1600/dead-winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopdIe22NsCauSVBHOg5bnj0ZvpFm2w9ivmyeocKi8nesb3rfrbTls9ouV2814ag05elZgFIF8NBx0Z8n5o6m5gAyEhdMZ53uvS1wvb3uF7jG4ocTYv4Yv0_xvvSL4opKBXjedQg/s400/dead-winter.jpg" width="260" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><i>More than a thousand years after the Age of Sigmar, the Empire he struggled to create rests on the edge of destruction – the reign of the greedy and incompetent Emperor Boris Goldgather has shaken down the great and prosperous edifice of his erstwhile realm. Without warning, a terrible and deadly plague strikes, wiping out entire villages and leaving towns eerily silent through the long frozen months. As the survivors struggle to maintain order and a worthy military presence, vermin pour up from the sewers and caverns beneath the cities, heralding a new and unspeakable threat – the insidious skaven!</i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">Finding myself reading another Time of Legends novel kind of happened by accident. As we mentioned back <a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/black-library-weekender-our-write-up.html" target="_blank">here</a>, Liz and I went off to the inaugural Black Library Weekender a few weeks back. There I finally got to meet Clint Werner, the first and only man cool enough to carry off wearing a rattlesnake on his hat. After that, it was pretty much a given that I was going to have a go at something he'd written! </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">Dead Winter is set in the Empire at a time when the scurrying hordes of Skaven are setting in motion a grand plan to destroy the world of man. Werner is no stranger to the ratmen of Skavenblight, having penned several novels centred on them already, and there's no mistaking how firm a grip he has on their shadowy culture as things get underway. But there's more to Skaven here- the backbone of Dead Winter lies with the plague-riddled lands of men, where the tightfisted arrogance of Emperor Boris 'Goldgather' is threatening to do the Skaven's job for them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">What ensues is classic Warhammer- everything either balanced on a knife edge or teetering towards destruction as Werner starts building the pace, bringing together rat-catchers, a plague doctor, a fallen priest of the god of death, Skaven infighting, plagues and the occasional giant spider into an atmospheric whole that bodes very well for the rest of the series (but not so well for the poor Empire!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">Devious, bloody and fun, with a great cast of characters and a rich setting, this was a fast and enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing exactly how far Mr Werner can twist the knife.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKH0ln66HZdD4P843n-UVmgPLgFx30HQXD7v5V25ashK9DozB2mk9h-WSlsoVcpZ9zfPH5D818oJoyzX7JMmyobjhIaMD46QvXQIaKL7ytGD-LNRd_93NyHRG4N7TveOcUW18JQ/s1600/wouldyouliketoknowmore2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKH0ln66HZdD4P843n-UVmgPLgFx30HQXD7v5V25ashK9DozB2mk9h-WSlsoVcpZ9zfPH5D818oJoyzX7JMmyobjhIaMD46QvXQIaKL7ytGD-LNRd_93NyHRG4N7TveOcUW18JQ/s1600/wouldyouliketoknowmore2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">You can read an extract <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF/d/dead-winter.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, or visit Clint's website <a href="http://www.vermintime.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149091278192488000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-5782459227756244822012-11-28T08:00:00.000+00:002012-11-28T08:00:14.250+00:00At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyauyiqtox5by6La8qs90qOHiNyrLdHJIe4Uzr7_hjDDXL1ReoFc2-Hly9hCkr859nqKPesgLkQvZZ60KkAqFR_HAfcnPq8InxUyXmg2zBC2ZBS04H6UhdiKIXYjVkzE6JDSOk/s1600/9781847803603.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyauyiqtox5by6La8qs90qOHiNyrLdHJIe4Uzr7_hjDDXL1ReoFc2-Hly9hCkr859nqKPesgLkQvZZ60KkAqFR_HAfcnPq8InxUyXmg2zBC2ZBS04H6UhdiKIXYjVkzE6JDSOk/s400/9781847803603.gif" width="261" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>Etta, Peter and Jonah all find themselves at a cabin by the shore of Yellow Lake, and flung together in the terrifying series of events that follows. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>Jonah has come to Yellow Lake to try to get in touch with his Ojibwe roots. Peter is there to bury a lock of his mother's hair - her final request. Etta is on the run from her mother's creepy boyfriend, Kyle, and his dodgy friends. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>But as the three take shelter in the cabin, finding surprising solace in each other's company, they soon realise that they have inadvertently stumbled onto the scene of a horrifying crime, and Kyle and his cronies have no intention of letting them escape. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">What to say about At Yellow Lake that the handy synopsis doesn't give away? Not much, actually. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">What I found interesting about At Yellow Lake is that the author used three very distinctive voices to tell the story - the three points of view came from the three main characters. And yes, they are all main characters rather than one main with a side of two secondary characters - this surprised me. I felt for Etta and Peter and Jonah, their voices were fresh and new but it also made me cringe. Especially Jonah's voice - there was this naivety about his expectations (go live in the woods and live off the land like his ancestors did) that made me deeply uncomfortable. Not just because of his innocence but because you kind of know that things are going to go tits-up sooner or later. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because of this, my own hesitancy, I don't think I enjoyed At Yellow Lake as much as I should have. And it's weird - I think it's because I knew A Bad Thing was going to happen, that I expected it to happen, so rather than looking forward to it, it made me worry for the characters - again, not necessarily a bad thing, but it did hamper my enjoyment of a book that is technically well written and in some places running amuck with achingly beautiful prose. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Also, I think the overall plot, the danger the kids are in is actually incidental to the actual story - bear with me as I explain what I mean (it's not a criticism). The story for me is about three kids, who are terrifically alone in this crowded world of ours, who for reasons of their own, go to great lengths to be cut off from society. It's about kids who don't see themselves as part of a community or family and they feel weak and powerless because of their loneliness. But once they find one another, there is conflict and tension, but a bond of camaraderie forms and they stand together in the face of adversity. And that's what this book is about. It's also about survival and how doing the right thing for the wrong reasons sometimes turn out to be the better thing to do, rather than inaction. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I enjoyed At Yellow Lake, I'd recommend it as a thoughtful read for strong independent readers from say 12+ who are maybe a bit more mature in their reading tastes. Personally, I would have liked a longer book and I felt that the ending was exactly as it should be, but again, there were scenes, especially when Etta, Jonah and Peter were together, that I would have liked to have been deeper, less rushed. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Find the author, <a href="http://janemcloughlin.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jane McLoughlin's website here</a> and At Yellow Lake's been longlisted for the Carnegie. Find the whole <a href="http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_2013_longlist.html" target="_blank">giant list here</a>. </span></span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-90693239734920416072012-11-26T07:30:00.000+00:002012-11-26T08:25:47.554+00:00Favourite Childhood Books Part Two - The Moomins by Tove Jansson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ilVyzhWz86GsyN8QpcYiZMSlfi9eNZpPEoAaZ7B1cv3-lWziSpB0yaAKY4s9Tu1geOF3p5O71b_dcDYA9yaSJgzAvIZmgypxHCKTjccZLAAm8KN8a1RxGE6gdfyNLZUYLvZC/s1600/comet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ilVyzhWz86GsyN8QpcYiZMSlfi9eNZpPEoAaZ7B1cv3-lWziSpB0yaAKY4s9Tu1geOF3p5O71b_dcDYA9yaSJgzAvIZmgypxHCKTjccZLAAm8KN8a1RxGE6gdfyNLZUYLvZC/s320/comet.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Synopsis</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When I read the Moomins as a child I don't think I really appreciated how surreal they are. I simply accepted their strange life and adventures. I didn't really understand, for example,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> that some places in the world had almost total darkness in the winter. To me it was just the world of Moomins where folk tales ruled. Take Comet in Moominland where Moomintroll has a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. He trusts his gut and travels to the Lonely Mountains to find out more. This journey isn't simple though, it's arduous, difficult and almost ends tragically. However, Moomintroll and Sniff find the wandering and wonderful Snufkin who spends his life travelling the country. Together they find out more about the mysterious comet which is bringing the feeling of unease to the creatures of the valley.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Snufkin is a brilliant character. He always knows what to do for the best and makes sure they get to the mountains unhurt. The messages are gentle but quite profound. For example Sniff wants to keep some garnets that Snufkin has discovered. Sniff is scared off by a dragon and Snufkin gently reminds him that some things are better to appreciate from a distance without the need to take them. The lessons and messages in Moominland are never heavily laboured and I love the books because Moomin is allowed to do what he likes yet he's wild and responsible in equal parts. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">These are definitely books that you can appreciate for different reasons as an adult and at times you can sense that Tove is destined to end up writing for adults. Multi-layered and gorgeous - if you've never read them before give them a go. The television programme really caught the flavour of the books for me. So, before I finish, here's one of the more bizarre, beautiful and slightly scary episodes of The Moomins: The Lady of the Cold.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-81969052131703708772012-11-22T09:00:00.000+00:002012-11-22T09:00:11.603+00:00The Host by Stephanie Meyer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8v3GGuRzphsi2uD_s81woW98tlGRFp9T-l3QXoIj-u3F_LMPcayJfuwOeAditCdv0erkcU3dkwmeAFZyAbcduaBfYxa9tUIBiWCzPExU-LVeFMyCm4DcCBttxKtD7M52astx/s1600/eng-the-host.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8v3GGuRzphsi2uD_s81woW98tlGRFp9T-l3QXoIj-u3F_LMPcayJfuwOeAditCdv0erkcU3dkwmeAFZyAbcduaBfYxa9tUIBiWCzPExU-LVeFMyCm4DcCBttxKtD7M52astx/s400/eng-the-host.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Disclaimer: I read The Host back in 2008 and did a review for <a href="http://thebookswede.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Book Swede</a> and I spotted a lot of excitement about The Host movie online this week and thought I'd copy across my review here. I think it would be interesting to go back and re-read The Host to see if my opinion changed. To be honest, I'm not sure it would have. Unlike Twilight, The Host has not left a weird feeling in my mind, if I can call it that. Anyway, enough babbling. Here's my dusted off review: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love. </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I genuinely can’t imagine a scarier scenario. Aliens invade Earth. And they stay. Not only do they stay to co-habit Earth, they take over by bonding with the humans (whom they call their host) in a parasitical way. They repress the host’s personality completely and take over their day-to-day lives. In some instances, the host personality dies and is overcome by the “soul” implanted into its body. Humanity becomes changed forever by the souls who find that they bond truly well with their human hosts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t like bugs – no matter how beautiful. So I had a preconception about how this was going to turn out already, and in the back of my mind, I ran through the various horror movies out there in the same sort of genre and I sort of despaired. How to do something new and fresh? The concept already had my skin crawling before I even read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Which is not the best way to start reading a book to review.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know the author through her Twilight books she did, in the past, and was unsure how she was going to handle this futuristic, Sci-Fi styled book with its overtones of horror and romance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The fact is: she pulls it off. The aptly named soul, Wanderer, becomes implanted in a rebel human, Mel. Mel is a fighter and she refuses to let Wanderer take her over completely. She becomes a passenger in her own mind and slowly but surely a strong relationship grows between host and soul. We follow them on a journey filled with hate and despair as they strive to find Mel’s brother and her boyfriend/lover, Jared. A group of humans headed by Mel’s uncle, Jeb, (who immediately in my mind turned into Sam Elliot) discover Wanderer and Mel, in the desert, close to death. And this is where the story genuinely unfolds and the author’s writing skills comes to the fore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A tremendous amount of internal dialogue and keen observations on human behaviour is dotted through the book. It is beautifully written and the style is consistent all the way through. But having said that, I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief that the souls were all such gentle folk, even the Seekers, the ones who hunt humans and bring them in for implantation. Wanderer is rendered as incredibly saintly, yet all through the book I felt that I wanted to throttle her, to make her be more proactive and less reticent. Which, naturally, from a writer’s point of view is exactly what you want to do: stir up emotion in the reader. Mel remains as an interesting counter-point to the very selfless Wanderer (or Wanda) and I found it interesting to follow the storyline to see how the author played it out right to the very end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a good book, no doubt about it. It is skilfully written with a lot of thought having gone into the society the souls press upon humanity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The movie is out next year and here's the trailer and it looks like fun...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><iframe width="550" height="309" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PjfaZxTTVpU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-70452689895844352042012-11-16T09:00:00.000+00:002012-11-16T10:04:22.406+00:00Dark Eyes by William Richter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFow1mAJ4AudZ6wmv6uugGB0H4GpA7pHnjRcjfdDPDXI733KH8v60H_Kx7OyDX7bCwYRpkluAf4KYIm3ZupBGXelFBn3YjKDyyY3MhqblCAw7PU6l60N11bCMfS3WmF-ZthIPb/s1600/Dark+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFow1mAJ4AudZ6wmv6uugGB0H4GpA7pHnjRcjfdDPDXI733KH8v60H_Kx7OyDX7bCwYRpkluAf4KYIm3ZupBGXelFBn3YjKDyyY3MhqblCAw7PU6l60N11bCMfS3WmF-ZthIPb/s400/Dark+Eyes.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I enjoyed this book so much but am peeved that it's got the crappy tagline of: <i><span style="background-color: white;">The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</span><span style="background-color: white;"> for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine! </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh ffs, get a grip. Wally is nothing like Lisbeth Salander - LS is a psychopath. Wally isn't anything remotely like Lisbeth. Besides, it's a tagline that would maybe attract adult readers as I'm not entirely TGWTDT had that wide a teen readership...and so it makes me think the publishers are desperately trying to mark this as something with cross-over appeal and maybe trying too hard. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With that mini-tantrum out of the way: I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Eyes. In fact, I loved it so much I want to write fan-fiction, but I have good impulse control so I won't. Dark Eyes is a mixture of adult thriller (NOT Girl With a pointless Dragon Tattoo) and the best of YA contemporary your ten quid can buy. It's feels gritty and very real and in Wally we have a unique and strong heroine who doesn't allow herself to be pushed around. She's living on the streets, a voluntary choice, and she's the leader of a small team of homeless kids who steal and hustle cons on tourists and unsuspecting locals. There are four of them, <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Ella, Jake, and Trevin. Ella and Jake are a couple (their brief histories and why they are on the street is explained too, which was nice) and then there's Trevin who just seemed to lovely to be real. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dark Eyes is a twisty turny modern thriller set on the streets of NY where the city and outlying areas are used to great effect. If I closed my eyes whilst reading it, I could easily imagine the long sweeping aerial shots of the busy roads, of sunsets and dawns over the city. Tremendously atmospheric, the city with its ebbs and flows formed the perfect backdrop to Wally's story. There are just enough mention of touristy places to orientate me, and more than plenty of mentions of places I've never heard of to intrigue me. More than anything I want to find a map and look up the settings used for the book. Is that mad? Shut up, read on. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And what a story it is. Who Klesko is is easily </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">deducible and it's a nice token from the author, giving us that sly nod, letting us in on the secret. What we need to figure out though is not only who Wally's real family is, but what's the story behind the story - why was </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Valentina Mayakova abandoned in a Russian orphanage, who are her parents, why was she brought to America...and who is her mum? And what's the story with Klesko, what exactly does he want and who is his murderous sidekick, called Tigr? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">All these questions are answered and a few more - what worked well is the way the story was told, in a strong unaffected voice, with side-chapters and pieces given to a concerned policeman who enters the story pretty near the start as he investigates the death of one of Wally's team. We get the more formal police procedural, the more serious story from </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">NYPD Detective Atley Greer. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Richter doesn't pull punches - there's cussing, sexy times, action, guns, fights, snark...in other words, Dark Eyes is aimed at more mature readers (nothing to do here with age, btw) and to be honest, Wally's the kind of MC who you know is a bit of a poser (she admits this herself) but you like her and want her to figure out the mystery surrounding her heritage and you want her to come out ontop, swinging. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The ending is tied off neatly, but with enough of an opening for a second book. And I'm super pleased that there is a second book called Tiger and it's already been pre-ordered - due out next year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Dark Eyes is a satisfying read and definitely one I'd recommend to you guys, if you look past the utterly rubbish Lisbeth Salander faux quote. </span></span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-52923324993427969332012-11-12T07:30:00.000+00:002012-11-12T07:41:16.189+00:00Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Synopsis</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/anna-dressed-in-blood-by-kendare-blake.html">Anna Dressed in Blood </a>was my favourite book of last year - hands down. In fact Liz and I have a little Anna fan club going on - no, really, we have badges and everything. I was so looking forward to reading book two and getting immersed in the world again. At the end of book one, Anna has sacrificed herself by passing on to another place taking the awful Obeahman with her. Cas is aware that he should be moving on, his athame has been purified so he can get back to the business of sending malevolent ghosts on their way - right? Well, not quite because Anna is turning up in Cas's dreams and eventually into his daylight hours and it's obvious that she hasn't passed on to a peaceful place. He's tormented with the knowledge that she's clearly in trouble but he can't help. He turns to his friends, Thomas and Carmel who encourage him to let it go. Even Gideon, his dad's advisor and voodoo practitioner Morfran warn him about messing with the door to the other side.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cas won't let it go though, of course, and his search for help takes him to London so my wish at the end of book one to find out more about Gideon is fulfilled. However, it's in the UK that the story gets very scary. I compared Kendare Blake to Stephen King before and I say it again now - this lady can certainly write horror. I got chills as they entered the forests of Scotland - it was, without a doubt, one of the creepiest passages I've read. I won't spoil it for you but I think what happens to them there is loosely based on a real forest in Japan that I saw on television years ago. I also especially enjoyed the trip they make to see Thomas's aunt - I'll never look at gingersnaps the same way again!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I really enjoyed this book. My enjoyment of YA, whether it be contemporary, horror or fantasy, is always based upon the journey that the protagonist makes. Girl of Nightmares portrays some of the heartbreaking aspects of growing up - like first loves and succumbing to peer pressure. I loved the characters even more in book two despite the fact that I wanted to bash their heads together. There wasn't the urgency for me in this book though, despite the subject matter and their journey. At times it's quite a somber read with little let-up and when I finished I did a little internet searching to find that (as far as I'm aware) there'll be no book three. I feel that there should be another. Of course I'm going to say this, I'm heavily invested in Anna and the gang. However, if this is to be a duo then once I've come to terms with that I'm sure I'll be happy with the outcome. I can't say more without giving it away - there's so much I want to discuss with you about this! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Anna, Cas, Thomas and Carmel - I've loved you guys - farewell. </span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-27335736538041177142012-11-09T08:00:00.000+00:002012-11-09T10:38:42.539+00:00Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer (My New Obsession)<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I fall for a writer, with a backlist, I tend to fall hard. It happened with <a href="http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/" target="_blank">John Connolly</a> the last time in a big way. I could not read enough John Connolly. I scooped loads of his books up and stuffed them into my head. Now I'm on a tiny sabatical before I burn out on Connolly. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, a few weeks ago, I discovered this South African crimey thriller writer, Dean Meyer. I read an interview with him hosted by a <a href="http://eurocrime.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/interview-deon-meyer.html" target="_blank">fellow review blogger here in the UK</a>. I liked his honesty and I thought his books sounded interesting. Set in SA, where I'm from, I was intrigued to read what he'd done, having not been "home" for several years myself. I thought I would have a decent distance to judge adequately how a foreigner would read the books, or rather, someone who's never been to South Africa and only knew of it as the place that gave birth to Apartheid, the place Mandela was locked away in and all the trouble with the ANC and the place where lions walk the streets. (Sorry, I had to put that in there: if I had a pound for every time I was asked this question or one similar, I'd be able to dine out at Claridges at least three times a year).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I bought in two titles to read by Deon Meyer. The first was Devil's Peak. It's the first part of an ongoing series featuring a Cape Town police detective called Benny Griessel. This is the write-up nabbed from Amazon:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The former freedom fighter known as 'Tiny' has finally achieved his dream of a peaceful life. But then his beloved son is taken away from him. In that moment, he unleashes himself upon a corrupt South Africa. His victims are those guilty of crimes against children.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">He goes by the name of Artemis.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Benny Griessel, a fading policeman on the brink of losing his job, family and self-respect, is assigned the case. Benny knows that this is his last chance - both his career and the safety of Cape Town are on the line.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">But then Benny meets Christine, a young mother working as a prostitute, and something happens that is so terrifying that the world will never be the same again for Benny, for Christine, or for Tiny.</span></span></blockquote>
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Within a few pages I was fully immersed in the world created by Meyer. I felt so much empathy for this freedom fighter called Tiny because Meyer took great care to produce a well rounded, interesting, conflicted character. Let's be clear here: this surprised me, as I remember the fears we had growing up about these freedom fighters, these boys and men who would kill and destroy and burn homes and schools and innocent people in order to get the point across. The old adage of: someone's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist, is an adage I grew up with. For Meyer to take someone whom I thought of as the "enemy" growing up in SA and making him an character I have so much empathy for, turning him into an actual living breathing person, not just a faceless frightening person, making him someone I cared deeply about, is testament to Meyer's skill as an author. </div>
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Tiny is supposed to be the antagonist in Devil's Peak but he's also the hero - in my opinion, he is. His character development is handled with such skill and everything he did you believed in. His motivations were clear and you are with him every step of the way as he goes through his various "kills". I sobbed my eyes out a few times - thank heavens for waterproof mascara, Mr. Meyer! </div>
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Onto Benny Griessell. What a complete fuck-up of a main character. Benny is basically a victim of his own abuse. And I utterly loved him for it. He is messed up, and piteous and whiny and so completely self-absorbed that it takes him most of the book to realise exactly how badly he has screwed up his life. His wife kicks him out because he's a drunkard and she's had enough. He tries to stop drinking and goes through this whole period of withdrawal. His boss (Mat Joubert) gives him a talking to that made me crow with laughter and admiration because I could hear it so clearly spoken in my head. The dressing down Benny gets, the complete telling off is worthy of an award in itself. I kinda wish I was clever enough to scan that speech in to copy it in here, but I actually read it out to Mark and we both collapsed laughing at it because of it's sheer brilliance. Needless to say: tough love is strong and living well in Deon Meyer's writing. </div>
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And through all of this, Benny's been tasked to track down Tiny and to stop him. Tied in with all of this (makes big hand gestures) we've got a young woman named Christine telling her story to a hapless priest somewhere in South Africa. Somehow her story is connected to all of this and as the narrative moves ahead it becomes more and more clear how it fits in with Benny and Tiny's story. </div>
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I have feelings about this book, about the writing, the settings, the people, the author. And it's kinda canted over into being wholeheartedly smitten with the entire package, reader, I won't lie. The book has shown me what a good writer can do, like John Connolly's novels: it makes you believe in characters who have dubious morals and it makes you love them, just a little bit, and care about them and how things work out for them ultimately. </div>
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Standing back from my obvious infatuation, I would say that as a "foreigner" some aspects would seem difficult to understand but only initially because everything is within context. Meyer never shies from writing honestly about corruption and the harsh realities of living and working in South Africa. It's a very real world, inhabited by people of all colours and creeds and to Meyer's credit, he doesn't hold back or rather, to me it doesn't seem like he's holding back and he gives us the full scope of life on the force, the difficulties, the politics, the realities. I also think that Meyer's got an incredible eye for detail and his observations and commentary hits home. It made me smile wryly and nod and it shocked me too - racism is still there, but not in the way most people would expect. But then, there's also friendships and compassion that transcends gender and race and that's incredibly important to point out to first time readers too, I think. </div>
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I'd also like to do a shout-out to Mr. Meyer's translator as he writes the books in Afrikaans and it is then translated into English (and various other languages) which in itself is incredible as although I'm supposed to be Afrikaans and can understand it really well, trying to speak it, nevermind translating it, blows my mind. Stupidly, I didn't make a note of who the translator is and I'm sorry, but really, they have done an amazing job because the writing flows beautifully and there is a lyricism to the prose when it comes to describing the characters' emotions but also the beauty and realities of this world, that gives me shivers. It shows that Mr. Meyer and his translator must work very closely on keeping the integrity of each book. </div>
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I went straight from reading Devil's Peak into the second Benny Griessell novel: Thirteen Hours. Which, although it's still a Benny Griessell novel, is completely different to the first novel which was a very intimate character study of two very different men and a tormented woman, set against a backdrop of a country still struggling to make sense of the big issues that face them. I'll review Thirteen Hours next week but basically: you'd be a fool not to want to read it. My third Deon Meyer title should be delivered in the next few days and I can't wait to read it - it's not a Benny Griessell novel, but a standalone, and I can't wait to indulge. </div>
Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-36996743630617193742012-11-07T07:00:00.000+00:002012-11-07T09:17:26.234+00:00Two DNF books<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's rare for me to not finish books. But two of them really got under my skin for various reasons, so I thought I'd quickly blog about them and ask if anyone's read them and what your thoughts were on them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first DNF for me was:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Deadly Little Secret. They concept is super intriguing:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've just checked and Twilight was published back in 2007 and this was published in 2009. I thought that maybe, it was an accident that things were similar, and I still hope it is...but basically, the whole opening sequence and a lot of the novel is very similar to Twilight. Mysterious boy saves girl from certain death by pushing her out of the way, the boy touches her and they both get tingles. In class she's made to work with him on something but things go awry and she's sure he hates her and she pines for him. But there's more - her friends, the secondary cast is peculiar in that they don't take Camelia's concerns seriously when it comes to her being stalked by someone and threatened, in a very obvious way. They seem clueless and focussed only on their own little dramas and don't seem to realise how frightening the situation is their friend finds herself in. Instead, there's more focus on who the hot boy is, the rumours about him, and how her bff is keen to get into anyone's pants to the extent I wished ill on her head. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The fact that Camelia doesn't bother telling an adult about the fact that she's being stalked and threatened really angered me. It sends such bad messages and it makes you wonder why you wouldn't tell anyone you're being sent threatening notes or when you know someone's been in your room. Especially as a teen, this is so awful and so frightening. And yet, somehow, Camelia manages to completely sweep this under the rug and focus wholly on the hot boy whose touch she craves. I felt a bit ill about it. They seemed so clueless and unable to grasp the situation, I gave up reading it. I felt as if I was reading a dumbed down book and although I'm pretty good as suspending my disbelief, I just couldn't believe that a character who came across as relatively levelheaded can make a series of really ill-informed decisions and come across as a victim. I don't know if she redeems herself, and sadly, I'm not sure I care. This book gave me really mixed feelings and the message and story was blurry. Has anyone read this and is it worth completing? Please, do tell me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My second title I've not finished was Thirteen Orphans by Jane Lindskold. I thoroughly enjoyed <a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/buried-pyramid-by-jane-lindskold.html" target="_blank">my previous outing with Ms. Lindskold </a>and thought the Thirteen Orphans sounded rather splendid. Here's the write-up. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as college freshman Brenda Morris knows, there is only one Earth and magic exists only in fairy tales.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brenda is wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A father-daughter weekend turns into a nightmare when Brenda’s father is magically attacked before her eyes. Brenda soon learns that her ancestors once lived in world of smoke and shadows, of magic and secrets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When that world’s Emperor was overthrown, the Thirteen Orphans fled to our earth and hid their magic system in the game of mah-jong. Each Orphan represents an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Brenda’s father is the Rat. And her polished, former child-star aunt, Pearl—that eminent lady is the Tiger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Only a handful of Orphans remain to stand against their enemies. The Tiger, the Rooster, the Dog, the Rabbit . . . and Brenda Morris. Not quite the Rat, but not quite human either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved that it delved deeply in Chinese mythology and that it started off with Brenda and her dad. I thought it was brilliant and unusual...and then things started bugging me. Brenda's voice was super young and naive for someone who is in college. Well, I say that, but she also displays a tremendous amount of knowledge about the game mah-jong, even if they've only ever played it occasionally. I've played monopoly a few times but I really don't know it very well or well enough to name you every square or car-thinghies. I also tend not to be able to recognise characters from Chinese food menu's, whereas she has no trouble doing so when she speaks to her dad and they talk about Chinese writing. As someone from South Carolina, surely Brenda would have had interaction with people of colour? Especially in college? In Thirteen Orphans she mentions how little contact she's had with black people, especially black men. So she had this image in her head about meeting this one chap they're searching for "the Dog" from the Orphans' and his name is RipRap. And that when she sees him she's surprised that he looks decently dressed and his voice doesn't sound like a black man's voice. This just made me go what the actual crap? Later on she has to tell her mum she's got an internship with her Auntie Pearl (also a mixed-heritage lady who looks more white than Chinese) and she doesn't tell her about the fact that RipRap will be part of the entourage because not only is he an unmarried single man...he is also black. Dun dun dunnnnn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That was enough for me. I can understand the author trying to make a show of the inter-racial-ness of the the cast of characters but by harping on about it <i>ALL THE TIME</i> made me lose my will to read and to make Brenda be the mouthpiece and so clueless...and not genuinely naive enough not to come across as racist and bigoted..bah. Not for me, at all. Uch. This book frustrated me so much - it held so much promise but I just really couldn't cope with it further and put it down in favour of something else. We need more diverse characters in books - that is 2000% true, but this is not the right way to do it. I spoke to another blogger about it via email and scanned two sections to her to see if I was being silly about things and said blogger confirmed that I had not lost my mind and that yes, it was as dubious as I felt it to be. And these two sections were only one of many. To show you what I mean, here you go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">and also:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52hRrJvAAU06b8L6mZa7v9Ubzix0BBaZ6qPdUk46IBI_2GAcOzDacBYyq5No0NXc5Z11RDdVLojQ7BWf1N7rfXNGv8nJ6Xy0CfVMZ5nLfvGnsJBOgElzCOQKj6-vLVj68KSIp/s1600/Riprap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52hRrJvAAU06b8L6mZa7v9Ubzix0BBaZ6qPdUk46IBI_2GAcOzDacBYyq5No0NXc5Z11RDdVLojQ7BWf1N7rfXNGv8nJ6Xy0CfVMZ5nLfvGnsJBOgElzCOQKj6-vLVj68KSIp/s320/Riprap.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Loads of people seem to have enjoyed the book if you check out </span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3356979-thirteen-orphans" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;" target="_blank">goodreads</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">, but sadly, in this instance it just wasn't for me. I'd love to hear from people who've read these books, the series, </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">basically</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"> to see how it goes as, even though I'm sore I didn't like it, I'm still tempted to continue reading, to find out what the story is behind all of the shenanigans at the start of the book and if it improves. </span></span></span></div>
<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-55017574127524456802012-11-06T09:00:00.000+00:002012-11-06T09:11:22.226+00:00Black Library Weekender - Our Write-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We drove up super early to get to the Weekend held up in Nottingham this weekend past. It was held at the Nottingham Belfry and we were worried about various things, for instance:<br />
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Parking<br />
Crowding / Over-crowding<br />
Queues for signings / getting into talks<br />
Food<br />
Quality of rooms<br />
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Frankly, it was a doddle.<br />
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We arrived at quarter to nine after leaving the house at ludicrous o' clock. Officially the "doors" opened at ten but there were a few people wandering around touching the books put out on display. And there was a huge selection of books out on display. All the gorgeous new hard covers and some print on demand titles too. And of course, there was all the art you could buy. *swoons*<br />
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Mark ran around and picked up a stack of titles to purchase after we got our passes. It was busy, but friendly and everyone circled the tables in the foyer for ages, choosing and deciding what to get. I enviously watched one guy pick up several pieces of art and wanted to claw his face off from jealousy but didn't. I know how to behave in company.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">From L/R - Christian Dunn, Nick Kyme, Laurie King, Graeme Lyon - Black Library Editors</span></td></tr>
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Whilst the talks were underway, there were also signings. The talks were varied and interesting. I sat in on the <b>Writing for Black Library</b> panel and I have to say, the questions that were asked this time around, compared to the questions asked at the Black Library Live showed how the audience had taken Christian and Laurie's advice on board from previous talks. The big news here, for me, really, was that Hammer and Bolter will cease to be later this year. But! Christian hastened to add that they will still be releasing short stories via the website, every Monday - so you can pay and download them for minimal amounts and get the stories you'd like to read. He also pointed out that it won't just be the stalwarts writing but also newbies. Laurie fielded questions about the open submission period and revealed that they got over 3000 entries in that period and that he's worked his way through maybe 1500 of those - it's a long process and he asked everyone for their patience. Christian mentioned that he would be throwing open the door to some themed anthologies in the future and that it won't be widely announced, but that it would be on the website so it's a good idea to keep an eye out.<br />
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The "boys" also told the audience that the best way to get a foot in the door is to be already published - they acknowledged that it was a Catch 22 situation (how can you get published if you can't get published) but they mentioned that if you've been published in an online magazine or an anthology in Real Life to actually mention that in your covering letter and to remember to provide links to the actual product, and not to be vague about it.<br />
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I asked the question about them perhaps holding a weekend event or a day event for aspiring writers in order to talk characters and plotting and crafting plots etc. and they said it's something they are thinking of doing for sure, because clearly, looking at the subs they received and the popularity of the Weekender, there is a hunger for this. So definitely something for the future. Personally, this pleased me immensely!<br />
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Other bits of advice was general - read the guidelines, be thorough, be alert, don't try and do something so new it scares the editors. Show you can do "traditional" well before attempting to go off the rails. <br />
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I liked and enjoyed this talk tremendously - the four editors really gave the impression that they enjoyed what they did and although they joked around occasionally things were professional. It gave me the idea that writing for BL means that you become part of their family - and that is rather special in this day and age. Good luck to everyone who'll be going for those open windows in the future! May the scrivening gods be on your side.<br />
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Next up, we broke for lunch - you could either order a whopping meal via the bar staff or you could join in in the "packaged" lunch from the main cafeteria which was not too shabby - fresh sarnies, crisps, a drink, a piece of fruit and a choccie for £7. Enough to sustain you till dinner, basically. It was low key and without much fuss and got some food in your belly.<br />
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Mark sat in on one of the immensely popular Horus Heresy talks after lunch (although to be fair he went to all of them) whilst I got some books signed by James Swallow, CL Werner (the coolest guy at the Weekender #fact) and Rob Sanders. I also told Rob that I enjoyed the talk he did with Andy Smillie, Chris Wraight and Rob Sanders on the Space Marine Battles because he always talks so enthusiastically about the Space Marines and how he enjoys making them 3D characters rather than just killing machines. I do think Rob is one of the shining stars of BL because he's a writers' writer and clearly enjoys his craft. This is also true of James Swallow who I think eats, sleeps and drinks story. <br />
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As I enjoy the Warhammer fantasy novels I dragged Mark to the Time of Legends panel hosted by Nick Kyme, Chris Wraight, Josh Reynolds and CL Werner. They spoke enthusiastically about what they're working on, the things that make the series stand out for them and the scope for future additions.<br />
All very exciting.<br />
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The Heresy panels were very well attended, and the vibe around the whole series was one of genuine excitement and passion. The various writers and editors took turns sitting in on these and fielded the questions thrown at them with enthusiasm, even on the Sunday morning. Saturday night had seen the writers spitting into two teams to tackle a fun quiz set up by Christian Dunn, with Andy Smillie keeping score in his own special way on a Thunderhawk shaped card. It was very, very funny and a good precursor to a few drinks in the hotel bar afterwards... I called time and retired to our very comfy room while Mark 'took one for the team' and stuck around to chat over a pint or two.<br />
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Sunday also saw us sit in on the Gamebooks panel with Christian Dunn, <a href="http://jonathangreenauthor.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jonathan Green</a> and Graeme Lyon, which became a wide ranging discussion of the appeal of gamebooks, how to expand it to younger readers who hadn't grown up with them, their appeal and suitability for reluctant readers in particular and things that people would like to see explored in this type of product. It fired up our enthusiasm for the books all over again and we could see Jonathan's eyes lighting up as some of the ideas were fired at them, and he went away muttering about Titans. We can only hope..<br />
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Graeme Lyon, Jonathan Green, Christian Dunn</div>
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The Big Announcement of the weekend was that the phenomenal talents of Neil Roberts and Dan "Oh God that's the opening line of one of my books"Abnett have been marshalled to produce a 100 page, full colour, hardcover Horus Heresy graphic novel. It'll be set after the events of Dan's novel '<a href="http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/know-no-fear-by-dan-abnett.html" target="_blank">Know No Fear</a>' and should be ready in time for the 2013 Weekender. And the intention is for there to be more than one, and for this to be released initially as a collector's edition shortly before going up for general sale, which is a relief. Neil made a point of stressing how excited he was to be working on the project and that his intention was to make it 'the best graphic novel you've ever seen, a $500 million movie in your hands', and from the glimpse we were given of some of the pages he's done already, I don't think he's kidding:</div>
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Tres exciting!</div>
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The Belfy had ample parking space for everyone who drove up. The staff were, as a whole, rather splendid and welcoming and friendly. They helped and advised where needed and I got the chance to briefly chat to the girl running the bar/ coffee area and she was hugely complimentary about everyone attending BLW2012, saying that everyone came across as so friendly and patient, happily waiting to be served. This pleased me hugely because not only did they make a good impression on attendees, we made a decent impression on them. This is rather splendid.</div>
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And that's the other thing that made the Weekender gel for us- the people. Sure, the talks were cool, there was loads of loot to buy and drool over but without the right kind of vibe things just wouldn't have gotten off the ground the way that they did. One of the key things that came up in various conversations was how much better a two day event was - it took that awful must-do-everything pressure off, giving both sides a chance to have a chat without stewards having to ask them to hurry along because the queue was growing. It was great seeing the writers being able to walk around and stop and chat or sign things off the cuff, and I'm sure it made a nice change for them too.<br />
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Everyone who attended was there because of a shared enthusiasm and as testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of the Black Library crew and the calibre of the product that they are putting out there. This is only going to get bigger and better. Well done guys.<br />
<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-41704840749306300642012-11-05T07:30:00.000+00:002012-11-05T08:41:20.586+00:00Constable and Toop by Gareth P. Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Synopsis<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour, blessed (or cursed) with an unusual gift. While his father buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot on the 'other side' - there is a horrible disease that is mysteriously imprisoning ghosts into empty houses in the world of the living. And Sam is caught in the middle - will he be able to bring himself to help?<br /><br />Blue Peter Award winner Gareth P. Jones has woven a darkly comic story, a wonderfully funny adventure that roams the grimy streets of Victorian London</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I read this book a while ago after receiving a copy from Hot Key Books. To be honest I wanted to read it because of the beautiful cover and I love anything to do with Victorian London. I was also intrigued by Sam, a child who can see ghosts. At first he's quite introverted - used to doing as he's told. But the arrival of his uncle who needs hiding from the police reveals parts of Sam's dad's life that he knew nothing about. The first few chapters introduce the reader to quite a few characters. First there's murder victim Emily who's encouraged not to follow The Knocking which will move her on to the next world - her spirit is pretty much kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Then there's Lapsewood, a ghost who thrives on order and whose afterlife is staid and controlled until he's threatened with being despatched to The Vault. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lapsewood is offered a second chance though - to be a Prowler and track down rogue ghosts (those who've ignored The Knocking - the sound which heralds entry into the next world). But ghosts are going missing and this draws together the stories of Sam, Lapsewood and also Clara who's just moved in to a haunted house. The murders are cleverly mixed up into the story of haunted houses and their resident ghosts. I was transfixed from the first few pages. I fell in love with the ghost world that the author has created - there's loads of brilliant little details too like the receptionist who's reading the complete manuscript of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even though the subject matter is fantastical there's wonderful material here that all sorts of people can relate to. Firstly there's Lapsewood who's in his early-thirties and stuck in a rut. He's not doing the sort of work he dreamed of and finds it impossible to try for the things that his heart desires. Initially, at the beginning of the book he isn't sure that he wants to change and actively fights against it but as the story develops he starts to take chances and surprises himself. Sam has to deal with loss and secrets. After his mother dies he feels alone and is bullied at school for being different. His family has secrets and he has to come to terms with the realisation that perhaps he doesn't know his father as well as he thought. He also has to accept himself, strange gifts and all which is perhaps the hardest thing.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Constable and Toop is a magical book. It's the kind of read that I would have loved to have been given as a child at Christmas. It's got the right combination of mystery, ghosts and excitement. Scratch that - I would be over the moon if someone bought this for me now! I also think this is a good book for boys with it's male protagonist and a good dose of horror. A special book that I'll definitely read again. </span></span>Essjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07520594953099845794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-4223542668407787192012-11-02T08:26:00.000+00:002012-11-02T10:19:26.125+00:00The Great Betrayal by Nick Kyme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><i>Thousands of years before the rise of men, the dwarfs and elves are stalwart allies and enjoy a era of unrivalled peace and prosperity. But when dwarf trading caravans are attacked and their merchants slain, the elves are accused of betrayal and the peace begins to fracture..</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">This is the first instalment in a new six book series under the banner of the Black Library's <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/time-of-legends" target="_blank">Time of Legends</a> series (essentially the fantasy equivalent of the record breaking Horus Heresy saga) and delves into the story behind The War of Vengeance, the great conflict that would turn the dwarves and elves against each other. I don't play Warhammer and only have a sketchy idea of the history behind the races, so it seemed a perfect fit to see if this was something</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> that Joe Average could pick up off the shelf and enjoy- more often than not tie-in fiction comes across as having a lot of baggage of the <i>do I need to read all 18 of the previous books to understand it</i> variety. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">The novel opens with a huge, 42 page battle scene illustrating what the dwarves and elves had accomplished together, then switches to </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">the story proper as cousins Morgrim and Snorri explore some of the ancient, abandoned tunnels beneath the mountain stronghold they call home. It's a decision that soon leads to Snorri earning his future nickname 'Halfhand' but it also sets them on a path that neither of them could have foreseen. Snorri, a prince amongst his people, burns with the desire to prove himself to his father, to try and match the glory his father earned in the long years of war it took to secure the mountains against the orks and other menaces that had plagued them. But it is a time of peace, and his ambitions are stymied and his frustration manifests itself in impetuous outbursts and biting retorts, all wedges in a widening gulf between him and his father. Morgrim is his steadying influence, a solid and sensible presence and a good foil for Snorri's brash arrogance.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The Elvish homeland at this time is beset by civil war between the High and Dark Elves, and commando- like parties of Dark Elves are loose in the mountains, seeking to stir things up between the dwarves and the High Elves. Their ruthless cunning and cruelty is matched only by their paranoia and one-upmanship, all of which is shown in the thread of the story that follows one such group. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Suspicion and xenophobia soon follow in the wake of the rising bodycount in the hills, and much of the novel revolves around the resultant turmoil as the peacemakers on both sides strive to hold back the mounting tide of anger and fear. Snorri, never a friend of the elves and buoyed by the company of belligerent advisors, becomes the figurehead for the rebellion against his father's edicts while Morgrim fights to moderate his cousin's attitude and to pull his people back from a war that increasingly seems inevitable.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">There are multiple storylines woven through TGB that Kyme uses to flesh out his world, providing different viewpoints on the events that Snorri and Morgrim are at the forefront of, expanding the scope of the principal thread of the story, hinting at hidden plots and generally keeping it fresh and the reader hungry. </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">The path that the story follows twists and turns, balancing gentle worldbuilding and intrigue with beautifully savage action and t</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">his, combined with a cast of well plotted and interesting characters, is what kept me turning the pages. He's managed to seed the novel with sense of the</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> epic scale of the brewing conflict, making it a meaty and most satisfying read right up to the</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> merciless death that brings TGB to a close. If you've never liked or understood Dwarves, either in Warhammer or general fantasy, you'll be wanting to grow a beard and carry an axe by the time you finish this. It approaches their culture with respect, eschewing cheap shots and short cuts, and in doing so, makes it all feel very 'grown up'.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So, could Joe Average pick up and enjoy The Great Betrayal? A resounding yes- and more than that, he should. This is good, solid fantasy writing that deserves a prominent place on any bookshelf. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">You can visit Nick's website <a href="http://www.nickkyme.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, or read an extract of TGB <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF//G/great-betrayal.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149091278192488000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19498800.post-79385535426762901372012-10-31T08:00:00.000+00:002012-11-01T10:14:11.602+00:00Cover Reveal: My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara<br />
In 2008 I met Mo O’Hara, the funniest person I know – even funnier than me, if you can imagine that! But, I was soon to discover that Mo wasn’t just funny. She was American too. And a bit macabre. She told me this story about her and her brother bringing their goldfish back to life using a battery. I was all “yeah, right” but no, she swore it was true. On the back of this story, she subsequently wrote a book to shut me up. That book is <b>MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH </b>and today, my friends, on Halloween, I’m supremely proud to be hosting the cover reveal of this fantastic book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ycfxl6AGl3Jkwh0cfuuvAP_FLXLgOS7TW3eD346voTiTOLUcT4Ijo6VaJbAepvPuXpjOMEFK_urUlMD6WzKJKRHZ0HgsGVACTKpU_iy25UGykr4qcvXCD00FAD01i7i9h1II/s1600/MyBigFatZombieGoldfish300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ycfxl6AGl3Jkwh0cfuuvAP_FLXLgOS7TW3eD346voTiTOLUcT4Ijo6VaJbAepvPuXpjOMEFK_urUlMD6WzKJKRHZ0HgsGVACTKpU_iy25UGykr4qcvXCD00FAD01i7i9h1II/s640/MyBigFatZombieGoldfish300.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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When Tom’s big brother dunks Frankie the goldfish into radioactive gunge, Tom zaps the fish with a battery to bring him back to life! But there’s something weird about the new Frankie – he’s now a Big Fat Zombie Goldfish with hypnotic powers . . . and he’s out for revenge.</blockquote>
<b>(Macmillan Kids UK 28th February 2013 -<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Big-Fat-Zombie-Goldfish/dp/1447227980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351764817&sr=8-1" target="_blank"> you can pre-order it!</a>)</b><br />
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I’ve read MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH – it is charming, super funny and completely off the wall. It would suit younger readers and adventurous older readers who like wicked humour and mad science shenanigans and annoying older/younger siblings.<br />
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And because I have magical powers of my own (our little secret) we have TWO signed samplers to give away – the sampler is the first five chapters of this great new story and just so you know: there are TWO stories contained within MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH. Pop a comment on the blog for a chance to win a signed copy or, if you are inclined to attempt the twitter odds, tell @Mo_OHara and @LizUK you’re keen to win a copy of the sampler and use #zombiegoldfish so we can find you. Both the blog comment entry and the twitter competition is UK only, I’m afraid. We will run the competition for all of Halloween in the UK, so get commenting and tweeting!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11505919558970094338noreply@blogger.com5